Caravan World Issue 616

Lockdowns have upturned travel arrangements for many of us, but it’s a two-tier country at present. Those able to get into Queensland, NT, and WA before the latest border closures — and there seem to be thousands on the road — are having a great time by the look of it. Those stuck at home — not so much. I can’t help feeling for the Sydneysiders who must be tearing their hair out in their inner-city apartments, and for Melbourne folk who are well into the world’s longest lockdown with no end in sight. I wish you well. We are affected here too — most Caravan World staff are working at home with an occasional delivery of doughnuts from management to keep them close. A huge thanks to the team for producing…

The three-day Red CentreNATS event in Alice Springs attracted a record 1008 entries this year. There was also a huge increase of people making their way to the event, up 165 per cent from South Australia, 170 per cent from Western Australia, and 50 per cent from Queensland, with 13,484 attendees recorded overall. NTMEC CEO, Tim Watsford, said the future of the event looks promising, with the Northern Territory Government signing another four-year agreement with Summernats to secure the event until at least 2025. “This has been an amazing year for Red CentreNATS, with record entry numbers and huge increases in the number of people travelling from interstate to attend,” Mr Watsford said. “This is especially impressive when you consider the difficulties in place when it comes to travel at the moment.” Mr Watsford…

The Outback Music Festival Group has issued a ‘no jab, no jive’ policy for two major outback festivals, the Birdsville Big Red Bash and Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash. The vaccination policy will apply to everyone attending the festivals, from current and future ticket holders to staff, volunteers, contractors, and vendors. The move is a first for the Australian Music Industry and while vaccinations are currently optional, they are still a government priority and it is expected by the time the festivals roll out, those wanting to be vaccinated will have had the opportunity to do so. Greg Donovan, Founder and Managing Director of The Outback Music Festival Group, said the health and safety of everyone is their highest priority. “Staging festivals in such remote locations, where patrons come from all over Australia and…

Victorians are invited to give feedback on how the state’s parks are managed in the future. The feedback is part of a new Parks Victoria Land Management Strate›y (LMS) by the Victorian Government to set out long-term strategies for the protection, management and use of Parks Victoria land for the next decade. Working alongside Traditional Owners, the LMS will respond to social, cultural and environmental issues as well as increased demand for visitor experiences, the growing population and climate change. The LMS implementation will be tracked over time with an Outcomes Reporting Framework, currently in draft. Lily D’Ambrosio, Minister for Ener›y, the Environment and Climate Change said the strate›y is about long-term outcomes. “This is a significant opportunity for the Victorian community to have their say and make sure out parks are healthy and resilient…

Tasmania’s feral deer herds — which destroy crops and invade sensitive World Heritage-listed wildlife areas — are close to numbering 100,000. The deer population in Tasmania is growing 11.5 per cent each year, with a few thousand in the 1970s up to almost 100,000 today and covering 27 per cent of the state. Report author Peter Jacobs from the Invasive Species Council said the feral deer population is having major impacts on the natural environment, World Heritage Areas, farming communities, Indigenous cultural heritage, as well as the economy. “The Tasmanian Government needs to shift gear and change its current deer management approach from one that protects these introduced animals as a hunting resource to one that puts the protection of the state’s natural environment and farmers first,” he said. Feral deer could occupy 54…

The Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards are being held in Darwin from 7 August 2021 to 6 February 2022. The Awards showcase a range of contemporary artworks from around the country, presented through a range of styles and stories by some of Australia’s most talented artists, both established and emerging. The seven various awards went to Timo Hogan, Bugai Whyoulter, Dhambit Munungurr, Ms M Wirrpanda, Hubert Parerouktja and Mervyn Rubuntja, Kyra Mancktelow and Pedro Wonaeamirri. An interactive 360-degree virtual gallery can be viewed online at virtualmagnt.net.au/telstranatsiaa to see all of this year’s winner and finalists’ works, with the exhibition in person held at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.…