A PROPOSAL for a 12-month freedom camping trial at Wendouree’s Pioneer Park has been welcomed by the Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The plan includes a maximum stay of one to two nights, limiting it to one site only and not having any services available.
It will go before Wednesday night’s Ballarat City Council meeting.
CMCA representative Grant Tillett said he was “very happy” with the recommendation.
“Statistics show 16 per cent of people with RV equipment will just not go into a caravan park and we’re happy to get that custom,” Mr Tillett
said.
“It will be at no cost to the community at all.”
A further clause allows for the council to cancel the trial if it is having a detrimental impact on local caravan parks or Pioneer Park and its surrounds.
However, Mr Tillett said the CMCA would halt the trial if it was being abused.
“If we can’t control it, we’ll cancel it.”
Freedom camping originated in New Zealand and involves free overnight camping for self-contained vehicles.
A second proposal to go before the council endorses a 12-month trial for four Ballarat caravan parks to allow visitors to use dump point facilities for free.
The council would compensate the participating caravan park operators $10 each time their dump point is used for up to a total of 400 uses.
Mr Tillett said the plan was “acceptable” but the CMCA would have preferred a stand-alone dump point.
“However, this was a compromise suggested by council and it would be churlish not to accept that compromise.”
The four caravan parks are the Big 4 Ballarat Goldfields Holiday Park, the Big 4 Ballarat Welcome Stranger Holiday Park, the Big 4 Ballarat Windmill Holiday Park and the Eureka Stockade Holiday
Park.
fiona.henderson@fairfaxmedia.com.au