The great Aussie road-trip just got better

“We try to keep abreast of all trends, and we believe that as soon as we’ve all satisfied that urge to travel overseas to Europe, the US and Africa, then we’ll want to return to travelling locally,” said John Domino, chief development officer at G’day Group.

“COVID taught people that experiences locally are just as magic as those overseas, with such beautiful landscapes, and great things to do and see. With expensive airfares and cost-of-living pressures, we believe that people will next want to stay in our country and will want to travel by road.”

That’s the thinking behind the $100 million put aside for each year of the next decade from 2025 for spending on refurbishing, improving and expanding the group’s 88 Discovery Parks across the nation, as well as the just under 200 other parks operated under licence by Discovery’s owner, the G’Day group.

Many of the parks on all the main road trip routes around the country, between Melbourne and Sydney, Adelaide and Darwin, and Melbourne and Adelaide, are now receiving a spruce-up. That includes upgrading cabins and caravan sites, adding more luxury options and introducing more facilities, like pools, water parks, skate parks, cycling tracks and nature playgrounds.

“For those who haven’t stayed at a Discovery park recently, it’s far, far from the caravan parks of old,” said Domino. “These are very much holiday parks, offering great family-friendly accommodation, powered and unpowered sites and fabulous experiences with lots of communal areas with kitchens and BBQs and attractions.

“Customers aren’t prepared to accept mediocrity any more or anything below par, and so we raise everyone’s expectations with receptionists to greet them and give them luxurious choices. And while we’re spending a lot on construction, we’re also spending extra on acquisitions, like a site at Wilpena Pound in the Flinders.”

That spend from Discovery, the largest owner-operated regional accommodation network in the country, is coming at the right time, according to tourism experts. They’re also expecting Australians, especially with the Government guaranteeing all Rex flight bookings, to come back to holidaying at home.

“People are looking for unique experiences in their own country now,” said Ross Beardsell, executive vice president strategic advisory hotels & hospitality at JLL Australia.

Meanwhile, at NRMA Parks and Resorts with its own 50 property options, CEO Paul Davies, previously executive manager of travel and touring with the company, said road trips are becoming increasingly popular.

That’s whether they’re along the Pacific Highway linking Sydney and Brisbane, down the south coast of NSW, across the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, around Tasmania, up the coast of Western Australia or, for the more adventurous, between Adelaide and Darwin or across the Nullarbor.

“After COVID, Australians certainly rediscovered their own backyard and in 2023 we saw record sales levels of caravans and motorhomes, the largest on record since the 1970s,” Davies said. “There are now 860,000 caravans and motorhomes registered across Australia, so people are really investing in that Australian road trip and certainly continuing to do it in great numbers.

“At the same time, bookings in caravan parks, holiday parks and resorts are going up as they offer such an affordable option for so many families and also older Australians. Families, particularly in school holidays, like to get on the road and go back to favourite spots, often with other families. And while they’d never knock on someone else’s door in a hotel to say hello, people do mix much more in holiday parks, which they love.”

The G’Day Group is now planning major investments along road trip routes, like in Alice Springs, Katherine and Darwin, as well as $20 million on its park in Forster, on NSW’s mid-north coast, with its new resort-style pool and splash park, and superior cabins, playground, jumping pillow and café coming soon. Another $1.5 million has been earmarked for Narooma, on south coast NSW, while Bunbury in WA and Byron Bay have also been singled out for spending.

The company has accommodation all around Australia, also offering eco experiences on Rottnest Island in WA, the iconic El Questro in the Kimberley, a range of accommodation at Kings Canyon in the Centre, and glamping in South Australia’s Barossa Valley.

“I really do think a lot more people will be embarking on The Great Road Trip and staying at many of our properties,” said Domino. “As well, we’re seeing more governments, especially in NSW, Victoria and South Australia, investing huge amounts in their roads and other infrastructure.

“With those better-quality roads and lots of options for breaking trips and staying nights along the way, I see demand coming back for road trips.”