Until today I didnt realy put much thought into this new phenomenon of people being forced to live in alternate accomadation.
The caravan park we lived in in the Whitsundays generally had half a dozen people living full time in a caravan, during the grey nomad and harvest season that would swell to a dozen or so, the last 3 years of covid the park had about 10 living full time in the park. The Whitsundays has always had a problem with rental accomadation and properties for sale, a young couple who lived in the park both with good jobs, could not buy anything within their budget had just brought 7.5 ha on the Bruce highway that had 2 bedroom donga with power, bore pump and 2 40ft containers on it for a bit over 150,000, with the view to bringing in a transportable home next year,
Late last we left our van there while we were away for six weeks on our return in late Jan including ourselves there was 17 permanents, which grew to about 25 for the cane harvest, but of the there was a few with young families, living in big tents.
Now we are down in Brisbane at our current park there is 22 permanent residents who have been here for years, but there is also about 4 families who appear tobe living here in camper trailers/tent/hired caravan. A bloke and his wife turned up a couple of days ago, he leaves at about 7 in the morning and gets back around 6 at night.
The park is as close to 90-100% occupancy every day and there is not a high turnover of people comming and going, therefore I am assuming that the high cost and lack of accomadation availability sees people moving from park to park to maintain somewhere to live, Mortan Bay Council has 5 caravan parks all with the same pricing structure and a 6 week limit but you van apply for an additional 6 week extention, with conditiions like a maximum of 24 weeks per year, with a little planning you could spend a year at 3 or 4 parks that are in a 15-20km radius, maintaining your work and schooling for the kids while you wait find suitable permenant accomadation.
Pretty much Australia wide I am afraid.
Successive governments have been remiss in getting rid of social housing for decades and relying on the private sector and now with interest rates rising, the cost of living going up and a very large migrant intake it is the perfect storm causing so many to become homeless either because they cannot afford the increased rents or simply because of the lack of rental properties.
Even the latest government investment is not building government social housing, it is to encourage the private sector to build more homes.
Somewhere along the way, Australia has lost it's social conscience.
Until today I didnt realy put much thought into this new phenomenon of people being forced to live in alternate accomadation.
The caravan park we lived in in the Whitsundays generally had half a dozen people living full time in a caravan, during the grey nomad and harvest season that would swell to a dozen or so, the last 3 years of covid the park had about 10 living full time in the park. The Whitsundays has always had a problem with rental accomadation and properties for sale, a young couple who lived in the park both with good jobs, could not buy anything within their budget had just brought 7.5 ha on the Bruce highway that had 2 bedroom donga with power, bore pump and 2 40ft containers on it for a bit over 150,000, with the view to bringing in a transportable home next year,
Late last we left our van there while we were away for six weeks on our return in late Jan including ourselves there was 17 permanents, which grew to about 25 for the cane harvest, but of the there was a few with young families, living in big tents.
Now we are down in Brisbane at our current park there is 22 permanent residents who have been here for years, but there is also about 4 families who appear tobe living here in camper trailers/tent/hired caravan. A bloke and his wife turned up a couple of days ago, he leaves at about 7 in the morning and gets back around 6 at night.
The park is as close to 90-100% occupancy every day and there is not a high turnover of people comming and going, therefore I am assuming that the high cost and lack of accomadation availability sees people moving from park to park to maintain somewhere to live, Mortan Bay Council has 5 caravan parks all with the same pricing structure and a 6 week limit but you van apply for an additional 6 week extention, with conditiions like a maximum of 24 weeks per year, with a little planning you could spend a year at 3 or 4 parks that are in a 15-20km radius, maintaining your work and schooling for the kids while you wait find suitable permenant accomadation.
Is this occuring anywhere else ?
Was I lucky in joining the defence forces at 4 days past my 17th birthday? No, I made my own luck. After a qualifying time I had a low (then) interest rate home loan that got me on my way into the housing sector. Mind you I had a 2nd mortgage and the Govt of the day meant I had 21% on that 2nd mortgage but I still had a home.
Gratitude among young adults is not there now. They have always had a inside toilet, heating and cooling, superannuation and a raft of other things. If I was single and young I would live in a caravan and swap parks and occasional free camps to save money for a home. If ever I mention to one of them "Join the forces" I get howled down that they'll lose their friends or "can I take my mobile phone"? Older mums will condemn me for taking their babies away into a environment filled with PTSD. There is no pride in serving your country unlike say USA. Anyway...
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Be nice... if I wanted my school teacher here I would have invited him...
