FN Qld Caravan Park charges...must be some wealthy grey nomads out there
gillyb said
08:45 AM Jun 2, 2011
I'm currently in Bowen and heading to Cairns and Port Douglas within the next week or so, I was hoping to be there for a couple of months but at around $45 a night in most of the parks its just out of the question. There seems to be so many people that I've met on the way that are heading up there for 3-6 months over winter how do they afford it????
Haven't met anyone from this site yet on my travels but have met some really lovelly people and am not sure that I will want to head home and back to my everyday life when my trip is over
Firefly said
09:06 AM Jun 2, 2011
Geez Gil, at those prices you may need a second job when you get back mate.
So happy you are enjoying yourself there, apart from the pricing, hope you meet some of the Goeys as well.
GarrynLyn said
09:14 AM Jun 2, 2011
Gill, Try the Walkamin caravan park or the Mareeba rodeo grounds on the Atherton tablelands. Will be a lot cheaper, and still driving distance to Cairns and Port Douglas.
traveling bob said
12:26 PM Jun 2, 2011
Last year Mareeba Rodeo grounds were power site $12 a night I think unpower was about $8.
MikeMin said
12:41 PM Jun 2, 2011
Hi, we normally stay in Mission Beach for 3 months during winter. Yes the parks do charge like wounded bulls but if staying for months at a time you can certainly get very good discounts. For example instead of $41 p/n we paid $29 p/n last year. We love Bowen, where are you staying, our favourite is Horseshoe Bay - great little park with magic views.
jonathan said
03:04 PM Jun 2, 2011
Arrived a few days ago to the Mareeba Rodeo Grounds .. enjoyed it last year and hence my return ..
I pay (as a single) for the m/h and trailer on a powered site $91.00 p/w and expect to be here for 2 - 3 months.
.. can't complain about that ..
Jon
Cruising Granny said
03:27 PM Jun 2, 2011
You're on a winner there Jonathan. I haven't camped there but I did visit friends there a couple of years ago. He had the janitor job over the rodeo busy time.
Gilly B I stayed at the First City Caravilla in Cairns. It's close to the Stockland Shopping Centre and the bus stops just out the gate. It's also off the main road, so it's a bit quieter. It can get very busy during the season, but I'm not sure what the daily/weekly rate is in peak season as I paid long-term rent. Jimricho will be able to help you there. I think their website is reasonably current, and the latest rates will be there. It's a Top Tourist Park. Safe and happy travels.
goinsoon said
03:52 PM Jun 2, 2011
What is all this fascination about Cairns, the place is a bloody dump, no beaches and a grotty city, sure there are some great rainforests and diving but that all costs money.
OH yes I am a Queenslander
gillyb said
04:36 PM Jun 2, 2011
Oh goingsoon I'm a bit sad that you call Cairns a dump, I have lived and worked there on two occasions 20yrs apart and yes its grown quite a bit in that time and it has bad area's but what city doesn't, I lived out at Holloways Beach and found it a very quiet and friendly place to live and most of the beaches all the way up to Port Douglas are excellent. I want to stay in Cairns because I have friends there but also like to have my independence therefore the search for a park :)
Jonathan Mareeba sounds great but I do want to be close to my friends in Cairns for a week or two.
cruisin granny the first city caravella is probably where I will stay if I can get in ok they're currently charging $238 pw according to their web site but don't seem to reply to email enquiries so will have to phone.
Mikemin I'm in the Tropical Beach Caravan Park at Bowen which is really a nice spot but after having visited the Horseshoe bay park that is definatelly where I will stay my next visit, I must say I'm absolutely loving the beaches here, was out at Rose Bay thismorning and its just amazing.
goinsoon said
05:07 PM Jun 2, 2011
gillyb wrote:
Oh goingsoon I'm a bit sad that you call Cairns a dump, I have lived and worked there on two occasions 20yrs apart and yes its grown quite a bit in that time and it has bad area's but what city doesn't, I lived out at Holloways Beach and found it a very quiet and friendly place to live and most of the beaches all the way up to Port Douglas are excellent. I want to stay in Cairns because I have friends there but also like to have my independence therefore the search for a park :)
Jonathan Mareeba sounds great but I do want to be close to my friends in Cairns for a week or two.
cruisin granny the first city caravella is probably where I will stay if I can get in ok they're currently charging $238 pw according to their web site but don't seem to reply to email enquiries so will have to phone.
