the Times Your news and views? Email us at [email protected]In this issue: •Two extra pages of mining town letters •Free camping debate in Cairns •Amazing Albany Growing security fears over ‘convenient’ WiFi hotspots Mango heist a stunt too far – GNT readers Grey nomads are being warned to avoid using public WiFi hotspots to send or re- ceive sensitive data because of the risk of it being intercepted by hackers. Long-term travellers are oſten tempted to use hotspots at places like fast food restau- rants, libraries or caravan parks to carry out activities such as internet banking or managing investments ... but it can be a dangerous business. ese networks are oſten not secured and other users on the network can potentially moni- tor activity or steal data. In Europe, Europol has just warned that attacks on public WiFi are increasing rapidly. A recent study conducted by McAfee indicated some 66% of Australians used free WiFi. Alex B might be worryingly typical in that she oſten uses unsecured hotspots as she travels in her campervan. “I am aware it’s something I shouldn’t do but it’s just so convenient sometimes,” she admits. “I haven’t had a prob- lem yet but I know I should be more careful in future.” e Federal Government, which operates a Stay Smart online initiative, told the GNT that grey nomads had previously been the victims of scams. And a spokesperson for the Department of Communi- cations stressed the dangers of using WiFi hotspots. “ese are oſten open and unencrypted and a hacker may be able to break into your computer through a hotspot and access your personal information,” the spokesper- son said. “Where you do use a WiFi hotspot in a public location it’s best not to do any transactions that involve financial or sensitive data.” Connecting to a hotspot that doesn’t require a password is particularly risky and this is oſten the case at public librar- ies or fast food restaurants. Without it being secured with encryption, most of the inter- net traffic is sent in plain text and can be easily intercepted. Most caravan parks issue grey nomads and other guests with a password to access their hotspot and this means all the It was a publicity stunt that put Australia’s Big ings well and truly back on the world map ... but should the fake ‘theſt’ of Bowen’s Big Mango have been allowed. Of course it should, said a minority of respondents to our GNT poll on the issue who thought it was all good fun. But a convincing 59.6% of you were not laughing. “ey create anxiety and use up valuable chat time around the campfire,” said Frank & Kathy T. “Get a life and make it with- out false advertising,” said John D. But One Eye was a little more forgiving. He was happy “as long as it doesn’t harm anyone”. June M shared the view. “Nothing against public- ity stunts if no-one gets harmed,” she said, before reminding us that some- times stunts can go terribly wrong. “Let’s not forget the poor nurse at the centre of the prank call to the hospital where Kate Middleton was staying,” she added. Gregg M has no strong views either way. “Who really cares?” he asked. Click to comment Grey nomads love to use the internet at libraries ... but how dangerous is it? Many libraries offer free wifi ... but is it safe? Photo: Larry Moore Issue 67: March 14, 2014 Page 1 network traffic is encrypted using Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2) security. is is far more secure. For nomads who regularly ac- cess online accounts through Wi-Fi hotspots, getting a virtual private network (VPN) could be advisable. VPNs encrypt traffic between your computer and the internet, even on unsecured networks. VPN accounts can be obtained from a VPN service provider. Other ways in which nomads can protect themselves are to always connect as ‘pub- lic’ when they are offered the ‘home’, ‘work’ or ‘public’ options, and to log out of an account as soon as they have finished using it. It also pays to try to use sites that use the more secure HTTPS address. Do you use unsecured WiFi hotspots on your travels? Have you ever been hacked? Click to comment
In this issue: •Two extra pages of mining town letters •Free camping debate in Cairns •Amazing Albany
Growing security fears over ‘convenient’ WiFi hotspots
Mango heist a stunt too far – GNT readers
Grey nomads are being warned to avoid using public WiFi hotspots to send or re-ceive sensitive data because of the risk of it being intercepted by hackers.Long-term travellers are often tempted to use hotspots at places like fast food restau-rants, libraries or caravan parks to carry out activities such as internet banking or managing investments ... but it can be a dangerous business.These networks are often not secured and other users on the network can potentially moni-tor activity or steal data.In Europe, Europol has just warned that attacks on public WiFi are increasing rapidly.A recent study conducted by McAfee indicated some 66% of Australians used free WiFi. Alex B might be worryingly typical in that she often uses unsecured hotspots as she travels in her campervan. “I am aware it’s something I shouldn’t do but it’s just so convenient sometimes,” she admits. “I haven’t had a prob-lem yet but I know I should be more careful in future.”The Federal Government, which operates a Stay Smart online initiative, told the GNT that grey nomads had
