motouring australia

kenmarg · Senior Member

motouring australia

dave06 · Guru

out in the "sticks" such as quorn we have the showgrounds open for short term parking on a low cost system and have had it for quite a while

I'm surprised that the larger towns and cities have taken so long to open up these areas for other purposes

I guess if we go driving ten tonne motorhomes on to our lush grass and over the cricket pitch (in the case of multi purpose grounds) then the damage done could easily outweigh the income gained

dont laugh we had a lawson 8 tonner do exactly that and busted up the concrete pitch, it took volunteers (me and a couple of mates) three weekends to put it right and it was cricket season so we missed our rounds and had to forfeit, if you have ever played in small town matches then you would know what a blow that was

queensland has so much open space that if you went inland a couple hundred k'ms then parking is not a problem, all the coast belongs to the japs anyway so why would you want to go there

mike and Judy · Guru

Toatally agree with you Dave , here in the gem fields you could run a tank on to the grounds around here and not do any damage, with over 9000 square hectares to camp in you can almost choose the surface you want

Cruising Granny · Guru

I thought the idea was to utilise the ground around the ground without actually driving and parking on the oval. There is usually a lot of space out there. Of course the seasonal sport would have to be taken into account.
In Mareeba they use the rodeo grounds paddock away from the actual arena as an overflow when the park is full. They have powered sites and amenities.
In Broome they have 3 overflow areas. The PCYC, the Pistol Club and one of the churches.
This is their major fundraiser for the year. Most have some powered sites, and some water is available.
We can't all expect to camp for free, and many of us use power etc. User pays is still the way things are done. If we expect some amenities, we have to pay for those amenities.
We don't all camp out bush every time we leave home. In fact, many of us live in our vans, and I for one am not on a perpetual "camping" trip. I like to go camping away from my van, and then I find a nice spot near the beach, river, lake etc usually free, with minimal or no amenities. eg Long drop dunnies and cold showers.
There are so many issues here. If we come up with one and collate our suggestions we can then distribute it to the magazines and websites for further support.
I don't have to join any clubs to do that. A club is of no use to me anisd my lifestyle.
Cheers Chr

dave06 · Guru

we are not on a "camping trip" when we leave home either, we travel, which I thought was the whole idea of being a "nomad", we set out to get from point "a" to point "B" and back stopping as necesary

when we travel we stay at free camps mostly, sometimes caravan parks when necesary but very rarely

our travels are not camping trips just the same as the trip is not all about the accommodation it is what it is where it happens to be, sleeping is secondary and a necessary evil to traveling, some make the sleeping the important bit

for those that live in a van in caravan parks this is not an issue simply because you are, by choice, in the park

because you choose to do so, we don't, we choose to go to out of the way areas on our way to a new destination as that is what we choose, dollar saved = extra miles driven

I would not stay in a woollies car park, I would not stay in a town, I get right away from towns simply because for the sleepy traveler they are not safe, out in the sticks is where me and a lot like me prefer to be

a club is a very use full thing to belong to, you are actually already in a "club" of sorts, there is a lot of information to be gleaned from fellow club members

I belong to the cmca, I don't belong to it's forum, I also belong to the australian offroaders association, I enjoy all the benefits of the club and so do an awfull lot of others, they do so much good and a lot of it is unnoticed, but not by the traveler

many times I have ventured into an RV friendly town and the welcome mat is out for me, thanks "C.M.C.A",

in that town there is a clean well lit and easy to use dumpoint, thanks "C.M.C.A",

there are well signed areas for "setting down" for the night and it is usually in a very scenic area, thanks C.M.C.A.

new tyres attract a discount thanks C.M.C.A.

areas are opened up to me that are closed to others thanks C.M.C.A.

many things are in place and easily identified when you travel, I do and I see them all the time and I apreciate them

before you go knocking clubs just take a little time and look into them first, they are, mostly a good thing with a lot of extremely knowledgeable people, some not so good but a hell of a lot are fantastic

belong or dont belong, doesnt matter but just dont knock them because you dont want to belong to one

Helena · Guru

I gree with you Dave we used to belong to C.M.C.A. but when we got the A Van camper gave the club away, yes they do a lot of good and yes we learned a lot from them. At times still wish we were with them. We too choose to free camp most of the time more $`s for petrol and don`t really like the way you are crowded in` in caravan parks (but that is just my opinion). Helena.

Vic41 · Senior Member

Dave,

I am in two clubs, one state and one national, both enrol members for the CMCA LNT scheme and forward these applications to CMCA. I don't know when the last time you were in WA, but the same applies over here in WA, CMCA RV Friendly town signs and CMCA organised dump points, so their effect is spread far and wide and as you know they have the largest RV club in Australia (the site says 54, 000 members).

I can also appreciate that there are many GN members that do not want to belong to a club, although this suits our needs and belonging to a National club allows us to attend rally's/musters in other states if our travels take us to that location.

CMCA would have to be the most proactive club in Oz for campervans and motorehome members, but their lobbying also benefits caravan and camper trailer members also including their LNT scheme, but I don't need to tell you that, this is just for general info.

