Grey nomads head north for warmth

Ian and Lyn Bigmore of Stawell, Victoria relax in the sun at the Bargara Beach Caravan Park.

Mike Knott

CARAVAN parks in the Bundaberg region are bracing for the annual influx of grey nomads fleeing the cold of the southern states and heading for Queensland.

Bargara Beach Caravan Park receptionist Sarah Jones said while a few of the nomads had arrived already, the real rush started more towards the end of the month.

“We do get a lot of them,” she said.

“Some of them have been coming here for 20 years.”

Mrs Jones said the grey nomads filled the park in winter and, except for school holidays, they were virtually the only guests during the colder months.

“Most people on the road at this time are looking for warmer weather,” she said.

“Quite a lot of our guests stay for a month or two but some of them are on the road to Cairns and they might only stay a week.”

Mrs Jones said the influx of the grey nomads was good for the Bargara economy, particularly some of the smaller businesses.

Woodgate Beach Tourist Park manager Jenny Ireland said not many of the grey nomads had arrived yet and those who had were all Queenslanders.

“We get heaps coming in June; they pack out the park,” she said.

Mrs Ireland said most of the older travellers went to Woodgate for the fishing and the bowls.

“We have some people who come back year after year, in fact 90% of our guests are return trade,” she said.

“We must be doing something right.”

Mrs Ireland said the grey nomads were a boost to the small town’s economy because they bought all their supplies in the local shops.

Cindy Gough, the author of The Grey Nomad’s Guidebook and founder of the popular www.thegreynomads.com.au website, said there were benefits in attracting the travellers to an area.

“At any one time there are tens of thousands of mature-aged travellers on the road in Australia, often in remote and under-populated areas,” she said.

“The economic benefit of encouraging grey nomads to linger longer in rural communities is potentially enormous.”

She said that even on a short stay, grey nomads spent hundreds of dollars in a local community.

“When you are on the road, you quickly learn which communities are grey nomad friendly and which aren’t,” she said.