previously been the victims of scams. And a spokesperson for the Department of Communi-cations stressed the dangers of using WiFi hotspots. “These are often open and unencrypted and a hacker may be able to break into your computer through a hotspot and access your personal information,” the spokesper-son said. “Where you do use a WiFi hotspot in a public location it’s best not to do any transactions that involve financial or sensitive data.”Connecting to a hotspot that doesn’t require a password is particularly risky and this is often the case at public librar-ies or fast food restaurants. Without it being secured with encryption, most of the inter-net traffic is sent in plain text and can be easily intercepted. Most caravan parks issue grey nomads and other guests with a password to access their hotspot and this means all the
It was a publicity stunt that put Australia’s Big Things well and truly back on the world map ... but should the fake ‘theft’ of Bowen’s Big Mango have been allowed.Of course it should, said a minority of respondents to our GNT poll on the issue who thought it was all good fun. But a convincing 59.6% of you were not laughing.“They create anxiety and use up valuable chat time around the campfire,” saidFrank & Kathy T.“Get a life and make it with-out false advertising,” saidJohn D.But One Eye was a little more forgiving. He was happy “as long as it doesn’t harm anyone”.June M shared the view. “Nothing against public-ity stunts if no-one gets harmed,” she said, before reminding us that some-times stunts can go terribly wrong. “Let’s not forget the poor nurse at the centre of the prank call to the hospital where Kate Middleton was staying,” she added. Gregg M has no strong views either way.“Who really cares?” he asked. Click to comment
Grey nomads love to use the internet at libraries ... but how dangerous is it?
Many libraries offer free wifi ... but is it safe? Photo: Larry Moore
Issue 67: March 14, 2014
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network traffic is encrypted using Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2) security. This is far more secure.For nomads who regularly ac-cess online accounts through Wi-Fi hotspots, getting a virtual private network (VPN) could be advisable. VPNs encrypt traffic between your computer and the internet, even on unsecured networks. VPN accounts can be obtained from a VPN service provider.Other ways in which nomads can protect themselves are to always connect as ‘pub-lic’ when they are offered the ‘home’, ‘work’ or ‘public’ options, and to log out of an account as soon as they have finished using it. It also pays to try to use sites that use the more secure HTTPS address.Do you use unsecured WiFi hotspots on your travels? Have you ever been hacked?Click to comment
Last week’s picture puzzle winner was Ronald L: Do You Know
1. Name the WA town with a rocky twin.2. I am heading west from Alice to the McDonnell Ranges. Which do I reach first ... Standley Chasm or Ellery Creek Big Hole?3. I heading directly from Leonora, WA, to Warburton, WA. Which road am I on?4. Sweaty Her (anagram). A place from which you can famously head north, south or east. 5. Shortest road distance from Charleville, Qld, to Dubbo, NSW? A) 652km B) 728km C) 822km (Answers on p. 6)
Email us the solution to this picture puzzle. Winner will be drawn from entries and announced in Issue 68. CLUE: These are getting harder to find ... and much harder to afford!
Grab a Cuppa and test your grey mattaQUIZ CORNER Win 2 grey nomad bumper stickers!
Family tree sets path for coupleHobbies of the Road
Charlie & Libby (Chaslib), both 64, from Alstonville, NSW, are on the road to
their family’s past
What do you travel in? A 2006 Coromol Silhouette Camper. Our tug is a 2011 Ford Territory. We also travel with two kayaks. How long do travel for? Last year we were away for about four months. We come and go as the mood dictates. We learnt quickly not to spend too much effort in plan-ning routes, stops and other things because life does not follow a set route.
Where do you camp?Free camps with the occa-sional stop at a van park when we feel the call of luxury items such as showers, washing ma-chines – and unlimited power!
Likes of the lifestyle? Learning something new. Like how to reverse the van without looking like a novice; how to bake bread when the sliced stuff runs out; how to cook in a thermal cooker; how cold it is outside the camper at 6am at Middleton in August ... and like how warm it is in bed at 6am at Middleton in August! On-the-road hobbies? Kayaking, photography, read-ing and geneaology. We love exploring small towns where we stop. Gravestones and the
old inscriptions are of particu-lar interest.
What about geneaology? I got involved in it seriously about six years ago. Once you start, it’s almost impossible to stop. You always find some- thing that takes you on a differ-ent and more fascinating path.
How did you start? A professionally drawn-up family tree that recorded 500 years of my mother’s family disappeared when my aunt passed away. We wondered if she deliberately destroyed it to avoid having some fam-ily scandals come to light! I decided to ensure my children knew where their family came from and who they were.
How did you do it?My primary research tool is ancestry.com. However, I did have a professional genealo-gist assist with some research when I got stuck.
