Author Topic: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?  (Read 19114 times)

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Offline Onion

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Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« on: May 03, 2016, 10:51:26 AM »
So we went to Bigriggen this weekend (arrive Sat, leave Mon). The site has new owners (since Jan). We've been here 3 or 4 times before, our last being in Dec. I don't think we'll go back again - at least never on an expected busy weekend.

In past times we've been twice on long weekends (where you expect it to be busy). It has never, ever been like it was last weekend. We ran into a lady who said she has been going there on this weekend every year for the past 9 years. She won't be returning. Apparently the new owners allowed an increase from 800 to 1500 people on the site. You can imagine what this does to the small amenities block. There are 3 showers each for the men and women. There are 3 toilets each for the men and women. They bought in an extra 8 porta-loo's to attempt to cope. No extra showers. The porta-loo's were emptied but not cleaned. You can imagine the smell. The showers had a line-up 4-8 people deep for most of the day and night. We resorted to showering at midnight. We went elsewhere when we could to use other toilets (yes, we drove somewhere else and bought coffee, food, etc just to use a decent toilet).

The previous owners also pretty thoroughly kept on top of the idiots. The new owners, not so much. Example - at 11pm on Sunday night 3/4/5 very drunk guys came wandering through the middle of the campground and everyone's sites. Quite happy to make plenty of noise and swear. Including abusing a family that told them to shut up because they had just woken their baby. One idiot even returned an hour later to abuse the family once more. Management were told and apparently had been to see the guys quite a few times already the previous day (about doof-doof music and abusing people). Previous management would have kicked them out straight away. New management let them stay and disrupt everyone.

We were very sad to see the place in this state. We absolutely love going to Bigriggen and this time took two other families to enjoy it as well. We expected it to be busy. Even this busy, we still have room for our four families and setup. But the amenities were a complete and utter disaster. So sad. We will likely go back on a non-busy weekend, but not for a long weekend or in the school holidays.

Time to find a new place less than 2 hours from Brisbane northside I think.

If anyone else has experiences of Bigriggen this year they can share, please do chime in.
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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #1 on: May 03, 2016, 10:54:18 AM »
but think of the money they made.... :(
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Offline Spada

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #2 on: May 03, 2016, 11:15:56 AM »
http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=40392.msg664103#msg664103

Nothing new about 1500 people there...........

Sounds like not much has changed, other than new managers, and the dogs.
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Offline Skuta

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #3 on: May 04, 2016, 07:24:09 AM »
Yep same experience here this last weekend. Felt sorry for the ladies in the line-up

Offline Mallory Black

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #4 on: May 08, 2016, 07:16:48 PM »
We had booked to be there for the May weekend (would have been our 3rd visit on the same weekend) but by chance we got an offer to camp on private property so cancelled. Feeling like we had dodged a big bullet
Friends who were there (one is an RN) had to take time out to attend to a spaced out 40 y/o who endo'd on the BMX track, no helmet
And yeah the new managers were out of their depth big time by overbooking and letting the DH's in.
We won't be back, don't need that junk in our lives....plenty of other choices out there.
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Offline DaveR

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #5 on: May 09, 2016, 06:24:06 AM »

Friends who were there (one is an RN) had to take time out to attend to a spaced out 40 y/o who endo'd on the BMX track, no helmet


My kids saw that happen, don't think the helmet would have helped him on that occasion. What a mess.

I'd be given the place a miss now, long weekends for sure.
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Offline JSKM

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #6 on: May 09, 2016, 06:40:10 AM »
I think this location is a typical example of many places around Australia.

Greed has taken a front door step to old fashion service and hospitality (not just in Van Parks either).

The worst part about it however, the great places to can get to away from the Van parks are now being over run and left looking like a rubbish dump and worst of all, open toilets.

Pity what the great life style we had has become.

 
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Offline Mallory Black

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #7 on: May 10, 2016, 06:40:30 PM »
Had a think about this... on the other side of the coin probably a big wakeup for the new owners.
I've sent them an e-mail to see what they thought of the weekend and what they will be doing going forward.

