The Busselton Caravan and Camping Show is a two-day September caravan show at Churchill Park in Busselton, Western Australia 13. Its organiser called the first one, on 21 and 22 September 2024, the inaugural Busselton Caravan and Camping Show 1.

When this post first appeared, that show had not opened yet. This refreshed version reports what happened at the first show and what has been announced and held since, then covers what the state's consumer and transport agencies want buyers to check before they sign for a van at any show.

How the inaugural Busselton Caravan and Camping Show began

The show is run by the state's caravan and camping industry body. It was formed and incorporated in 1961 as a not-for-profit association, became the Caravan Industry Association Western Australia Incorporated in 2006, and changed its name again in 2024 to Caravan & Camping Western Australia 2. Today it describes itself as the peak caravan and camping industry body for Western Australia 3.

The association also runs the Perth Caravan & Camping Show, and its page for the 2024 Perth show told visitors that the inaugural Busselton Caravan & Camping Show was scheduled for 21 and 22 September 2024 1. Ahead of the opening, the organisers told the Busselton Mail that the show had been developed after strong demand from consumers and the industry for a regional exhibition 6.

The paper gave the venue as Churchill Park, with the show open from 9 am to 4 pm on both days 6. The City of Busselton's mayor told it that, with Busselton recently named the state's top tourism town, there was no better place to hold the regional event 6.

How the first show went

The first show was a success by the organiser's own measure. The Busselton Dunsborough Times reported that more than 11,000 people came to Churchill Park and that the turnout was bigger than any regional caravan and camping show the association had organised 8. The association gave the Busselton Mail a figure of 11,000 attendees and called it the highest visitor turnout for a regional show it had run 7.

The timing helped. The paper noted that the show weekend coincided with the King's Birthday long weekend, so holiday visitors joined the locals at the gates 7. Exhibitors seemed pleased as well: a caravan dealer's representative told the Times that the weekend had exceeded their expectations, and a holiday resort's representative said they had seen both locals and travellers while exhibiting 8.

By the end of the weekend the organiser was already looking ahead. Its chief executive told both papers that the association looked forward to the show returning to Busselton the following September 87.

The shows since, and the next one

The show did come back. A second Busselton Caravan and Camping Show was set down for Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 September 2025 at Churchill Park, from 9 am to 4 pm each day, according to the WA Parks Foundation's events listing 9. No crowd figure for that weekend was found in the sources checked for this post.

The 2026 show was held on 19 and 20 September, again at Churchill Park 34. For that show Caravan & Camping WA paid for general admission, so entry was free, but tickets were limited and registration was essential 10. The Shire of Capel's listing promised "the latest caravans, campers and outdoor gear" as well as "expert advice, demonstrations, entertainment and family fun" 10. The organiser's Busselton page now says the 2026 show has concluded 4.

That page points visitors to the association's next event instead: the Perth Caravan & Camping Show, which the organiser lists for 18 to 21 March 2027 45. It gave no date for a 2027 Busselton show when it was read on 29 October 2026, so check the organiser's own site before you plan a trip around one 4.

If you do travel down for a future show, book your site early and pack your patience for a busy park. Our caravan park etiquette guide covers quiet hours and the other rules parks set, and our list of bucket-list caravan trips has ideas for the long way home.

Before you sign for a van at a show

A show is a good place to compare vans and a tempting place to buy one. Before the pen comes out, know where you stand under consumer law in Western Australia.

Consumer Protection WA says there is no cooling-off period in WA for RV purchases: once you have signed a contract at a dealership or paid a private seller, you are committed to the sale 11. Treat a show stand the way you would treat a dealership's office, and read the whole contract before you sign it.

The Australian Consumer Law guarantees apply when you buy from a licensed dealer, just as they do when you buy a car, but you have none of those guarantees when you buy from a private seller 11. Dealers must use a standard sales contract 11. Any accessories or upgrades you agree on should be written into that contract, not left to a handshake at the stand 11. Because RVs have extra features, the same page also tells buyers to make sure everything works and nothing is missing before they drive away 11.

If you buy privately instead, Consumer Protection WA suggests an inspection by a licensed mechanic before you pay, along with two checks: a PPSR search and a registration check with the Department of Transport 11. It also warns that if you do not follow your vehicle's towing limits, you could lose your consumer guarantees and void your insurance 11. Its caravan and towing advice is short enough to read on your phone between stands.

