A home on wheels

Press, 16 June 1981, Page 18

A home on wheels

In New Zealand hundreds of caravans are hauled to sites by beaches, up mountains or beside rivers and families have a home away from home while they are on holiday. / Many people in Australia also use caravans like this, but many use them in a different way. Great, big camping areas have caravans permanently parked with water, drainage and power attached. If you hire one for the night you are given the key to your own caravan which has a number like your house. Because there are so many, and you might get lost, some caravan parks have named “drives” just like your street. Some families liv.e.all year"’

round in these caravans instead of owning a house. The children park their bicycles (many of which are B.M.X. models), rollerskates and skateboards outside ; Birds in cages, cats and dogs belong to some caravans, as well as pot plants by the hundreds and gardens v with little white picket fences defining the boundary of each site. Gaily coloured awnings with little canvas verandas arc attached to the caravans and mosquito netting hangs in front of these. Deck chairs, tables and more potted plants squeeze into these little spaces. Everything is moveable. It has to be as eventually the

owners will decide to move somewhere else. Some owners stay a few weeks in each park, some stay a few years but just like nomads and gypsies these people follow their work, the sun or just an urge to keep moving. “Overnighters,” as tourists are called,-are treated like a very different race of people by the caravaners. But no

matter how yoii-. think or vour caravan it very quickly becomes your home. Llyween Couper and her family are holidaying in Australia for three weeks. They are staying in caravan parks in Queensland and New South Wales. Sffiju'ccii Coupe;