Responsible RVing

 

Being a Member of this great Club brings with it certain responsibilities. As the largest Recreational Vehicle (RV) club in Australia, we are looked upon as the ‘voice’ of the industry, and we spend a considerable amount of our resources and time lobbying governments at all levels for increased benefits for all RV tourists travelling this wonderful country.

Sadly, there are those travellers (including a very small minority of CMCA Members) who do not do the right thing, and they subsequently give not only this Club, but all RV travellers, a bad name. They also make it very difficult for our small band of volunteers, who work so hard negotiating with local councils for new and better rest areas and dump point installations.

This month, we thought it timely to address some of the issues that confront us, and to hopefully get the message across to those Members who do not do the right thing when ‘on the road’.

Discounts

Throughout Australia, especially in smaller rural communities, many retail outlets display a ‘CMCA Friendly’ sticker on their window. This does not mean that they give CMCA Members a discount. It simply means that you are very welcome there. Please do not demand a discount, and respect the owners wishes if they choose not to participate in a discount scheme. Many of these retailers are Club Members themselves. The only companies that give CMCA Members a discount are listed at the back of this magazine. Retailers in RV Friendly Towns™ and RV Friendly Locations™ are not asked to offer Club Members a discount. After all, these programmes are designed to encourage RV tourists to visit these towns and spend their dollars there in support of the local business communities.

We have recently lost the support of a national organisation that offered Members a discount of between 5% and 15% on their products. The reason that they have withdrawn their offer was because too many Members became argumentative with their franchisees, demanding higher discounts than those on offer. A small handful of people have subsequently lost us a valuable benefit that was available to all Members.

Water

In many towns across our country, water is still a very scarce commodity. Please remember that it is the local residents that pay for this water, and in many towns they are still on strict water restrictions. Always ask before filling your water tanks, and perhaps pay a couple of dollars into a local charity box. Do not wash your vehicle. Not only is this wasteful, but it is the easiest way to get the local community and council offside.

 

Parking and camping

One of the things that causes most problems with councils is people parking in non-designated areas with no consideration for local residents. Please do not park in a manner that blocks a local resident’s view. Please do not hang washing out around your vehicle whilst stopped in a rest area, especially in a city environment. This creates an unsightly image and only damages our reputation in the eyes of councils and the general public. Do not park in any area that is not signposted accordingly, and please always only stay for the maximum length of time allowed. If you are asked by a council ranger to move on, please do so. If fees apply to an area, please pay them. Councils have to maintain these areas, and to avoid paying fees is only abusing a privilege. When we are negotiating with a council for a new rest area, we never ask that it be free. In fact, we encourage councils to apply a nominal charge to cover maintenance costs.

 

Power

If you are staying in a caravan park on a non-powered site, please do not hook up to power after dark (yes it happens – and it happens often!), and if you do need to connect to power after hours for a legitimate reason, then don’t argue if asked to pay for it. In fact, you should ensure that you do pay for it before having to be asked. Remember, caravan park owners are business people trying to make a living.

Another problem that we experience is people stopping overnight adjacent to a council structure, such as a camp kitchen, and then connecting their van to the power overnight, again abusing council provisions. 

 

Disposal of waste water

This issue is probably the most serious of all. Unless you are given permission to do so by the controlling authority, NEVER discharge your grey waste onto the ground, especially if you are parked on bitumen.

Wherever possible, all grey and black water waste should be discharged into a dump point. We acknowledge that this is not always possible, so in extreme cases it will need to be buried in the bush. The CMCA Bush Camping Code sets out the parameters for doing this. DO NOT discharge the waste directly onto the ground surface. This is nothing less than environmental vandalism, and can create serious health issues.

Please do not flush grey and black water holding tanks or their hoses with a hose attached to a potable water outlet. This can cause contamination, not just for your water, but for others using the outlet after you.

 

Dump points in caravan parks

Some caravan parks have installed ‘Dump-Ezy’ units at their own cost. These units are not subsidised by CMCA. All ‘Dump-Ezy’ units installed under our subsidy scheme have a plaque attached to them with the Club logo. If the unit does not have the plaque, it has been installed at the owner’s own volition. If there is a small charge to dispose of your waste into one of these privately owned units, please do not automatically assume that CMCA subsidised it and therefore demand it should be free. This inappropriate behaviour has already lost us one of the better parks from our CMCA Friendly Caravan Park listing.

 

CMCA Friendly Caravan Parks

These parks give CMCA Members a minimum 10% discount off their normal park fees. Please always notify the staff on your arrival that you are a CMCA Member. If you intend to stay for a longer period, please notify them at the time when you first book in, as these discounts do not apply for long term stays, but have limitations placed on them. Once again, many of these park owners are CMCA Members. There is no point insulting the staff at the end of your stay because you have been charged more than you ‘thought’ you should be. Remember, any discount offered is a bonus.

RV Friendly Towns™

When visiting an RV Friendly Town™, please remember that they have had to meet a very strict criterion to be part of the scheme. However, not every RV Friendly Town™ may have exactly what you are looking for. For example, the rest area that has been provided for short term stays may not be within walking distance of the main street. It may have been established on the only land available. It is therefore inappropriate to go to the council chambers and insult council staff because the rest area is not where you think it should be (yes – it does happen!)

All of these issues are based on complaints that we have received from retailers, caravan park owners, councils and diligent Members. It is sad that such a small number of people are abusing the privileges allowed to us, making it harder to gain better facilities, not just for CMCA Members, but for all RV tourists.

It is not hard to do the right thing. We acknowledge that some Members may be finding it economically difficult at the present time, but this detrimental behaviour is not helping this industry. We have lost rest areas due to waste being dumped on the ground. We have lost discounts and the support of some organisations due to aggressive behaviour by Members.

As this RV tourist industry continues to grow, and it is the fastest growing segment of tourism in this country, we will find that we will continue to lose rest areas and access to some wonderful campgrounds due to the negative actions of a few.

To enjoy this wonderful lifestyle, and to ensure that we all continue to do so, PLEASE DO THE RIGHT THING.