The benefits of joining a caravan club in WA

Travel & Touring | Camping & Caravanning

6 March 2024 By: Brendan Batty

As much as caravanning is about travel and exploration, it’s always been attractive for the personal connections people make along the way. Lifelong friends are made in caravan parks and campsites; knowledge is shared and, when needed, help is freely offered (or at least someone will stand up from their camp chair to watch you reverse and shout if you’re about to hit something).

For some of these reasons, caravan clubs have played an important part in the growth and enjoyment of caravanning, particularly in Western Australia. WA’s longest-running caravan club was formed in 1963, followed by the Association of Caravan Clubs WA (ACCWA) in 1973. Today more than 30 clubs call WA home, with other national clubs, like the Australian Caravan Club and CMCA, hosting local branches or chapters.

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The clubs are as varied as the people and caravans that make them. Of the 34 clubs that are members of ACCWA, some cater for families, and others specifically don’t. There are clubs which only travel mid-week or others that prefer weekends. Some love pets, others are for people less comfortable with animals around. There are brand-specific clubs - Jayco, Coromal and Windsor, for example, and others that are off-road specific.

What is the benefit of a caravan club?

First and foremost, caravan clubs gather and encourage like-minded people who want to spend more time caravanning. Take the Australian Caravan Club as an example; the chief reason for its existence is to “promote the use of recreational vehicles and the RVing lifestyle throughout Australia.” But people join clubs for different reasons, so what you want from one will shape which one you choose.

Smaller clubs, like many represented by the ACCWA, are very social. They have small membership bases, and most, if not all, members usually know each other personally.

Some may also expect members to attend a certain amount of rallies each year, particularly clubs with a cap on memberships. For those clubs, active participation is vital to maintain the culture and social aspects of the club, which is hard to do if no one ever turns up to their events.

Other larger clubs, like the Australian Caravan Club or the Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia (CMCA), exist to further the interests of caravanning or motorhoming in Australia. Their primary benefit to members is representation to government or business for better deals, facilities or conditions. In many cases, paying your membership fees and owning an RV is enough to stay a member.

Of course, within these clubs, there are many ‘chapters’ or ‘branches’ that function under the umbrella of the larger club structure but with more of a focus on caravanning’s social and travel aspects.

Richard Palmer, secretary of ACCWA, says it’s the social aspects he’s so passionate about being part of his club, Sou’West Getaway Club. “There are 35 clubs as part of the association with roughly 790 caravans and about 1700-1800 people participating in those clubs,” he said.

Add to that the roughly 5000 members of the Australia Caravan Club, and around 70,000 members of the CMCA, and a significant portion of Australia’s caravanning and motor homing public are affiliated with a club of some sort.

According to Palmer, first and foremost, being part of a club encourages you to travel and get out more. He says, “If you don’t have the urge or the reason to get your caravan off the driveway, you’ll find you’re using it only twice a year at Easter or Christmas."

If you’re part of a caravan club, you’ll get the opportunity and encouragement to go out every time your club holds a rally, and that’s usually ten to 12 times a year. It gives you the excuse to hook up and head off for a good time.

"The travel is an incentive, but getting together with your caravan club friends is what you really want to do. When you join a caravan club, you make life-long friends." Palmer says his best experience with his club was attending his 100th rally, which shows how important the culture can be to the members.

Clubs often also represent the interest of their members to government and business. The club take advantage of group buying power, and members are frequently offered discounts on things such as camping site fees.

ACCWA organises public liability for its associated clubs, which covers any members attending club events. Palmer says, “If you’re in a caravan park, parked up, and you create a hazard which someone steps into and seriously injures themselves, the caravan park isn’t liable because you created the hazard; your caravan insurance doesn’t cover that sort of thing, but this one will step in and pick up that gap.”

Many clubs also produce newsletters or magazines, keeping members informed of what’s happening and what the club is doing to support the members’ interests.

What can I do in a caravan club?

Most caravan club activities revolve around travel. Club or chapter organisers plan regular rallies as opportunities to get together and usually explore regional towns and locations.

Palmer says, “Within each club, there will be someone who organises the rally and another who organises the entertainment, which can vary considerably.” Clubs often put out a suggested calendar of rallies up to a year in advance so members can show expressions of interest and make appropriate plans.

At most club or chapter-level rallies (as opposed to state or national rallies, which could gather hundreds or thousands of members), activities will always include a shared meal and, most nights, a happy-hour get-together under someone’s awning.

There may also be organised activities, like visiting wineries, local festivals or museums, or just plenty of free time to explore the area with friends. Participation is optional but always fun, according to Richard.

If a club has to run a meeting as part of its governance, like an AGM or General Meeting, these will usually be held at a rally.

For those who like the idea of a little more support while travelling, clubs offer the opportunity to travel in groups, bringing an extra level of security.

What is a club Rally or Muster?

All caravan clubs hold rallies or musters - these are the backbone of their social calendars. They are simply a club-organised camping trip. It might be to a regional town and coincide with a local festival or to a campsite in a more natural setting.

When considering a club, find out what sort of trips they do, and make sure that suits what you’re comfortable with. Joining a club expecting support for remote camping trips to far-away locations might not be fulfilling if the other members prefer visiting regional caravan parks and exploring small towns.

At rallies, members might spend the whole time in one location or travel through a region, camping somewhere new nearly every night.

Highlighting the range of rallies clubs hold, the Sou’West Getaway Club recently followed the Golden Pipeline trail to Kalgoorlie. The Road Ramblers spent two weeks following the Wheatbelt Way. The Concord Caravanners visited Aldersyde and Dumbleung, and the Western Wanderers visited Bremer Bay to go orca watching.

Larger clubs and state associations of clubs (like the ACC and ACCWA) will also organise state or national rallies. They happen less frequently (often annually or biannually).

The 2023 ACCWA State rally visited Pingelly. About 163 members’ caravans made the trek from across WA, injecting an estimated $60,000 into the local economy. The 2025 State Rally will be held in Greater Geraldton.

How do I join a caravan club?

Depending on the caravan club, there will be certain requirements you’ll need to meet before you can become a full member. In most cases, you’ll need to own a caravan or recreational vehicle. For example, The Australian Caravan Club’s by-laws state that a member is “a person who owns or jointly owns a qualifying recreational vehicle or has at least a 50 per cent financial interest in [one].”

If you don’t have an RV, you can become an associate member, which gives you limited membership rights. But joining is easy. There’s an online form at australiancaravanclub.com.au, which you fill out and pay your membership fees, then await for approval. Currently, the fee is $75. Once you’re a club member, you can seek out a branch to be more involved.

Similar requirements exist in many smaller Associated WA-based clubs, although the process is often more social. Head to accwa.asn.au and check out the list of associated clubs. Choose one that suits you and contact the membership officer who’ll invite you to a rally as a visitor. After you’ve attended a rally, you can apply for membership.

Palmer offers some advice on joining a club. He says, “You don’t have to join your ‘local’ club. My club is based in south-west WA, but it gives me a chance to travel further from my local area.”

Are online groups the same as caravan clubs?

Many people find community in online groups, like forums or social media groups, as an alternative to joining a caravan club. Although these often lack an incorporated club's governing structure, they are still valuable for the knowledge they share, the relationships they foster and the travel they encourage.

They also often have a much broader ‘membership’, so getting together can be harder but not impossible. Take the ‘Delica The World’ Facebook Group as an example, which in 2023 gathered 34 Mitsubishi Delica owners from around the country on K’Gari (Fraser Island) for a week of camping.