edged that whole caravan and camping scene was undergoing a structural transformation.“Gone are the days of parking the old Viscount caravan on any riverbank,” he said. “The facilities and options available at many of Australia’s holi-day and caravan parks today, would make them unrecognis-able to those of the 1950s or even 1980s.”The Tourism Research Aus-tralia figures show the most popular camping destinations are: NSW 33%, Qld 21%, Vic 18.5%, WA 12.1%. As of June, 2010, there were 1,638 caravan parks (with 40 or more pow-ered sites) in Australia. They boasted a total of 225,100 sites, with an occupancy rate of 53%. Click to comment

In this issue: • Mozzie madness •Wining about the West •Long drop anxiety

Grey Nomad Timesthe

Research shows surging nomad numbers keep

regional tourism afloat

It’s official. The grey nomad phenomenon is keeping Aus-tralia’s flagging tourism sector afloat.New Tourism Research Aus-tralia statistics show a quarter of domestic caravan and camp-ing visitors are active seniors aged 55-70. And – compared with 2000 – trips by active sen-iors are up 90%, with spending up 77%.Regional Australia has been the main beneficiary of the rise of the grey nomad. Fed-eral Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson says the bush owes older travellers a huge debt of gratitude.“The industry directly employs over 10,000 people and, with around 90% of total caravan and camping nights spent outside Australia’s capital city tourism regions … these fig-ures highlight how important this sector is to these regional areas,” he said. “The pressures of global competition and market shocks such as the GFC - not to mention the impact of floods, bushfires and cyclones - have made for a tough operat-ing environment.”Domestic travellers account

for 91% of all caravanning and camping nights, and they also spent the lion’s share of the $7 billion spent on caravanning and camping last year.While the high Aussie dollar has clearly frightened many international visitors away, Mr Ferguson told the Caravan, RV and Accommodation Industry of Australia conference it has also helped grey nomads by keeping fuel prices down. “If the Australian dollar was at the average rate for the 10 years to 2011 – $0.79 against the US dollar – instead of $1.04, then our petrol would be approxi-mately 27.9 cents per litre more than the current price,” he said. “The age of cheap energy is over – that is the harsh reality.”And Mr Ferguson acknowl-

Grey dollar makes a difference in the bush

Tassie takes top position for many nomadsTasmania has confirmed its place as the apple of most grey nomads’ eyes. In the last issue of the GNT we asked what destina-tions would appear on your bucket list – those places that you simply had to visit before you parked up the rig for the very last time The Apple Isle was a clear winner with an impressive 37% of poll respondents say-ing a voyage on the Spirit of Tasmania was well and truly on the cards. Interestingly this mirrored the results of a recent survey conducted by insurance company Apia which also found Tassie was the place over-50s most wanted to visit.The Great Ocean Road and the Flinders Ranges were also heavily favoured in the GNT poll, with spots such as Esperance, the Kimberley, the Eyre Peninsula, Uluru and the Murray River region not far behind.One or two of you were prepared to put the rig in the garage and head for the airport ... with Europe and the USA the most favoured overseas destinations. Click to comment

Your news and views? Email us at thetimes@thegreynomads.com.au Issue 17: March 30, 2012

Grey nomad numbers continue to grow

Solo traveller Chris, 61, (aka Cruising Granny) has

travelled most of her life

What is your rig?My Roma 20-foot caravan has been my full-time home since I bought it on Ebay in 2006. I tow it with a Toyota Land-Cruiser ’80 Series. The van has more cupboards than couches, which is necessary when stor-ing all my worldly goods. It also has a shower and toilet but I haven’t used the shower at all, and I haven’t used the toilet since surgery eliminated the need to frequent the loo during the night.

Do you work as you travel?I retired from work with health issues in 2006, and left Broome in 2007 … destination, Dain-tree. After two bouts of surgery I retrained myself and acquired tickets in Oversize Pilot, Traffic Control and the White Card. I’m currently parked up in Adelaide as a base to pursue the pilot work, which allows me to travel and be paid for it. Except for a few years to raise my children (and even then I moved around a little) I have travelled and worked all over the country in everything from bars to prawn trawlers. Travel still excites me. I never get sick of it.

Where do like to camp?While I’ve been described as ‘brave’ for doing all this alone, I’m not foolish. I enjoy the security and social contact of caravan parks and the peo-ple who camp there. I visit national parks, I love the bush and the beach, but I prefer to be secure when I sleep. I free camp next to some huge trucks at roadhouses and truck

bays when I’m on the job so I get the best of both worlds. My ‘spare room’ is an Indigo roll-out awning mounted on roof racks on my LandCruiser. My bed is a covered camp stretcher which is surprisingly comfortable and cosy. I call it my ‘cocoon’.

