RV FRIENDLY: Douglas private landowners might hold the key

CAMPERVAN TOURISM

David Gardiner

Journalist

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A lack of RV friendly status in Douglas means big dollars are spent elsewhere. Picture: CMCA

Private landowners might be the way forward to Douglas becoming an ‘RV Friendly Town’ – with an ongoing lack of enthusiasm from the Shire’s Council in putting the region on the welcoming map for RV tourism.

The growing demand for RV ‘friendly’ spaces in the far north – and the potential economic benefits of setting up a friendly site in Douglas – has so far failed to grab the attention of most local government officials, despite strong cases being put forward.

Mossman Golf Club joined the RV-Motorhome hosting circuit last year, opening 18 sites for self-contained RVs – but that facility is geared specifically at ‘golf tourism’.

One Douglas councillor, Peter McKeown, has previously pushed for the Shire to get behind the idea of providing a suitable block of land to turn into an RV friendly site, complete with the required sewage dump point and potable water access.

Cr McKeown had proposed that such a site, possibly surplus Council land, could then be operated by the country’s largest RV group – the Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia (CMCA) which would pay a lease and rates to Council and turn Douglas into an ‘RV Friendly Town’.

But the proposal was rejected at a Council meeting.

Cr McKeown has told Newsport his resolve has not been shattered and he remains “very keen to continue with this proposal.”

Local economic benefits

He said a suitable site would build up the local economy and attract visitors that now bypass Douglas Shire because it’s not known as a friendly RV destination.

“This is a massive market and only growing, so we need to lock onto this,” he said.

“Also, with the announcement of the closure and redevelopment of a large van park in Port Douglas (Dougies Resort and Pandanus Caravan Park) there is no better time to move.” 

Cr McKeown’s views about economic spinoffs are backed by figures provided by the CMCA, which said it has already proven that RV friendly towns have benefitted. 

“Our guests spend on average about $140 per RV per night whilst staying at our RV Parks, so if you did the same numbers for Mossman, that would equate to about an extra $350,000 in economic activity each season,” the CMCA’s business development officer, Sean Constable, told Newsport. 

Mr Constable said the CMCA only opens its RV sites through the dry season (six) months due to a lack of guests during the wet season, and so that they don’t compete “with other accommodation providers through the lean wet season months,” he said. 

“Our Innisfail and Ingham parks are already winding down with travellers heading south to avoid the wet, and we will close those at the end of October. We average about 2,500 nights booked at each of our parks at Ingham and Innisfail each year.”

Talks with private landowners

Cr McKeown said he will keep moving towards a solution – which might mean not having to rely on Council to provide suitable RV friendly land. “I have had discussions with private landowners who may be interested in the future.” 

“I recently attended the large music festival on the Tablelands, as a stall holder, and during discussions with clients asked where they were staying (as there were many hundreds of Vans/RVs in the grounds) and if they had RVs, asked if they were planning travel and stays in Douglas Shire.

“Most of the responses were, they are not as they are not RV friendly.”

The Douglas region - clearly missing from the CMCA’s RV Friendly Town map.

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