This Easter weekend we went to the West Beach Caravan Park Adelaide to visit family. We were a bit concerned from what we heard & read about the $5.00 visitors fee. I can say for sure we were not approached for the fee even though they had a security guard at the gate. I think he was there to stop people from tailgating.
snapper49 said
09:42 PM Mar 31, 2013
Any park that charges a visitor fee simply will not get my business and if everybody does the same they will soon drop it
Beth54 said
10:36 PM Mar 31, 2013
Granite Gorge, NQ has a park entry fee of $7.50 but we didn't pay. I don't believe it's necessary either. They make their money with the campers, kiosk etc.
Cruising Granny said
02:10 AM Apr 1, 2013
I've never heard of such a visitor fee. I don't think it's ethical as the visitors don't really use the facilities of the park, except perhaps, the amenities for a quick flush. In Broome we could entertain visitors by the pool and share a swim for not additional fee, neither did the Cairns park.. The park I'm in now doesn't charge visitors for a swim or entrance fee, Sounds like someone took a rumour too literally. These places do their fair share of profiteering already, jumping on the busy tourism season band-wagon. Entry fees for visitors? I hope not.
But I still don't think one should have to pay a fee if you're just going there for a picnic and roam around the rocks etc.
hako said
04:03 AM Apr 1, 2013
We found that the caravan park information page you are handed when you book in, will sometimes say that there is a charge for visitors, and this seems more so at the dearer parks which now charge up to $45 p/n. I queried this and was told that although it was rarely if ever enforced, it was a means of 'moving on' those visitors deemed 'undesireable'. That sounds fair enough to me as it is private ground and they have security to worry about.
herbie said
12:07 AM Apr 2, 2013
As soon as i pulled into a place with a security guard stationed at the gate/ entry that would have been enough for me to pull right out of there and head for them um hills .....the $5 fee was probably to pay the security guards wages....All it would tell me is the area must be classified as a hot spot for trouble/ thieft/ muggings and not a place one would want to leave their van unattended for more than a minute.How can c/ parks expect people to stay in a jail lile envioroment.
-- Edited by herbie on Tuesday 2nd of April 2013 12:09:04 AM
hako said
04:20 PM Apr 2, 2013
I'd agree with you there Herbie, a security guard would put me well away from that area. But if I'm staying at a caravan park and paying up to $45 p/n for the privilege, I don't like to see people just wandering in from outside to use the facilities unchecked. I expect some sort of vetting to be made otherwise I may as well free camp...but never a security guard. Whenever we've visited friends who are staying in a caravan park, we've always popped in out of courtesy at the office to tell them who we are and never had a problem, and also never been asked to pay.
Nicholstones said
06:09 PM Apr 2, 2013
I would assume the security guard was only on over the holiday weekend, I don't know the park but if it is next to a beach as the name implies then there may be a lot of dodgy people around at that time, maybe even some sort of festival. A few years ago we stayed at Hidden Valley CP in Darwin, and they had security guards over the V8 weekend, due to there being so many petrol heads about.
BruDi said
11:23 PM Apr 2, 2013
At peak times the West Beach Caravan Park is full and people have had to book their site years in advance. Don't think that you can book in there for Easter or Christmas and just get in. It will be booked out, probably already.
We visit it at least a couple of times a year, just as visitors. We walk in with our esky and chairs and no one has ever stopped us and asked us to pay. My sister and brother-in-law stay there a couple of times or more a year as they use it as a weekend/week getaway. Last time we visited as well as their three children and their partners and two grandchildren. No one paid to enter.
The security guard may well have been that, just security for Easter. I've never seen one there.
Di
herbie said
01:13 AM Apr 3, 2013
BruDi wrote:
At peak times the West Beach Caravan Park is full and people have had to book their site years in advance. Don't think that you can book in there for Easter or Christmas and just get in. It will be booked out, probably already.
We visit it at least a couple of times a year, just as visitors. We walk in with our esky and chairs and no one has ever stopped us and asked us to pay. My sister and brother-in-law stay there a couple of times or more a year as they use it as a weekend/week getaway. Last time we visited as well as their three children and their partners and two grandchildren. No one paid to enter.
The security guard may well have been that, just security for Easter. I've never seen one there.
Di
It will be interesting to see if you have to pay next time you visit .Maybe this is why they have decided to charge visitors, visiting.Ii guess some people do make it hard on the owner of the park if the visitors use the toilets and other facilities on offer, after all he does have a business to run.And also maybe that is half the reason c/ park prices are so high, to hewlp recoop what the non paying visitor users for free. Just a thought !!!
BruDi said
04:27 AM Apr 3, 2013
It's only about 2 weeks ago that we were there and we have always walked in with no problem. We don't sneak, but enter very openly.
This Easter weekend we went to the West Beach Caravan Park Adelaide to visit family. We were a bit concerned from what we heard & read about the $5.00 visitors fee. I can say for sure we were not approached for the fee even though they had a security guard at the gate. I think he was there to stop people from tailgating.
Granite Gorge, NQ has a park entry fee of $7.50 but we didn't pay. I don't believe it's necessary either. They make their money with the campers, kiosk etc.
In Broome we could entertain visitors by the pool and share a swim for not additional fee, neither did the Cairns park.. The park I'm in now doesn't charge visitors for a swim or entrance fee,
Sounds like someone took a rumour too literally.
These places do their fair share of profiteering already, jumping on the busy tourism season band-wagon.
Entry fees for visitors? I hope not.
I should say that Granite Gorge is a Nature Park, not a traditional CP. http://www.granitegorge.com.au/activities.html
But I still don't think one should have to pay a fee if you're just going there for a picnic and roam around the rocks etc.
As soon as i pulled into a place with a security guard stationed at the gate/ entry that would have been enough for me to pull right out of there and head for them um hills .....the $5 fee was probably to pay the security guards wages....All it would tell me is the area must be classified as a hot spot for trouble/ thieft/ muggings and not a place one would want to leave their van unattended for more than a minute.How can c/ parks expect people to stay in a jail lile envioroment.
-- Edited by herbie on Tuesday 2nd of April 2013 12:09:04 AM
But if I'm staying at a caravan park and paying up to $45 p/n for the privilege, I don't like to see people just wandering in from outside to use the facilities unchecked. I expect some sort of vetting to be made otherwise I may as well free camp...but never a security guard. Whenever we've visited friends who are staying in a caravan park, we've always popped in out of courtesy at the office to tell them who we are and never had a problem, and also never been asked to pay.
We visit it at least a couple of times a year, just as visitors. We walk in with our esky and chairs and no one has ever stopped us and asked us to pay. My sister and brother-in-law stay there a couple of times or more a year as they use it as a weekend/week getaway. Last time we visited as well as their three children and their partners and two grandchildren. No one paid to enter.
The security guard may well have been that, just security for Easter. I've never seen one there.
Di
It will be interesting to see if you have to pay next time you visit .Maybe this is why they have decided to charge visitors, visiting.Ii guess some people do make it hard on the owner of the park if the visitors use the toilets and other facilities on offer, after all he does have a business to run.And also maybe that is half the reason c/ park prices are so high, to hewlp recoop what the non paying visitor users for free. Just a thought !!!
Di