Likes and dislikes?My favourite thing is the coun-try. Looking forward to what is around the next bend and over the next hill, and the changes from season to season. As I travel through the country I feel I absorb the spirit the country ex-udes. I feel the trees, the wattles, the lush foliage, the open plains and grasslands. I also enjoy meeting fellow travellers. Even though I’m parked up for the time being, I meet travellers all the time at the amenities block, in the laundry, walking around the park, at the road-houses along the way. I hate the rough roads of Queens-land, New South Wales and some in Victoria.

On the-road hobbies? Taking photos and writing.

I’m not a pro photographer, but I enjoy recording my views and memories, and writing about my experiences.

Favourite place in Australia?Narrawong in southern Vic-toria, Lucinda in Queensland, Greens Lake in Victoria, Lake Maraboon in Queensland. I have many vivid memories of special places around Australia.

Scariest nomad experience?My scariest experience was towing the van through

‘Abercrombie Ravine’ be-tween Goulbourn and

Bathurst. There was no warning about the condition of the terrain until I reached the top of the

gorge, “Not suitable for caravans”, but there was

nowhere to turn around. By the time I reached Bathurst I was a nervous wreck. I made it only because I knew my vehicle’s capabilities.

Advice to wannabe nomads?Learn to change a tyre, and to check your vehicle’s oil and coolant. Preparation and maintenance will help avoid basic problems. Pack lightly. You’ll never be far from shops. Take clothes for all weather.

Characters of the Road

Cruising Granny at home on the road

Chris and rig have been ‘around the block’ several times

Nomads in Brief

Caravan death A grey nomad who acciden-tally ran over his wife and killed her has been handed a two-year suspended jail term. Donald Yea, 77, and his wife Esma, 74, had stopped in bushland near Echuca last April. The County Court in Bendigo heard the couple had been arguing when Mr Yea drove off in a fit of anger. Mrs Yea was hit by their cara-van. Mr Yea pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and failing to stop and render assistance.

Snake shock With the Outback tourist season about to get into top gear, travellers are being urged to be aware of all the possible impacts of littering. It follows the discovery of a mulga snake which died after getting its head stuck in an empty beer can in South Aus-tralia’s Roxby Downs region.

Saddle up Medical student Sam Alex-ander is about to undertake a solo 5,000km journey on horseback to raise money for the Royal Flying Doctor Ser-vice. The trip from Heales-ville, Victoria, along the Bicentennial National Trail of Australia to Cooktown, Queensland, will take approximately one year.

Waltzing holidayThe mayor of Winton says the anniversary of Waltz-ing Matilda’s first perfor-mance should be a national public holiday. The song was first performed at the North Gregory Hotel in the Queensland town about 117 years ago. Ed Warren says the event should be celebrated. Winton is hosting the inau-gural Waltzing Matilda Day on April 6.

Grey Nomad Timesthe Your news and views? Email us at thetimes@thegreynomads.com.au Issue 17: M

arch 30, 2012

Dear Editor,Re: site shortage (GNT: Issue 16). How true this all is. I have just come from the east coast through Mt Isa to Derby, then down the west coast over a four-month period to Carnarvon and found most places were taken up by mine workers or workers building new things in the area. If you could get into a place, the price was unbelievable. Most of the free camping spots are being worked on or flooded.

PeterDear Editor, If there is limited or no park-ing space in townships, in WA or elsewhere, caravanners can-not be blamed for using free camps, provided they leave the area clean and tidy. Perhaps it would be wise for towns/coun-cils to ensure there is suitable potable water and dump points available until new parks can be built. I am sure caravanners will support the town by buy-ing what they need there.

Gary

Dear Editor,Re: Jaclyn & Heidi column (GNT: Issue 16) How close is too close when free camp-ing? Depends on the size of the area and how many are camped there! If we are early arrivals, I will try to leave at least the length of my vehicle with the van still hooked up. This is roughly 15 metres (23ft van plus 100 series ’Cruiser).

This leaves a good separation for privacy but also means it is too small for another big rig to squeeze in. Campers should also consider how easily their neighbours can get out when ready to leave or in case of fire. We love our privacy but realise you have to leave room for others, too.

Jim (Jaycee) Dear Editor,When free camping I would suggest you park at least 50 metres from neighbours, providing there is room. Then you can simply walk and invite them to happy hour at a given time. We always do this and the results are great. For ex-ample, we camped at Ellendale Pool a reasonable distance from the other campers and invited anyone interested to a 5pm happy hour. Imagine our surprise when 23 couples turned up and we all had a marathon gabfest. We then rotated happy hour at various camps over the week we were there. Do not camp too close, but be friendly and remember that most travellers are like minded.

DodgDear Editor I would just like to say how right Heidi is again in your ‘too close for comfort’ article.Expressed again in her own larrikin manner but oohh so true.

