In this issue: •Tassie experiences •On the road, on the lounge •Some don’t like it hot

the

The Brits are coming ... in our next issueGrey nomads of Australia. Prepare yourself for a British invasion! In recognition of the country that gave us cricket, rugby and – more importantly – popularised the leisure caravan concept, the Grey Nomad Times is proud to an-nounce a UK special edition.In two weeks time, the GNT will meet some of the older Brits who have discovered our slice of paradise in their caravans and campervans, and we also want to hear from you ... the proud Australian grey nomad. Have you travelled in Brit-ain? How does the camp-ing experience over there compare with what we are used to? Email us here to let us know your views on all things British.Don’t panic though GNT purists, all of your favourite columns will still appear. Great Places will look at Maclean, the so-called ‘Scot-tish town’ in New South Wales, our new quizmistress will take you on a head-scratching tour of the British Isles, and goodness knows what Heidi will make of a ‘Pommy whinger’ who can’t handle our grey nomad lifestyle.

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Issue 40: March 1, 2013Nomads want to feel safe

and secure in their camps

Summer is over ... and so hopefully is the seasonal crime spree that commonly besets our caravan parks and camping grounds.Although we travel in a rela-tively safe country, there have recently been a spate of camp-site thefts that should remind all grey nomads of the need for ongoing vigilance.In the last issue of GNT, we reported that several campers at Inskip Point in Queensland had had items stolen. Happily, a 19-year-old man has since been convicted of stealing crabs, wine and beer from holiday-makers there, and fined $1,000. The teenager was apparently so drunk he didn’t remember committing the offences.While ‘opportunistic’ campsite crimes such as these are com-mon, there are also ‘profession-al criminals’ around who prey on what are seen as soft targets.A report prepared for the West Australian Office of Crime Prevention several years ago concluded that caravan parks were vulnerable to determined criminals.“Motivated offenders had detailed knowledge of vari-ous makes of caravans, were

aware that locks on vans and canvas annexes are easily ac-cessible and knew how to enter a van where people are asleep without making the van rock,” it said.The report, which carried out case studies of 36 caravan parks, also concluded that van parks appeared to be safer than roadside stops and bush camps, while parks in busy holiday coastal regions were more vulnerable to crime than those in small rural towns.The types of items commonly stolen included clothing from clotheslines or washing ma-chines, alcohol and food from eskies, bicycles, surfboards, wetsuits, fishing rods, mobile phones, laptops, wallets, hand-bags, generators, tools, barbe-cues and gas bottles.In our poll on the issue in the last GNT, 63.7% of respondents said they thought camping area

crime was getting worse, al-though most people still weren’t overly concerned about it. The fact remains that, by inter-national standards, Australia is wonderfully safe.Nonetheless, police regularly warn grey nomads to keep loose items, such as fishing rods, locked up, and also to mark items to make them easily identifiable if they are located after being stolen. While camp-ers taking sensible precautions can help reduce campsite crime, so too can boom gates and increased security meas-ures. In South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula, campsite crime has decreased significantly this season due to increased police patrols targeting opportunistic offenders.Do you leave camping gear unat-tended? Do you feel more secure in bush camps or van parks?Click to comment

Despite recent thefts, Australia is still a very safe

place to travel and camp

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Many caravanners leave valuables unattended in van parks

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Lyn & Phil are on a three-month trip to Tassie ... their third in 12 years.

How much was the crossing?We boarded the Spirit on December 2, a few days before the peak rate and, at approxi-mately $840 return (pension rate/shoulder season/recliner chairs /night crossing over day, crossing back) for a 9-metre rig, we thought it reasonable enough. Unlike our friends who accompanied us (also pensioners) with 14-metre car & van combined at approxi-mately $1500 return (they had a cabin).

Where do you camp?We’ve only spent two nights in a caravan park plus 10 nights in the Hobart showground at $21 per night for power. The rest of the time we’ve been in beautiful low cost and mostly free campsites, some in the most beautiful places you could imagine. So far, we have spent less than $350 all up on camping fees in two months.

