The following comment was written in response to the story ‘200 beds, pool, skate park: Council’s hopes for caravan park at former trotting track’, published at www.centralwesterndaily.com.au on October 5 ...
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At present, despite the redevelopment that is/has been done at Canobolas Caravan Park, Orange is not a popular destination for the travelling tourist, and certainly is not a family holiday destination.
Granted, there is a lot of work being done on promoting Orange as a tourist destination, but it is being directed towards the food and wine industries.
It is too far out of town and the wish list in the proposal being suggested are, as I have stated, not what attracts the tourist to use the facility.
- John Apps
There is nothing wrong with that, and I for one fully support that direction.
As it gains momentum it will certainly attract the wine and food buffs to come over the Blue Mountains and from the surrounding areas.
However, they will mainly be over-nighters or weekend travellers, and this development you are promoting will not be their first choice of accommodation.
MAP: Where is the proposed site of the caravan park?
Attracting the travelling and touring public to stop in Orange requires one of two things: suitable parking in the CBD for recreational vehicles, and-or an easily accessible and good standard of caravan park.
The caravan park needs to cater for today’s recreational vehicle user. By that it needs to have the following considerations:
- Clean and modern amenities, including a centrally-located camp kitchen (it may need to be enclosed).
- A mixture of sites, priced accordingly, that offer the choice to access power and water or to be self-sufficient.
- The ability to hygienically dispose of black and grey water.
- To cater for large vehicles with sufficient room to manoeuvre onto sites or be drive through.
- Sites to be level and constructed with low-maintenance materials such as concrete or crushed limestone and granite.
- Minimal or no long-term accommodation.
- Above all – be close to retail outlets.
Redevelopment of the former trotting track is not going to fulfil that requirement.
For one, it is too far out of town and the wish list in the proposal being suggested are, as I have stated, not what attracts the tourist to use the facility.
A far better option would be to redevelop the Colour City Caravan Park.
John Apps
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