South Australia’s Mount Gambier will host the 20th Annual Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia (CMCA) Rally from 13 to 19 March 2006. The City of Mount Gambier’s Tourism Manager, June Kain, and Limestone Coast Tourism Marketing Officer, Fiona Leustner, recently returned from the half yearly CMCA Rally held in Maryborough, Queensland. They distributed 1,500 information packs on Mount Gambier and the Limestone Coast to CMCA members.
The rally was attended by 1,200 campervans and motorhomes, which is just five per cent of the total CMCA membership.
“It was an eye opener as to the efficient manner the rally was conducted by the CMCA and the strong network of members and volunteers who participated to ensure its success,” June Kain said.
Mount Gambier is hoping to attract at least 750 campervans and motorhomes in March, with 1,350 sites allocated at the Mount Gambier Showgrounds where the event is to be held.
“While fuel prices could influence the numbers attending, the general feeling of most members was that they will travel, but will take a shorter route rather than the long way round,” June Kain said.
June Kain said that a challenge for those attending will be finding suitable staging and overnight rest areas in and around Mount Gambier before and after the rally.
“While some members prefer to use caravan and holiday parks and are prepared to pay the $20 to $30 per night for a powered site, this particular group of people are not unlike backpackers,” she said. “They generally have different needs to that of traditional caravan park users as most prefer to spend their dollars on experiences rather than luxurious accommodation facilities.”
Known as ‘self contained travellers’ because most vehicles have bathrooms, kitchens and the like, a big percentage of campervan and motorhome owners do not require the luxurious settings and facilities that are now provided by most caravan and holiday parks.
During the past five years, CMCA membership has doubled to 43,000 and this figure is predicted to double again in the next five years as many baby boomers retire to enjoy the freedom of travelling for extended periods. This new domestic tourism market is emerging as one of the largest tourism segments in regional and rural Australia.
A major focus for the CMCA is liaising with the Federal Government and Local Governments on a network of overnight rest areas to meet the basic needs of members while returning a reasonable income to providers of such facilities. A very small percentage of campervan and motorhome users enjoy the challenge of finding free overnight rest areas, but most CMCA members are happy to pay $5 to $12 per night for varying basic facilities. Their strong communication network supports communities who welcome them and provide such facilities.
