Caravan and Camping Blog

Eco Family Fun Day 18th Sept 2010

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 04:37:00 GMT

We cordially invite all of our friends, supporters and guests to our annual open day.
This year we will be celebrating World Park’s Day and our Family Fun Day will be our Biggest ever!

As usual, there will be:
FREE entry to the event;
FREE sausage sizzle lunch;
FREE Indigenous Cultural Performance by Tribal Warrior;
FREE native plants (1 per family);
FREE kids activities;
FREE Bush band entertainment;

PLUS loads of socially responsible and environmentally friendly products and services.

We will also be launching our new water treatment system, and our solar canvas awning – both of these initiatives are world firsts, so make sure you don’t miss out.

See you here on Saturday 18^th September between 10:00am – 2:30pm – remember to be green and use the 545 bus from Chatswood or Parramatta, or try the new North Ryde Train Station.

Solar and Wind Energy Products

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:25:00 GMT

www.globalgreenshopdirect.com

This is a website that specializes in renewable products. The products can be purchased through www.amazon.com
There are a many usefull articles on all sorts of energy saving products, green power & renewable energy.
Solar products and wind energy products are only two areas that are popular choices.
Worth a look & their blog is good too. http://globalgreenshopdirect.com/blog

Home and Away

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:49:00 GMT

Home and Away are back filming at Lane Cove River Tourist Park. Come and stay at Summer Bay Caravan Park!

Some more news on Lane Cove River Tourist Park being used as the film set for Home And Away.
We are the new location for Summer Bay Caravan Park and the news is that they are utilizing even more areas of the Tourist Park as settings for episodes of the popular series.
And this means that if you come and stay with us there is even more chance of you being able to camp exactly where the filming is done!

Please ring the office on 02 9888 9133 to make a reservation to camp with us.

Baby elephant at Taronga Zoo in Sydney

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:49:00 GMT

Another baby elephant for Sydney's Taronga Zoo!

The next 24 hours are critical for the newest addition to the zoo and hopefully it has survived by the time you read this!
Read the news article from The Australian

When you're staying with us we always suggest using public transport to see many of the attractions that make Sydney special.
One of these special tourist attractions is Taronga Zoo.
To reach Taronga Zoo from us you just need to walk down the road for ten minutes to reach North Ryde train station. From there you can get a train directly to the city. Get out at Wynyard station and take the short walk down to Circular Quay. Catch one of the regular ferries across to the zoo.
When you reach the zoo ferry wharf take the cable car to the top entrance of the zoo and work your way through the zoo down the hill, finally exiting through the bottom exit right at the ferry terminal.
Catch a ferry back to Circular Quay and then back to us via the train. A great day out for all the family!

Traditional Aboriginal Cultural Performances at Lane Cove River Tourist Park!

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:02:00 GMT

Thanks Marty & Pam.
We're very glad you enjoyed the performance & thank you for the other compliments too!

Activities @ national Park

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Hi Kim.

Sorry, but horses aren't allowed in Lane Cove National Park.

Activities @ national Park

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 03:08:00 GMT

Hi,

Just inquiring weather we can take our horses to the national park as there is no where locally we can take them with water to ride in.

If you could pass on information to me regarding this it would be great.

Kim Villis

Home and Away

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:14:00 GMT

Hi SupM.
Well.... I have it on very reliable info that it's true! Summer Bay Caravan Park is now at Lane Cove River Tourist Park! The caravan park scenes are now all being filmed at Lane Cove River Tourist Park. They started filming there last year and if you stay at the park there's even a chance of being used as an extra (It happened to an overseas family).

But don't tell too many people because it's meant to be a secret! :)
I'll try to find out when they'll be there next but I expect it will be soon.

Traditional Aboriginal Cultural Performances at Lane Cove River Tourist Park!

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:24:00 GMT

I saw this performance last week - it was absolutely incredible - I learnt so much and got so much from it - Can't beleive it is free - didn't get time to do the widlife tour but the people next to us said it was really good to.

I also like the new amenitiesespecially the shower screens and the change area. Good job Keith.

Marty and Pam (Vic)

Home and Away

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:18:00 GMT

Hello

I was watching Home and Away on Channel Seven last night and could swear I saw a part of it at Lane Cove Caravan Park - Are they filming there? I heard someone say they had seen them there before - could you let me know please.

PS - love your park - hope to see you at easter!

SupM

Eco Tourism

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 03:57:00 GMT

Our Eco Tourism philosophy.

Just a quick update for everyone. The team have been working tirelessly to ensure all our guests had a great time over the Christmas New Year period.
We're still extremely busy but things should start to quieten down a little soon.
Many new and exciting things are planned for the coming few months or so. Anyone who has been here more than once will no doubt appreciate the efforts that have already gone into developing the great asset we have here.
With some great new National Parks initiatives coming soon, the whole team here are looking forward to these changes. A change is as good as a holiday they say!:)

Our Eco Tourism philosophy is this: Provide affordable, quality accommodation in an environment that is friendly and courteous.
Care of the environment and conservation of our natural area is still our main priority.

