There are an estimated 1,825 caravan and tourist parks spread throughout Australia. Collectively they are the second largest provider of short term accommodation (19.7%) after motels (37.6%) (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2004). These caravan and tourist parks vary in scale, complexity and level of service provision; much like other sectors of the accommodation industry. However, while there has been ongoing interest, expansion and upgrading of caravan and tourist parks throughout Australia, particularly along the Pacific Coast, there has been relatively little attention paid to caravanning (and caravan parks) as social phenomenon and even less in terms of their business dimensions. Partly this is a consequence of the dispersed nature of the industry but also a reflection of its perceived status within the overall accommodation sector.