Any other savings tips?We purchased a National Parks Pass ... $60 for two months which helps considerably as the cost of entry to most parks in Tasmania is $24 a day per vehicle.

Have you been welcomed?Most councils realise the ben-efit of having us in their towns, spending dollars on food, fuel and other items that come up (like a new fridge for us and a windscreen for our travelling companions). So far, we have had a fantastic time, with very friendly Tasmanians and grey nomads.

Highlights?We’ve attended the Cygnet Folk Festival, the finish of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race, Taste of Tassie on the water-front in Hobart, plus lots of other interesting events and places.

Do nomads make a difference?Most that we have spoken to while here come for 2-6 months, that’s a lot of dollars being spent in the state. We

estimate we would have spent $9,000 over three months and that’s including the cost of a new fridge. We agree if the cost of the Spirit was more reason-able there would be a lot more grey nomads from the main-land over here. We have heard that the numbers are down last year and this season.

Would higher fees put you off?If we had to pay $30 per night camping fees for 90 days that’s another $2700 and that would take it out of our retirement budget. If the camping was not free or low cost we wouldn’t be able to afford to be in Tassie. Councils take note. If you put up the prices, grey nomads won’t come to your beautiful state.

Is Tassie worth it?We have enjoyed every minute of our stay.

‘We’ve enjoyed every minute of our Tassie trip’

Nomads in BriefDriveway tragedy An 84-year-old New South Wales woman has died after being pinned between her gate and a ute tow-ing a caravan. Joy Hodder had just been to a caravan rally with her long-term partner, Dave Hughes, who was driving the ute. When Mrs Hodder got out of the vehicle to open double gates at the couple’s home, the ute accidentally surged forward, with tragic consequences.

Tourists attackedNorthern Territory Police are looking for four men who al-legedly attacked two German tourists at a popular camping spot. The tourists, a man and a woman aged 49 and 51, were camping at Ellery Creek Big Hole, about 80 kilome-tres west of Alice Springs. Police say the men threw rocks and smashed windows in the tourists’ campervan after being refused water. and also stole some items from the campervan.

Van park expansionPlans are afoot to expand Bridgetown Caravan Park in WA’s south-west. New own-ers Stef Quin and Nathan Meade say the park, which has 50 powered sites and 20 unpowered, is often at capacity during peak holiday periods. The couple hopes to buy land from the adjoin-ing bowling club which has already become an overflow camping area.

Issue 40: March 1, 2013

Free campsite at Oatlands Tasmania. (Phil and Lyn’s motorhome is front RH corner)

TimesCharacters of the Road – Tassie Special

This week’s challenge:

Zoom out to meet our newly-appointed ‘Quizmistress’ Click here to have a look

Do You Know 1. Vandals could have a smashing time in which Queensland group of hills?2. Shortest road distance between Port Macquarie, NSW, and Adelaide, SA? A) 1,432kms B) 1,536kms C) 1,784kms3. I want to go from Humpty Doo to Kakadu. Which highway shall I take? 4. Not old, but where the nobility might live? 5. Mixed up ‘Ad Depositors’ is a nice place to take a break. (Answers on p. 6)

Grab a Cuppa and test your grey mattaZooming in

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Veteran travellers Jim & Noeleen have just spent 10

weeks on the Apple Isle. How much was the crossing?Our caravan and tow vehicle’s combined length is 14m. This cost us $2100 return on the ferry (pensioner rates), includ-ing an overnight cabin both ways; meals were extra and only average quality.

What did you travel in?Our tow vehicle was a 100 Se-ries turbo diesel LandCruiser and our van a 23’ off-road Island Star.

Where do you go?We travelled 3,200km all over the accessible points of the is-land - who said Tassie is small? We were unable to visit Port Arthur due to the fires.

