Every year, Logan Reserve resident Graham Stanley journeys thousands of kilometres across Australia with just himself and the caravan.
Perhaps his most important trip yet is about to happen. With the economies of regional towns crippled by the pandemic, Mr Stanley is eager to get out and support them.
“A lot of the country towns these days have an area for people to setup and have an overnight stay where it costs you nothing, but you’ll go to the counter pub and have a meal,” he said.
Mr Stanley, 71, is part of the roaming economy, comprised of decentralised living arrangements and spending, which adds up to make a profound impact on regional economies.
“I buy groceries from the local grocery stores rather than go to a bigger town and spend money at the bigger stores to put money into the economies of these little towns that are struggling,” he said.
His next trip is set for April next year when he will venture out to parts of Central and Western Queensland and onto his bucket list item of Uluru. He will be on the road for most of the year.
Grey nomads like himself and other recreational caravanners are estimated to spend $770 per week on travelling, according to Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia, a peak industry body for caravanning.
The CMCA also found that national caravan rallies alone can inject anywhere from $2 to $3 million into local economies, leaving a profound impact.
Mr Stanley has been living temporarily in Logan for five months after spending most of the last two years touring Australia before the pandemic lured him back to somewhere permanent.
To make it back in time, he did 700km in one day – 300km more than what he usually likes to do per day.
Logan will now be his part-time home whenever he is not travelling. He decided in December last year to buy a small permanent house in the Halcyon Rise village at Logan Reserve, so he could be closer to his children and grandchildren when he wanted a break from touring.
“I haven’t got to worry about getting neighbours to check on the security of the house because the security we’ve got here in the gated community makes it that bit easier to get away,” he said.
He traces his nomadic lifestyle back to when he was a child. His parents used to take him on road trips to Melbourne every Christmas, which sparked an interest that later turned into a passion for four-wheel driving and then caravanning.
