Gone are the days when families would drive through national parks to verify campsite availability in the hopes of pitching their tents and waiting for the park rangers to show up.
Due to COVID-19, online bookings have been required for camping on National Park campsites. Still, the new booking system has come in useful given how hectic the holiday season has become.
National Parks Team Leader of Customer Experience for the South Coast Branch Jo Issaverdis noted that visitors are booking further in advance than in previous years.
“We always say book in advance, but even now, everything is almost fully booked out through the Sapphire Coast. In fact, you’ll find that trend across the rest of NSW coasts,” Issaverdis said.
“I think everyone was ready to get out and make sure that they could have a great holiday after being in lockdown for so long.”
Issaverdis expressed that they were getting bookings as early as October for the Christmas holiday. This showed people’s enthusiasm to get back into nature during the summer months.
“As soon as people started to realize that they were going to be able to travel, we started to really see things ramp up,” she added.
The same was true for regulars, who also made reservations in advance.
“Usually people come back year after year, and we do find that they rebook popular campsites, but this year people were really booking in advance,” Issaverdis said.
The team leader suggests that families and individuals who wish to go camping during the summer season check for availabilities in advance through their online booking system at www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au.
For campers who prefer pitching their tents during the slower season, she suggests that they consider booking their tents between January and February.
“Most locals like to sort of bunker down and stay put usually through the summer period, but for those who want to travel with a bit more peace and quiet, we definitely would recommend they come in February,” she ended.