What did you like?The most positive aspect for us was the stunning mountains, forests and rivers scenery. Absolutely beautiful! This was followed by the attractive old buildings and bridges in every town we visited that dated back to the late 1800s/early 1900s. The island is virtually graffiti free with only a few pockets in the larger cities/towns. Similarly, the boat cruises we took were exhilarat-ing, having exceptional coastal, river and forest scenery. The Bruny Island coastal cruise

and Gordon River wilderness cruise were both expensive but well worth it.

Downsides?The biggest negative for us was the poor weather – windy, cloudy, cold, some rain. We calculated that, on average, we had clear, warm (not hot) and sunny days on an average of only two days per week. The road system was also of a poor quality! Very narrow, very hilly, very winding. Mostly very poor, bumpy, patched road surfaces. Mostly no shoulders to run off if needed (eg. when meeting log trucks) and very few lay-bys or park bays to pull into. Was it cheap?Diesel fuel costs ranged from $1.52 per litre to $1.65, but mostly under $1.60. Attrac-tions/venues were expensive (eg. cruises, museums etc.) exacerbated by the high cost of entry to national parks @ $24 a day visit, plus camp fees of $20 on top. It is much cheaper to buy a two-month pass, cost-ing $60. What about cheap camping?The free and low-cost camp-sites are quite small with regards to the few rigs that can fit in, and also the small-sized bays available. Caravans

are in the minority and are much smaller than those on the mainland. Ours (23’) was huge in comparison, making it difficult to free camp, together with it being the busy summer holiday period. What about the van parks?We rated the caravan parks we stayed at as ‘dumps to passa-ble’; scoring overall 5 out of 10, with only one good exception - Hadspen near Launceston. We also heard similar stories from others we met. The parks are generally poorly laid out, with small, cramped bays that are difficult to get into, and the grounds are usually scruffy with old amenities.

Were the locals friendly?We found a very ambivalent at-titude towards tourists and the provision of associated quality infrastructure. We discussed this with a few shopkeep-ers and they agreed with our observations. Given the recent loss of industries and jobs in Tasmania, this is a surprising attitude if they are seeking economic alternatives.

Will you be back?Overall, the positives out-weighed the negatives, but we won’t be back. Once is enough for our budget! Been there, done that!

‘Stunning scenery but the weather was bleak’

Nomads in BriefFishy tale? A cyclist claims to have spotted a 1.3 metre croco-dile in Britain’s River Thames. Richard Smith, 64, says he saw the rep-tile swimming along the waterway at Reading, near London. While experts say crocodiles would strug-gle to survive an English winter, pollution levels in the Thames are falling. In recent years, creatures spotted include a bottlenose whale, non-native piranha, a sea lamprey and dozens of dolphins and porpoises.

No regrets A British survey has revealed that ‘not travelling enough’ is the biggest regret for those aged 50 plus. It came ahead of ‘career choice’, ‘bad rela-tionship choices’, not staying healthy’ and ‘losing touch with friends’ in the poll con-ducted by a UK travel firm.

Issue 39: February 15, 2013

Jim and friend have a chat around the fire

TimesCharacters of the Road – Tassie Special

Batman Bridge ... now closed to free camping

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Dear Editor,Re. Mining (GNT: Issue 39). Mining is still a fact of eco-nomic life in Australia. If we grey nomads don’t want to be subjected to a scarred land-scape that is contributing to the wealth of this country, then we can go around it. When stand-ing, or driving, beside these mining excavations they truly are big, but small in the overall geography of Australia.

Maurie YDear Editor,Has a study been done to see the effect of all the changes to the landscape after plains are turned in to hills and very deep pits and hills have been taken away in other areas? Looking at our raped countryside we can’t help but wonder who is going to take the responsibility for all the damage that has been done. Mining companies don’t care because most of them are owned by overseas companies.