Has the Big Lap helped?I’ve been able to visit my grandparents’ graves in Toow-oomba and lay flowers there, but have not been able to trace the whereabouts of any of the siblings. I have found the graves of several of my moth-er’s maternal ancestors graves at Ipswich Historical Cem-etery and also in Brisbane. Sadly, I became aware that some of my ancestors’ burials have been recorded but the actual plots are ‘unmarked’!
Any interesting discoveries? Several family members held government positions in early NSW and Queensland history. I learnt about the conditions on board the immigration ships back in the 1800’s when I found a series of books includ-ing ‘They Came Direct – Light Brigade’. The passenger mani-fest listed my great grandfa-ther and great grandmother and her sister. I also found out
All packed up and ready for the next adventure
Solution: “Bass Strait” Email your entries here
Issue 67: March 14, 2014
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about a diary written by my great great grandfather cover-ing his years as a soldier in the British army fighting against Napoleon, before he became one of the first English settlers in the Port Macquarie area. The diary was fascinating but what was even more fascinat-ing was that it had a copy of my missing family tree.
Is it a good nomad hobby? Genealogy generally requires access to the internet which makes it unfeasible for many travellers. However, there is a lot of checking, so libraries whilst you travel could be a good source of information. If you travel in an area where ancestors have lived, then historical societies would be a good port-of-call. Otherwise, if you have your tree on your laptop, travelling is a good opportunity to go through everything and check.
Tips for new genealogists?It sounds romantic to find royalty in your family tree but millions have found there is no crown or heir to a throne attached to it! Just remember, back in those days, you never know ‘who begat who, by whom”. Instead of royalty, you could actually be descended from some lowborn scullery maid, or the lady’s groom. Oh, and the research is not cheap, so be prepared to invest your dollars into it!
Drowning tragedyA grey nomad has drowned in the Murray River near the Forges Bend camping spot, west of Yarrawonga. Julie Donlon, 61, and her husband Kieran had sold their Warrnambool property to travel the country. Mrs Donlon, who was a passionate campaigner for awareness of Parkinson’s Disease, had been walking her dog by the river.
Canister explosionFour people suffered burns and were taken to hospital af-ter they were injured in a gas canister explosion near Collie, WA. Police say a spare butane gas canister exploded while the family was barbecuing at the Stockton Lake campsite.
Van park erosionBundaberg Regional Coun-cil fears it will lose Miara Caravan Park to the river as erosion continues to wash land away. A council plan to build a rock retaining wall to prevent more erosion has been rejected by the State Government.
Food furyA group of researchers is calling for governments to subsidise fresh produce in rural regions of Australia, warning that the high prices cause ill health. Residents in rural and remote Australia often pay 50% more for fruit and vegetables than their capital city counterparts.
Not everyone supports a free for all in Cairns
Issue 67: March 14, 2014
With the great grey nomad migration north not too far away, the Queensland city of Cairns – like many others – is grappling with the best way to approach the ongoing free camping conundrum.Late last year, Cairns Regional Council started issuing $220 fines for people camping il-legally in the CBD … but has since run into serious trouble receiving payment from most on-the-move offenders.Several leading business people have now called on the council to relax its policy. They say the city should be encouraging more young campervan tourists to the region, not frightening them away.It has all led to a wider debate about free camping in general.As part of its local laws survey, the council has been asking the public for feedback on whether there is enough free camping in the region, and where more might be needed.The survey results have not yet been revealed but the chief of Tourism Tropical North Queensland, Alex De Waal, has already firmly expressed his view. He told the ABC that the tourism business was not a charity and it didn’t need to subsidise visitation.“There may be some people that don’t come because of
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the fact that we have fantastic facilities that need to be paid for,” he said. “But we don’t want that type of visitor.”And the city’s Deputy Mayor, Cllr Terry James said critics of the free camping crackdown had no regard for ratepayers and caravan park operators.“They are struggling to keep their doors open at the moment because no one is staying there,” he said. “$30 a night for a camping site and they’ve got free showers, they’ve got laundry, they’ve got all their facilities.”The debate echoes a similar one that divided the Darwin community a year ago when the mayor, Ms Fong Lim, said the high cost of accommo-dation was not the council’s problem.
“We don’t have control over what camping people charge,” she said at the time. “If you visit our great city make sure you have enough money to pay for it.”She later clarified her remarks to say she hadn’t intended them for the grey nomad community “most of whom are law-abiding budget travel-lers”.
Click to comment
Cairns has fantastic facilities ... but who is paying for them? Photo: Tourism Queensland
Dear Editor,Re: Wolfe Creek article (GNT: Issue 66). Such a shame to demonise such a wonderful spot with a series of movies involving such violence. I’m sure a love story would have been more appropriate and made just as much money for the producers. We have been there on two occasions and will go again. I can tell you somewhere we won’t be going to though ... and that’s any cinema showing that dreadful movie.
