One of the best things about caravanning is finding that amazing new campsite, caravan park or destination. There’s definitely something to be said for journeying back to old faithful year in, year out. But what about all those other places on the map just begging to be explored? Just a short detour off your main route could lead to the best trip of your life.
Now that’s a kind of freedom to which airlines and hotel chains could never lay claim. It’s a way of life unique to RVers and campers. Rather than being confined to an (overpriced) resort, Australia is our playground. If a place doesn’t live up to the hype, we consult our maps and the web forums and move on.
The Caravan World Yearbook is our annual celebration of this freedom. Packed with maintenance ideas, must-visit destinations and touring tips, this is – without a hint of hyperbole – the biggest Yearbook we have ever published. This is in most part due to the ever-growing Tourist Park Guide, to which we’ve added ‘landing’ pages for each region that categorises the parks. These landing pages are designed to provide an overview of the area to aid your planning.
Published in conjunction with our sister company Turu, the Tourist Park Guide is one of the largest printed guides of holiday parks in the country, and revising it each year is a huge undertaking. In this day and age, it’s easy to whip out a smartphone and find the nearest caravan park, but I believe there’s no substitute for printed reference material, something that doesn’t rely on a 4G or wi-fi connection.
Australia does a lot of things well, but mobile internet coverage in remote areas ain’t one of them.
I reckon the same goes for maps. The paper variety is essential as a back-up and they also provide a better ‘big picture’ view of a trip than a GPS. That’s my belief, at least. Or maybe it has something to do with the fact the wiring to the cigarette lighter in my tow vehicle is dodgy and my GPS keeps running flat as a result. Old cars. What are you gonna do?
In any case, we’ve done our best to ensure the details of the 2000-odd parks listed in the Tourist Park Guide are accurate, but if you come across any discrepancies during your travels, please let us know so that we can sort them out for next year.
Meanwhile, we hope you enjoy the 2016 Yearbook and that it inspires your next adventure. RVs are great but only if they’re being used. Has yours been in dry dock a little too long? If so, it’s time to hitch it up for a post-winter shakedown and get out on the road. And if you don’t like where you end up, simply move on. That’s freedom.