Happy New Year to all fellow adventurers and your families!

It’s been an action-packed year at Wangaratta Caravans and Marine, we launched our new marine line, made some big improvements to the service department, hit five awesome Expos and even managed to squeeze in a couple of cross-country expeditions. We had a blast in 2022 and hope you’re as excited about 2023 as we are. Our industry has defied the odds and despite a global pandemic, nation-wide lockdowns and extreme weather we’re not just surviving, we’re thriving. It seems that nothing can keep intrepid Aussie campers off the black-top and back-roads.

I’m stoked to share the news that caravanning and camping has made a healthy post-pandemic recovery and the numbers tell the story. According to Tourism Research Australia for the year ending June, 2022 we’ve chalked up a colossal 12.7 million trips and spent an all-time high of $10.5 billion. Congratulations road-trippers, you’ve significantly contributed to the economy, supported regional communities, created more jobs and reinvigorated local manufacturing. Phew, sounds like hard work, time to plan another holiday!

Another positive for the industry and for your caravan-park camping pleasure is the Caravan Park Infrastructure Upgrade Funding announced in the last budget. Caravan parks across the nation have been applying for grants for upgrades, new infrastructure and improved sustainability, all in the name of enhancing visitor experience. Great news for parks, campers and the environment alike, for more info head to the website: https://www.austrade.gov.au/australian/tourism/grants-and-support-for-tourism-businesses/caravan-parks-grant-program

Are you ready to be electrified? If your dream is to tow a van across Oz in an electric vehicle, it may not be as far off as you think. As we speak electric trucks are rolling off the production lines of Ford, Rivian and Hummer with other automakers getting ready to hit the market later this year. Tow capacity for these puppies spans from around 3,400 to 4,900 kgs with towing ranges of approximately 160 to 225 kilometres and the consensus is things are only going to get better. Australian caravan parks are rising to the occasion as park-operators such as the G’day Group lead the way with plans to install charging-stations across all of their sites. With over 400 public fast-charging stations being rolled out across the country the future of caravanning and camping is looking quiet and clean!

A quick reminder to be careful out there. I’ve included a couple of industry websites aimed at keeping you road-safe, make sure to have a squiz before you head off on your next trip:

National Recreational Vehicle Towing Guide https://caravantowingguide.com.au/

Co-Exist, Road Sharing with Heavy Vehicles https://coexist.org.au/

Last but definitely not least, a serious shout-out to everyone who supported us over the past year; whether you bought a van, wandered through the doors for a window-shop or stopped by at an Expo, THANK-YOU, we couldn’t have done it without you.

Dad joke of the month:

Q. How do trees access the internet?

A. They log in.

Have a good one and here’s to many more excellent adventures in 2023!

— Andrew & Kate Warton

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