Pam & AlvanDear Editor,Also further down the Tanami is a lovely campsite beside a large Billabong (Sturt Creek). Don’t be put off by the rub-bish at the beginning of the campsite. Drive further along the creek and it is amazing. Great for photographers. Can’t remember how far it was, but we stayed the night there after visiting Wolfe Creek crater.
Mandy WDear Editor,Re: Botanist bore. (Jaclyn & Heidi - GNT: Issue 66). I agree with Jaclyn. Keep a painted record of his precious plants and maybe that will be all he needs.
Mandy WDear Editor,Re: no speed limit survey (GNT: Issue 66). Quote: Ian
and Sally S, who had done the maths, agreed. “No way, Jose,” they said. “The Stuart Highway with just a painted white line separating two vehicles heading towards each other at say 200km/h equals a 400 km/h crash speed!” That’s an old chestnut, and unfortunately wrong – differ-ences in car mass aside, two vehicles travelling 200km/h each hit head on, the collision speed is 200km/h.
Jon PDear Editor,Ian and Sally S have done the maths, have they? I suggest they should pay more attention in class. Two bodies of similar mass traveling at 200km/h having a head-on crash is the same as one body traveling at 200km/h into a static object. You don’t add the two veloci-ties together. Basic physics.
Steve & JudieDear Editor,Gotta disagree with Kevin P who thought it was a great idea to have no Top End speed limit. “You can watch the road and not your speedo or look for hidden speed cameras,” he said. However, I would like to know how many accidents have been proven to have been caused by either of these two distractions?
Jim CDear Editor,Let them loose. We have new generation cars with all the safety in them but cannot
go faster than 110km/h. See European freeways. Distances are not as far as here and what is the percentage of accidents on those roads?
pdg051Dear Editor,Like so many other nomads, I will simply plod along at 90km/h where this doesn’t cause me to hold up other road users. This is simply to run as fuel-efficiently as possible, according to the recommendations of the manufacturers of our Winne-bago. What I do find delightful about this proposal, though, is the violent opposition from the authorities in other states. Noble statements are made about ‘saving lives’ and the old chestnut, ‘the cost to the community’, and how a virtual Armageddon will ensue from the removal of speed limits. You can’t help but wonder if they protest a little too much. Is it possible that they fear that campaigns such as Victoria’s ‘Wipe Off Five’ campaign will be proved to be the simple money-making exercise most motorists believe they are? Time will tell. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing the fall-out when the road toll doesn’t go up – or will they just cook the figures again?
John CDear Editor,Don’t let it happen. There will be more accidents for sure. People will drive to the limit and have less control on
sudden things that can happen.Pat D
Dear Editor,A warning on possums. On the east coast of Tasmania, we experienced possums on the van roof during the night. We left early next morning and both my wife and I checked the front window fibre glass cover was down before leaving. Both of us saw it was closed and assumed – as normal – that the other had closed it and, in doing so, locked it down. But no! On arriving home we saw it was missing, having blown off on the high-way somewhere. It became apparent that neither of us had closed it. The only logical explanation is that possums descending from the roof over the window cover forced it closed and, of course, the pos-sums did not lock it shut!
TrevorDear Editor,Re: John B’s copter comment (Letters: GNT: 66). Best advice for your flying copter is to make sure it has a gyro and a GPS so, when all else fails, just let go of the controls. And, if it goes out of sight, it can return automatically. They are far more stable to fly than a helicopter. My son has one for locating pigs at night.
John S (Swinks)Dear Editor,Re: Waterless washing ma-chine (GNT: Issue 66). Sounds like the perfect solution?
Pat
Issue 67: March 14, 2014
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* Don’t miss mining town ‘letters special’ ... p 8-9
Dear Editor,We were staying at a park near Lake Hume on the Vic/NSW border and were staggered to see the contrast in quality be-tween the cabin and en-suite sites, compared to the basic ‘power and water’ caravan sites. The former were well-planned and maintained with the en-suite van sites adorned with green, watered, kikuyu grass and concrete slabs for vehicle and annexe. The basic power and water sites were, quite literally dust bowls – or muddy mires, depending on the weather – with no care put into their design at all (grey water doesn’t run uphill). The up-market sites had views of the lake. The power and water sites were next to the, at times, smelly septic system and the screaming kids on the jumping pillow. In our view, this is a new business strategy to further alienate lower-cost (and profitability) campers and nomads from these (once ‘caravan’ now ‘holiday’) parks.Is it possible to develop a da-tabase – perhaps with its own star-rating – so nomads can avoid paying top-resort rates for a power and water site that is substandard? We can’t stop the march of progress, no matter how much it is at log-gerheads with the burgeoning grey nomad and large caravan market. We can, with a little help, try to give these places a miss and save a little money.