Rate change from 1st April 2010.

A very slight increase on site costs becomes effective from April 1, 2010.
It's an evil that we can no longer afford to ignore unfortunately. The rise is to be only one dollar per site and will take the powered rate from $36.00 to $37.00. Unpowered sites will rise from $34.00 from $35.00.
Weekly discounts & seniors discounts will still apply as normal.

If you have been involved in any of our 'free' activities, like the night walks or the brand new Aboriginal Cultural Performance, you can understand that these activities need to be heavily subsidized from the existing revenue.
The objective will always be to present sustainable activities to the guests of the park but some cost recuperation is necessary so we can continue to upgrade the park in other areas.
Even if we were to disregard the above fact the cost of wages alone means that we need to move our rates up slightly.
All the facilities that are currently free (like the barbeques, tour advice, directions) will remain at no cost to guests.

Hope to see you all soon,
Keith

Traditional Aboriginal Cultural Performances at Lane Cove River Tourist Park!

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:49:00 GMT

Tuesday evening, 19th Jan 2010 saw the first Traditional Aboriginal Cultural Performance at Lane Cove River Tourist Park!
The response from the guests of the park who gathered under the gumtrees was very encouraging & will ensure there will be many repeat performances.
Our 2 guest artists will perform the same traditional ceremonies for Prince William tomorrow.
The event for us is a regular one & is scheduled for every Wednesday evening, weather permitting, and starts at 6.30 pm.
Bring along a rug to sit on & take part in a traditional welcome, listen to some stories & learn a traditional dance or a song or two.
The event is free & is brought to you by the National Parks & Wildlife Service & the Tribal Warrior Association.

Your website

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:30:00 GMT

Hi. as you can see ANY comments are welcome. And posted!:)
Dear 'Disgruntled', I'm sorry you didn't choose to enjoy yourself but I will take this opportunity to address your concerns if I may.
1. Camp Kitchen. Both of our camp kitchens regularly receive compliments & it is very rare that we have any complaints. Granted, one of the kitchens is not the newest but it is very functional and generally well maintained. It's definitely an ongoing problem when people don't clean up after themselves.
2. Fridges. The reason we need to move food from fridge to fridge twice a week is because of our regular cleaning of the fridges. Many people leave food in the fridges after they leave so we need to be able to identify what shouldn't be there.
Rest assured that if you could be more specific about the nature of the problem I will follow it up.
3. Wildlife. There are reminders throughout the park not to feed the wildlife but people find it very hard to resist at times. I'm glad that you were able to gently remind the people you saw feeding the wildlife that it wasn't a good idea.

Keith.
Admin.

Aboriginal Cultural Performances now at Lane Cove River Tourist Park!

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:26:00 GMT

Tuesday evening, 19th Jan 2010 saw the first Traditional Aboriginal Cultural Performance at Lane Cove River Tourist Park.
Our 2 guest artists will also perform the same traditional ceremonies for Prince William in Sydney on Wednesday 20 Feb 2010.
The response from the guests of the park who gathered under the gumtrees was very encouraging & will ensure there will be many repeat performances.
The event for us is a regular one & is scheduled for every Wednesday night, weather permitting, and starts at 6.30 pm.
Bring along a rug to sit on & take part in a traditional welcome, listen to some stories & learn a traditional dance or a song or two.
The event is free & is brought to you by the National Parks & Wildlife Service & the Tribal Warrior Association.

Andrew Daff and the staff of the Lane Cove River Tourist Park would also like to take this opportunity of thanking our two performers for their willing participation in this inaugural & ground breaking event.
It was a great night & all set within the Lane Cove National Park of course.
Some photos of the event can be seen in the link from the main menu on the left.

Your website

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 03:29:00 GMT

We camped here a month ago and didn't like it. The kitchen is the worst i've ever seen, dirty and old. Also it is a pain constantly moving your food from each fridge. You should also tell people not to feed the wildlife-it's really bad for them and the

Carmel Tebbutt opens Solar Panel Grid at Lane Cove River Tourist Park

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 02:54:00 GMT

On Sunday, 23rd August 2009 we were honoured to have Carmel Tebbutt, the acting Premier of NSW, officially open our new solar panel array.
It was great to see Sally Barnes, the deputy director of National Parks & Wildlife NSW, here to support our newest environmental initiative as well.