Mikemin I'm in the Tropical Beach Caravan Park at Bowen which is really a nice spot but after having visited the Horseshoe bay park that is definatelly where I will stay my next visit, I must say I'm absolutely loving the beaches here, was out at Rose Bay thismorning and its just amazing.
Sorru gilly, but I have to call it as I see it, I visited regularly as a rep and holidayed there last year and I am sorry I can't fall in love with the place. overpriced and overrated
Happywanderer said
05:27 PM Jun 2, 2011
Sounds like a lovely place gillyb. I have a NZ cousin and her husband in Bowen at the moment for winter. Will see if I can find her address, I have it somewhere. I know they are in a caravan park No 1 somewhere there.
Edited for update.
They are at 1 Horseshoe Bay Road Caravan park, right out on the point about 8 ks from the centre of town.
If you are at the same one their names are Sandra and Stafford King.
-- Edited by Happywanderer on Thursday 2nd of June 2011 05:31:52 PM
gillyb said
05:43 PM Jun 2, 2011
Thanks Marj I'm not at the Horshoe bay park but its certainly where I'll stay next time its in an absolutely beautiful spot. I'm heading off again in the morning and spending 2 nights in Townsville before heading for a couple of days at Mission Beach then on to Cairns then Port Douglas for a couple of weeks after that I'll be looking for something a bit cheaper to stay for a bit longer, will decide while in Port Douglas.
Is there anyone that has passed through Mission Beach lately I was wondering where is a nice place to stay and if all the parks have reopened after Yasi ?
Thanks folks
MikeMin said
06:15 PM Jun 2, 2011
Hi again Gilly,
We love Mission Beach and will be there from 25 July for 3 months at least. The Hideaway Holiday Park right in Mission B is where we stay and I know that it is definitely up and running as it only sustained minor damage to the palm trees but no structural damage. The council park opposite and right on the beach may have been harder hit, I have no idea. Mission Beach is definitely wanting the tourists to come back although there are still ongoing repairs.
You could also try the Big 4 at South Mission but that is not our cup of tea!
jimricho said
06:22 PM Jun 2, 2011
Friends and travelling companions of mine contacted Chris at Mission Beach Hideaway (Top Tourist) over a month ago and reported that they were "well and truly back in business". As MikeMin noted above they are not cheap but do a good rate for 10 weeks or more. This park is a very well run family owned business, located in a magic position just across the road from the beach and right in the centre of Mission Beach village and the price is commensurate with this. Amenities are modern and always spotlessly clean and the grounds immaculate. Note however these comments relate to the park pre-cyclone Yasi and for that reason I haven't posted it in the recommendations section of the forum.
Mission Beach is my favourite FNQ place and I hope the village is well on the way to recovery when I get there, probably late July/August.
I too have stayed at the First City Caravilla in Cairns (where I've had the pleasure of meeting Cruising Granny) and find it very conveniently located and I don't think overpriced for its standard and location. It's also a Top Tourist.
I also like Cairns as a city. Keep in mind that it is a major regional city with a population of around (I think) 120,000 so like any city that size it will "carry some baggage" but that shouldn't put one off as there is much to see and do in the area.
PS: I was composing my post as MikeMin put theirs up. I agree with the comments re South Mission Beach. There are a couple of parks at Wongaling Beach (that's between MB and South MB), one almost on the beach, another back near the pub and Woolworths but I know little about them.
There is (was?) a cheaper council park at Mission Beach, right on the beach but I have no idea how it fared in the Cyclone. It's not listed in the caravan park guides. The Cassawary Regional Council would be able to give you more info.
-- Edited by jimricho on Thursday 2nd of June 2011 06:36:22 PM
jimbo said
06:39 PM Jun 2, 2011
Bowan Qld C P is a rip off......All of them uoght to be bye passes to show them that we will not except it
sandsmere said
06:43 PM Jun 2, 2011
Agree with you there Gilly , about the prices .
Thats the main reason we look for free/cheap camps . There are plenty out there if you have a look and are'nt too cheeky .
goinsoon said
06:48 PM Jun 2, 2011
jimbo wrote:
Bowan Qld C P is a rip off......All of them uoght to be bye passes to show them that we will not except it
But they are all like sheep and flock up there every year and pay the prices then winge about it.