John C
Dear Editor,We are booked in at the cara-van park in Lakes Entrance, Victoria. I was a little alarmed by the smoke and fumes drifting down perhaps from the coal burning bush fire at Morwell. I posted on two Facebook pages - the Lakes Entrance Tourist Centre and the Central Hotel in Lakes Entrance asking if the smoke was a problem coming from Morwell as we didn’t want to get ill. The tourist centre has been bombarding me with adverts etc but no answer on my serious query. The Central Hotel posted straight back telling me all was fine and only a little possible smoke from another fire in the opposite direction. They also said I was most welcome to phone them any time to get an update on the weather and smoke etc. Very disappointed in the lack of reply from the tourist centre but very happy with the reply from the hotel. Must make sure we call in for a drink or a meal while there in apprecia-tion for their kind attention.
JanDear Editor,Re: Di T’s letter (GNT: Issue 66). Di T makes reference to blogging her travels on her laptop. My wife and I are about to embark on a 12 month Big Lap. I hope to be able to blog to family and friends as we go to keep them informed on where we are and
what we have done. Di, would you mind letting me know which travel blog you find the best to use? Thank you in advance.
Colin PDear Editor,Re: Service jobs (GNT: Issue 58). Without a second thought I would wait tables or do any other service industry job. This not only helps pay for petrol, helps contribute to our tourist industry but you get to meet your locals to boot. It is a no brainer.
Marcellus JDear Editor,Here is a good travel tip. Get a few dozen pillow slips from an Op shop. They are great for packing anything into them ... books, clothes, blankets, linen, because they are light and easy to throw around when moving in or out. When unpacked, they can be used as table cov-ers or washing bags.
ElDear Editor,Re: Social media (GNT: Issue 65). We do not use social media. We only telephone, text or send emails and – surprise surprise – if we are away, we write on postcards to the fam-ily and use snail mail. All these social media do da’s are not scam proof. No thanks.
Mary RDear Editor,We have a 22ft self-contained van. With the ferry fares high
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and caravan parks not all con-venient for big rigs, we won’t travel to Tassie if the freebie sites go.
ArthurDear Editor,Have you any plans to address the grey nomads and pets is-sue? More of us are travelling with our little mates but are maligned often for our choice. Caravan parks often reject us out of hand and, if we do man-age to find one, they are more than likely to be the not nicest place to park.
Fran & Allan(This is certainly a hot topic for many grey nomads and one we do explore from time to time. Watch this space ... Ed)
Dear Editor,Re: UHF misuse survey (GNT: Issue 64). In all the years I have been travelling, either in one of five caravans being towed with various vehicles or the two motorhomes we have had, have I, or anyone I know, abused the use of the compul-sory traveller’s companion, the UHF radio. We always use either channel 18 or 20, both as far as I know are RV chan-nels. I have in the past, spoken to and observed advice given me by various truck drivers. The UHF radio is an essential device when travelling in con-voy such as a safari trip.
Keep calm to carry on Do you feel your blood boil-ing when a fellow camper leaves rubbish laying around the site? Do you clench your fists in fury when you hear of another free camp being closed down? Well, be careful! A Harvard Medical School research team found that an angry outburst increased the risk of a heart attack in the following two hours by between 2.4 and 7.3 times, Read more here
Other website must-reads: Ant invasion Town faces mini menaceCape crusade Should we pave the tracks?
Merchandise magicShirts, caps, and stubby holders
Grab some grey nomad gear and join the party
SURVEYHas taking the Big Lapmade you less angry?
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FACEBOOK FUN Video Nasty Snaking van horror caught on camera Click here for more
Issue 67: March 14, 2014
CLASSIFIEDS
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Email here to learn more about placing an advert in our classified section
Reports are coming in from caravan parks and camping sites all around the country … and it seems an army of well-dressed grey nomads are causing an absolute fashion sensation.Our recently-released high-quality comfort fit polo shirts with hand-embroidered grey nomads logo have been in high demand, and they’ve already been spotted under awnings from Darwin to De-niliquin and from Manjimup to Mission Beach.The shirts are 65% poly / 35% combed cotton pique fabric and are available in ‘silver’ for men and ‘pink’ for ladies. Some sizes are already sold out but a new order will be sent out soon so, if you can’t see your size in our shop, please email us here with your re-quirements and we will ensure to get sufficient stock.The grey nomad grapevine also reveals that our high-quality, six-panel heavy brushed cotton baseball caps – also complete with hand
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embroidered Grey Nomads logo – have been going down a storm.Coming with an adjustable Velcro strap, the ‘natural and navy’ coloured pre-curved peak hats are suitable for all head sizes and shapes! The biggest Happy Hour hit, however, has been our popular Grey Nomad stubby holder. The new coolers have a fun and cheerful design featuring a panoramic on-the-road photo,
as well as our blue logo printed on one side, and our pink logo printed on the other.Our cheerful Grey Nomads ‘his’ and ‘hers’ bumper stick-ers are also still available and should make fellow ‘GNs’ easy to spot on the road, in the van parks, and out in the bush.So, what are you waiting for? Visit our shop here and show your true colours while on the big, big adventure.