Jean & Jack WDear Editor,Yes, mining sure does leave an eyesore behind. Are we going to be left with huge holes in the ground, having lost so much of our pristine countryside. At least allow these ugly pits to just fill naturally with water, so there is at least water for wildlife, rather than try to fill them in, in the process making more of a mess. One day it will all run out, then what? We are left with a lot of holes and no benefits to our country.

Del WDear Editor,Go see Australia while it is still ours. We started being Grey Nomads on December 8, 2000, and are glad we did as there was no coal seam gas mining or, if there was, it was not visible. We had no trouble getting into caravan parks or free camping spots because the

mining boom was nowhere near as big as it is today. Our advice is get out and see it while you can.Ron and Joyce G (Nordic)Dear Editor,Having recently spent two nights at Lake Liddell (near the Hunter Valley) it is a blight on the landscape and they will never clean up behind them-selves as all the fertile original topsoil etc. is gone forever.

Bushy BDear Editor,Mining is a blot on the land-scape - it is only capitalist greed that is driving it. Alternative energy is abundant - wind, solar and wave energy are all free once the infrastructure is in place - not to mention clean and green.

Lorraine HDear Editor,Mining activity is a both a blot on the Aussie landscape and a fact of economic life in Aus-tralia. The town where I live in Central Queensland, now has 9km bitumen detour winding its way around a coal mine not far out of town. This detour allows us access to the main highway heading north. There is a moon-scape of mountains of excavated overburden on one side of the road, and an operational coal conveyor belt running alongside the other. However, strict plans are in place for regeneration of the mine site when coal reserves are removed or the lessening of those reserves makes it eco-nomically unviable to recover.Travellers may think the sight is ghastly, but they have to remember they are in mining country and should expect this before they get anywhere near it.

Myra SDear Editor,I believe it is an economic fact and we would not have the best lifestyles of any country in

the world if it were not for the mineral resources that we, the people, own, I also believe that approval of all mining licences should contain a clause that the land must be repatriated when mining is finished otherwise we will have an absolute eye-sore in many beautiful loca-tions like the Hunter area.

David & Chris MDear Editor,That’s the price we pay for our lifestyle. Without those developments Australia would have living standards not much above third world countries. Our lifestyle and standard of living (caravanning) depends on us being able to sell resourc-es and food and fibre to the rest of the world. It’s unfortunate the resources, especially coal, often coincide with fertile land. Of course, that’s why the coal is there in the first place. Once it was rainforest, swamps and jungle which then got buried by volcanic activity and other plate turbulence. We will just have to live with it. The sooner we all ac-cept this and move on the better.

John SDear Editor,Re: Tasmania ferry cost letters (GNT: Issue 39). I recently sat down and did a costing to take my campervan from Qld to Tassie and back. “Yikes and lawks gramercy!” It is so phenomenally expensive. It worked out that I could take a two- week overseas holiday all in for the money it would cost just to go take a lingering look at the distant isle. Tasmania appears to be on a downward spiral with many towns literally dying. The long and short of it all appears to be that Tasmania does not want grey nomads gracing its shores or its tourist destinations. For, as long as things remain the way they are, they won’t get them anyway!

Poppa M

Dear Editor,My wife and I were considering taking our Coaster across to Tassie for two months holiday but not any more due to high ferry costs. Instead we are going north for three months. Sorry, Tassie.

Sofy KDear Editor,I just thought to do a little research on the TT Line. It is no wonder things are so crook! The company is running at a loss with a stated downturn of 8% in patronage. What is so amazing is the sheer length and seeming endless amount of bureaucratic twaddle in the annual report. It must have cost a packet in accounting fees to prepare! Looks to me like the whole setup should be scuttled, the State Goverment and TT Directors fired and the people given back the control of the destiny of their island state. Who will lead the revolution?

