Is a Caravan and Camping show worth it for you? Does it cost to get in? Are the bargains and information stalls worth it? Let me tell you our experience and you can decide for yourself.
Shane and I decided to take a day off from renovating our Toyota Coaster school bus and head into town to check out the Newcastle Caravan, Camping and Holiday Expo. I can tell you I was a little skeptical; a $15 entry fee even had me asking myself if it was going to be worth it. Nonetheless, we went to explore, and I realized quite quickly just how wrong I was.
We knew from our troubles trying to find a park it was going to be busy, that was a good sign. Best advice is go early or catch public transport so as to avoid issues finding a car park. There were people milling around the streets and heading towards multiple entry points. As we approached the counter and paid our money I was beginning to get excited for what lay ahead. Most shows allow you to pre purchase tickets online, saves the line-up when you arrive.
So in we went to the Caravan and Camping Show. The first stall we came across was a company called Seacoast. They were selling all sorts of caravan, camping and marine bits and pieces. What a great way to start. It was so overwhelming and we were both wishing we knew more about what we were looking at in case it was worth the purchase. This was at the very beginning of our Toyota Coaster bus conversion and we had no clue what the majority of items were. If we could go back now…
Carrying on, we went into the pavilion; a large area filled with business’ advertising holiday expos and new products. Due to the rain which had started there were so many people inside, crowding around each site, checking out the specials and offers for the weekend. It was a great atmosphere and very pleasing to the senses as you had colours everywhere and smells wafting the corridors.
By this point we were so overwhelmed we needed a hot drink. This gave us time to think as there was a 15 minute wait. While we were waiting, we decided to research Evakool fridges as there was a stall just outside.
Now we had already researched the Evakool fridges, so this is something we knew a bit about, and we were… let’s say 90% sure we were going to buy one. This was one of the main reasons we decided to attend the Caravan and Camping show, we knew they would have some fridges on sale. So of course, we just had to research one last bit prior to investing our money. A fridge is not a small purchase. It is definitely worth the time and effort it takes to compare. And we decided that for what we want, and the special they had it on, it was worth it.
We purchased the Evakool DC 175 Platinum fridge . There are so many great options available for fridges, so if you would like to know why we chose this one, please check out our blog post which tells you about it here.
Now that that stress was over with we could carry on investigating the show.
Caravan after caravan we entered and looked around trying to get ideas and inspiration for our bus. Motorhome after motorhome we stepped up into and compared the size to our Toyota Coaster. And finally van after van we checked out knowing these were closest to what we have. This is a fantastic thing to do for anyone looking to do a school bus conversion. There are so many amazing layouts, plans and hidden storage ideas out there and it gives you a chance to see them all.
This is where things became concerning.
What if we don’t have enough space in our hallway? These bathrooms are amazing, can we really not fit one in our bus? Wow, look at all that storage. So many thoughts ran through our heads. So many brands and companies and information. It was all becoming extremely overwhelming.
After deciding we would do one more lap around the gazebo, we ended up running into a stall there – The Caravan and Motorhome Club of Australia. We had read about this club and it had been suggested to us to sign up previously. We were here now and the lady explained what the club was and what benefits you got as a member. There are so many amazing benefits; maps and apps available with dump points and camping spots, members who let you stay on their properties, forums, magazines and more! That was it, we were in. And to top it off they had a competition to win petrol vouchers if you signed up. What more cohearsing do you need?
So that was it. We decided the amount of information provided to us, and the special we got on our fridge were definitely worth the $15 entry fee. Everyone’s experiences are different, so if you are unsure, just go and check it out. You will know for next time. For us, it just made us so much more determined to hurry up and get our Toyota Coaster bus conversion finished so we can live in it.
Not to mention the next day we got a phone call saying we had won the fuel vouchers!
A day well spent I’d say.
