Caravan Parks For Camping

By Richard Corless

As a father I have always wanted to take my son camping.  It was one of those parental ‘round to its’ I had been meaning to do but just didn’t get, well, round to it! 

It all happened accidentally one year.  We wanted to go away for a week’s holiday but couldn’t work out where we wanted to go.  I had visions of heading inland and exploring the outback regions of Western Australia.  However, my family was quite adamant they wanted to be near the sea.  “But what about accommodation costs?” I wailed.  No-one wanted to know about the costs, they just wanted the Indian Ocean nearby.  I looked up prices for some of the seaside B&B’s and was horrified at the four figure sums being quoted for a weeks holiday; and that was with a discount!  With about four weeks to go before the holiday season I made a decision to get some camping gear.  So we set about looking for family tents and on the way picked up a few decent deals for a three burner gas cooker, two small gas bottles and a folding table.  We now had the basics all for under $300.00.  Well under those four figure sums we were quoted!

The problem now was figuring out where to go.  I didn’t fancy ‘roughing’ it.  I’d done this for many years and as my plan was to grow old gracefully I wanted to include a few home comforts in our camping kit.  This limited some of the places we could go to, especially if we were to camp by the ocean.  We finally decided to settle for a caravan park on the north coast.  It was right on the ocean’s edge and had a range of facilities for the camper and caravaner alike.

When we first arrived at our site the first thing we were impressed with was the proximity to the beach.  This was prime real estate all for $20/ night.  As we stayed for a week we received the seventh night for free.  Our cost was now $300.00 for camping equipment (which would be used for future trips) and $120.00 for the weeks camping accommodation.  A total of $420.00.  We had saved a minimum of $600.00 on B&B accommodation and were well on our way to establishing a decent camping kit.

After we had erected the tent we had a wander around the site.  We found a camper’s kitchen complete with stove, washing up facilities and a fridge.  There was even a laundry room attached to the end of the block.  The building itself even had some chairs and a table where you could eat your meals which is handy of you are just staying overnight as a lot of backpackers tend to do.  The ablution blocks were clean and there was never any waiting when it came to using the toilet (thank goodness!).

Most caravan parks also have gas refills and ice available so if you get caught out and your gas bottle empties you can easily have it filled without having to go to a major town.  Bonus!  Each powered site also comes with its own running water (ie. a tap) which is very handy.  Also, most of the caravan parks that we have been to have ample parking space on your own site for a decent sized vehicle or boat.  We once went to a park where our tent just fitted onto the allocated site and we had to park our car a few hundred metres.  Although it wasn’t a major drama it was a nuisance if you left something in the car and didn’t find out until it was dark. 

Other features to look out for are proximity to local shops.  Most caravan parks are a stone’s throw from shops but if they are not then you may have to drive for basic grocery items.  Some parks have a store onsite which is handy for those forgotten (misplaced?) items.  You can usually pick up bread, fresh fruit and vegies at these stores.

Another thing to be wary about is the four and five star rating.  Most parks I’ve been to have a three-and-a-half star rating but still have terrific facilities and location.  I’ve been to a four and a five star rated caravan park and this was no better than the three-and-a-half star rated park.  The reason for this seems to be in the quality of the onsite chalets.  If the chalet is of good quality then a four to five star rating is given.  If there is no chalet then the park will struggle to get a three-and-a-half star plus rating.  But this doesn’t mean the park is sub-standard in any way.  Far from it.  I tend to stay at a three-and-a-half star caravan park largely because they are not as popular as the four star plus parks and thus tend not to be too crowded. 

One last point to mention is that you will always be surprised by a caravan parks character.  A simple enough statement but what does it mean in real terms?  Well I had the pleasure of staying at the Southern Cross caravan park a few months back.  Generally the park is used by people travelling between the Goldfields and Perth so they only stay overnight.  However, I found this park to be a little gem.  Firstly it was flat.  Ever tried sleeping in a tent that has been pitched on a hill?  If you have then you know what I am talking about.  There are also many eucalypt trees offering ample shade.  A must in the country towns.  Lastly, it is run by a great couple who went out of their way to help us.  Remember those misplaced items?  I forgot the tent peg hammer but a quick trip to the manager’s office and it was fixed by a Goldfield sized mallet.  That got ‘em in!  Another gem is the jumping pillow at Jurien Bay Tourist Park (a flash name for caravan park).  For children this is a great attraction but the down side is that it attracts too many people to the park.  Sometimes peace and quiet is the best gem, but I won’t be detailing those parks in this article.