AnthonyDear Editor,Fares should be a lot lower. If it was a cruise ship with 24-hour accommodation costs could be around, say $400 (broken down from say a 10-day cruise). But this would include breakfast/lunch/dinner and full enter-tainment, TV in one’s cabin (not a shoe box) and even such ‘luxuries’ as a bath mat to step on when coming out of the shower. When you think our government bungs in a con-siderable contribution towards each and every fare the ‘Spirit’ takes, (which commercial lines do not get) how come without TV, any meals etc etc (bath mat!) it is around the same price? We don’t need flash stuff, we only need to disembark and bugger off to where we are going. To me, infrastructure is unimportant when compared, to cheaper fares.

Yvonne P

Issue 40: March 1, 2013

Times

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Pardise lost?Recently, our website www.thegreynomads.com.au reported that a plan was in the pipeline for a new caravan park at Crowdy Head on the beautiful NSW coast. Although some campers may be keen on the idea of staying in the magnificent, pristine location, local residents aren’t so sure. Read more here

Other website must-reads:Dump point U-turn No facilities at Athelstone

Show your colours Get your grey nomad stickers and stubbie holders

SURVEYAre some spots too ‘special’

to host a caravan park?Yes No

Website highlights

Issue 40: March 1, 2013

CLASSIFIEDS Email here to learn more about placing an advert in our new classified section

DISCLAIMER: The Grey Nomad Times team is not responsible for any sale, trade, or other transactions between vendors and vendees or advertisers and respondents. All parties enter into transactions at their own risk.

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FACEBOOK FUN One giant leap for grey nomadkind ... Couple to go from Red Centre to Red Planet! Click here for more.

Meteoric fall ... how many asteroids are heading our way? Click here for more

Dear Editor,Re: dump points (GNT: Issue 38). At our park we have a dump point. It is disconcert-ing that some nomads either do not know how to use them or treat it with contempt. On three separate occasions since December we have had to call in the plumbers to remove foreign objects. This is a costly exercise. All we wish for is for these facilities to be used cor-rectly or with some respect for a fellow traveller. Incontinence underwear does not go down the dump point which we have experienced. However there are people that are an absolute pleasure to accommodate.

Paddy & Colleen J Edgewater Holiday Park

Dear Editor,We carry an extra toilet cassette in our caravan, as a backup so to speak, in case we want to free camp longer or get caught trying to find a suitable dump point. No harder dumping two than one and you can pass by the ones who want to charge.

Gary (NQ)Dear Editor,Re. Campfires (GNT: Issue 38). Many of us were brought up with open fires. We find the people out of the concrete jungle have little concept pertaining to commonsense or respect. We are careful - subject

to the time of the year and our surroundings. It takes little ef-fort to see if it is possible to use open flame, then we use a fire pot, ie ‘a pig’.

John VDear Editor,Campfires for us are essential. We cook on them, heat our water for showers, and the am-bience of a fire and a few drinks is essential to our way of life.

Wayne & Karen CDear Editor,I really don’t think many fires are started by campers or caravanners. Most fires appear to be started by lightning or arsonists. Arsonists are people who have intent because of their criminal attraction to fire. I have never seen a campfire that has been left by respon-sible campers but I will admit that some fail to clean up the remains of the fire after putting it out ... not many though.

TravelbugsDear Editor,Oh, the utter delight of sitting next to a lovely warm campfire on a cold winter’s night, sipping on a mug of piping hot pea-n-ham soup, followed by a glass of half decent Port.My soulmate and I enjoy a good ‘Stumpie’ in the winter at home, and have installed a concrete ‘fire ring’ in the lawn for the purpose. Are we weird

or what? When friends visit from the ‘Big Smoke’ and we light up, they really love it too, so maybe we are not so weird!

Phill & Geraldine TDear Editor,I am getting sick of reading all these letters of people com-plaining about what they are paying for things. If you can’t afford the expenses of travel-ling, stay at home or travel and stick to a budget like the rest of us do. I have travelled to all states in Australia and I have been amazed at the rub-bish (including dump waste) I have seen everywhere. What happened to the saying ‘take nothing but photos and leave nothing but footprints’. I am a recent new reader to GNT and I read it cover to cover. Keep up the good work.