Dave

Grey Nomad TimestheLetters to the editor? Email us at thetimes@thegreynomads.com.au

Dear Editor,Re: Great Drives (GNT: Issue 16). Having just completed the eighth week of our 10-week journey in Tasmania, the place is full of great drives. A ‘Taswegian’ couple we met commented that we had been to places in their state that they had not, and they have lived here for over 50 years. There are untold great drives in Tas-sie. If you come for a visit, get off the beaten track a bit.

PeterDear Editor,Re: Rigs with personality (GNT: Issue 16). Clancy and Connor, owners and Kings of the Road, travelling Aus-tralia in their palatial house on wheels known as ‘Pawsa-roundoz’ would like everyone to know that we have not traded our special person in for another one known as ‘Marg’. No folks, we still have our ‘Annie’, the GNT seems to have invented a new person for us but we are very happy with the one we have.

Clancy and Connor(Sorry C & C. Production error! I have an ‘apology bone’ waiting for you if we ever meet - Ed)

Dear Editor,Re: e-readers article (GNT: Issue 9). My wife and I both have an e-reader (Kindle) and we LOVE them – so conveni-ent. No more worries about trying to carry, and eventually dispose of, bulky books in

precious caravan space. We bought the leather covers with LED light and they are terrific. The ‘books’ are not expensive ($10-$20) and they download in just seconds. The screen is very easy to read, even in bright sunlight, and text size is adjustable to suit any grey nomad’s eyesight!

Norm (Norm4x4)

Dear Editor,Re: road licence standardisa-tion (GNT: Issue 15) The continuing debate re rego/road rules/permits etc would be avoided if we scrapped state governments and had our fed-eral electorates become local government areas. While we banana benders (aka Queens-landers) realise we are carrying the country and would not wish to become the dreaded ‘southerners’, we’d still need lines on a map so we could handle it … heh heh. On the downside, you could bet Lon-don to a brick that we would all finish up paying the highest rate going in Australia for any ‘permit’ we would need … rego, national parks and so on.

MacaDear Editor,Thanks. This is great reading.

GrahamDear Editor,Re: GNT nude section request (GNT: Issue 16). Yes, by all means put in a section devoted to this … but it must have pictures!

Bob

Issue 17: March 30, 2012

Do You Know1. In which WA town will you never need a ferry?2. What is the road distance from Broken Hill to Rockhampton? A) 1830 km B) 2320 km C) 3480 km3. At which WA roadhouse are the grains ablaze? 4. Name Australia’s two egg-laying mammals. 5. Which Victorian town is never dull? (Answers on page 4)

GRAB A CUPPA AND TEST YOUR GREY MATTAThey will be there if you need them

Nothing compares to the buzz of an Outback evening

Grey Nomad TimestheComments or suggestions? Email us at thetimes@thegreynomads.com.au

You pour yourself a glass of Champagne, settle into your campchair, begin gazing out at the wondrous sunset … and then it begins. The telltale zzzzz of the first mozzie is the worst. It’s time to throw water on the campfire, dash for the van, and batten down the hatches.It’s a similar story when you stop for a picnic lunch on a dusty Outback track and find flies are the main ingredient of your sandwich! Travelling Australia is a fantastic experi-ence but it throws up some challenges … and annoying insects are one of them. You’ve also got spiders, ants, bees, sandflies ... the list goes on. Happily, we are not quite as much at the mercy of Mother Nature’s ‘mini-monsters’ as our generational predeces-sors. Technology has marched on and all manner of creams, home-made contraptions and commercially manufactured devices now attempt to ease our suffering – with various degrees of success.The iconic cork-dangling broad-rimmed hat led the way in the fly-fighting depart-ment. However, insect zappers, which lure flies with a light

source and then electrocute them, have brought the battle into the 21st century. Portable zappers specifically designed for campers are now available. There are also sticky traps, and the good old fly swat remains an option. While these may be useful when you are safely sit-ting in your mesh screen tent, they still ain’t going to save you from fly sandwich on your summer’s day William Creek picnic. A fly screen hat and lightning quick hand move-ment are your best bets there!A mesh screen is probably your main hope for a totally mozzie-free al fresco evening, although coils, commercial roll-on and spray repellents, mozzie patches and a dazzling array of

home-made chemical concoc-tions can certainly help.When your pantry is on the road, an ant infestation is worth avoiding. Besides commercial ant poisons, some nomads swear by baby powder sprinkled at key potential entry points, while others prefer van legs stuck in water filled ‘feet’.It’s a big, bad buzzing, creep-ing, crawling world out there and grey nomads have placed themselves right in the midst of it. It obviously pays to do what we can to protect our-selves but, at the end of the day we are significantly outnum-bered. And, after all, we are supposed to enjoy getting close to nature! Click to comment

Issue 17: March 30, 2012

Recently, our websitewww.thegreynomads.com.au reported on the 83-year-old American motorhomer who drove the wrong way down a highway for 20 minutes after suffering a suspected stroke. Police say that at least 15 oncoming cars and trucks were forced to veer onto the shoulder to avoid a head-on collision. Incredibly, no one was injured in the drama on

Highway 97 in the US state of Oregon. The large motorhome was towing a car trailer with a sedan on it. Read more here

A pleasant evening fishing? You may have company!

