Travel GOULBURN RIVER CARAVAN PARK
Travel GOULBURN RIVER CARAVAN PARK
Travel GOULBURN RIVER CARAVAN PARK
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<strong>Travel</strong> <strong>GOULBURN</strong> <strong>RIVER</strong> <strong>CARAVAN</strong> <strong>PARK</strong><br />
78 CAMPERTRAILER AUSTRALIA
Words and pics Andrew Harris<br />
Goulburn River<br />
Caravan Park at Seymour,<br />
Vic, is perfect for a serene<br />
city break, or for a good<br />
rest on a longer trip.<br />
Clockwise from main: The park’s<br />
location, on a lush, wide bend of the river<br />
from which it takes its name, is it’s main<br />
attraction; Bernie Burke has overseen a<br />
number of renovations since buying the<br />
park almost four years ago; drive-through<br />
sites are available; Bird the galah is the<br />
park’s mascot.<br />
The late-afternoon sun is bright and the<br />
river is calm. A rack of canoes waits for<br />
us, but there isn’t enough daylight left<br />
for a proper paddle. Our drive-through<br />
site faces the water anyway, so we can<br />
properly enjoy our spot.<br />
I’ve already met Cathy at reception and<br />
I’ve become acquainted with Bird, the 15-<br />
year-old galah. Later on, I also meet eightyear-old<br />
Rocky the snuffling staffy, Ozzie the<br />
18-month-old fox terrier, and a couple of<br />
cats. The park is very pet-friendly.<br />
As we settle in, two motorhomes pull<br />
in next to us. Having already scoped the<br />
place out, I’m not surprised Goulburn River<br />
Caravan Park draws a crowd.<br />
REFURBISHED<br />
Bernie Burke bought the park three-and-ahalf<br />
years ago. It’s a long, narrow property,<br />
down a relatively steep drive from town, and<br />
it’s consequently quiet and secluded.<br />
Five acres of 78 powered sites, 16 cabins,<br />
one unit, 10 permanents and four annuals<br />
sit on a high river embankment; three<br />
acres of 30 or so unpowered sites are on a<br />
lower bank, right by the river. There are<br />
two spotless amenities blocks, each with a<br />
laundry. There’s a large recreation room<br />
near the centre of the park that’s been<br />
chopped in half and partially converted<br />
into a two-bedroom unit. There’s still plenty<br />
of space though, with a table-tennis table,<br />
fridge, microwave, gas heater, cooktop, sink,<br />
television, plenty of couches, and what looks<br />
like a wooden bingo barrel.<br />
Since he came onto the scene, Bernie’s<br />
installed four brand-new Jayco cabins. He’s<br />
also repainted the onsite house in which he<br />
lives and given it verandahs; he’s built on<br />
the kiosk and extended the reception area;<br />
he’s covered and concreted the barbecue area<br />
and added an extra barbecue; he’s turned a<br />
large unpowered area into 20 more powered<br />
sites.<br />
“The park was pretty basic when I came<br />
here,” he says. “I thought it needed work, but<br />
not as much as it did need.”<br />
Significant attention was paid to bringing<br />
existing cabins up to scratch. Most cabins<br />
have been completely refurbished, with<br />
bedding and mattresses replaced. Only two<br />
were air-conditioned when Bernie arrived,<br />
and they’re now all kitted out. A few older<br />
cabins have been fitted with verandahs.<br />
Bernie’s a fitter by trade, so he’s as handy<br />
CAMPERTRAILER AUSTRALIA 79
<strong>Travel</strong> <strong>GOULBURN</strong> <strong>RIVER</strong> <strong>CARAVAN</strong> <strong>PARK</strong><br />
<strong>GOULBURN</strong> <strong>RIVER</strong><br />
<strong>CARAVAN</strong> <strong>PARK</strong><br />
Goulburn River Caravan Park is a Top Tourist<br />
Park rated at 3.5 stars. It’s on Progress Street<br />
in Seymour, Vic, and is pet-friendly (enquire for<br />
further details). For more information, phone<br />
(03) 5792 1530, fax (03) 5799 1032, or visit<br />
www.goulburnrivercp.com<br />
as can be, and he’s always up for a homemade<br />
solution – a camouflaged clothesline<br />
was duly modified with a U-shaped wooden<br />
enclosure.<br />
“It’s always hard to know where to put a<br />
clothesline in a caravan park, but they’re<br />
a necessary thing,” he says. “People expect<br />
them.”<br />
<strong>RIVER</strong> FUN<br />
As most visitors would agree, Goulburn<br />
River Caravan Park’s main attraction is its<br />
Clockwise from main: The park is<br />
surrounded by trees on the banks of the<br />
Goulburn River; canoes with which to<br />
explore the river are available; take your<br />
pick – there’s 78 powered sites to choose<br />
from; view of the reception building.<br />
stunning location on a lush, wide bend of<br />
the river from which it takes its name. We<br />
don’t end up canoeing because the following<br />
day’s weather turns a little foul.<br />
Apart from canoeing, there’s fishing to be<br />
done, and a folding chair, a hot cuppa and<br />
a newspaper are about all you need to set up<br />
for some fulfilling time by the river. A small<br />
DVD library at reception covers rainy days.<br />
If you have a water craft in tow, there’s an<br />
onsite boat ramp. At the time of my visit,<br />
it was a gravel job, but some locals have<br />
Seymour is 105km north of Melbourne, along the<br />
Hume and Goulburn Valley highways. Attractions<br />
in the area include a number of wineries, a railway<br />
heritage centre, and of course boating and fishing<br />
on the mighty Goulburn River. The army base at<br />
Puckapunyal a short drive west of Seymour has<br />
the Army Tank Museum, with over 70 armoured<br />
vehicles as well as a good collection of Australian<br />
Light Horse memorabilia.<br />
secured a grant in anticipation of the annual<br />
Tinnie Muster and plan to build a two-lane<br />
concrete facility.<br />
ARMY TRADE<br />
Seymour is very close to the vast<br />
Puckapunyal army base, so a large<br />
contingent of soldiers’ visiting families and<br />
friends stay at the caravan park.<br />
“We get quite a lot of business from the<br />
army,” Bernie says. He even advertises in<br />
the base’s newspaper, The Boomerang. The<br />
park also hosts the regular grey nomads<br />
and the requisite young travellers.<br />
It was only a month before our visit<br />
that the park was admitted as a member<br />
of the Top Tourist Parks group. Bernie was<br />
recommended to join by the owner of the<br />
River Breeze Top Tourist Park at Moira, in<br />
NSW.<br />
“We stayed there, I met him, and I told<br />
him I owned the Goulburn River Caravan<br />
Park,” Bernie says. “And he said, ‘Listen,<br />
I’ve owned a few caravans parks, and you<br />
must be in the (Top Tourist Parks) group.’”<br />
So, when Bernie and Cathy returned<br />
from Moira, they applied for membership.<br />
Bernie takes me down to the water,<br />
along the walking and cycle path from the<br />
park, and it’s clear he takes great pride in<br />
his work. He beams as I compliment the<br />
view, but he’s not about to blow his own<br />
trumpet. “If people say to us, ‘This is a<br />
lovely park, it’s a quiet area, it’s on a river,<br />
we like it,’ that’s good,” he says. “I’m the<br />
park owner; I only create, other people<br />
make the opinions.” n<br />
80 CAMPERTRAILER AUSTRALIA