Stay away for one year and see what happens
Happywanderer said
06:48 PM Jun 2, 2011
jimbo, did you really write that or is someone playing with your computer??
goinsoon said
06:50 PM Jun 2, 2011
No Marj, I think you were looking at my answer to him
Happywanderer said
08:49 PM Jun 2, 2011
No goinsoon, I was looking at jimbo's post at 6.39pm. Never known him to make so many spelling mistakes. Haha!!
goinsoon said
09:02 PM Jun 2, 2011
Happywanderer wrote:
No goinsoon, I was looking at jimbo's post at 6.39pm. Never known him to make so many spelling mistakes. Haha!!
Oh sorry, but hey Marj. keep your chin up
Wombat 280 said
09:31 PM Jun 2, 2011
I agree Cairns is not my favorite place and my family came from there, going further north the area is more appealing, the beaches are wasted as for the best part of the year your can't swim or paddle owing to the stinger threat . One rain forest is the same as the next , Actually there are better rain forests in Nth NSW. The Sky Train is well worth a trip one way and return by the train. Great photograph when the train pulls up and if there's water running over the falls .
goinsoon said
09:35 PM Jun 2, 2011
Goodonya Wombie, good to have someone on my side, I don't know what the fascination is up there, is there viagra in the water or something
Cruising Granny said
11:27 PM Jun 2, 2011
Every place has it's good and bad. I prefer the west coast, but I did enjoy my time in Cairns. I made some great friends and I miss them. The terrain is very different and the mould is worse in Cairns than it was in Broome. It rains more in Cairns, the humidity is higher then Broome, but it's hotter in the west. To each his/her own, to be politically, or sexually correct. Even the desert has it's beauty and it's isolation. Great to visit and live for a while. Cairns is actually a very interesting city. From the marina and foreshore to the botanic gardens, the zoo, the skyrail and Kuranda train. Even the Savannahlander motor rail if you want to venture further. Copperlode Dam/Lake Morrison, Crystal Cascades, Lake Placid, the Bungy Jumping, the cruises to the reef. Or just lazing around the van in the sun, reading a good book and doing nothing much in the sun. Note I repeated "SUN". There isn't much in Adelaide at this time of the year. Enjoy where you are.
PS. If you decided to stay long term at the Caravilla you could try asking for a long-term rate for you. Long term is usually more than 6 weeks.
-- Edited by Cruising Granny on Thursday 2nd of June 2011 11:29:16 PM
rocan said
07:07 AM Jun 3, 2011
ever since we had the cyclones there has been advertising trying to get people back up here to nth qld.but the prices seem to have gone up not down which would entice people to return up here. rocan
jules47 said
07:33 AM Jun 3, 2011
I lived in Cairns when I was a kid, for about a year - boy has the place changed since then - at that time the airport was a tin shed in the middle of the tarmac - we wore no shoes to school (the only Catholic school in town) - we lived in Aeroglen and West Cairns - Aeroglen is just near the airport, we got off the plane, walked across the tarmac, through a cane field, across the railway line then across the highway to my aunties house - totally unrecognisable now. We stayed at the Lake Placid CP last time we were there - nice park, but very busy, and definitely not cheap. Rather stay in Mareeba nowadays.
Edco said
03:12 PM Jun 3, 2011
We are currently at Diggers Creek Motel and Van Park at El Arish 16lms north of Tully, 35klm south of Innisfail and abt 20klm from Mission Beach. The northern road to Mission Beach is 500mtrs down road. It is a small park, not fancy but very comfortable and friendly atmosphere. We have stopped here every year for last 3 years. Cost is only about $25.00 per night, stay 7 pay for 6. We original paid for 1 week but have been here nearly 2. Going on the prices quoted may stay a bit longer. ref Camps 4 nbr 17.
gillyb said
07:59 AM Jun 4, 2011
Thanks Cruising Granny I have booked into the Caravilla for a week then I'm off to Port Douglas for 2 weeks after that I'll decide the best stop at the best rate for a couple of months before I have to think about heading off home :(
BobnBev said
08:19 AM Jun 4, 2011
We used to go to Bowen each year when the meatworks were open. the rates then were good . went back some years ago and was blown over by what they wanted. Its a joke. .. If it wasnt for my brothers place here at Mackay we wouldnt be here..Qld has a little bit to do as far as CP prices go.. Your right the beaches up north have zip to offer..mud flats and stingers????.The west is far better and they are listen there as well . it will take over as a place to go. if not now...And the fishing is far better....When we leave here it will be a quick trip across the top to the west then a slow mossey down the west coast. as it gets hot move south...carnt wait..have to see daughter in T.Ville. first....
