Australian farmers are cashing in from the growth in domestic tourism by letting their land to campers through Hipcamp, an online resource for unique outdoor stays.
According to a report, Hipcamp has witnessed an increase in the number of landowners who offer their property to private campers by a third over the last 18 months, to over 2,000. The vast majority are farms or hobby farms, or even lifestyle blocks.
The number of registered campers on Hipcamp has doubled to over 150,000, and collectively made 4.2 million searches and spent more than 140,000 nights at a Hipcamp host’s property in 2021, a 60% rise over the previous year.
Hipcamp Spokesperson James Jooste said the trend of domestic travel was only going to grow in the coming years, as COVID-related question marks hang over international holidays.
“What we are seeing as a rebound out of COVID is more campers than ever wanting to get away from the city, get away from their screens, get away from their phones, and completely unplug in the outdoors,” Jooste said.
On average, Hipcamp hosts earn around AU$10,000 per year, with some making more than six figures.
“It depended on how much effort landholders put into their site – could be simple as a nice spot set aside for self-contained camper vans,” Jooste said.
Some of the properties listed on Hipcamp also provide unique agritourism activities like buying fresh eggs, livestock feeding, permaculture, organic farming workshops, and horse riding.
“We find that farmers often make the best tour guides because they know and love their local area, and they’re passionate about sharing it,” Jooste said.
Lucy Shepherd has used Hipcamp in the past year, with hundreds of people visiting her property near Eungai on the NSW North Coast.
“It’s been absolutely awesome. It attracts the right sort of clientele who want to be out in nature,” Shepherd said.
“Hipcamp takes much of the workload, and they deal with the money, booking, cancellations, insurance. That gives you the platform just to be the host.”
“If someone hasn’t run a business before, having someone there to coordinate you and holding your hand is a really good setup,” Shepherd ended.