What type of caravanner are you?

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According to the Caravan Industry Association of Australia, there were close to 11.5 million caravan park and camping trips around the country during 2017.

That’s a lot of struggling with jockey wheels, dealing with soggy canvas and listening to cries of ‘Are we there yet?’…

But it’s not all bad. Camping and caravanning makes you happy, according to studies. It also brings out the best (and sometimes worst) in people, as we’ve discovered at various RV stops over the years, from basic bush camps to fancy, resort-style holiday parks.

Here at caravancampingsales, we’ve conducted our own in-depth research (often with beer in hand!), and can now reveal there are at least 11 different types – or species – of caravan park users.

Which one are you?

Galah
Like the feathered creatures they’re named after, ‘galahs’ can be colourful, noisy, ostentatious and in some circumstances (busy, boxed-in caravan parks), intrusive.

They hit the park for a good time, not necessarily a long time, and are often fond of bright LED lights, big, bacon-scorching gas hot plates, and large pop-up shelters for watching TV with their many mates.

You have two choices if camping next door to a galah: either grab a six-pack and join in the fun, or pop in the ear plugs, turn up the air-conditioning and try and get some sleep…

Homing pigeon
These are the park regulars; having inherited or somehow secured the same spot, for the same time, in the same caravan park, for more years they can remember.

Like a family heirloom, these treasured sites are often handed down and fiercely guarded. It could be the money-can’t-buy site with absolute beach frontage, or the one with a big grassy play area out front right on the river.

Unsurprisingly, homing pigeons are often the happiest campers in the park, secure in the knowledge they won’t have to stress about finding another perfect camping spot when the Christmas break comes around again…

Budgies
You first spot these on the highway, often with budget camper trailer or expander van in tow, loaded up high with bikes, picnic tables, blow-up toys, totem tennis poles and all the other essential equipment required for a non-stop family holiday.

Unpacking and setting up all that gear takes hours, of course, but that’s OK when you’ll be in your canvas or slide-out haven for the next three weeks or more. Packing up requires another solid team effort, sometimes shared between families.

Not to be deterred, budgies will do it all again the next available long week-end…

Myna birds
They could be backpackers in offensive Wicked campervans, or international travelers doing the bucket list around-Oz motorhome tour.

Either way, these ‘myna birds’ are always breaking the rules: arriving late and being disruptive, hogging the shower and stealing the toilet paper, before packing up noisily at an ungodly hour and heading off to another park to plunder.

Hummingbird
These are the eternal optimists who attempt to turn any dustbowl caravan park site into the perfectly picturesque camp setting: lighting fire pits on the access roads and cooking a roast before toasting marsh mellows, all with a guitar strumming in the background.

Hummingbirds love to decorate vans and annexes with fairy lights around Christmas, and use other domestic nick nacks to create the ideal backdrop to a memorable holiday.

Wedge-tailed eagle
A mainstay of many caravan park businesses are the ‘permanents’ – either living full-time in the park or purchasing the right to stay in an old Franklin van converted to a cheap holiday house.

But while they keep the cash register ticking over, these wedge-tailed eagles often clash with fellow travelers not aware of the unwritten ‘house’ rules, like parking in a vacant spot normally reserved for the eagle’s frequent pop-in guests.

Car parking politics aside, neighbours also must be aware of other sensitive issues like shining headlights directly into the front ‘porch’ of an eagle when returning to your caravan at night. You’ve been warned!

Kookaburra
Kookaburras are the life and soul of any caravan park, whether perched in the trees or a circle of camp chairs. These ever-chirpy camping neighbours are forever putting on a spread and organising Happy Hours for anyone half-interested in a chat.

They’re particularly welcome if travelling solo, as you’ll never feel lonely with a ‘kookaburra’ in the park…

Penguin
'Oddball' is a recent Australian movie about a particular type of dog that protects penguins from predators. But in a caravan park setting, the penguins are the 'vanners that like nothing better than travelling with a furry friend.

Often grey nomads, living a semi-permanent or permanent life on the road, they treat their pooch better than many parents treat their children.

They’ll set up elaborate fencing around the van, like a mini-zoo, and parade Fido around the park on its daily walk, attracting admiring pats from fellow animal-lovers along the way.

Of course, the dog sleeps inside at night, often in the main bed, and any barking is seen as cute, not annoying. You have to be careful what you say around a ‘penguin’ though – I once mistook a French bulldog for a wombat, which didn’t go down well with the owners!

Owls are not necessarily anti-social; just quite happy relaxing on their leather-lined club lounges all day watching satellite TV on the 50in screen. I once camped next to what I thought was a solitary ‘owl’ for two nights, only to discover he had a companion when she popped out one morning to hang out the washing!

Cockatoo
Always making their presence felt, 'cockatoos' will complain about the high price of a powered site, and having to pay extra for a jumping pillow they’ll never use. They’ll whinge about rude neighbours, unsupervised kids riding bikes through their site, and noisy air-conditioners that run all night.

These cockatoos love caravanning but have a love/hate relationship with caravan parks and being in close proximity with other caravanners with different needs to their own.

To be avoided at all costs – unless you’re one too, and want to swap horror stories…

Bowerbird
If you're some-one who never carries enough tools on a camping trip or are not very 'handy', ‘bowerbirds’ will be your favourite species of caravanner. They come to the rescue when you need that particular spanner to connect the BBQ to the gas bayonet or are struggling once again with the roll-out awning.

Bowerbirds often have decades of experience with a variety of RV types, carry more tools than the local Bunnings, and boast the skills of a caravan repair shop. What’s more, they’re friendly and approachable, and always appear to be around and available in your time of need.