The solar panel grid is capable of supplying energy to approximately 11 family cabins (of 23) & any surplus power generated will be fed back into the national electricity grid.
The whole area around the solar power station has been extensively landscaped including a water feature & solar garden lighting that are run entirely by the power generated from the station.
A special thanks to Dean, one of our field officers, for designing & constructing the water feature. A fantasic job Dean!
Many thanks to Robbie & Tom for all the help they gave Dean as well.
The new solar power grid here at the park is a continuation of our already extensive rollout of evironmental initiatives initiated by our manager, Andrew Daff.
There is an extensive library of photos ranging from the construction stage, right through to how it looks now, available on our photos & iimages page.
Next time you visit us make sure you check out the area. With the birds singing & the sound of the water in the background it's a great place to sit & take in the ambience of the park.
Hope to see you soon.

EcoTourism & sustainability. Energywise case study at Lane Cove River Tourist Park

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:17:00 GMT

This item has no description. Follow link to view item.

Sustainable Tourism

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:28:00 GMT

Lane Cove River Tourist Park

is located in a National Park only 10kms from the city area of Sydney in Australia. We are unique in our location & we actively promote the practice of Eco-Tourism, sustainability & educating local business operators & guests in all aspects of these practices.
We are carbon neutral and as such we set a shining example to all other tourist operators & our guests. We operate under the belief that for people to change how they interact with the environment they need to have an alternative that effects their way of life as little as possible. We achieve that through subtle education using our environmental initiatives that are highly visible throughout our grounds. We are proof that changing how people think & live is possible. It also makes economic sense. We have been able to follow through on our best practice initiatives at a very low overall cost.
The end result of our efforts is that when people finish their holiday with us they will have at least some of our initiatives imbedded in their own minds.
If we can change people's habits even by only a fraction we are helping make this world a better place.

Ring Tailed Possum feeding

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:30:00 GMT

Hi Everyone.
Last week I took photos & videos of a great little fella called a Ring Tailed Possum. She was just outside the office and was happy to feed on the tree while I spent some time getting some great shots.
This is actually a bit unusual because they're shy creatures most of the time.
This link will take you to our You Tube home page where you can see them all of our videos grouped together.
Or this link will take you directly to the newest video of our friendly Ring Tailed Possum.
Enjoy!

Has winter finished?

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 02:05:00 GMT

Hi. Woke up this morning to a beautiful sunny day here at the Tourist Park. Very mild temperature for this time of year!
I'm sitting outside as I write this, no jumper on for the first time for a while. The sun is actually quite hot.
The weekend has been quiet so far but I also know that it only takes a day or so of warmer weather and everyone who has been hibernating starts moving around again.
So get out your camping gear, check you have all your bits and pieces and start making plans for weekends away.
If you haven't been here to camp check out the rest of the website and give us a call if you have any questions. You'll always be welcome!

Enjoy the weather and everything Sydney has to offer.

Welcome to Travellers Point Group

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:38:00 GMT

Hi Everyone.
And a special welcome to all the people on Travellers Point. I could have headed this subject: The power & benefit of the internet!:)
Let me explain. There is a group of young people from mainly Britain that will be coming to stay with us around Christmas time. Most of these people didn't know each other before posting on the Travellers Point forum.
Back on the 16th June, WebGuy(from the USA) had the idea of getting people to stay together at a camp ground in Sydney for New Years Eve. So far he is organising 11 people to meet up here.
But I think he and I both expect more to join the group. After all, it's only the end of July. This is the link to the thread if you want to keep up to date. http://www.travellerspoint.com/forum.cfm?thread=61886
We have a couple of unpowered tent sites organised for them with room for more people as they join the group. And all this is being done from the other side of the world, without direct communication and all the information has been gleaned from websites and online forums! This just could not have been done 20 years ago!!
Off to post on the forum myself now. Looking forward to meeting you all for another incredible Christmas and New Year in Sydney!
Cheers,
Keith.
p.s. Have a look at a couple of videos I have posted on You Tube. An example of some wildlife you will probably meet. And only 10 kms from the Harbour Bridge in the most popular city to be in for New Year's Eve. Sydney!! Hoo Rah!!

How important is caring for the environment to you?

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:37:00 GMT

One of the purposes of why we (the Tourist Park) are here is to encourage tourism to National Parks. But we are also very aware of the impact on the environment that is created.

To help us reduce our impact even further I'd be interested in other people's points of view.

To see what we already do, check out our web page: http://www.lcrtp.com.au/environment_and_awards/environment_and_awards These are just some of the initiatives we have implemented to negate the impact of the thousands of visitors we get each year.
Cheers, Keith. Administrator.

Ecotourism & how it works in Sydney at Lane Cove River Tourist Park

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:31:00 GMT

This item has no description. Follow link to view item.

Your website

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 05:09:00 GMT

Hi. Thanks for all your comments and feedback, and the compliments.
Those laundry balls certainly seemed a con! And I'm glad I came across the article (I've used BioZet myself for years).
We don't allow any fires at Lane Cove River Tourist Park you'll be glad to know.

