Grey nomads go west
Around 550 motorhomes from around Australia to descend on Kalgoorlie for major motorhome rally next month
Hundreds of grey nomads from around Australia will flock to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia next month for the 26th National Rally of the Campervan & Motorhome Club of Australia (CMCA).
CMCA General Manager, Richard Barwick said around 550 motorhomes will take part in the weeklong event, with a good proportion of those making the long trek across the Nullarbor from the eastern states of Queensland, NSW and Victoria.
"We stage two of these major rallies every year at major locations around Australia," Barwick explained. "It’s an opportunity for our members to catch up with fellow members, family, colleagues, and also develop new friendships. But it's also about camaraderie, and this club has been built on that."
The CMCA was founded in 1986 by keen campervanners Don and Erica Whitworth, and has seen strong growth in recent years with membership currently at 61,000 members. The club's 25th Anniversary rally in Deniliquin in April, attracted 1130 motorhomes and more than 2000 members.
The CMCA last held a rally in the west in 2002, and Barwick said the historic goldfields town of Kalgoorlie was one of five sites in Western Australia considered for its 26th rally. As well as being an RV Friendly town, the region was chosen because of the "financial carrot" offered by the Kalgoorlie Council and local business community.
"They've put record sponsorship towards this event because they know what it's going to mean for Kalgoorlie and the Boulder region, but more importantly they know what it's going to mean for Western Australia," Barwick said.
"Local government, state government and federal government are starting to take notice of grey nomad tourism... but especially RV recreational vehicle tourism, because a lot of regional and rural centres are based on agriculture and they see this particular segment of the tourism industry very important to take over from agriculture in some of these areas."
The Kalgoorlie rally will offer a full program of events, including workshops, seminars, art and craft activities, and entertainment. An open day on October 15 will give the general public a chance to view the vans in a display, including some that will be for sale.
The rally will be held at the Goldfields Oasis Recreation Centre in Kalgoorlie from October 10-16. See the rally website for more.
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