End of the Big Lap?
Dreams fade for 'round Australia bucket list RV tripCOMMENT
It's certainly not everyones' cup of tea, but for many Aussies a circumnavigation of this great big continent of ours with a motorhome or caravan in tow, is high on the bucket list.
But for an increasing number of, often older or less healthy retirees or even those a bit younger with the time to head off for a few months, the Big Lap dream is fading as blocked borders, restricted intrastate travel and a pandemic that's unlikely to go away soon, becomes the 'new normal'.
The Caravan Industry Association of Australia reckons as many as 40,000 permanent RV travellers with no fixed address, along with tens of thousands of migratory nomads, have been severely impacted by lockdown measures, resulting in many scrambling to find a place to isolate for a few weeks or months.
John and Lynette Watts from Tamworth, NSW, who hit the road with their self-contained 6.0m long caravan in November last year, are just two of many who have struggled to find a place to stay after being locked down in regional Western Australia.
“In this strange new world, we would be very hesitant before leaving our home state again,” John told the Grey Nomads website. “The frightening speed and ease with which our country has been divided by uncrossable borders without any consideration to long-term travellers like us, has made us uneasy about what restrictions may be applied in future.”
Compounding the uncertainty is some health-related problems the couple who are in their 70s have been dealing with during the lockdown.
“We have complied with (all social distancing requriements),” he said. “But the grey nomad lifestyle, I don’t think will ever be the same again.”
While most states and territories have already eased restrictions or will soon open up to intrastate travel, many borders remain closed, with the possibility they won't re-open until much later this year.
Despite some political pressure to re-open all state borders, entry into NSW, ACT and Victoria is only possible at present, with states governments in Queensland, West Australia, Northern Territory and South Australia retaining a hard line on re-opening their borders to potentially infected interstate tourists. For example, the NT’s Chief Minister, Michael Gunner, recent stated that NT borders wouldn't re-open until "the rest of Australia is as safe as the Territory’".
The pricey Spirit of Tasmania pilgrimage is also off the cards for the time being, and those hardy southerners hoping to warm the bones with a sunny northern escape might have to wait until at least September, or the onset of the sticky wet season, judging by recent comments from the Queensland Premier.
The coronavirus has also raised fears in some older or more sickly travellers about insufficient medical facilities in remote or rural towns (particularly when some experts predict a COVID-19 vaccine may never be discovered).
That may prompt more younger and family travellers to take a Big Lap 'gap year' particularly with many work-from-home parents now having survived a serious stint of home schooling.
Some caravan dealers are reporting an increase in first-time family buyers, with one Melbourne dealer recently selling a large bunk caravan to a family that had to cancel their big overseas trip.
With many caravan parks re-opening but without the use of shared bathroom and communal kitchen facilities, it may also spur sales in fully self-contained vans, fitted with extra water and battery capacity and big bathrooms and kitchens so owners can go without stocking up for days, if not weeks on end.
For those still keen on the Big Lap, open-ended travel plans may need to be replaced with more time spent planning and organizing, including calling ahead to book sites weeks if not months in advance, and making sure all required facilities are available particularly in remote areas.
In the meantime, for those seeking a much-needed iso-escape or just with itchy feet after a year highlighted by bushfire, flood and COVID-19 travel-related restrictions, some like Sunland Caravans boss Roy Wyss are encouraging RV travellers to get out and explore the world just outside their windows.
"It seems to me that tens of thousands of visitors that travel around the country each year do so without exploring their own backyards," Wyss said in his latest social media update.
"I wonder how many Queenslanders here in the Brisbane area, for example have actually been to Australia Zoo, and yet we have tens of thousands travel across the world to do just that..."
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