Before too long we hope to be able to recycle all the grey water produced at the park and to this end we are trialing a process that looks very promising.
And I have updated the co-ordinates to include both types so they are now in both decimal degrees & DMS formats.
Thanks for the request, it's exactly the feedback I'm looking for!:)
And keep up the good work converting people to being more careful with resources.
If we can all change someone's habits, even a little, we have been a benefit to the planet we live on.
Cheers,
Keith. Administrator.

Your website

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:47:00 GMT

Bit of a worry, the information on your website is top class and informative of every aspect of your park. There is no information missing and is probably the most complete and informative website of your type I have ever come across. What is more, the layout and menus are so easy to use. Congratulations to whoever organises the information and keeps the website up to date.
One small thing, would be good to see the coordinates in UTM as well. Majority of landlubbers today use UTM and is so much easier than DMS.

The laundry balls are well how can you put it other than a bit of con. Laundry balls cannot and do not work other than wear the clothes out. If you clothes without anything they will generally come clean as they are not truly dirty in the first case and only need freshening up. The most environmentally friendly detergent that works and has close to zero phosphate and amongst the lowest sodium is BioZet available at all supermarkets. Having to dump my grey water on the ground in some locations, we make sure everything we use for washing dishes, personal washing and clothes washing is as friendly to the environment as humanly possible.
Our caravan is all solar powered and everything we do is to try and minimise our impact on the environment. We also try and encourage others to be the same. Another thing we never ever do is to light fires. We wish those that did light fires would keep them to fire places or use the same spots others have.

Forum now available.

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:40:00 GMT

Hi. Just wanted to let everyone know that there is a forum now available for you to ask any questions.
One of the aspects of the Lane Cove River Tourist Park that we are proud of is the way that we help our customers.
And primarily, this is the reason for the forum. And as a way of providing feedback and interacting with everyone.
So feel free to ask any questions, open discussions or make suggestions.
You can access the forum from our home page, the menu to the left, or just follow this link /ForumRetrieve.aspx?ForumID=1504

Hope to see you there!

Welcome! Anyone & everyone!

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:23:00 GMT

Hi!
Welcome to Lane Cover River Tourist Parks newest way to stay in touch with everyone who is interested in knowing more about us & what we do.
Of course, you can talk about almost anything else here as well.
The forum will be moderated by staff from the Tourist Park so here are a few rules to make everyone's life a little easier.

No swearing please.
No personal abuse.
Please be polite to fellow users.

Feel free to ask us anything- if we don't know the answer: we'll find it for you. And hopefully there will also be plenty of knowledgeable people checking back here often who will help as well.
If your post is not visible immediately, please be patient. It probably just means the moderator is asleep!

But most of all, enjoy yourself! :)

Keith-Administrator/Moderator

Weather in Sydney & our solar panel station

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:44:00 GMT

Well, the bank where our new solar station is located is finally drying out. The weather has been absolutely beautiful in Sydney the last couple of days and today is looking good as well.
I've been off work for a few days (with the flu) so when I return today I expect to see the solar panels shining in all their glory.
Pipework should also be nearly completed. Watch this space! Also see one of my other posts http://www.lcrtp.com.au/BlogRetrieve.aspx?BlogID=1740&PostID=40343

Laundry Balls & Wave Power.

I came across a blog by Julie, on www.gogreeneraustralia.com about Laundry Balls! Okay, sounds strange I know, but check out the article. You may be surprised by the results of Julie's test. http://www.gogreeneraustralia.com/blog/index.php/2009/05/11/laundry-balls-put-to-the-test/

And this article, Wave Power http://www.gogreeneraustralia.com/blog/index.php/category/eco-issues/clean-energy/ is a direction I really believe is the future.
I'll have a look at this site further when I have a bit more time but I reckon it's worth our support.

Cheers,
Keith

home

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:19:00 GMT

This item has no description. Follow link to view item.

Kids activity pages & some updates.

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:30:00 GMT

Kids Pages.

Hi again.
We had our designers put together a web page where you can access some downloadable PDFs to print and colour in.
Check them out from the link on the home page: Kids Games & Education.
This page has some great links to educational resources too.

Various Updates.

There has been a lot of rain in Sydney over the last few weeks which has delayed the finishing of the new solar station array.
It's been too dangerous for the installers to work on the slope but today has been quite warm and sunny so it should all happen soon.

With all the rain the park is looking very green and beautiful. There have been many mornings & evenings where the river valley has been shrouded in mist.

The park has finally quietened down a little bit as far as visitors are concerned but it won't last long. July is going to be a busy period for us.

Hope to see you soon.

Offers & photo page & solar energy initiatives.

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:50:00 GMT

Hi Everyone.
The cooler weather has finally reached us here in Sydney with some colder days still ahead. We are also getting some consistent rain but many days still have some sunny periods. Expect sunny dry days to return soon!
One of the effects of the moisture in the air was the Lane Cove River Valley being shrouded in mist yesterday evening. The mist was low in the valley and you could only just see the tops of the trees on the other side of the valley.
A positive effect of the rain is it gives the park a chance to recover from the rigors of summer and our busier periods.

