Community & Business
13 July, 2022
Christmas returns with nomads
MAREEBA’S Davies Park will be filled to the brim as hundreds of caravans and motor homes from all corners of Australia flock to Mareeba for the annual Christmas in July celebrations next week.
Christmas in July will run from Thursday 21 July, through to Sunday 24 July and is open to members of the Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia (CMCA).
Non-members will be able to enjoy a market day on Sunday for a gold coin donation, with the money raised going towards the Mayor’s Christmas Appeal and the local SES.
Nomads from across Australia participate in Christmas in July, with many using Mareeba as a home base as they explore the far north, injecting funds into local businesses like cafes, mechanics, tyre shops and more.
Mareeba’s Maureen and Des Lane from the Far North Nomads are the organisers of Christmas in July and are excited to welcome travellers to Davies Park for this year's event.
“We can’t really say how many are going to be there because we don’t have bookings, but we are hopeful it will be similar to last year which is hopefully over 200 motorhomes,” Maureen said.
“The benefit to Mareeba is all the extra RVs, motorhomes and caravans that are happy to leave their dollars in our town.
“They are around here now and some of them are here for months, they base themselves here and go to Chillagoe, Cooktown, Irvinebank and more – it is a growth spurt for our shire”
There will be live music, games, market stalls, food, raffles and more to be enjoyed during the event, culminating in a Christmas dinner on Saturday night.
Mareeba Chamber of Commerce president Joe Moro said the visiting nomads spend a lot of time in Mareeba both in the lead up to and after Christmas in July.
“Having the grey nomads in Mareeba brings a lot of money into the community and a lot of that is concentrated around Christmas in July,” he said.
“The grey nomads are here for a long period of time, they don’t just stick around for the event, they also come earlier and stay around a lot later.
“We really love the grey nomads coming through Mareeba and Christmas in July just concentrates them here.”
