Cabins Accommodation

Spa bubbles pop, and heat lamps glow in the ceiling of the spacious bathroom. White towelling dressing gowns, for two, are laid out at the ready, there is an L-shaped lounge, quality glasses for drinks from the fridge, deckchairs on the verandah, space, peace and a distinct drop in the stress level.

This is the AAA Tourism four and a half STARS rated Park Cabin experience in a typical Victorian Tourist park under two hours drive from Melbourne. The booming caravan park cabin experience provides a high level of comfort in Self-Catering accommodation in an environment which is many things to many people. Cabin converts range from the short-break couple looking for stress relief, to families drawn to the security and convenience of child friendly accommodation.
Many caravan parks are close to natural attractions. These include magnificent beaches, pastoral country, lakes, rivers and National Parks. The benefits range from birdlife on the cabin verandah looking for a handout, to interesting walks to destinations like Andersons Inlet, Screw Creek and the Bluff, if you happen to be in Inverloch.

Dine as you please
Meals can be do-it-yourself in a modern, fully equipped kitchen or a feast of the best at quality local restaurants. And yes, while getting about make sure you add the best local wines and foods to the “comforts of home” in the Park Cabin larder.
In cabins young people usually get bunks in their own room. Adults get privacy in theirs. Children are VIP’s in the Tourist Park world.

Kids are VIP’s
Proactive operators, in order to get people returning year after year, are not only upgrading accommodation but also employ Leisure Managers to run Kid’s Clubs. Kid’s Clubs are now included in holiday packages by some chains. Many parks have gone beyond this with planned children’s activities, bike tracks, inside playgrounds, work shops and mini-Olympics. The whole caravan park package has improved. Children have a vast array of activities which can include mini golf and open air movies to entertain them whilst the parents enjoy the creature comforts of the laid-back cabins. It is not just the park accommodation that has improved but also the inclusion of family activities which keeps people coming back.
In Victoria industry sources confirm a strong growth in cabins which reflects their comfort level across the state’s range of seasons. Park ambience and the social pleasure of meeting others re-enforce the trend along with freedom and space.

Cabins bring change
The demand for “something different” in accommodation has sent the number of park cabins soaring to about 24,000 across Australia’s caravan parks according to industry sources across the nation. Now more than 1300 park cabins are being added each year to an industry which has made huge strides from the bondwood caravans and upright, canvas topped tents image once typical of the caravan park experience. The needs of a broad cross-section of the touring market are driving the cabin boom in the 2261 Tourist and Caravan Parks now assessed under the AAA Tourism STARS Rating Scheme. In all states and territories this includes people who have never been part of the caravan park scene before, caravan park industry sources say.

Enjoy people comforts
Across Australia new quality park cabins can include two bedrooms, spa and big screen TV as part of the extensive creature comforts. Often the balcony overlooks excellent views from comfortable deckchairs. In some parks internet connection is among options added to attract the business market.
AAA Tourism Regional Assessment Manager for NSW and Queensland, Lorraine Duffy, says: “The appeal of the standard of cabins and park facilities is even attracting a small corporate market. This is particularly evident in parks with conference facilities. “Restaurants/cafes and bars are appearing in the more resort style locations,” she said. “The communal style nature of a caravan park experience has seen a rapid rise in demand for the industry”, says Laurence DelleVergin, of South Haven Caravan Park, Merimbula, NSW. DelleVergin, who is also President of the Sapphire Coast Caravan Parks Association said: “The diverse capabilities of the individual operations allows a range of holiday options to a variety of markets.
“One key area is the modern cabin market, which has attracted a clientele not traditionally experienced by the industry”, he said.
Some parks are said to be spending from about $36,000 to $100,000 on new quality cabins.

Something “different”
Individual park owners and national chains recognise that segments of the touring market are looking for “something different”. In South Australia, growth in park cabins has doubled in the last five years according to the National Chairman of Caravan Industry Australia and President of the Caravan Parks Association of SA, Richard Davis. This remarkable change in the accommodation approach of Australian Tourist and Caravan Parks has forged ahead over the last five years says Davis, who was recently awarded an Order of Australia for his services to tourism. Leading the change are quality park cabins which add a new experience to the broad range of accommodation now available in Australia. “Traditional park users like families and senior members of the community are well represented,” Davis says.

