At some stage on your RV journey, you will no doubt find yourself needing to stay in a caravan park. Many caravan parks in Australia belong to a network or chain of parks that offer Caravan Park Membership rewards. This means you get a discount on your stay and often, extra perks for being a loyal member.
But how do you know which caravan park membership to choose? Which one gives you the most discounts or offers the best benefits? In this article, we take a look at some of the caravan park memberships in Australia and compare them.
G’Day Rewards caravan park membership
G’Day Rewards is the rewards program for both Discovery Parks and G’Day Parks (formerly Top Parks), both of which are owned by G’Day Group Holdings. With approximately 300 holiday parks across Australia between them, they are the largest chain in Australia, with parks in every state. Membership costs $50 for two years representing excellent value for money.
G’day Rewards member benefits include:
There are three levels of benefits, with the next level kicking in after a certain number of stays throughout the year. Everyone starts at the ‘Mate’ tier when they first join, and as you can see from the screenshot below, the benefits get pretty good the more you stay.
Reflections Holiday Parks membership
The Outsiders Club is the caravan park membership for Reflections Holiday Parks. With 40 locations spread across New South Wales, the majority of their parks are pet-friendly. Reflections Holiday Parks has a different business model in that it’s a ‘Certified Social Enterprise’. What this means is that it reinvests profits into public nature reserves, community facilities, and local culture that it’s keen to protect. As a result, you’ll often find Reflections Holiday Parks in fantastic nature-based locations.
They promise that for every holiday booking made, they’ll sponsor the release of threatened native fish into NSW waterways to help bring those little guys back. Membership to the Outsiders Club is free, so it’s worth getting even if you don’t use it very much.
Benefits of Reflections Holiday Parks’ Outsiders Club include (from 1st of April 2024):
Big4 Holiday Parks caravan park membership
Big4 Holiday Perks+ is the membership for Big4 Holiday Parks, one of the best-known caravan park chains in Australia. They’re known for catering to families with jumping pillows, swimming pools with slides, and some even have restaurants. There are over 250 Australia-wide and they operate as a franchise with each park individually owned and operated, some by families and others by corporations. The Big4 Holiday Perks+ membership costs $50 for two years.
Benefit of the Big4 Holiday Perks+ club include:
Kui Parks caravan park membership
Kui Parks Loyalty Membership is the caravan park membership for Kui Parks, a growing network of clean, value-for-money holiday parks around Australia. With over 60 parks in their network, you can now find a Kui Park in every state and will often find them in smaller towns and communities.
Kui Parks tend to be smaller, owner-run parks that are generally cheaper than the likes of Big4. They market to the adventure traveller and grey nomads, leaving the other parks to focus on families and being destination parks. That’s not to say families can’t stay here, they just don’t have all the whiz-bang playground stuff that some of the others do. Kui Parks caravan park loyalty membership cost $40 for two years.
Benefits of joining the Kui Parks Loyalty membership include:
NRMA Parks & Resorts membership
My NRMA is the caravan park loyalty program for NRMA Parks and Resorts. Found in over 40 locations across Australia, My NRMA is a fairly new loyalty program. If you have NRMA Blue or roadside assistance, including Everyday Care, Complete Care and Ultimate Care, you’re automatically a My NRMA member. If you’re not and don’t want NRMA roadside, you can still join for $60 per year.
Member benefits of My NRMA include:
CMCA membership
The CMCA is the Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia (you can still join if you tow a caravan), and with over 60,000 members, are the largest RV club in the southern hemisphere. They’re not actually a caravan park chain but its membership offers similar benefits plus more.
The cost of membership depends on the type of RV you have. Ordinary membership is $60 per year with an additional one-off joining fee of $25, bringing the total to $85 to join for the first year. Ordinary membership covers 5th wheelers, buses or coaches, campervans, motorhomes or slide-ons. Associate membership costs $55 per year with an additional one-off joining fee of $25 (for a total of $80 in the first year) and is for those with a camper trailer, caravan, other passenger vehicle or no vehicle.
The Wanderer monthly magazine, which is exclusive to CMCA members, is included as a digital copy with your membership. However, if you would like a hardcopy posted to you every month, this will cost an additional $24 per annum.
Member benefits of joining the CMCA include:
Family Parks Travel Rewards
Family Parks Travel Rewards is the caravan park membership for Family Parks, a suite of caravan parks across Australia, New Zealand and the UK, with around 26 parks in Australia and growing. The standard Family Parks Travel Rewards membership is $40 per year.
Family Parks Travel Rewards benefits include:
TAWK membership
TAWK membership is a membership benefit from Travelling Australia With Kids. Like the CMCA mentioned earlier, TAWK is not a caravan park chain but rather a group who have negotiated discounts with over 100 caravan parks across Australia. TAWK membership costs $40 to join as a one-off fee.
Benefits of becoming a TAWK member include:
Table of caravan park membership benefits
| Caravan Park/Club | Membership Program | Cost | Perks | Number of Parks | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G’Day Parks & Discovery Parks | G’Day Rewards | $50 for 2 years | * 10% discount * Partner discounts * More benefits the more you stay | 350+ | All |
| Reflections Holiday Parks | The Outsiders Club | Free | * $25 credit upon joining * $25 credit per 7-night stay * $25 credit for each new park you stay at * Member-only benefits & special offers * Stay at least 100 nights across 20 different Reflections in a calendar year and you will earn a massive Ticket to Tour prize, a guest credit equal to the amount you spent to get it | 40 | NSW |
| Big4 | Big4 Holiday Perks+ | $50 for 2 years | * 10% on your stays up to $50 * Exclusive partner offers * Savings on attractions and activities * Exclusive in-park perks like free WiFi and late check-out * Member-only deals * Unlock more benefits by spending $4,000 within two years and staying with at least two parks | 250+ | All states |
| Kui Parks | Kui Parks Loyalty Membership | $40 for 2 years | * 10% discount up to a maximum of $40 per stay * Exclusive member savings * Dedicated member section on the website | 60+ | All states |
| NRMA Holiday Parks | My NRMA | $60 per year | * 10% off the standard rate (capped at $60) * 5% off sales rates year-round * Discounts on fuel, groceries, activities, insurance and more * Members flexible cancellation * Stay four and pay for three | 40+ | QLD, SA, NSW, VIC, Tas |
| CMCA | CMCA | $60 per year | * Access to free and low-cost campgrounds * Monthly digital magazine * Exclusive member discounts * Exclusive access to GeoWiki X | 12 CMCA RV Parks & over 250 discounted partner stays | All states |
| Family Parks | Family Parks Travel Rewards | $40 per year | * 10% off your stay in Australia and New Zealand (up to $20 on sites and $40 in cabins) * Discounts and deals while you travel with their rewards partners * Third night free voucher | 26+ | All states except WA |
| TAWK | TAWK Membership | $40 one-off fee | * Two nights free camping for TAWK member’s kids * Pay once and enjoy benefits for life * Discount at TAWK product and services supporters | 100+ partners | All states |
So which caravan park membership is the best?
This is one of those cases where it boils down to which one is best for you. Why? Because at the end of the day, what pleases one in a caravan park chain (such as pools and slides) may just get on another traveller’s nerves. Grey Nomads with no need for jumping pillows and slides may choose a KUI Park, whereas those with young kids may prefer a Big4.
Also, consider other discounts available (CMCA and NRMA have many) and the location of the parks themselves. For example, G’Day Group has caravan parks all over Australia, whereas Reflections Holiday Parks—although its caravan parks are in some of the best locations in NSW—are confined to NSW.
I say go with the chain of caravan parks that best suits your needs and travel style.