Vic

dave06 · Guru

vic I am well aware of the fantastic work of the C.M.C.A. and have enjoyed the benefits of their efforts in most states, western australia about 6 years ago, I held this particular one up as a glowing example, there are many and varied clubs doing extraordinary work behind the scenes that most of us would not be aware of, lions, apex and many many others

I would be the greatest advocate of freedom of choice as far as belonging to one club or many clubs or no clubs

I am actually a member of the cmca's leave no trace scheme and I display my sticker proudly

I am proud to be a member of the cmca and would consider other clubs as well, I find it an extremely good information sink and having only it's members interests at heart

I like the campertrailer club, lots of info in there, I have had a look at the cape york website and found it entertaining

my mind is open as all should be, a closed mind is not a healthy thing

Cruising Granny · Guru

dave06 wrote:

we are not on a "camping trip" when we leave home either, we travel, which I thought was the whole idea of being a "nomad", we set out to get from point "a" to point "B" and back stopping as necesary

when we travel we stay at free camps mostly, sometimes caravan parks when necesary but very rarely

our travels are not camping trips just the same as the trip is not all about the accommodation it is what it is where it happens to be, sleeping is secondary and a necessary evil to traveling, some make the sleeping the important bit

for those that live in a van in caravan parks this is not an issue simply because you are, by choice, in the park

because you choose to do so, we don't, we choose to go to out of the way areas on our way to a new destination as that is what we choose, dollar saved = extra miles driven

I would not stay in a woollies car park, I would not stay in a town, I get right away from towns simply because for the sleepy traveler they are not safe, out in the sticks is where me and a lot like me prefer to be

a club is a very use full thing to belong to, you are actually already in a "club" of sorts, there is a lot of information to be gleaned from fellow club members

I belong to the cmca, I don't belong to it's forum, I also belong to the australian offroaders association, I enjoy all the benefits of the club and so do an awfull lot of others, they do so much good and a lot of it is unnoticed, but not by the traveler

many times I have ventured into an RV friendly town and the welcome mat is out for me, thanks "C.M.C.A",

in that town there is a clean well lit and easy to use dumpoint, thanks "C.M.C.A",

there are well signed areas for "setting down" for the night and it is usually in a very scenic area, thanks C.M.C.A.

new tyres attract a discount thanks C.M.C.A.

areas are opened up to me that are closed to others thanks C.M.C.A.

many things are in place and easily identified when you travel, I do and I see them all the time and I apreciate them

before you go knocking clubs just take a little time and look into them first, they are, mostly a good thing with a lot of extremely knowledgeable people, some not so good but a hell of a lot are fantastic

belong or dont belong, doesnt matter but just dont knock them because you dont want to belong to one

What are the direct benefits of being a financial member of these clubs?
What are the benefits which I can't access on the internet for free?
Apart from organised rallies, what is the function of a club?
I have tried to access some of the clubs' stuff, but unless I pay to join, I can't see it.
Maybe you could clear this up for me please?

kenmarg · Senior Member

hi dave. when i put up the post about "home hill" i didnt say anything about the c.m.c.a. but they were the instigators,that started the ball rolling. the signs for friendly rv town, the instillation of the dump point, etc, etc, etc, of course when the progress assc,saw the money coming in. the politicians had to jump on the bandwagon. i am not a member of the c.m.c.a. but i cant sing there praises enough.

dave06 · Guru

What are the direct benefits of being a financial member of these clubs?
What are the benefits which I can't access on the internet for free?
Apart from organised rallies, what is the function of a club?
I have tried to access some of the clubs' stuff, but unless I pay to join, I can't see it.
Maybe you could clear this up for me please?

well i only belong to a couple but I will relate directly from them as that is my only qualifications on this

benefits, with the cmca it is discount on tyres, solar panels, batterys, geo wiki, I saved enough on our ship ticket to pay for the cmca membership cost on one trip alone, and insurance as well as discounts on c/parks and instant recognition in many areas

internet access is limited to "members" and the benefits are instantly recognisable once you join

the function of the club is simply to forward the cause of its members, I.E. information and constructions (dump points being only one of a number of things) I have been turned away from a campsite until the cmca sticker was sighted and then I was allowed to enter

unless you pay a membership fee then I'm afraid you cant access the wealth of information which lies therein,

I have been a member in excess of ten years now and I have not regretted one second of it

as I say it may not be for everyone but those that join have gained great benefit, me included

with the rv freindly town signs well once the "welcome" sign goes up and the benefits roll in then town after town jumps on the bandwagon, in many cases it has turned the town around and many now many rely completly on the "nomad migration"

case in point just poke in Tasmania rv freindly towns, you will be surprised at just how many there are, I may add not all of these benefits are from the cmca but can be linked to some like minded orginisation

its all good as far as I can see, cant knock them for that

Wombat 280 · Guru

The quote below came from the front page kenmarg mentioned and after reading the last para I feel that a large section of fellow nomads may be left out as they are not self contained .

One could be cynical enough to suggest that maybe the larger Motor Homes and Vans, who are having trouble getting into CP because of their size, may not have the interests of all nomads at heart in their push for getting access to Showgrounds and Schools. Don't forget many are in camper trailers of mini buses not to mention 90% of vans on the road are not self contained by a long shot

Anyone care to comment further.

QUOTE:

"In regards to the 'Leave No Trace" Scheme it was pleasing to be told that our club has the most members apart from the CMCA to join up with this scheme and during discussions at the Queensland meeting the advantages of being able to use some of these showgrounds would come back to RV units being Self Contained."