howdrink said
08:22 AM Jun 4, 2011
we did the same trip last year had a great time up there, try rollingstone caravan park we thought that was very good but make sure you have enough food as its 50k ti shops. have fun guys and stay safe
I'm currently in Bowen and heading to Cairns and Port Douglas within the next week or so, I was hoping to be there for a couple of months but at around $45 a night in most of the parks its just out of the question. There seems to be so many people that I've met on the way that are heading up there for 3-6 months over winter how do they afford it????
Haven't met anyone from this site yet on my travels but have met some really lovelly people and am not sure that I will want to head home and back to my everyday life when my trip is over
Geez Gil, at those prices you may need a second job when you get back mate.
So happy you are enjoying yourself there, apart from the pricing, hope you meet some of the Goeys as well.
Gill, Try the Walkamin caravan park or the Mareeba rodeo grounds on the Atherton tablelands. Will be a lot cheaper, and still driving distance to Cairns and Port Douglas.
We love Bowen, where are you staying, our favourite is Horseshoe Bay - great little park with magic views.
Arrived a few days ago to the Mareeba Rodeo Grounds .. enjoyed it last year and hence my return ..
I pay (as a single) for the m/h and trailer on a powered site $91.00 p/w and expect to be here for 2 - 3 months.
.. can't complain about that ..
Jon
Gilly B I stayed at the First City Caravilla in Cairns. It's close to the Stockland Shopping Centre and the bus stops just out the gate. It's also off the main road, so it's a bit quieter.
It can get very busy during the season, but I'm not sure what the daily/weekly rate is in peak season as I paid long-term rent. Jimricho will be able to help you there.
I think their website is reasonably current, and the latest rates will be there.
It's a Top Tourist Park.
Safe and happy travels.
What is all this fascination about Cairns, the place is a bloody dump, no beaches and a grotty city, sure there are some great rainforests and diving but that all costs money.
OH yes I am a Queenslander
Oh goingsoon I'm a bit sad that you call Cairns a dump,
I have lived and worked there on two occasions 20yrs apart and yes its grown quite a bit in that time and it has bad area's but what city doesn't, I lived out at Holloways Beach and found it a very quiet and friendly place to live and most of the beaches all the way up to Port Douglas are excellent. I want to stay in Cairns because I have friends there but also like to have my independence therefore the search for a park :)
Jonathan Mareeba sounds great but I do want to be close to my friends in Cairns for a week or two.
cruisin granny the first city caravella is probably where I will stay if I can get in ok they're currently charging $238 pw according to their web site but don't seem to reply to email enquiries so will have to phone.
Mikemin I'm in the Tropical Beach Caravan Park at Bowen which is really a nice spot but after having visited the Horseshoe bay park that is definatelly where I will stay my next visit, I must say I'm absolutely loving the beaches here, was out at Rose Bay thismorning and its just amazing.
Sorru gilly, but I have to call it as I see it, I visited regularly as a rep and holidayed there last year and I am sorry I can't fall in love with the place. overpriced and overrated
Sounds like a lovely place gillyb. I have a NZ cousin and her husband in Bowen at the moment for winter. Will see if I can find her address, I have it somewhere. I know they are in a caravan park No 1 somewhere there.
Edited for update.
They are at 1 Horseshoe Bay Road Caravan park, right out on the point about 8 ks from the centre of town.
If you are at the same one their names are Sandra and Stafford King.
-- Edited by Happywanderer on Thursday 2nd of June 2011 05:31:52 PM
Thanks Marj I'm not at the Horshoe bay park but its certainly where I'll stay next time its in an absolutely beautiful spot. I'm heading off again in the morning and spending 2 nights in Townsville before heading for a couple of days at Mission Beach then on to Cairns then Port Douglas for a couple of weeks after that I'll be looking for something a bit cheaper to stay for a bit longer, will decide while in Port Douglas.
Is there anyone that has passed through Mission Beach lately I was wondering where is a nice place to stay and if all the parks have reopened after Yasi ?
