Belmont Bear a great post showing some of whats out there.
But consider you can open your eyes a little, sometime there is a cheaper option, my prices maybe a bit outdated as it they are pre covid prices.
At Roma we paid $73 for 4 nights at the Gun Club, at Blackall the Barcoo Hotel has a dozen sites out the back, stay 1 night its $32 but stay a week it was $130.
Travelling through western NSW there are plenty of small towns the have a rec reserve, racecourse, show grounds that were less than $20 like Manildra, Ungarie, Geurie, Yetman and many more, Qld have little places like Togoolawah, Goondiwindi, Banana and Nebo, SA has Minlaton, Laura, Cleve, Lock and others you just need to get off the main roads.
Generally our experiance is spend 1 night pay top dollar, spend a week you usually get a night or 2 free, and it gives you plenty of time to look around the local district, have a beer and meal at the pub, get a takeway from the local shop.
I think the killer some some caravan parks is the ever increasing power prices, council rates and insurance, a CP in Nth Qld used to pay 10 grand for insurance after a cyclone that went to 20 grand, some of the bigger parks in the cyclone zone now have to pay $100,000 a year, there are a lot of unseen costs to run a caravan park.
BarneyBDB said
09:21 PM Aug 16, 2023
The $70 a night in the overflow area at Exmouth is not todays price, it is what was being charged during the recent solar eclipse event.
Just before last Christmas we stayed at the Exmouth resort caravan park in town, good sized site with shade and power close to amenities, booked 4 nights on line before we arrived at $45 / night, extended after we arrived and the price dropped, they even threw in a free night.
Basher said
08:38 AM Aug 17, 2023
BarneyBDB wrote:
The $70 a night in the overflow area at Exmouth is not todays price, it is what was being charged during the recent solar eclipse event. Just before last Christmas we stayed at the Exmouth resort caravan park in town, good sized site with shade and power close to amenities, booked 4 nights on line before we arrived at $45 / night, extended after we arrived and the price dropped, they even threw in a free night.
I can assure it is, or was 2-3 days ago, I was talking to my mate on the phone while his wife waited in line to register, or maybe he just plucked that figure out of thin air!!
I will verify today incase message from wife was incorrect, happy to be proved wrong becsuse if not its day light robbery!
Basher
The Belmont Bear said
10:36 AM Aug 17, 2023
I agree with all the comments that have been posted since I put up those rates for powered sites. There are certainly ways to cut the cost/night such as utilising showgrounds and pubs, staying on unpowered sites in a CP, selecting places not in prime location or free camping. The rates change constantly in the popular tourist destinations like Broome, Exmouth the NPs depending on availability. What we paid in Cable Beach was $71 and I believe it increased even further after we left as it was the start of the school holidays and everything is booked out for months in advance. In off peak times those same areas have to compete to attract customers so they drop their prices I guess thats how supply and demand works. End of the day people will make their own choice on where they stay depending on their budget, their travel preferences even how they are set up. You are correct Cuppa the only thing I was trying to show was that for us there didnt seem to be lot of difference in price from state to state if you compare the same thing, whether $40 avg/night night is too much really is up to each individual to decide. Our biggest budget expense wasnt actually the accomodation it was fuel which cost us $4600 to do just over 15,000kms at 16.5ltr/100km avg. not a lot you can do about that other than try not to travel iwhen there are head winds (hard to do in WA).
A photo we took of the risk in operating a buisness on the north west coast (whats left of the Pardoo Roadhouse)
BB
-- Edited by The Belmont Bear on Thursday 17th of August 2023 10:37:24 AM
NOT $70 @night at overflow........... ONLY $60........ That is still daylight robbery with NO power. ......No bookings you have to line up like sheep at 2pm My mistake, apology to anyone offended, mate misheard.
Caravan park, with RAA discount $62 but with power
Basher
woolman said
08:07 AM Aug 18, 2023
I believe Exmouth is restricting the camping sites to protect the coral reefs. Divers on coral are a major cause of damaging the reef. Just look at the great battier reef.
Ones numbers are restricted then simple suply and demand take over.
As one that has dived on Both sides of the country, NIngaloo reef if far superior in beauty and diversity in both coral and fish.
Just my thoughts but I have no idea of the solution.
Neil
Brodie Allen said
05:17 PM Aug 21, 2023
While ever Councils listen to the bleating of parks there's always going to be the ability to inflate park
prices. the parks even have their own lobby group to pressure the Councils.
In all this, it seems that the councils in looking after the parks, forgets that travellers spend more
in town than in the park - other business people benefit at the parks expense but in the whole,
enterprise in any town is generally better off if tourism flourishes other than the travellers go on past to
greener pastures.
the onset of comfy self-contained vans will always present serious competition to the parks. If I had noalternative to parks I would sell the van and fly overseas.
who benefits then?
