Tourists stunned by 'very clever' detail at Aussie caravan park

A “fantastic” feature spotted by a pair of tourists at a rural caravan park has left Aussies in awe. The couple shared details about the “clever idea” after recently stopping off at the Coonalpyn Caravan Park, southeast of Adelaide.

The campsite boasts a swimming pool, BBQs and playground, but it also has one other feature not commonly seen — EFTPOS machines for power and hot water.

“It’s free to stop and camp, $15 if you want to connect to power, free water, free toilets and $5 if you want a hot shower,” the Aussie tourist explained to fellow camping enthusiasts.

Powered caravan spot and showers for couple cost $25

Several accompanying photos show the payWave systems installed at the powered sites and in the bathrooms.

“When you swipe your card for power it turns on until 11am the next morning so plenty of time to get going. There must be 20 or 30 bays and most you can drive through,” the man added.

“If a couple grab power, free water and have a shower each it’s only $25.00. All the other amenities are there for you use as well.”

In early 2023, the Coorong District Council installed 18 payWave units at the Coonalpyn Caravan Park, CEO Bridget Mather confirmed to Yahoo News. There are more than 20 additional unpowered sites offered free of charge.

Patrons also have had the ability to pay for hot showers via EFTPOS since January 2022. The $5 shower fee activates the hot water for a five minute period.

“Prior to the installation of the payWave systems, payments at the Coonalpyn Caravan Park were managed by an ‘honesty box’ system (payments made in cash only), and Council had experienced some issues with theft or non-payment from patrons at the park,” Mather said.

When pondering the change, the council “considered that the shift to a payWave ‘user pays’ system would have a number of benefits”, including reducing the risk of theft, providing an easy, up-to-date payment method for any campers, and accurate reporting on visitation at the caravan park.

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Aussies hope more caravan parks adopt 'very smart idea'

The couple’s social-media review has garnered praise from hundreds of other travellers who described the tap and go system as a “very smart idea”.

“What an awesome, simple process, love it!” someone said.

“Excellent idea for small towns. Guaranteed revenue since you can’t use power without paying, but no one needs to collect money etc. I hope more small towns cotton on to this,” another added.

One woman who said she had stayed at the Coonalpyn Caravan Park last week “thought it was a great idea and a lovely spot”.

“We stopped there recently loved it,” a second woman commented. “It would be a great idea to put in small towns to help encourage tourists — maybe even bigger towns would benefit from this wonderful idea.”

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