Thanks folks
We love Mission Beach and will be there from 25 July for 3 months at least. The Hideaway Holiday Park right in Mission B is where we stay and I know that it is definitely up and running as it only sustained minor damage to the palm trees but no structural damage. The council park opposite and right on the beach may have been harder hit, I have no idea. Mission Beach is definitely wanting the tourists to come back although there are still ongoing repairs.
You could also try the Big 4 at South Mission but that is not our cup of tea!
Friends and travelling companions of mine contacted Chris at Mission Beach Hideaway (Top Tourist) over a month ago and reported that they were "well and truly back in business". As MikeMin noted above they are not cheap but do a good rate for 10 weeks or more. This park is a very well run family owned business, located in a magic position just across the road from the beach and right in the centre of Mission Beach village and the price is commensurate with this. Amenities are modern and always spotlessly clean and the grounds immaculate. Note however these comments relate to the park pre-cyclone Yasi and for that reason I haven't posted it in the recommendations section of the forum.
Mission Beach is my favourite FNQ place and I hope the village is well on the way to recovery when I get there, probably late July/August.
I too have stayed at the First City Caravilla in Cairns (where I've had the pleasure of meeting Cruising Granny) and find it very conveniently located and I don't think overpriced for its standard and location. It's also a Top Tourist.
I also like Cairns as a city. Keep in mind that it is a major regional city with a population of around (I think) 120,000 so like any city that size it will "carry some baggage" but that shouldn't put one off as there is much to see and do in the area.
PS: I was composing my post as MikeMin put theirs up. I agree with the comments re South Mission Beach. There are a couple of parks at Wongaling Beach (that's between MB and South MB), one almost on the beach, another back near the pub and Woolworths but I know little about them.
There is (was?) a cheaper council park at Mission Beach, right on the beach but I have no idea how it fared in the Cyclone. It's not listed in the caravan park guides. The Cassawary Regional Council would be able to give you more info.
-- Edited by jimricho on Thursday 2nd of June 2011 06:36:22 PM
Bowan Qld C P is a rip off......All of them uoght to be bye passes to show them that we will not except it
Agree with you there Gilly , about the prices .
Thats the main reason we look for free/cheap camps . There are plenty out there if you have a look and are'nt too cheeky .
But they are all like sheep and flock up there every year and pay the prices then winge about it.
Stay away for one year and see what happens
No Marj, I think you were looking at my answer to him
Oh sorry, but hey Marj. keep your chin up
Goodonya Wombie, good to have someone on my side, I don't know what the fascination is up there, is there viagra in the water or something
I prefer the west coast, but I did enjoy my time in Cairns. I made some great friends and I miss them.
The terrain is very different and the mould is worse in Cairns than it was in Broome. It rains more in Cairns, the humidity is higher then Broome, but it's hotter in the west.
To each his/her own, to be politically, or sexually correct.
Even the desert has it's beauty and it's isolation. Great to visit and live for a while.
Cairns is actually a very interesting city. From the marina and foreshore to the botanic gardens, the zoo, the skyrail and Kuranda train. Even the Savannahlander motor rail if you want to venture further. Copperlode Dam/Lake Morrison, Crystal Cascades, Lake Placid, the Bungy Jumping, the cruises to the reef.
Or just lazing around the van in the sun, reading a good book and doing nothing much in the sun.
Note I repeated "SUN". There isn't much in Adelaide at this time of the year.
Enjoy where you are. PS. If you decided to stay long term at the Caravilla you could try asking for a long-term rate for you. Long term is usually more than 6 weeks.
-- Edited by Cruising Granny on Thursday 2nd of June 2011 11:29:16 PM
rocan
We stayed at the Lake Placid CP last time we were there - nice park, but very busy, and definitely not cheap. Rather stay in Mareeba nowadays.
We are currently at Diggers Creek Motel and Van Park at El Arish 16lms north of Tully, 35klm south of Innisfail and abt 20klm from Mission Beach. The northern road to Mission Beach is 500mtrs down road. It is a small park, not fancy but very comfortable and friendly atmosphere. We have stopped here every year for last 3 years. Cost is only about $25.00 per night, stay 7 pay for 6. We original paid for 1 week but have been here nearly 2. Going on the prices quoted may stay a bit longer. ref Camps 4 nbr 17.
we did the same trip last year had a great time up there, try rollingstone caravan park we thought that was very good but make sure you have enough food as its 50k ti shops. have fun guys and stay safe