Albany in Western Australia is defined by the might and majesty of the Southern Ocean and is a favourite destina-tion for grey nomads keen to explore the area’s rugged coastline and a town steeped in history.Just five hours fromPerth, and with a population of around 35,000, the city is where the first European settlers set foot in WA ... and evidence of the past is everywhere.For history-loving grey nomads, highlights include the Albany Convict Gaol, the Princess Royal Fortress, the Patrick Taylor Cottage which is the oldest dwelling in Western Australia, and some great mu-seums including Whale World,
which is housed in a former whaling station. The town was also the last port of call for troopships departing Australia in the First World War.One of the best ways to soak in the city’s history is to take the Amity Trail, a 30-minute self-guided walk that takes visitors past colonial buildings, historic taverns, an old convict prison and whaling ships.The fact that whales are no longer hunted here helps to make it s great place to spot migrating humpback, south-ern right and blue whales. A top spot to do just that is Torndirrup National Park. Here, the pounding waves have carved amazing formations out
of the granite coastline. Two of the best known are The Gap and Natural Bridge.The Middleton Beach board-walk is another place offering superb views over King George Sound. There are also white sandy beaches in the area and, away from the coast, Albany is also close to two low mountain ranges, the Porungurups and Stirling Ranges.For those keen to get in and amongst the area’s abundant natural beauty, then the famed Bibbulum Walking Track ends its 1,000- kilometre-plus jour-ney from near Perth here.
If you prefer to do your sight-seeing from a car seat, a drive up to see the 18 giant turbines at the Albany Wind Farm also offers truly memorable ocean views. Or, if you are ready just to stock up on some fresh quality ingredients to cook a slap-up meal back at the van, a trip to the Albany Farmers’ Markets could be in order.There are numerous caravan parks in Albany offering eve-rything from beachside views, and riverside tranquility to in-town convenience.It’s an area which really seems to have everything and, when you throw in the famous oysters, the state’s largest wine region, and a boutique beer brewery, you might just have to seriously consider delaying the rest of your Big Lap by a month or two. Click to comment
Dear Jaclyn and Heidi,Hubbie and I are new to the Big Lap. We’ve found that when other grey nomads find out we are ‘novices’ they bombard us with suggestions and advice. It’s so overwhelming. We are in Mount Gambier now and had planned to head across the Nullarbor in a couple of weeks, before meandering up the west coast, then going across to Dar-win and down the Centre to be back in Adelaide for Christmas. But now I don’t know. People say we should go up the Centre now and come down the west coast in wildflower season, or change plans to see some special festival here or there, or head this way then because of this or that. With people all saying different things, I’m pan-icked we’re going to get it wrong and ruin our dream trip.
Becky
Advice needed for advice Stop worrying, Becky! There is no great Grey Nomad judge sitting up in a caravan park in the sky passing judgement on your performance. There is no perfect Big Lap. There is no perfect time to do this or do that. There is no one thing you have got to do. Everybody is different and wants different things at different times for different reasons. Of course, you should listen to other peo-ple’s advice but don’t view their successful trip as a blueprint for your own. Spending three weeks out on Queensland’s gemfields scratching around for sapphires may not be as wonderful to you as it was to Jean and Johnny. Just have fun, Becky. If you were happy yesterday, happy today and reckon you’ll wake up happy tomorrow, then you’re pretty close to the perfect Big Lap. Jaclyn
Oh come on Becky, you’re a big girl now. Being a grey nomad is pretty much like everything else you do in life ... sometimes you get it right and sometimes you get it wrong, sometimes you listen to good advice and sometimes you listen to bad. As we all go through life we develop skills and acquire experience that helps us sort the wheat from the chaff or the duff advice from the gold. Taking the Big Lap can help relax people but don’t rely on it to transform your personality, Becky. If you were an indecisive ditherer in your past life – and it sounds like you probably were – you’ll likely be exactly the same out on the open road. If you’re still looking for one more piece of advice, try this ... back your own judgement, Becky!