Check the weights before you agree a price

The best time to settle whether your vehicle can tow a van is before you fall for it. The Department of Transport's Safe Towing Guide tells anyone buying a trailer or caravan to think carefully about the vehicle's towing rating and its mass limits before the purchase 12. Those ratings are in the vehicle manufacturer's handbook, and the towing rating has two parts, a trailer weight capacity and a ball weight capacity, neither of which may be exceeded 12. A bigger tow bar does not raise the limit either: if the bar fitted is rated above what the vehicle's maker approved for that model, the lower of the two figures is the towing capacity 12.

Two more lines in the guide catch buyers out. The gross combination mass, the most the vehicle and van may weigh together, can be less than the vehicle's GVM and its towing capacity added up, so a fully loaded vehicle may not be able to tow its full rated weight 12. And the guide warns that "safety, insurance and warranty may be affected" if a van's payload is exceeded 12. The guide itself is written for single and tandem trailers and caravans under 4,500 kg ATM towed on a rigid drawbar 12.

The weights on a compliance plate

The guide's definitions are the ones to keep in mind when you read the compliance plate on a show van:

  • ATM is the maximum the loaded van may weigh, as the manufacturer specifies it, and it equals the GTM plus the tow hitch download 12.
  • GTM is the weight that goes to the ground through the van's own tyres when it is coupled up and carrying its maximum load 12.
  • Payload is the ATM minus the tare, and the guide says it must not be exceeded under any circumstances 12.
  • Tow hitch download, the weight on the tow ball, should be about 8 to 10 per cent of the ATM as a guide, up to the tow bar's own limit 12.

Brakes and safety chains

The guide's rules step up with weight. A vehicle's unbraked towing capacity can never be more than 750 kg, even if its maker quotes a higher figure 12. Every trailer of 750 kg GTM or more must have brakes unless the department approves otherwise, and every trailer over 2,000 kg GTM needs brakes on all wheels that come on by themselves if it breaks away 12. Safety chains must always be used, with at least one on a trailer under 2,500 kg ATM and two on a trailer over 2,500 kg and up to 3,500 kg 12.

On Caravan Domain, the tow match tool lets you enter your vehicle's braked towing capacity and tow ball limit, then shows the vans whose ATM sits within them. If the numbers are tight, compare pop top caravans and camper trailers by the ATM on their plates before you commit.

Questions to take to the next show

A day at a show can blur into one long row of vans by mid-afternoon. A short list of questions, written down before you arrive, keeps each stand honest and makes the vans easier to compare later:

  • What do the tare and the ATM on this van's plate say, and how much payload does that leave for water, LPG and gear?
  • What weight does this van put on the tow ball when it is loaded the way you plan to travel?
  • Which of the fittings in the display van are extras, and will each one be written into the contract?
  • Who does warranty work in your area once you have towed the van home?
  • What deposit is asked for, and what happens to it if the build or delivery is delayed?

Shows are not the only place to compare. You can browse caravans for sale from private sellers and caravan dealers at your own pace, run the repayments through the caravan loan calculator before you talk finance on a stand, and sell your current caravan when you are ready to upgrade.

Sources

  1. Caravan & Camping WA, Perth Caravan & Camping Show 2024, accessed 29 October 2026
  2. Caravan & Camping WA, Our History, accessed 29 October 2026
  3. Caravan & Camping WA, Caravan & Camping Western Australia, accessed 29 October 2026
  4. Caravan & Camping WA, Busselton Caravan & Camping Show, accessed 29 October 2026
  5. Caravan & Camping WA, Perth Caravan & Camping Show, accessed 29 October 2026
  6. Busselton Mail, Caravan & Camping Show on the way to Busselton, accessed 29 October 2026
  7. Busselton Mail, Record numbers for first Busselton Caravan & Camping Show, accessed 29 October 2026
  8. Busselton Dunsborough Times, First Busselton Caravan & Camping show breaks regional WA records, accessed 29 October 2026
  9. WA Parks Foundation, Explore: Busselton Caravan and Camping Show, accessed 29 October 2026
  10. Shire of Capel, Busselton Caravan & Camping Show, accessed 29 October 2026
  11. Consumer Protection, Government of Western Australia, Caravan and towing, accessed 29 October 2026
  12. Department of Transport, Western Australia, Safe Towing Guide, accessed 29 October 2026