Like make an apology via e-mail to the affected campers. they can do that because they have everyone's e-mail
If thy are half smart they can also contact the dickheads who ruined the weekend and tell them to forget about coming back

We shall see....
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Offline Rumpig

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #8 on: May 10, 2016, 07:17:25 PM »
It will be interesting to hear the owners view of how they think the weekend went. I didn't stay there that weekend and only made it as far as the front gate when I planned to drop in say giddy to Dave, but that crowd I saw there has made me not want to stay there ever again. Obviously a normal weekend wouldn't see crowds like that there, but it does make me think twice about ever staying there in the future anyhow...wondering just how many people will be there.
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Offline oldmate

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #9 on: May 10, 2016, 08:31:16 PM »
they wont have to worry about us going there overcrowding it
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Offline Fizzie

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #10 on: May 15, 2016, 08:03:56 AM »
So did anyone get any response from Bigriggen yet?
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Offline DaveR

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #11 on: May 15, 2016, 10:04:24 AM »
Yes. I'll share the response later. They will sort it out.

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Offline DaveR

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #12 on: May 15, 2016, 02:28:47 PM »
The following is my message to them.

Hello
We had a booking and stayed the recent long weekend.
We've stayed several times in the past. And enjoyed it.
I found this recent visit to be very crowded, too crowed even. We weren't the only ones who found this either.
Is it true the max head count number has been increased from 800 to 1,500?
The attraction of places like this is even long weekends it is not crowded.
Thanks
Dave


Now for the response....

Hi Dave
Thanks for the feedback yes we agree , too many people we got the wrong advice this issue & other things will be addressed for the future.
Regards
Bigriggen


Before I book, again, I will follow this up.
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Offline Fizzie

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #13 on: May 16, 2016, 08:17:10 AM »
Thanks Dave.

Next SEQ long weekend now isn't till October (& that's the end of the school holidays as well) so we'll have to see what happens in the mean time.

July school holidays could be interesting?
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Offline Beachman

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #14 on: May 16, 2016, 10:13:24 AM »
We are planning a trip on the long weekend in October with another 5 or 6 families and Bigriggen was mentioned as a possible venue.

But until I know they have sorted out the numbers, going to give this place a miss on busy times.

Offline DaveR

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #15 on: May 16, 2016, 10:21:45 AM »
I did reply to them. Shall update with response.

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #16 on: May 16, 2016, 11:07:56 AM »
I'd ask them to outline to you what their plans are in regards to making things different in the future. That reply of theirs seems pretty lacking in any detail that would get me interested in staying there any time in the future.
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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #17 on: May 16, 2016, 11:55:06 AM »
I think this response sums it up Mal. Get Leanne to show you. It a face book response from Managment to a review. https://www.facebook.com/tony.cheers.50/posts/10154113349569501:0
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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #18 on: May 16, 2016, 12:08:35 PM »
Whatever  ;D ;D ;D

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #19 on: May 16, 2016, 12:17:23 PM »
I think this response sums it up Mal. Get Leanne to show you. It a face book response from Managment to a review. https://www.facebook.com/tony.cheers.50/posts/10154113349569501:0

Sorry, this page isn't available

The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed.
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Offline plusnq

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #20 on: May 16, 2016, 12:28:03 PM »
Its still there.

Offline Beachman

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #21 on: May 16, 2016, 12:42:12 PM »
The link wouldn’t work for me either, but what a disgusting reply by management with replying 'whatever'

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #22 on: May 16, 2016, 12:52:50 PM »
I'm not on FB...   so thanks for posting up the screen copy above. ...    what a pathetic management response "what ever"....   Ignorant tools, grunts!!....     for a start it should be "whatever"   ...  grrrr


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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #23 on: May 16, 2016, 12:59:32 PM »
Im betting th management wasn't expecting the amount of feedback they got.. and with 1200 people there and only a few voicing their complaint, they will keep going and be merry.
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Offline DaveR

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Re: Bigriggen - Gone to the dogs?
« Reply #24 on: May 16, 2016, 01:06:05 PM »
That face book response is an embarrassment.
What idiot in business would put such a thing, the negative comments were not and insult and were accurate.
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