B
Meredith said
06:22 PM Aug 21, 2023
The high price in Exmouth has nothing to do with the caravan parks, the council did it because they don't want the extra people who stay in the overflow, they are happy if you go off to find other pastures and spend your money there. The town cannot get enough workers to support the businesses it has, the roads can't handle any more people, the beaches are being loved to death. There is an intentional limit on the number of sites/rooms etc and the council has put out many statements saying if you haven't booked then don't come as we cannot handle extra people.
Tony LEE said
03:02 PM Aug 22, 2023
There are 1300 free camps/roadside stops/pullovers in WA on wikicamps so I haven't felt the need to use expensive campgrounds.
Of course there are not many free camps in the tourist traps, but I saw most of them 20 years ago and I doubt whether they have aged well anyway. None of them offer more than I can see on a day trip it is no loss
Belmont Bear a great post showing some of whats out there.
But consider you can open your eyes a little, sometime there is a cheaper option, my prices maybe a bit outdated as it they are pre covid prices.
At Roma we paid $73 for 4 nights at the Gun Club, at Blackall the Barcoo Hotel has a dozen sites out the back, stay 1 night its $32 but stay a week it was $130.
Travelling through western NSW there are plenty of small towns the have a rec reserve, racecourse, show grounds that were less than $20 like Manildra, Ungarie, Geurie, Yetman and many more, Qld have little places like Togoolawah, Goondiwindi, Banana and Nebo, SA has Minlaton, Laura, Cleve, Lock and others you just need to get off the main roads.
Generally our experiance is spend 1 night pay top dollar, spend a week you usually get a night or 2 free, and it gives you plenty of time to look around the local district, have a beer and meal at the pub, get a takeway from the local shop.
I think the killer some some caravan parks is the ever increasing power prices, council rates and insurance, a CP in Nth Qld used to pay 10 grand for insurance after a cyclone that went to 20 grand, some of the bigger parks in the cyclone zone now have to pay $100,000 a year, there are a lot of unseen costs to run a caravan park.
Just before last Christmas we stayed at the Exmouth resort caravan park in town, good sized site with shade and power close to amenities, booked 4 nights on line before we arrived at $45 / night, extended after we arrived and the price dropped, they even threw in a free night.
I can assure it is, or was 2-3 days ago, I was talking to my mate on the phone while his wife waited in line to register, or maybe he just plucked that figure out of thin air!!
I will verify today incase message from wife was incorrect, happy to be proved wrong becsuse if not its day light robbery!
Basher
I agree with all the comments that have been posted since I put up those rates for powered sites. There are certainly ways to cut the cost/night such as utilising showgrounds and pubs, staying on unpowered sites in a CP, selecting places not in prime location or free camping. The rates change constantly in the popular tourist destinations like Broome, Exmouth the NPs depending on availability. What we paid in Cable Beach was $71 and I believe it increased even further after we left as it was the start of the school holidays and everything is booked out for months in advance. In off peak times those same areas have to compete to attract customers so they drop their prices I guess thats how supply and demand works. End of the day people will make their own choice on where they stay depending on their budget, their travel preferences even how they are set up. You are correct Cuppa the only thing I was trying to show was that for us there didnt seem to be lot of difference in price from state to state if you compare the same thing, whether $40 avg/night night is too much really is up to each individual to decide. Our biggest budget expense wasnt actually the accomodation it was fuel which cost us $4600 to do just over 15,000kms at 16.5ltr/100km avg. not a lot you can do about that other than try not to travel iwhen there are head winds (hard to do in WA).
A photo we took of the risk in operating a buisness on the north west coast (whats left of the Pardoo Roadhouse)
BB
-- Edited by The Belmont Bear on Thursday 17th of August 2023 10:37:24 AM
NEWS FLASH
......No bookings you have to line up like sheep at 2pm
NOT $70 @night at overflow........... ONLY $60........ That is still daylight robbery with NO power.
My mistake, apology to anyone offended, mate misheard.
Caravan park, with RAA discount $62 but with power
Basher
I believe Exmouth is restricting the camping sites to protect the coral reefs. Divers on coral are a major cause of damaging the reef. Just look at the great battier reef.
Ones numbers are restricted then simple suply and demand take over.
As one that has dived on Both sides of the country, NIngaloo reef if far superior in beauty and diversity in both coral and fish.
Just my thoughts but I have no idea of the solution.
Neil
prices. the parks even have their own lobby group to pressure the Councils.
In all this, it seems that the councils in looking after the parks, forgets that travellers spend more
in town than in the park - other business people benefit at the parks expense but in the whole,
enterprise in any town is generally better off if tourism flourishes other than the travellers go on past to
greener pastures.
the onset of comfy self-contained vans will always present serious competition to the parks. If I had noalternative to parks I would sell the van and fly overseas.
who benefits then?
B
The high price in Exmouth has nothing to do with the caravan parks, the council did it because they don't want the extra people who stay in the overflow, they are happy if you go off to find other pastures and spend your money there. The town cannot get enough workers to support the businesses it has, the roads can't handle any more people, the beaches are being loved to death. There is an intentional limit on the number of sites/rooms etc and the council has put out many statements saying if you haven't booked then don't come as we cannot handle extra people.