Free camping trial for Ballarat
Busy regional city gets first free camping rest area but RV travellers need to behave themselves if it’s going to continueBallarat has taken a step towards becoming an RV Friendly Town, with a 12 month trial of an RV rest area at Pioneer Park in Wendouree endorsed at a council meeting this week.
It will be the first, official free camping area for the Victorian regional city and popular tourist destination, with visitors to the area currently having to venture out of town to access four free or low-cost campsites, all within a 25km radius of the city.
The Ballarat Council bowed to pressure from the Campervan & Motorhome Club of Australia (CMCA) as well as the Fifth Wheelers Network, which have lobbied the council hard for an RV rest area as well as a free dump site for those passing through.
The area of Pioneer Park to be used for the trial will have no services but is close to basic facilities including a shopping centre and doctors’ surgery.
Self-contained caravans or motorhomes using the sight will only be able to stay a maximum two nights, and the trial can be dis-continued if at any stage the site is mis-used by campers or if neighbouring caravan parks can prove that it is having a “damaging impact” on their business.
The sites will be available free or at a ‘modest’ cost of up to $10 per night, while the trial also includes an arrangement with existing caravan park operators to allow visitors to dispose of their waste at their parks for free.
“This is certainly a positive step for the Ballarat city and in particular CMCA would like to thank member and local rate payer Grant Tillett for his exhaustive work bringing this to fruition,” the CMCA posted on its Facebook page.
With more than 60,000 members, the CMCA is a powerful voice in the Australian RV community and the RV Friendly Towns Scheme is one of its most successful initiatives.
A town must provide a range of amenities and services to qualify as 'RV Friendly', including access to 24 hour medical and pharmacy services and potable water, a Dump Point within 50km of the town, and provision of short as well as longer term parking within 5-20km of town centre, at a reasonable rate.
Currently, there are 210 Australian towns registered and signposted as 'RV Friendly', located in all states except for the Northern Territory.
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