You may have noticed a few changes to our website. The last item of our main menu has a link to a page called Offers & Some Photos. There is also a link to photos of the park from the Family Cabins page (accessed from the Accommodation & Rates page).
Photography is a bit of a hobby of mine and one of the projects I have lined up is to put all of the photos of the park together in one area of the website.
Keep an eye on the offers page because this is where you can keep up to date on any 'specials' we might be offering.

Cabins are being upgraded with new split system air conditioners. More energy efficient & quieter. All cabins will eventually have access to solar power as well.
Part of our solar power commitment is the establishment of a large solar power array that is located below some of the cabins near the group camping area.
The support work has been completed and as soon as the ground dries out a bit more we will be installing the actual solar panels. This is expected next week and will mean 10 KW h of renewable energy can be generated. Enough to power the family cabins L 1 to L 11.

Winter is a great time to visit Sydney because the days are fresh but you can usually find a sunny spot to enjoy a coffee and relax.
Call into the office while you are here for some suggestions.

Hope to see you soon,
Keith

Tourism for Tomorrow award winners announced

Sun, 17 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I have finally been able to find out the winners in the Tourism for Tomorrow awards. You see, they were awarded on Saturday morning but finding out any information took me until Sunday.
The category in which Lane Cove River Tourist Park was nominated has been won by NatureAir of Costa Rica. Congratulations to NatureAir and the winners of the other three categories. It must have been a close run thing!
It was a rare privilege for us to be highlighted on the world stage. It shows again how much we are leading the eco-tourism industry as we were one of only 12 enterprises nominated for an award. And the only one from this region of the world.

Andrew Daff (our manager) is in Brazil at the moment for the awards & more importantly, the conference, where he has had the opportunity to be a guest speaker, addressing some of the most powerful people in the world tourism industry.
Andrew has also been involved in a BBC forum to discuss sustainable tourism where his experience & knowledge will be of great interest to his audience.

You can read the Sydney's Daily Telegraph's coverage of our nomination here:
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,,25100997-5013605,00.html

To visit the WTTC website for coverage of all the nominees: http://www.tourismfortomorrow.com/Winners/

Powerful Owls

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 23:52:00 GMT

Last night I was out in the tourist park doing a security patrol and I saw a Powerful Owl! This is quite an occasion for us because they're endangered and their feeding territory is large, so they can be difficult to spot.
I observed it for a while and it would swoop between adjoining trees every few minutes. After a few of these swoops it plunged into some foliage about 6 metres above me. Next moment something small and furry dropped from the same tree and hit the ground only a couple of metres from where I was standing. The owl swooped towards the ground but its victim was quick enough to scurry off. I think it was a sugar glider or a juvenile ring tail possum. I had a look for it but couldn't find it unfortunately.

The following is a link to some information about Powerful Owls. http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2005/04/07/2043735.htm
Powerfuls are more noticeable at this time of year so keep an eye out for them if you're here.

The Easter school holidays are nearly finished but we're still very busy. The Easter weekend was extremely busy for us with lots of family groups staying on tent sites. Most of these families were from Sydney. Some very positive feedback was received which is very gratifying for all of us.
The park continues to go from strength to strength.

Just a reminder for everyone that booking ahead is always a good idea if you're coming to visit.

Family camping

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:35:00 GMT

Well, it's nearly Easter and the park is expecting to be very full of families again. We have a few spots left but you will need to be quick to grab one.

Recently we have had many family groups in the park camping. This is very encouraging for all of us here at the park because there were so many 'locals'. And I mean local. We actually have people living in the suburbs of North Ryde, Lindfield and Chatswood coming in to pitch a tent for a night or so. As well as families from other parts of Sydney.
The majority of our campsites are located right on the edge of the Lane Cove River Tourist Park boundary so when you pitch a tent you have a tremendous outlook of the trees of the main part of the National Park. Level grassy sites close to amenities and one of the camp kitchen gives you convenience and a touch of luxury you wouldn't normally expect. It's a great experience for Mum and Dad as well as the kids.

Stay tuned for some exciting developments in regard to camping options!

Kids under 11 free on tent sites and caravan sites

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:34:00 GMT

From 1st of April 2009 all kids under 11 are free on caravan, camp and campervan sites (previously the age limit was 10). And no peak rates for us either!
This is tremendous news for all families as most caravan parks charge for kids from a very young age.
I did some research and found that for a family of two adults and two kids aged 9 and 5 our rate structure would save a family about $140 for a stay of a week. That $140 would pay for quite a few show bags at the Royal Easter Show!
Mind you, I'm old enough to remember when those show bags were actually free!
The cost of the kids can add dramatically to a stay anywhere but this initiative of Lane Cove River Tourist Park will hopefully make it easier for a family to have a low cost quality holiday.
So if you are getting quotes from a caravan park remember to factor in the cost of the kids staying.

