Camping it up in Coburg: city tourists choosing caravans over hotels

1 month ago 10

They live on a 12,000-hectare farm in South Australia where sheep and kangaroos abound. But for their summer holiday the Cawrse family spent a week staying in inner Melbourne.

Rather than being cooped-up in a hotel, though, Tim and Amy Cawrse and their four children stayed in a caravan park.

Amy and Tim Cawrse at BIG4 Melbourne Holiday Park in Coburg with children Isaac, 9, James, 4, Madeline, 1, and Natalia, 8.

Located in Coburg, 11 kilometres north of the CBD, the site is one of just a handful of caravan parks in Greater Melbourne.

But fans of the genre swear by caravan parks’ outdoorsy, community feel and cost savings compared to hotels.

The Cawrses, from Pinkerton Plains, 80 kilometres north of Adelaide, stayed at the BIG4 Melbourne Holiday Park in Elizabeth Street, Coburg, in a cabin that backed on to suburban houses.

Amy liked how there was plenty for the kids to do on site, with a playground, outdoor cinema, pool and games room.

Dutch tourists Floor van Dijk and Glenn van den Heuvel relax near Edgars Creek, Coburg.

They hired a car to drive into city, where they went to the cricket at the MCG, the Melbourne Aquarium, ice skating at Docklands and enjoyed the Australian Open Kids Tennis Day activities on Saturday.

Asked about the drawbacks, Amy said had they stayed in a CBD hotel, sightseeing via public transport would have been quicker and easier with the kids.

Also at the Coburg site, Dutch tourists Glenn van den Heuvel and Floor van Dijk camped in their van next to Edgars Creek, amid gum trees and birds.

Van den Heuvel said the tram – a 10-minute walk away in Gilbert Road, “took a long time” to get to the city.

German tourists Nena and Thomas Schmidt with daughters Malia, 4, and Emilia, 5, enjoyed camping in a tent.

The couple visited Queen Victoria Market, St Kilda beach, Brighton’s bathing boxes, and watched Dutch tennis player Suzan Lamens play at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park.

The best thing about staying in a caravan park was feeling like “you have your own place”, van den Heuvel said, with a swimming pool if it was hot.

Their camp site here at $60 per night, was cheaper compared to $200 for a room in a city hostel, he said.

Thomas Schmidt, his wife Nena and their daughters Emilia, 5, and Malia, 4, from Achim in northern Germany, camped in a large tent brought from home.

Thomas said they paid $700 in total for their seven nights, which he estimated was half the price of motel accommodation.

And camping was good for the kids. “They can run around, they have a scooter, playgrounds and pool within reach,” Thomas said.

“It’s nicer than when we are staying in a hotel and have only our room.”

Front office manager Grace Terrill said clients liked being able to befriend nearby fellow tourists, and sit outside and have a barbecue. Services included a shared kitchen and laundry – and barista-made coffee.

The BIG4 Crystal Brook tourist park in Doncaster East, in Melbourne’s north-east, has a bush setting beside Mullum Mullum Creek while being metres from residential streets.

Assistant manager Sarah Stevens said a public bus right outside the park goes direct to Melbourne CBD and also to nearby The Pines shopping centre.