Caravan Park Fee's.

[Moto Mech]

Today we booked into a Big4 park down here (Tassie)for two nights, something we dont do very often......and I now remember why.
For two adults and two kids, unpowered site its $49/night.$98 for two nights, no wonder people are choosing to camp out and stay away from parks.
In 2009 we toured the Mainland for three months and in that time we stayed in 5 caravan parks.Now there is no way we could go away every couple of years if we stayed in caravan parks, mind you I dont like staying in them either.It would add an extra $4410 going on big4 prices for a three month trip(yes, I know you can get discounts being a member) which would cut a full month off our trip.
At a time when caravan parks are crying foul of councils and the like offering free overnight rest areas, they need to look at them selves, IMHO they are simply pricing them selves out of business to the avarage family.

[D4D]

The Big4 chain is catering for the high end market segment hence the extra price. Most Big4 parks have excellent facilities. The other chains such as Top Tourist and OzParks are a bit cheaper as they don't cater for the high end camper market.

[speewa158]

Buy Camps 5 for about the cost of 1 night , & suck it up 

[ntpryce]

Yes, expensive compared to camping generally, but even most managed campsites still have some fee attached.  As D4D states, you are paying for a brand, service and overall amenities.  We often use Big4 as we know exactly what we are getting - and haven't been let down when we did.

[Barry G]

Yep, we spent most nights in caravan parks on our car trip to Cameron Corner and back.  That was one of the reasons I decided to get better 12 volt stuff and a ct - the ability to free camp.

Bushwalking, cycle touring and now the camper trailer are all about free camping to me.  The 'long paddock' is quintisential Australia.  Follow the back roads, camp where the afternoon finds you and leave nothing but foot prints / tyre tracks.

I'll be doing it on the 'smell of an oily rag' - well, with the price of fuel only the mega rich can afford any other way for any length of time!

[kiva]

Buy Camps 5 for about the cost of 1 night , & suck it up 

Yeah, Camps 5 is awesome. We recently returned from a month on the road (Sydney to Tas and back) and didn't pay for any accommodation at all thanks to Camps 5. There are some great free stops in Tas. One example is at Kempton; a short distance north of Hobart. The free camp area is spacious, has toilets nearby, a (hot) shower block, BBQ's, picnic tables, kids playground, and most amazingly - free powered sites to plug in and charge up.

[briann532]

Moto mech,

After many years bush camping with the minister, mostly in a double swag, we have now upgraded to our "glamper"
We find it a great convenience with 2 kids. It also gives us the ability to go a couple of weeks or more without having to go to a park. Its also free (except for the initial purchase costs - which is offset at resale)

However that said, with a 5 yr old and 3 yr old, it is nice to pull into a park evey now and then end enjoy the comfort and facilities.
We both work, so time is precious and sometimes we are willing to pay for convenience, even if it comes at a high price.
We also find it a great way to meet other travellers and other kids for ours to play with.

I do agree though, that some parks are ridiculously priced for a patch of dirt for the night............
Big 4's are usually the dearest, but in our experience are always the best. (some exceptions of course!)
I guess you get what you pay for.

Now on the flip side, I have stayed in some "cheap" parks, and had excellent facilities, great service, cleanliness and really good value for money.
We have also used a lot of free camps that are excellent. Going to one next weekend for a few nights.
Free power, showers, BBQ's and sites. They only ask you frequent local business.


I guess ike any sort of business, its a market. If they've got the customers paying the price, why not take it?

That said, hopefully the Cheaper parks stay offering the quality service they do and people frequent them and sustain their business for years to come.

Brian

[crackacoldie]

Turned out of the big 4 at Lakes Entrance on our recent trip.  b$90 per night for 2 Adults and 3 Children was just a long way over our budget.  Prefer the small camps around the place and am happy to pay a few dollars for a managed camp area hopwever many of these fees are now going well above the average family budget.  I know of a Family Parks caravan park here in the barossa where it is cheaper to book 2 sites than pay for 2 Adults and 2 Kids, go figure.

