Goondiwindi gains recognition as RV Friendly town

The Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia (CMCA) has recognised Goondiwindi as an ‘RV Friendly Town™’.

Goondiwindi Regional Council, Goondiwindi Show P & A Society and CMCA have together acknowledged a mutual understanding for Goondiwindi town to be part of the CMCA’s RV Friendly Town program. The program is recognised by many travellers across Australia.

The CMCA requires towns to meet a list of strict criteria in order to be classed as RV-Friendly. Goondiwindi exceeded all of the required points except for low-cost camping: Goondiwindi Regional Council does not own any suitable freehold land that would meet the CMCA’s criteria, and so Goondiwindi had previously been unable to gain RV-Friendly accreditation.

To tackle this, the Goondiwindi Show P & A Society has agreed to allow short- and long-term overnight parking (for up to one week) at a reduced rate in order to meet the required criteria. Mayor of the Goondiwindi region Graeme Scheu said the Show Society’s contribution and the town’s subsequent recognition as RV Friendly would be a great boost for the town’s visitor economy.

“Obviously the issue of free and low-cost camping has been an ongoing issue in Goondiwindi, so it’s really good to see the community working together and I can’t thank the Show Society enough for their assistance and contribution,” Cr Scheu said. “This is about attracting as many visitors to the town as we can and to have them stay overnight is even better,” he said.

“The fact that our local show society are so willing to invest in our town and encourage even more people to come out here, that’s something we as a community should be really proud of. If that’s not Regional Australia at its best, then I don’t know what is.”

The Mayor confirmed that all of the other commercial campgrounds in the town had been given the option to meet the low-cost criteria in order to help the town qualify as RV-Friendly.

“Obviously with the drought the way it is, times are tough for everyone and that includes our retail, hospitality and other typical visitor-type businesses. Anything we can do to encourage people to stop for a drink or a look around and to spend a bit of money to support the town will be a boost – and obviously we want that to be at minimal expense to the ratepayer.”

Both Inglewood and Texas are already recognised as RV Friendly Towns. As part of Goondiwindi’s new membership, the CMCA will promote the town and its associated tourist attractions in its member magazine ‘The Wanderer’. The CMCA will also promote the town and approved events on its website.

Cr Scheu said the tourism sector was a growing opportunity in the Goondiwindi region.

“Council has invested a significant amount in the sector over the past few years and of course we are lucky to have a really active community who have taken the lead with many great events and things to see and do across the region,” he said.

Council will erect signs alerting visitors to the town’s RV-Friendly status in the new year.

Photo credit - Rebecca Cover @ Goondiwindi Region