Aussie caravan park’s warning to tourists as 'frustrating' problem surges: 'Really unfair'

A camper's recent experience at a holiday park in Darwin has prompted a warning to travellers about ensuring all the "necessary precautions" are taken, especially when staying in parks throughout Australia's Top end.

British woman Gabby, who's been backpacking around Australia with her boyfriend, revealed she was "absolutely fuming" when waking up at her Darwin campsite on Tuesday morning to discover several items had "been taken".

"Someone's stolen our whole fridge. It had all our food in it, all our alcohol. Literally, that's $400 gone. Not only that, you can't even leave your washing on the line because they've stolen all my knickers," she revealed in a video on TikTok. "I don't understand it."

Laura McArther, property manager at the FreeSpirit resort, where the couple were staying, told Yahoo News they've been made aware of the incident. And while it is "frustrating" to see, it's sadly all too common across the region.

While there hasn't been an incident at her park for a while, "it happens often across Darwin as a whole". "It's a common occurrence and it's not getting any better, it hasn't improved," she said.

Earlier this year, Northern Territory's Acting Police Commissioner Travis Wurst said the force's resources were stretched as a result of the steep increase in youth crime. The number of violent offences committed by children in the territory has skyrocketed over the past four years, with nearly 2,000 violent offences by youths reported in the year to November, 2023. These figures represent a 50 per cent rise on 2019-20.

Caravan parks are often targeted with theft and anti-social behaviour often reported by guests and staff. It's understood this couple was camping in a "rooftop tent" which doesn't allow them to store or lock their belongings away.

McArther advises everyone visiting to take extra care while staying and taking all the "necessary precautions" to stay safe.

"They shouldn't have to, it's really unfair, but, unfortunately, the crime in Darwin means you need to," McArther said. "When you're sharing a campground, sharing your backyard with a thousand other people, you'd rather be safe than sorry. Keep things out of sight, and if you have one, lock your doors".

Caravan parks have 'really suffered' because of crime

McArther said the British woman's incident is "minor" compared to what they've seen previously — mostly "anti-social behaviour" from walk-ins, and sometimes from guests staying in the park too.

"We now need to put the systems in place where we can protect our guests the best we can," she added, explaining they've recently forked out thousands on extra security measures.

After-hours security roam the park from 10pm-6am "which is a huge amount of money," she said. "But it's what we have to do to make sure we reduce crime and theft the best we can — but as we've seen here, it's not bulletproof".

With 24 acres of land, McArther said "it's very hard to manage", and that's the case with other parks within the area. They're currently working on installing "large gates" at the entrance which would hopefully prevent walk-ins. Beyond that though, she said there's not much else we can do".

McArther considers herself lucky compared to other caravan parks, particularly in Darwin city, of which many "have really suffered" because of increased crime. "It's loss of business and we gain a bad reputation based on something out of our control, but other properties have suffered a lot more than me, it's been terrible," she said.

Other travellers issue warnings about visiting regional areas

While Gabby has now sworn off Darwin saying she "officially hates" it, some commenting on her video said it's expected in some parts.

"Girl, never leave anything you don’t want stuff stolen outside in the NT… it’s bad," one warned. "Anywhere across the top end isn’t safe to leave stuff out," agreed another.

"When I lived in Darwin, all the caravan parks had signs up saying not to leave your things out or your washing on the line," another shared.

Previously, another British woman warned travellers to "be careful" while travelling through northern Western Australia, suggesting ongoing youth crime in regional Australia can leave caravanners and backpackers feeling unsafe.

Retired couple Steve and Leoni echoed her concerns, admitting there are a few things to look out for to ensure your safety when travelling through the Top End.

"If there are skid marks or broken glass, don't stop, keep going," Steve previously told Yahoo. "Always stay 30, 40 kilometres away from town because usually, you don't get people coming that far out to muck up".

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