Easter and some web site suggestions.

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:26:00 GMT

Well, Easter is fast approaching and we are filling up quickly. If you are looking to stay with us over this period you will need to book very soon or you will miss out.
We are a very large park and Easter and the Christmas period are usually the only times we book out completely.
But as usual we will endeavour to fit everyone in that we possibly can.

Web sites suggestions.

If you use a caravan in your travels I suggest you join the following site. http://caravanersforum.com This is a very useful site that is run by caravaners and has a great knowledge base of well informed members from all over the country.

If camping is your thing I suggest you look at http://www.campinginoz.com.au This is a great site I have discovered recently and is run by a man called Mark.
He has a passion for customer service (like myself) and even though his site is relatively new I can see that it will also be a great resource in the near future.
Please join his site as a member and help make it a truly great resource.

The advantage of both these sites is that they give unbiased advice and have very good forums.

Have a great holiday where ever you are and hope to see you soon.

Cheers,
Keith

Even more baby Brush Turkeys

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 13:21:00 GMT

We continue to discover new baby brush turkeys.
I estimate we have a dozen eggs that have hatched successfully. And they all seem to be surviving!

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has read, or commented on the various posts over the time I have been writing this blog.
I appreciate all comments and especially the compliments!

Regards,
Keith

Brush Turkey babies roaming the park

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:22:00 GMT

Hi everyone.
Good news on the Brush Turkey front!
We now have at least 8 baby brush turkeys making the tourist park their home! I saw the latest one on Wed 22nd Jan and I still find it amazing how self-sufficient they are from birth. For anyone who has stayed here during the last few weeks this is the reason the paths have been so messy. Even newly hatched their claws are a good size and they put them to very good use looking for food and spreading mulch all over the paths!
I have some video of them and as soon as I can edit the raw footage I will post them on our video page (see the link on our home page) and YouTube.
There is also a good chance you can see them on our webcam (see the link on our homepage).
Of the previous 7 babies I estimate that the oldest is only a few weeks old. And the newest one was possibly only hours old.
The babies have hatched in 3 to 4 batches, based on their size.
There are quite a few incubation mounds within the Tourist Park so who knows how many we will end up with!
Just a point about the natural predators of brush Turkey eggs, the Goanna. Before Christmas I was helping out with a hazard reduction burn in Lane Cove National Park and I saw a massive Goanna. I estimate it was at least 2 metres long from it's nose to the tip of it's tail. I have a few photos of it and as soon as I can I will organize our photo gallery so you can view them.
Luckily, we don't seem to have any Goannas within the Tourist Park but who knows when some might move in. Everyone else wants to visit us!
The photos of the large Goanna was taken a few kilometres away so our unhatched eggs should be safe from this beast for the moment.
One place to easily see a Goanna is to visit West Head lookout in Ku-ring- gai National Park. I was there a couple of weeks ago and two of these prehistoric beasts hang out there all the time.
The babies seem to have naturally migrated to the area between the office and the TV room (our rainforest habitat) and are also roosting in the trees there. Yes, they can fly very early on as well!.
During the evenings you can see them as dark blobs sitting high in the branches. If you get the timing right (when it's dark on the ground but light in the sky still) you can help by counting them for us. Because I'm sure there will be more!
Again, this is proof of the wonderful job all the staff are doing to make our Tourist Park the number one place to stay in Sydney for an eco friendly experience.
Rest assured we will never rest on our laurels and we will continue to constantly strive to make your experience here a wonderful one.

I have included a couple of links here if you wish to find out more about brush turkeys. http://www.austmus.gov.au/factsheets/brush_turkey.htm and
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/plantsanimals/AustralianBrushTurkey.htm

Best wishes,
Keith

NSW Tourism Awards Wins

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 10:16:00 GMT

LCRTP Wins Gold, Gold

Our park was announced as the winner of the NSW Tourism Award for Best Caravan and Tourist Park, as well as winning the inaugural QANTAS Award for Excellence in Sustainable Tourism.

Both wins consolodate our reputation as Sydney's leading Eco Tourist Park. Winning these awards automatically puts us in the running for a National Award. National Awards will be announced on February 27, 2009 in Melbourne.

It's Gold for LCRTP - NSW Tourism Awards

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 05:30:00 GMT

On Thursday 20th November at The Star City Casino Ballroom, winners of the NSW Tourism Awards were announced. The NSW Tourism Awards celebrate and recognise leaders in the NSW tourism industry.

LCRTP was a finalist in 2 awards - Best Caravan or Tourist Park Category, and the inaugural QANTAS Award for Excellence in Sustainable Tourism.

There were seven finalists in the caravan/tourist park category from all over NSW - LCRTP won the Gold Award and was announced as the best in NSW for the second year running.