Janet SDear Editor,Re: Coober Pedy (GNT: Issue 39). Just can’t wait to get there! Some love it and some do not. We’ve been reasonably close to visiting Coober Pedy when travelling through SA, but never made it up that far. This year was going to be the year, but plans have changed and we’ll now have to wait for an-other chance. Still, the intrigue of the place will remain with us until we get there. Something else to look forward to...

Judy & Ben G

A smouldering problem Dear Jaclyn and Heidi,My wife and I are six weeks into our open-ended adventure. We have a largely harmonious time despite being together 24/7 for the first time in our lives. Our main source of friction is camp-fires ... I love them, my wife hates them. To me there is no greater pleasure than building a fire after a hard day’s adventur-ing. It is part of the ritual of life on the road. When the sun goes down, the flames go up provid-ing a source of comforting light and heat. Food tastes better and the wine sweeter whilst star-ing into that orange and yellow leaping glow. My wife doesn’t get it though - she just sees dirt and effort and detests the smoke. With fire or without, one of us will always be miserable. Help!

Mike

My heart goes out to you. I, like you, love a campfire as it helps to make the evenings a special event. However, they are not for everybody. We re-ceive many letters from people who find the leap from subur-bia to sitting around a smoky fire night after night too much. As always in these ‘deadlocks’, compromise is perhaps the key. Maybe you can alternate with one night with fire and the next without. This may help you appreciate the fire more after an absence and you never know your wife may grow to appreciate the hypnotic effects of a campfire as suburbia fades into the past and she acclima-tises to the realities of life on the road. Good luck.

Jaclyn Houston, we have a problem!

Your wife hates campfires! Surely if she is camping in Aus-tralia for an extended period of time she must partake in one of its greatest pleasures. Okay, they may be a little high maintenance but so are many things about taking the Big Lap (a whingeing partner for one). Are you sure she is really into this trip or does she crave the comforts of home or a hotel room? I hope your travel plans don’t unravel as fur-ther fundamental differences emerge, Brian. Don’t give in on this, though. Why shouldn’t you be able to create a little dirt and smoke in the evening … on a camping trip? If she can’t accept this, the whole adven-ture may be at risk. Time for a serious chat!

Heidi Click to comment

Issue 40: March 1, 2013

What can be worse than get-ting home after a long trip and then immediately wishing you were back out there on the open road? Within just a few hours you start to miss those beautiful Outback skies, the crackle of the campfire, and that ‘non-real bed’ sleeping experience.But don’t despair those of you who have had to temporarily park up the rig back at home, a camping style night’s sleep could soon be yours once again. Designer Stephanie Hornig has cooked up this cosy-looking sleeping bag sofa that should appeal to the frustrated camper in all of us.

Apparently, Stephanie’s final-year project at the University of the Arts in Berlin let her explore the idea of bringing a life in the great outdoors inside for once. Hmmmm!“In the last year I travelled a lot, and I missed the feeling of home when I arrived in these empty rooms,” said Hornig. “I began to compare the life of a

modern nomad with camping; it’s the feeling of simplicity and independence when we’re outside in nature that inspired me.”Am loving your work, Steph-anie. But is there a danger that curling up on this thing will kill the wanderlust in us all. Will this camping experience without the having-to-leave-home hassles give us the best

of both worlds … and think of the savings on fuel!“I like to build immediately whatever comes to mind and learn from the material instead of pushing it into a shape,” she said. “The pieces are reminis-cent of the outdoor world and retain their functional char-acter, but are frozen in their movement.”I tell you what Stephanie. If I get a chance to lay down on the sofa I’ll be frozen in my movement. That looks so comfy I could stay there all day … and I guess if I’m camped in my lounge room I don’t have to worry about van park checkout times either.Do you ‘camp’ at home after a long trip? How do you make the memories of the Outback stay with you?

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Your trip doesn’t have to end when you get home

The ‘in’ way to enjoy camping outthe

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