Supporting regional Towns
Australia is a country of vast distances and conditions can be as in hospitable as the landscape is breathtakingly beautiful. As you travel around by road it can be hard to understand how some smaller towns and communities survive the seemingly harsh environment they sit in. Many towns have grown around animal and crop farming and still rely heavily on agriculture to sustain them today. When times are tough it’s more important than ever for travellers to give back to these hardworking communities that provide the country with so much.
The very essence of a road trip with caravan in tow is to savour the journey and appreciate the changing landscape along the way. The idea of carefree, stop where you feel like travel is what draws many to this lifestyle to begin with and with many regions of Australia experiencing drought or harsher than usual conditions, the support that can be given to smaller communities is imperative.
It’s only as you travel the highways and back roads of this country that you can truly appreciate the small towns along the way, many of them silently going about the business of providing food for our tables and other primary production. The ways to help are many and are incidental to travelling throughout Australia. Stopping and spending time in smaller towns is a great way to break up a longer trip and alleviate the white line fever and monotony that can sometimes set in.
For safety’s sake drivers should take a break every two hours to reduce the risk of fatigue and what better reason to stop than to know you can also be helping someone doing it a lot tougher than yourself. Travellers can help out by stopping to top up fuel, have a coffee break and buy something to eat. You never know what interesting local attractions you can find out about by spending time and having a chat with a friendly local and seeing some unique décor you can only find in Australian country cafes and hotels while you’re at it. If you have more time to spend why not seek out a local museum or art gallery or take a walk around town to stretch the legs and see what other hidden secrets you can discover.
More regional towns are getting on board with the idea of decorating buildings and walls with street art. These large scale artworks in some cases are becoming a draw card of their own and a reason to detour to towns that may have otherwise been bypassed. One trend at the moment that is gaining a big following is that of painted grain silos. The size and quality of these grand artworks are certainly giving travellers reason to seek out the towns they are in. Even on a smaller scale the humour and inventiveness in Australian rural towns is abundant in artwork and sculptures of all shapes and sizes and worth stopping to see.
An added bonus if you choose to stay in smaller towns can be the option of free or low cost caravan sites. You can find camping sites at local sporting ovals and showgrounds, some of which are powered and have basic amenities. These can be safe and affordable options for overnight or longer stays. Money collected stays in the town or if camping is free then there’s no excuse not to shout yourself to a meal at the local hotel and give back that way. There are even some country pubs and Roadhouses that have campgrounds attached to them that can be cheaper than the traditional caravan park. Don’t forget to throw a few dollars in the direction of any local collections, raffles and fundraisers while you’re there. The fun of a Friday night chook raffle at a country hotel can’t be understated. If you prefer to self-cater then you may just be in luck with a local butcher, bakery or farmers market nearby to get the freshest produce and put money in pockets.
We will be bringing you some great spots to stop, shop and support. Be sure to download our app and keep updated.