Value delivered
Depending on the options provided, peaks and seasonal influences cabins can range in price from about $55 a night to about $200.
At the frugally minded end of the market they appeal as a good standard of Self-Catering accommodation at value prices. At the upper end there is self-catering value too, but it attracts a different user with a different view of “value”. It is an experience which, while competing with all comers for the touring accommodation dollar, is not necessarily in direct competition with traditional motels and hotels in some areas.
Older caravan park users are often “regulars” who in some cases are part of family groups who may have been coming to the same park for 35 years or more. Often they are former caravanners who have reached a time in their lives when towing a van is not something they are comfortable with. They and their group choose parks because of their location in relation to what they want to do. Their group often includes extended family and friends.

People meet people
Social inter-action, with a relaxed dress code, is a big factor in the park decision. For families the self-catering cabin is good dollar value with built-in security, space, fully equipped kitchen, TV, heating and cooling plus some privacy for the adults. A major benefit for families is the generally high level of facilities for children. This usually includes swimming pool, playground and games room. In Western Australia, Caravan Industry Australia Immediate Past President, David Holland, says there is also a repeat factor which comes from children wanting to return to the same park to be with friends they made while on holiday. There is a growing international interest from the US, Germany, Sweden, Holland, Canada and New Zealand in linking park cabin accommodation and local attractions into an Australian fly-drive package, according to Bill Powton, President of the North Queensland Caravan Parks Association. Powton, says there is also good demand from honeymooners.
In the six years he has run his park at Ellis Beach, between Cairns and Port Douglas, there has been a complete reversal in annual guest profile to 90 per cent international and 10 per cent domestic, Powton says.

Comfort comes first
Self Catering park cabins are essential to a market which places creature comforts above all else. “This just makes plain common sense if you take into account tropical comfort considerations”, Bill Powton said. He says cabins are steadily replacing sites once held by permanents and creating more accommodation in parks for tourists. Executive Director of the Queensland Caravan Trade and Industry Association and Queensland Caravan Parks Association, Ron Chapman, says there is a steady seven per cent fall, nationally, in the number of permanent sites compared with tourist sites. This is based on Australian Bureau of Statistics analysis which benchmarks caravan parks with 40 sites or more. For this reason, Chapman says, it is not generally true to say that caravans are being forced out of caravan parks by park cabins. There is also a trend among domestic as well as international travellers towards fly-drive as a cheaper alternative where long distances are involved. Particularly when shorter breaks are planned. This is most notable in Queensland and Western Australia.

Standards lift
“Everybody is lifting the bar,” says the President of the Northern Territory Caravan Parks Association, Brendan Heenan. This is being driven to a large extent by the standards set by major park chain franchises which strives to give park users high quality experiences in parks. “In the Territory it is about touring and doing something”. This could be an astronomer brought into a park to talk about the stars, he said.

Friends share Tas. experience
Chairman of Caravan Industry Australia-Tasmania, Terry Dutton, says there is excellent flexibility for travellers to move from area to area. This means they can chose the pace of their holiday and extend time as they find attractions around centres which interest them. There is a definite move towards better quality caravan parks in Tasmania and a push to provide quality cabins related top AAA Tourism’s STARS ratings, he said.

Lifestyle scores points
Nationally, Tourist Parks recognise that today their guests have concerns about lifestyle, healthy eating and security. Analysis by one national park chain shows that most caravan park “meet and greet” happens in the camp kitchen, followed by the laundry and shower block. In quality parks barbecues are not just practical for group meals. They are excellent social magnets.
In one AAA Tourism STARS rated chain of tourist parks the stainless steel equipment reaches a standard which would not disgrace an international chef. It is this kind of professional attention to detail and commitment to excellence which is fuelling the change in the nation’s tourist and caravan park experience.

We are grateful to AAA Tourism for permission to reproduce this article from the Experience Victoria publication