Is camping getting too expensive? We are often asked this question, and it is often a hot topic of conversation among campers and caravanners. With some camp sites costing up to nearly $300 per week, some campers are questioning the high cost of staying in locations and paying for facilities they don’t really need, and in some cases having no other options. Alicia Nally of the The Cairn Post has recently interviewed a few campers in the region to hear their views.
Campers are fed up with the high costs of staying at caravan parks and camping grounds in Cairns. They say nothing is discouraging them more to stay longer in Cairns than the rising prices in this region over the past six years.
“We spend money here. I spent $500 in Cairns yesterday for a new solar panel system and I’ve spent $700 at the mechanics,” Mark McGee said.
“We’d draw the line at $30 a night for a powered site at a caravan park with water, but some want upwards of $35,” he explained for Cairns Post.
From the caravan park owners point of view, the recreation reserves designed for stays up to three nights, are being misused with campers spending sometimes weeks at sites like Greenpatch near Gordonvale and Rocky Creek near Tolga. However, the high price of fuel in the city and the rising park rates are deterring the campers from staying in Cairns or from even returning to the Far North.
“We love Cairns but if park rates keep rising we won’t be able to keep coming, they won’t force us into a caravan park, we’ll just boycott the area.”
Queensland currently has 20% of the market share of all domestic caravan and camping trips. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section below.
Full article by Alicia Nally courtesy of The Cairns Post
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