[guzzis3]

Interesting discussion.

Grey nomads are like everyone else, mostly ok, some AHs. People see the world from their own perspective, you can't expect them to see yours. I mean if people were smart they would take my advice and all live happy trouble free lives...

I used to stay in on site vans when I was young because I toured by bike and wanted the beast close to me when I slept. More recently my partner and I went to NZ (fantastic incredible place with lovely people) and she had terrible reactions to the chemicals in the rooms.

So I've tried various rigs to enable us to travel, teardrop, ute pod etc. Probably going to build a purpose designed ute pod soon. Anyway the point is I'd go the van park now even though the $ don't really add up. The reason is van parks are like little temporary villages. I meet lots of really happy friendly people who will share a clue or 5 on what's cheap/good etc. Mind we only stay at the best parks we can find and go for an ensuite site wherever possible. We don't free camp at all.

I've seen caravaning ebb and flow over the decades. For a while there I thought it might disappear entirely. Wrong again. A woman must have been listening...

It's easy to have a go at the baby boomers. They have had it easy all their lives, Vietnam notwithstanding, and have taken everything they could. But the truth is the reason the young are stuffed is because starting with Hawke we transitioned from one of the most egalitarian countries in the world to one of massive economic stratification. Poverty doubled between 1984 and 1994, as did extreme wealth, and that trend has just continued. Those who didn't establish an economic base and career before it hit the fan in 87 have been behind the 8 ball ever since.

The flip side though is no one gives a rats about anything anymore. As the pre war generation retired and now are dying off everything, and especially infrastructure, has gone to hell, and it's not about to get better.