Cracka

[Kit_e_kat9]

Buy Camps 5 for about the cost of 1 night , & suck it up  

New good book on the market, that has Free or Low Cost camps is called Camping Around Australia.  Worth $40 and has many that Camps 5 does not.  

However, stopping at the local Information Centre will always be your best bet.  The people who run it are keen about there area, and will know some places that both these books have never heard of!  Most of them have info available online as well (usually on the council website).  Here is a great link to have onhand, you just have to put in the town in question and it produces the council who runs it, and you can go right to their site or call or email them.

Damn!  Now you've got me giving away my secrets!    

Kit_e

P.S. Big Name CVP's suck ... support the little local guy ... he'll be cheaper and it'll be just as good.

[Doug.b]

Caravan Parks can get expensive, but as they say, you pay for what you get.
Shop around and prices do vary in different caravan parks.

I bought camping guide to South Australia last year and I find it good.
Here is a link, it has other states as well

http://shop.boilingbilly.com.au/store/listCategoriesAndProducts.shop?idCategory=2

[holycrapola]

I enquired at a Big4 in Queenscliff Vic for easter. They had a minimum of a seven night booking, the base rate for two adults was $104 for a powered site, then $12 per kid. Worked out to be $140 per night....

[D4D]

If you think the prices are expensive, price up renting a house in the same area. You might be suprised.

[Barry G]

If you think the prices are expensive, price up renting a house in the same area. You might be suprised.

$140 / night x 7 = $980 /week x 52 = $50,960 / year.
D4D, I doubt that houses are that expensive to rent, even in Jeff Kennett's precious little 'Borough'!
(For non-Victorians, when Boof Head forced amalgamation on all other Victorian Council's, he left un-touched the Borough of Queenscliff, one of the smallest in the state, to 'spit in the eye' of the others.  It is where so many of his pollies had /have holiday houses.)

[speewa158]

If you look at a house at beach town anywhere , Queenscliff will do for example  $1500/2000 a week is not out of the ball park very far  high season . To rent all year $150/250 a week , know a few folk that do rent a beack house all year have done for years .So the van parks mak hay while the sun shines so to speak .Try to see the diferance between high /low season in costings , its huge

[D4D]

$140 / night x 7 = $980 /week x 52 = $50,960 / year.

So that's the parks rates paid. Do you think van parks sites are booked every day of the year?

[Barry G]

D4D.  Firstly, Council parks, for example, don't pay rates.
Obviously there is a high and low season however, a weeks worth of park fees (whether 7 nights in one place or spread across several parks) is far more than a weeks rent of a regular house, and what is provided for that is orders of magnatude less than a house.
All I'm saying is that it is pretty much impossible these days for an ordinary family working for wages (no access to writing stuff off as tax expenses etc) to have a 'cheap camping holiday', as in the 1960s - 1980s, using caravan parks.  The only option these days to achieve that is free camping.
Free camping means longer holiday and more $ being spent in shops, on fuel etc in country towns, rather than less time with most of the $ going on camp fees.  I know which I would consider the best option for both holidaying families and the communities they visit.

[spargo]

At South West Rocks over xmas I think we paid $59 p/n for an unpowered tent site (i.e. patch of grass) at the Park by the creek which was for 2 adults. I think that price allowed 2x tents/CT's, and 4 adults. And before I read the earlier posts  I thought that was expensive!

I'm very new to caravan park camping so I wouldn't have a clue what the going rate was. It was peak period over xmas, but given we weren't powered/watered/sewered I thought it was high. Apparently not!

[Wandering Tassie]

Moto Mech, I have found most caravan parks in Tassie are over the top price wise and don't offer the facilities that mainland parks do.
I am heading out your way this weekend to the Mole Creek Caravan Park.

Trevor

[Moto Mech]

Moto Mech, I have found most caravan parks in Tassie are over the top price wise and don't offer the facilities that mainland parks do.
I am heading out your way this weekend to the Mole Creek Caravan Park.