Website highlights

SURVEYShould there be an age limit

for driving big rigs?

Yes No

Too old for a big rig?

It’s the pits Dear Jaclyn and Heidi,I read in the GNT a while back about the lady who couldn’t bear ‘crouching ‘ to go the toilet any more. I’ve got a similar – but different – problem. I don’t mind spending a penny (or more) in the bush but at some crowded camping areas it isn’t practical. Often these spots have drop toilets but I hate them. If I absolutely have to go there, I spend about 20 minutes look-ing in every corner for spiders, snakes or any other unwanted critter. I remember reading about a woman who sat on a toilet and got bitten from below by a snake. I don’t know if it’s true but it certainly resonated with me! My rig won’t accom-modate a portable toilet. Help!

Janice

Australia’s south-western cor-ner is renowned as one of the ultimate grey nomad destina-tions. It delivers spectacular beaches, rugged coastline, amazing caves, fantastic little towns, great wineries and – with a little bit of luck – superb weather.The drive from Margaret River down to Augusta and main-land Australia’s extreme south-west is one that will never be forgotten. Margaret River itself needs little introduction. The relaxed, one-time surfie town is home to an enormous array of artisans and there is an art or craft gallery on just about every corner.Oh, and then of course there

are the wineries. Many of these can be found off the famous Caves Road, west of Margaret River. While there are hilly sections along Caves Road, it is still fine for caravans. Not surprisingly, cellar door wine tastings are a favourite ‘jour-ney breaker’ for relaxed grey nomads as they head south. In spring, the road is lined with spectacular wildflowers, and top-class surfing, swim-ming and fishing beaches are always just a short turn-off away. The Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park with its dramatic cliffs, stunning beaches and superb camping opportuni-ties simply demands travel-

lers’ attention. Contos Beach, Hamelin Bay and Cosy Corner are just three of the many stun-ning coastal locations.The bitumened Caves Road also takes you through Boran-up Forest’s pale-barked karri trees, the third tallest trees in the world. A detour down Bo-ranup Drive, which starts near Lake Cave and re-joins Caves Road 11km further south, of-fers access to some great walks through the towering karris. Be warned though. It’s a gravel road and there could be cor-rugations and pot-holes.

Some 350 caves are hidden within the limestone ridge underneath the Margaret River area and the main attractions can be accessed off the aptly named road. There are four major caves open to the public: Yallingup or Ngilgis Cave; Mammoth Cave; Lake Cave; and Jewel Cave. It’s stalactite and stalagmite heaven.Caves Road joins up with the Bussell Highway again just north of the fishing town of Augusta. It’s now a short drive to Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse and mainland Australia’s south-western tip. Here, where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet, geography dictates that this leg of your incredible journey must end. Don’t panic, though, there’s plenty more around the corner! Click to comment

Sometimes it’s good not to have too much of an imagina-tion, Janice! You should try to do your ‘main business’ in daylight. It goes without say-ing that a powerful torch that enables you to see everything clearly can help to give you more peace of mind at night. I often take a lantern-style light with me to give me a full view while I am sitting. I know it is easier said than done but try to logic it out. If you can’t see anything, then there’s almost certainly nothing to worry about. I don’t know how long it is since you have been to a drop toilet but the technology has come a long way in recent years. Most of them aren’t as ‘scary’ or as smelly as they used to be. Be brave, be logical … and enjoy your trip, Janice.

Jaclyn

Thanks for sharing the snake story, Janice. Now, every other GNT reader might develop your phobia. It should cut out any chance of queues for those of us made of sterner stuff, as well as reducing the risk of the toilet roll run-ning out. Actually your letter reminds of me when I was a little girl and I used to terrify my younger brother by shining a torch down into the depths and making him look. Happy, happy memories. On a seri-ous note, it is always worth shining a torch downwards so you know exactly what you are dealing with … and occasion-ally you do see some really weird stuff. Just get on with it, Janice.

Heidi Click to comment

Corner a great part of the country

ot

Grey Nomad Timesthe Want to advertise on our newsletter? Email us at thetimes@thegreynomads.com.au

A journey of wondrous wineries, towering trees

and awesome caves

Issue 17: March 30, 2012

A beautiful scene around every bend on Caves Road