Queensland is the most natural disaster impacted state in Australia, so it is important to be aware of the different weather conditions wherever you travel during your caravan holiday. Check in with the local council for information on the area you are holidaying in, common natural disasters that occur and the community resilience plans in place should a severe weather warning or bushfire alert be issued.
When a severe weather warning is issued
It’s best to stay safe and avoid traveling during extreme weather conditions however, even while you’re not traveling, your holiday home on wheels may still be at risk. When a severe weather warning or bushfire alert is issued, take the following precautionary measures to keep your caravan safe or at least limit its damage.
Hover over the interactive dots below or expand the checklist to find out how.
Alternatively, the following checklist is also available in the Get Ready Queensland Protection while you are out and about booklet (PDF, 1.21MB) which is available to download.
When parking or relocating your caravan when severe weather warnings have been issued, ensure you park with the narrow end facing the wind, park out of the way of trees that might fall and be mindful of any areas that may flood during a storm.
Apply the brakes and chock the wheels.
Take your awning down as soon as possible.
If there are no anchor points, dig holes under your caravan wheel to increase wind resistance, sink posts of angle iron at the tyre corners. Caravan parks in high-wind areas usually provide ground anchor points. If there is an anchor point, you should tie down your chassis with either short lengths of strong chain and turnbuckles or sound rope of at least 9.5mm diameter. If there are no anchor points, you should use nylon rope or steel cable anchored at ground level and attached to the caravan chassis.
Tie down your roof - the most effective roof tie-down is a strong net firmly fixed at ground level and passing over the full length of the caravan.
Put all your equipment inside the caravan, including your annex, bikes, chairs, household items.
In addition, if storm surge or flood warnings are issued, unplug all electrical devices and place them on a higher level rather than on the floor to prevent them from getting wet, switch all gas supplies off.
Even if your caravan is securely tied down, you should seek other shelter when warned of approaching high winds.
When exploring the wilderness, be prepared for bushfires and wildfires. To protect your caravan from fire, install a smoke and carbon monoxide detector in your rig for an added safety measure and keep a fire extinguisher near the door inside the caravan.
When parking or relocating your caravan when severe weather warnings have been issued, ensure you park with the narrow end facing the wind, park out of the way of trees that might fall and be mindful of any areas that may flood during a storm.
Apply the brakes and chock the wheels.
Take your awning down as soon as possible.
If there are no anchor points, dig holes under your caravan wheel to increase wind resistance, sink posts of angle iron at the tyre corners. Caravan parks in high-wind areas usually provide ground anchor points. If there is an anchor point, you should tie down your chassis with either short lengths of strong chain and turnbuckles or sound rope of at least 9.5mm diameter. If there are no anchor points, you should use nylon rope or steel cable anchored at ground level and attached to the caravan chassis.
Tie down your roof - the most effective roof tie-down is a strong net firmly fixed at ground level and passing over the full length of the caravan.
Put all your equipment inside the caravan, including your annex, bikes, chairs, household items.
In addition, if storm surge or flood warnings are issued, unplug all electrical devices and place them on a higher level rather than on the floor to prevent them from getting wet, switch all gas supplies off.
Even if your caravan is securely tied down, you should seek other shelter when warned of approaching high winds.
When exploring the wilderness, be prepared for bushfires and wildfires. To protect your caravan from fire, install a smoke and carbon monoxide detector in your rig for an added safety measure and keep a fire extinguisher near the door inside the caravan.
When parking or relocating your caravan when severe weather warnings have been issued, ensure you park with the narrow end facing the wind, park out of the way of trees that might fall and be mindful of any areas that may flood during a storm.
Apply the brakes and chock the wheels.
Take your awning down as soon as possible.
If there are no anchor points, dig holes under your caravan wheel to increase wind resistance, sink posts of angle iron at the tyre corners. Caravan parks in high-wind areas usually provide ground anchor points. If there is an anchor point, you should tie down your chassis with either short lengths of strong chain and turnbuckles or sound rope of at least 9.5mm diameter. If there are no anchor points, you should use nylon rope or steel cable anchored at ground level and attached to the caravan chassis.
Tie down your roof - the most effective roof tie-down is a strong net firmly fixed at ground level and passing over the full length of the caravan.
Put all your equipment inside the caravan, including your annex, bikes, chairs, household items.
In addition, if storm surge or flood warnings are issued, unplug all electrical devices and place them on a higher level rather than on the floor to prevent them from getting wet, switch all gas supplies off.
Even if your caravan is securely tied down, you should seek other shelter when warned of approaching high winds.
When exploring the wilderness, be prepared for bushfires and wildfires. To protect your caravan from fire, install a smoke and carbon monoxide detector in your rig for an added safety measure and keep a fire extinguisher near the door inside the caravan.
Protecting your family and travelling companions
In addition to protecting your caravan, you also need to complete three steps before you leave home to protect your family and other travelling companions should you encounter a natural disaster on your holiday.
Get Ready in 3 steps:
Find out more and Get Ready
Check out these other pages and resources to help you Get Ready.
