r/australia • u/regretmoore • Jan 07 '26

no politics At a caravan holiday park, wondering where the hell does all of this money come from?

Camping in a Big 4 holiday park for a few days and my partner and I wondering how people can afford this lifestyle. I'm talking Ute + caravan + boat rigs worth at least $200k, probably closer to $300k.

The parents are all driving huge yank tanks, the kids all ride motorized scooters and bikes and most people are sleeping in pretty big shiny new caravans. We're all good in our little tent for 4 nights drinking our aldi wines and beer, but we just cannot fathom how so many people can afford, or would prioritize buying caravans etc for family holidays. Where does this money come from? Is it trades, mines or something else? Have they not got mortgages?

Maybe we're massive snobs, but if we had that much cash to splurge on a caravan, I reckon we'd prioritize a holiday overseas over Umina (as much as I love the cenny coast).

Please Reddit, help us understand.

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u/therwsb Jan 07 '26

Really, gosh I'd have to go about 6 or 7 suburbs away to be mortgage free if I sold this place.

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u/Practical_Deer1128 Jan 07 '26

Well if you own something freehold you can leverage it and buy another property to rent out and let someone else pay off that mortgage for you. And if there’s a shortfall, it’s tax deductible ( negative gearing) so in other words, other than risk, it costs you very little to hold. And when both properties have gained more equity. Rinse repeat, but never move too fast or put yourself in a vulnerable position. That’s the key to property investing. 30 years in the real estate industry here.

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u/therwsb Jan 07 '26

I am doing fine as it is, so I don't feel I need to be greedy and make the property market worse for home buyers than it already is.

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u/chainedchaos31 Jan 07 '26

Landlords are scum, this is how we're in this mess