Trevor

Nice little park that one.
Coming back from our three month trip in 09, we wanted to have a couple of nights in Alice Springs.First park we called into was Heritage ?? CP, they wanted $69/night for unpowered, we then tried Mc Range CP which went up to $74/night.We then drove across the road to Gday Mate which was $39/night.You can guess where we will stay from now on in Alice.But like I said in my first post, we rarely stay in parks, camping out is the bast.

[Beachman]

I recently had the same discussion with my wife about the price of a Big 4 park we are booked into at Airlie Beach later this year. $75 per night for 2 adults and 2 kids for 7 nights.

Seeing we have always camped at National Parks I initially struggled to agree to pays $525 for a week in a Caravan Park. That was until the wife said happy to fly, hire a car and stay in a unit for the week. When doing those sums it put the Van park back in perspective especially considering we are going peak season and the facilities this place is suppose to have are geared for young kids. 

But it's going to be weird having neighbours while in the Camper Trailer as apart from friends joining us in National Parks, not use to lots of people around.   

[Alloy C/T]

Barry1956 ,methinks that would depend on where your renting  the so called regular house ,  Karratha WA $2500 per week for long term rental , makes a new house in Muttaburra Qld for $98 per week long term seem positively cheap.

[Teabag]

I recently had the same discussion with my wife about the price of a Big 4 park we are booked into at Airlie Beach later this year. $75 per night for 2 adults and 2 kids for 7 nights.

Seeing we have always camped at National Parks I initially struggled to agree to pays $525 for a week in a Caravan Park. That was until the wife said happy to fly, hire a car and stay in a unit for the week. When doing those sums it put the Van park back in perspective especially considering we are going peak season and the facilities this place is suppose to have are geared for young kids. 

But it's going to be weird having neighbours while in the Camper Trailer as apart from friends joining us in National Parks, not use to lots of people around.   

I agree, nothing is really cheap nowdays. I personally prefer bush camping without facilities and as remote as possible but sometimes to enjoy a different holiday that SWMBO and the kids also enjoy with a few comforts will involve a caravan park. This is the sort of holiday I am currently on. We are currently at Whitsunday Adventure Park (Big 4) which has many activities for kids such as large pool with slides, Putput golf, basketball court, tennis court, large jumping pillow, large playground, outdoor kids movies and many other activities. This is costing us $55 a night (-10% being a Big 4 member) now yes it is off peak but we do have a very well appointed ensuite to the site and IMO it is great bang for buck. Now, it isn't for everyone but with a family it is a perfect getaway as is going away in the bush but a little variety never goes astray......Try pricing a holiday with an apartment or the likes, then you will need a second morgage. Remember, you can go to the cheaper parks which I have seen for around $28-$38 odd dollars which is pretty resonable for a family......

[Davepatrol]

At South West Rocks over xmas I think we paid $59 p/n for an unpowered tent site (i.e. patch of grass) at the Park by the creek which was for 2 adults. I think that price allowed 2x tents/CT's, and 4 adults. And before I read the earlier posts  I thought that was expensive!

I'm very new to caravan park camping so I wouldn't have a clue what the going rate was. It was peak period over xmas, but given we weren't powered/watered/sewered I thought it was high. Apparently not!

They're all expensive around here. That would be the SWR Tourist Park in Gordon Young Drive.

[spargo]

They're all expensive around here. That would be the SWR Tourist Park in Gordon Young Drive.

Don't get me wrong, the place was great, even if it was jammed-packed full and we scored the very last tent site. We'll definitely be back, it was just a shock given our limited us of c.parks in the past..

[Davepatrol]

Don't get me wrong, the place was great, even if it was jammed-packed full and we scored the very last tent site. We'll definitely be back, it was just a shock given our limited us of c.parks in the past..

Next time try the Notional Park one at Arakoon near the gaol, Better views and less mozzies.