In the last GNT, we reported that some van parks in once busy min-ing areas, are now trying to lure nomads back. Here, you tell us what you think:
Dear Editor,Don’t go to the parks now as they didn’t want us then. Let them see we matter and won’t be pushed into parks. People do spend money near where they stay. We all need fuel and food and Op shops. We have been turned away from caravan parks because of the workers but now won’t stay in them at all
Pat DDear Editor,Oh dear! They are breaking my heart. We were told that we were not wanted, especially Gladstone. Now they want us back on their terms. NOT go-ing to happen.
Rick & Lea ADear Editor,So now they want the tour-ists back! We are travelling workers, not miners with high wages, but caravan parks in mining areas charge us high rents with little improvement to park facilities. We have been travelling north for sugar cane harvest four years running and each year rents have increased by $14 per week. We book from one year to the next. Grey nomads stop overnight constantly throughout the season but have trouble getting accommodation in these areas. So, of course, free camping has become an option. After travelling for seven years, we mix things up. I neither want caravan parks to close or free camping to be stopped. There
is a lot of tourists on the road and all towns should get a slice of the pie.
Phil HDear Editor,Interesting that caravan park operators didn’t give a toss about grey nomads overnight-ing at roadside stops and free camp spots when their parks were overflowing with cashed-up miners. Now the tide has turned they expect councils to boot us out of free camps and be herded into their parks. Yeah right! No chance for this boy and girl!!
John & Lyn HDear Editor,It looks as if the old adage is true after all ... “what goes around comes around”. The grey nomad rules the roost till the next cycle comes. Maybe the owners of the caravan parks will realise the error of their ways.
AlphvaDear Editor,I used to feel sorry for the country towns and always tried to stop in their van parks. However, these same towns seem to have shunned the grey nomads over recent years. They have gone for the fast buck and, whilst that is understandable, it would not have hurt them to set aside some spots for ‘travellers’. Give them a wide berth so far as I am concerned.
Roy WDear Editor,Those caravan park opera-tors that forgot all about us grey nomads in favour of the mining people with heaps of money. They deserve all they get now. We were in Kalgoorlie a couple of years back and all the caravan parks
were occupied by the mining people. There was no caravan parks that wanted to know us so we camped in a great FREE camp nearly in the centre of the town, and would stay there again no how many caravan sites are available. Let them all sweat.
Dave HDear Editor,Not a lot of sympathy for Gladstone’s park owners. Some were not too nice in dumping all the travellers to take high rents for the last three years pushing the GN’s out of town. That they could be unhappy about the Calliope free camp stinks of greed and avarice. I’m an unhappy Gladstone grey nomad by the way
GD CairnsDear Editor,If it means that the beer swill-ing, cussing, unattractive yob-boes are not staying there any longer, then yes I’ll go back. These people (and I use the term loosely), seemed to think the park belonged to them and they could swear and drink etc as much as they wished, making it very uncomfortable if we objected to their uncivil behaviour. That’s been our experience and for that reason we avoided the mining towns.
Sue & LouDear Editor,We grey nomads have to eat, visit a doctor etc. In short, caravan parks need to make their campsites more afford-able for pensioners. Isn’t it better to have a full camp site than one which is out of reach for people who are on the pen-sion? Think about it.
Marlene DDear Editor,These various caravan parks in mining areas took to the
exorbitant price hike and filled their parks with great gusto, and now that the bubble has burst want their bread and butter customers back. They can keep their parks and we will be looking for either free camp areas or towns where the mining gluttony didn’t have an effect. Why line the pockets of park owners that ignored their loyal customers in favour of a fast buck? They didn’t respect their bread and butter in favour of lashings of dessert with all the trimmings, so now they can dine on stale bread and water.
John & Kerrie TDear Editor,Tough bickie Gladstone and the rest of you van parks that wouldn’t accommodate the tourist. So now you want to stop free camping just because you could only see the boom times, well, the boom has gone bang! I, for one, will always bypass you if you can’t see the long term benefits in keeping at least a few sites for the regu-lar traveller. You can’t have it both ways sunshine!
Jeff TDear Editor,Well, what a surprise. There is a downturn in the mining in-dustry and, as a result, mining staff are no longer in town and caravan parks have vacancies and they are calling out for help from nomad travellers. Well, I do have to remind them about how they tried to rip us off in the past years with high, very high prices for sites. Get lost to you, I say. As for the towns that now suffer, well get your act together and sup-port these free camps because that is how you will survive if you rely on grey nomads. John D
Issue 67: March 14, 2014
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‘You can’t have it all ways!’LETTERS SPECIAL: Mining boom slows but will nomads go back?
Dear Editor,Looks like the caravan parks want it all their own way. When they are full, they are not concerned about the rest areas. When they are not full, they want the council to police the 24-hour rest areas. I think they should give grey nomad members a discount. That way they may get more people staying.
