The days of staying up until the wee hours to book a Ningaloo campsite are over, with a new booking system being trialled.
The Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) has begun taking Ningaloo bookings in monthly blocks up to six months in advance. Bookings open at 10am (AWST) on the first Tuesday of the month. Previously, bookings through the Park Stay WA website opened 180 days in advance from midnight. For RVers booking from the eastern seaboard, this meant staying up until as late as 3am to nab a coveted spot at one of 26 campgrounds on the Ningaloo Coast.
The DBCA says the new system will be fairer and help reduce the “very high rate” of cancellations at Ningaloo campgrounds by shortening the advance-booking period.
“Competition is fierce and we often receive feedback from people disappointed after missing out,” the Park Stay website says. “This trial aims to test one aspect of a strategy to give everyone a fairer chance to secure a booking, by addressing booking and cancellation behaviour that is being used to gain an unfair advantage in securing campground bookings.”
Launched in February, the trial applies to three campground areas – Cape Range National Park, Nyinggulara National Park (formerly Ningaloo Station) and Warroora Coast Nyinggulu Coastal Reserves.
