On towards our final destination – HOME. Must admit our night in the cabin, as opposed to the van, made us realize that we are almost at the end of our trip. Not a great deal of traffic especially coaches a comment echoed from each of the visitor centres that we stop to speak to. However we did stop to speak to a busload of pilgrims to the world youth day in Sydney at the weekend. They were travelling from Melbourne to Eden and then on to Sydney. Loved Australia, they were from the USA and very impressed with the Aussie country hospitality.
It also served to remind me that domestic tourism, especially road tourism, has many faces and each has its own unique demands. We had been mainly concentrating on the so called "grey nomads", the caravanners, but road tourism is far more than that.
We also called into to a few B&B’s and again, it is an entirely different product that requires a dedicated and specific approach Yet it is another form of road tourism.. The information centres have provided a wealth of information and we got a really beaut idea from the one at Lakes Entrance. But more of that further down the road.
Tonight we are camped at what has to be a best kept secret and as you have noticed I have refrained from naming the places we stayed at so as not to appear to be promoting one over the other. But tonight I will break that vow, as this park deserves to be mentioned. The Garden of Eden is just that (not telling more but do go and see for yourselves).
It is exceptionally well appointed, well run and absolute value for money. I would be happy to give it a five star rating. It even has provision for those travellers with pets – a very rare service.
One lady I spoke to who runs a B&B in Lakes Entrance has found the going tough, mainly because of government regulation of one form or another. The cost of compliance is killing her. She virtually gives about 20 night’s accommodation to the government before she can start making money.
These are some of the issues I am discovering and I am looking forward to putting pen to paper and getting a realistic policy up and running. There has got to be some standardisation in the industry, of that I have no doubt and I have some ideas in that direction.
I would very much encourage people to contact me with their ideas to help me frame a roads tourism policy from which every one can benefit. Speaking to people on the road has been very productive and I have been asked when I’m going to do Queensland. Well, I am looking forward to that opportunity but at this stage I can’t say when.
When I was in Sale (Victoria), the manager of the van park we stayed at was from Kiama in my electorate of Gilmore. In fact we came across quite a few people that we knew that shows that the average Aussie has the wander bug in them.
So don’t be put off by the price of petrol.
Take time out to visit this wonderful great land of ours. If you’re waiting for the price of petrol to fall, you might as well wait for hell to freeze over.
Get out now and enjoy yourself while you still can.
PHOTO top left: The historic Commonwealth Hotel in Oberon. Note the petrol price in the foreground.
PHOTO below: Speaking with New Yorkers on their way to see the Pope in Sydney.
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