Greg SDear Editor,If they persist with ‘don’t spend anything’ and want us to go into the caravan parks, then we won’t come that way at all – their gamble!
John LDear EditorAfter the way we were treated, in particular driving around the internals of Queensland, there’s a large number of parks that can belt it right up their clacker! I knew this day would come and so they can reap what they sowed. Their greed and their attitude to the plight of the traveller will stick in my craw for years to come. We were asked by governments and tourism bodies to travel in Queensland to help them sur-vive, so we did, and they failed. Don’t get me wrong, Queens-land is still a great place to visit ... just learn to free camp!
Steven & Dianne WDear EditorToo bad for the poor park operators. They created the switch to free camping, now they will have ‘to pay the piper’ because people won’t go back to them.
Kevin PDear EditorSure we will return but not at highly inflated prices they got due to mining boom. They need to get real and offer sites at much reduced price not fleece the grey nomads, now they need our support. Can’t
see them doing that to wel-come us back.
Terry TDear Editor,Just typical of park owners’ greed! They think of their pocket and nothing else. When the times get tough they put pressure on the councils to police or shut down rest stops. They should wake up to themselves! We all need to use caravan parks, but just not on a nightly basis.
Lynne SDear Editor,The caravan park at Gladstone created the problem and now they want us to solve it. They did not want me there when they were raking in the big dollars – and they are not go-ing to get me there now.
One EyeDear Editor,We are long term travellers and will bypass any town that does not offer free or low cost camping close to town. Saying we don’t spend any money is ridiculous as we spend more money in the towns we stay. We all have to eat and need fuel for a start! We spread our spending around town rather than just at the van park. I bought a new laptop in Streaky Bay while at the free rest stop five kilometres from town.
Jill WDear Editor,Isn’t it amazing how the cara-van parks cry foul when the grey nomads have chosen to free camp after being refused sites because of higher income turnover from the miners. Grey nomads have no use for jumping castles, children’s playgrounds or the other trivia that the parks have installed to increase their already inflated rates. Some of the best places we have stayed on our last lap were the small towns which offer basic services, at rates
of around $19 -$22 per night. We are not all self-funded retirees, and cannot afford the sometimes exorbitant fees of up to $50 per night for a patch of grass and some electricity.
Threadbare BunnyDear Editor,What do these damn people want? Even if we stay at a free camping spot (which they have been pushing us to) we still spend in the town and have a look at what is around the area. Some of these people are so up themselves you want to actually bypass their towns altogether. They are always trying to put us in the wrong by using the free camping ar-eas, when they are supposedly there for us to use.
Meg FDear Editor,We would not bypass a town merely because we were un-able to get accommodation on a previous visit. If a town has something positive to offer, why not enjoy it? However, as the demographic changes, businesses need to change too. Most grey nomads don’t have the disposable income that mining workers enjoyed. So, whether the business is a caravan park, a restaurant, or a clothing store, the operators need to adjust their products to suit the market. In our case that means a no frills ap-proach. Local authorities and caravan park operators need to understand that if free camp sites are closed, then only some of the people using these sites will patronise a van park. Also local tourism businesses, clubs, hotels and small busi-nesses will lose a valuable top-up to their bottom line. These are businesses that need to join with the grey nomads in canvassing their local authori-ties to maintain or improve facilities for us wanderers.
Barry & Joan C
Dear Editor,Having been refused sites at many parks because “we are fully booked for the next year” or been asked to move on from a park, we decided to upgrade completely to total self sufficiency at considerable cost. Now these same money-hungry operators are putting pressure on councils to stop us free camping. They cannot have it both ways.
Vince MDear Editor,We see the greedy caravan park owners that had no thought for grey nomads or the travelling public for years now expect these people to support them. Also, attempt to use the law to fine those they forced to free camp. Perhaps a lot of us don’t have short memories and will use the alternate places we now use.
Warren MDear Editor,The way van parks and busi-nesses in Port Hedland treated the grey nomads was noth-ing short of disgusting. So, we are happy to repay their hospitality next time we are over that way by not spend-ing a cent in their town. We have been turned away from a few other parks because of them being only for mining personnel, but the park own-ers/managers were very polite about the circumstances. Not knowing which park we could or couldn’t get into whilst travelling our great lands, we have invested a lot of money so we are self sufficient for free camping. I think change has been forced onto us a little bit, because of parks being fully booked by mining companies. It has made many people be more self reliant.For us, we will use van parks so we can do washing, restock food etc, when we have to.
Greg & Joan M
Issue 67: March 14, 2014
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LETTERS SPECIAL: Mining boom slows but will nomads go back?