The QANTAS Award recognises tourism ventures that excel at delivering a sustainable product or service. It was a great honour to be announced as the winner of this prestigious award, and we are all over the moon that the hard work and dedication to the environment and all we do to limit our impact on the environment has been recognised by our industry.

Opening date for new 'Banksia' camping area

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 02:49:00 GMT

Hi Everyone.
We now have a release date for the new camping area I have mentioned previously.
From Tuesday, 23rd December 2008 we will be making this area available for camping and campervans. But we will NOT be taking advance bookings.
Anyone who wishes to stay with us in this new area will need to call in or at least telephone (02 9888 9133) us on the day to see how much room we have. I fully expect us to be extremely busy on the 23rd with all the lost souls who did not plan far enough ahead!
As in previous years we will accommodate as many people as possible so it is always worth giving us a call to see if we can fit you in. Even on New Year's Eve!
Regards, Keith

Breaking News!!

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 05:01:00 GMT

NEW RESIDENT WILDLIFE IN THE TOURIST PARK!
At least two Brush Turkeys have recently taken up residence in the park. There is a male and at least one female and they are currently building a large nest. More information ion our Feedback & Blog page.
Keep checking back for the latest news & photos!

Brush Turkeys have moved into the Tourist Park!

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:04:00 GMT

I must apologize for the delay in updating this page but things have been been hectic at times lately.
I mentioned before that I was trying to get our young American intern to give us all a prospective of his experiences since he arrived in Australia and I am happy to say that he has something very nearly prepared for us.
I will be able to share this within a few days I hope.

Now, the heading of this new post is a very interesting one. A few weeks ago it was discovered that a Brush Turkey had moved in! I was fortunate enough to be one of the staff to view it early on. But it was one of our guests who had seen it first of course.
There were actually two and they were seen early on around one of the camping areas but have now been seen all over the park.
They have even been seen on our webcam which is great news because we now have some highlights for anyone that views the webcam during the day. As well as the night of course. So if anyone gets the chance to look at the Video/live feeds page (see our home page for the link) there is a good chance of seeing some of our wildlife in action! The best time to view the webcam is soon after dark. A very good chance of seeing a possum. Tonight Liz(our wildlife expert) and I were very lucky to see a bandicoot feeding. And the bandicoot had a number of young in her pouch! Liz told me there could have been up to four little ones in the pouch!
I took some great photos and I will post them on the website as soon as I can. Stay tuned!

I have plenty more to tell you about our Brush Turkeys, including some interesting photos and video I have taken, when I get a bit more time but suffice to say: we have a breeding pair of Brush Turkeys preparing a nest within the Tourist Park.
So anyone visiting us over the next few months is sure to see some wonderful sights.

I hope to see you all soon,
Keith

SWIMMING POOL IS NOW OPEN!

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:41:00 GMT

Hi. Well the swimming pool is now open to guests, and the ducks! But I imagine the water is still very cold!
We have our first brood of ducklings being taught to swim already and when I saw the mother and father duck leading them to the pool last week the ducklings were only a few days old at the most.
There were seven cute little ducklings and it is a delight to watch the ducklings as they are encouraged by the parents to enter the water.
The pool was quite popular during the week leading up to the October long weekend due to some very hot days but the ducks didn't care. They just went about their business as usual. As of Friday night the 3rd of October, all the ducklings were still healthy.
If anyone has ever seen ducklings being led somewhere by their parents they will agree with me when I say how cute it is.
It reminds me of a phone call we received last summer from a concerned local resident. We were told there was a group of ducks with their young crossing Mona Vale Road! Mona Vale Road is a very busy road of six lanes and the traffic usually flows at a high speed.
Don't worry, there weren't any accidents and all the ducks survived intact. But it is another example of how the local wildlife has to cope with their changing environment.
We have a young intern from the United States working with us for a few months and i'm hoping to pursuade him to write an article for the blog about his experiences. Keep an eye out for his 'view' of the park and Sydney.
Remember: we can't change the past, but we can influence the future. Regards, Keith

Lane Cove River Caravan Tourist Park Sydney, Camping, tent, campervan, caravans sites NSW Sydney

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 06:42:00 GMT

This item has no description. Follow link to view item.

WEBCAM is now 'live'

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 23:20:00 GMT

The webcam is now viewable from the video/live feeds link on our home page.
I only have it as a link for the moment but it is still fun to watch! During the night Bandicoots are regular visitors as well as Brush Tail Possums. And during the day you might be lucky enough to see a pair of human legs! (Camera is now set close to the ground).

