I have been travelling now for close to 50 days and have experienced a range of accommodation – some thanks to family and friends, house sitting, plus a range of other accommodation in caravan parks and motels. As I do not have a caravan or motor home, I stay in cabins in caravan parks.
Cabins are more affordable than motel rooms and have additional benefits, such as small kitchen, generally a full size refrigerator, and varying other facilities. As an example, the one in Silverton was very inexpensive as I had to use my own linen, but there was not a kitchen as such, and only a small refrigerator, and though it had a table, there was not a chair in sight, and the one in Gladstone, South Australia, was the very best.
I am staying in one in Port Lincoln, and though it is has a little more space than the one in Gladstone, there are a few things that do not impress me here. For example, some things in the kitchen were not as clean as I would have liked, parking is a tight squeeze and the “balcony” is little more than a ledge where one accesses the door. There is no caretaker on site, so there is no “friendly welcome”. The facilities are good, and while I don’t “cook up a storm” I can cook when I want, and there is a good BBQ near my cabin.
In Broken Hill, the cabin had a clothes line adjacent to it, so I could wash or rinse my clothes and hang them in the fresh air. At Port Lincoln there appears to be no facility other than a laundromat – I cannot see a clothes line at all, though I have a small linen airer that I have squeezed into the bathroom with my small amount of washing. As it turns out, it is the wet and cold day, so my washing unlikely to dry in a hurry either, but I don’t like drying my clothes in a clothes dryer (at an additional cost).
Motels are fine for one night, and if you are not limited by funds you can choose more salubrious ones. Often though you just need a bed, and somewhere to shower and freshen up. They are more expensive and a little more comfortable often, with a more spacious bathroom, and often parking at the door without the need for climbing steps. Most cabins have 3- 5 steps to ascend before reaching the door.
One of the things that I have been able to judge is the behaviour of staff. Some are extremely welcoming and helpful, even chatty, but others are almost rude and disinterested. What do you believe would be more appealing?
I rate my Gladstone experience as the best – the welcome was refreshing, the room was clean and tidy, and there was plenty of parking (I was the only inhabitant of the park that night, though, but there was more space between cabins than here.) They also offered me an opportunity to clean off the dust from my car, but taking it onto a lawned area, and using the hose! There are interesting things to see around Gladstone too, and I recommend the Gaol, but just walking around the town is fascinating too.
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| "My" cabin |
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| Seating in front of cabin |
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| Entrance to the Park |
(Photos supplied by Gladstone Caravan Park - the flowers were not blooming when I was there as it was January, and very hot and dry)
I also like the opportunity to give feedback – I think owners/caretakers need to know the positives and negatives of the experience of their guests.
I have booked a couple of cabins for the next few days, and am pleased that I can get discounts as I joined Top Tourist Parks Club Membership, which has been beneficial and will save me quite a bit as I progress on my journey.
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