Just a tip for anyone who views the camera.
When you reach the link page, you will see a menu at the top. I have been told you will generally get a better experience if you change the menu item from Javascript to Java Pull and then click 'apply'. It means the picture won't be constantly refreshing and you will have a static picture for about 10 seconds. If it doesn't reload correctly just hit refresh on your browser.
I've been getting a lot of enjoyment from the camera and would be very interested in any feedback.
If you wish to email me I would happy to hear from you. You can email me at lccp@environment.nsw.gov.au Please put attention Keith in the subject line.
Regards,
Keith

Christmas & New Year Bookings

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:48:00 GMT

Hi again!
If you are looking to stay with us over the Christmas and New Year period you will need to need to make a booking quickly.
All the cabins are booked but we still have caravan sites and camper van sites available.
Powered tent sites have also all been booked but we do have unpowered sites available. All these sites are close to a camp kitchen of course.
We will also have sites available in the new Banksia unpowered camping area. We aren't taking bookings for this area just at the moment though.
If you are trying to book online for this period and the dates you require are not available, please ring us to check to see if we can fit you in. As some of you already know we will do our very best to accomodate everyone who wants to stay with us.
December/January is a very exciting time of the year for us and the more the merrier we say!
Everyone will still have plenty of room because we want you all to come back next year. Or, at least tell your friends how good it was to stay here!:)

WEB CAMERA.
Finally, the web camera has arrived and it's set up in it's location. It is not operating 'live' just at the moment as I need some assistance to link it properly to our website. I'm able to view it personally and I have already been rewarded with views of bandicoots and possums! My apologies for the delay but please stay tuned.

WORKS UPDATE.
The Park is looking much better than a few weeks ago and the major pipe works are completed except for some minor clearing up.
The amenities block refurbishment near the office is moving along nicely.
We had some warm days last week which has helped with all the new grass that has been laid recently.

Unfortunately, winter hadn't quite finished with us yet and we are in the middle of a cold snap.
Having lived in Sydney all my life I expect the current weather to be the last before the consistant warmer weather starts.
So we can all look forward to magnificent Sydney in Spring within a couple of weeks.

Hope to see you all soon,
Keith

Lane Cove River Tourist Park. Also known as LCRTP

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:21:00 GMT

Hi Everyone. And welcome to Lane Cove River Tourist Park's blog.

I will be updating this as often as I can with news about LCRTP and also about upcoming events in the park and around Sydney.
First of all I would like to remind any of our overseas visitors and potential guests that it will be New Years Eve again soon.
Anyone who has been to Sydney previously for New Years Eve celebrations will already understand and appreciate the attractions of Australia's biggest city, especially at this time of year.
There are plenty of vantage points to watch the amazing firework shows and the atmosphere is always a happy and carefree one. So please book early if you are coming to visit us!

News about The Park.
Good news for campers! We are in the process of establishing a new lush grassed area dedicated to camping. It will be a slightly different layout to our current open camp area at the edge of the main part of the National Park. The new area will not have designated or numbered sites so it is truly an open camping area. It's close to amenities block 3 and will have a simple camp kitchen with running water and group power outlets.

A question we would like some feedback on from all campers is whether you would utilise lockers if they were located outside the amenities block.

We have a couple of other major works projects happening at the moment.
The amenities block closest to reception has been gutted and the re-fit started Monday 11 th August. This is expected to take 4 weeks and is long overdue.
The other major project at the moment is the replacement of the main water pipe that surrounds the Tourist park. The original pipes are the old galvanised pipe style and were at least 40 years old (possibly up to 65 years). We expect this to be finished in a few weeks time as well.
I am currently waiting for a web cam to be delivered that will enable us to feed a live link to our web site. The camera will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is designed to catch views of the nocturnal animals within the park. I hope to have it operating during the next few days.
I know our guests may think I live in the park all the time myself but I do go home occasionally so any sightings of our friends would be greatly appreciated!
Keep watching this space for further news about the web cam. If it proves popular I hope to persuade Andrew Daff (The Manager here) to let me buy more cameras to cover more of the park.
The cameras will always be placed in areas that focus on the natural habitat, not public areas.
Thanks for reading and I welcome ALL contributions and suggestions. After all, our establishment is designed for you, the guests, and that will always be the focus of everyone who works here.

Best wishes and happy travelling,

Keith

WATER PIPE AND RELATED WORKS UPDATE

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 22:56:00 GMT

Everyone at the the Tourist Park would like to take this opportunity to thank all our guests for their patience while all the current work is going on.
We expect the pipe works to be finished shortly and the level of disruption to be reduced significantly.
This will only leave the refurbishment of amenities 2 as the only major work being carried out.
But as any regular visitor would know, there is always something we are doing to improve your experience when you visit us.
Other less disruptive work being planned, or has already been commenced, include the following:
An access track to link the Children's playground area with amenities one (the Northern end), including the establishment of a new garden to the south of this track.
More solar stations & finalization of the new Banksia camping area on the western side of the park.
Stay tuned!
Regards, Keith

How To Get Here with comprehensive directions

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 04:00:00 GMT

This item has no description. Follow link to view item.