Gunnedah has become a home away from home for Paul and Anita Flynn.
The Gold Coast pair have set-up their motor home in the showground for an eight-week stint as they prepare for the 33rd CMCA National Rally from October 6-13.
The Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia (CMCA) rally will draw 700 motor homes from around Australia to the Gunnedah Showground complex for eight days of tours, entertainment and catching up.
The Flynns have already been in town for a month and have set-up office in the wool pavilion to organise stock from local businesses, chase up sponsorship, oversee logistics and lock down details for tours.
“You’ve got to be the face behind the event,” Mr Flynn said.
Gunnedah was chosen for the annual event because it is a an RV-friendly town but the rally manager said people had questioned whether it should go ahead because of the drought conditions.
“The drought has affected a lot of people’s decisions [to attend],” he said.
The couple said the cost of diesel was another factor in reducing numbers.
“The days of 1000 motor homes are gone with the cost of travel,” Mr Flynn said.
The rally has been 12 months in the planning with the official handover of the grounds to take place on September 27 and the arrival of equipment including power leads and a three-kilometre water pipe.
"Just everything you need to build a small city,” Mr Flynn said.
The focus of the following week will be the full set-up, which includes a 65m by 25m marquee inside the show ring.
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Almost 250 volunteers will flock to the complex by October 2 and the gates will open for caravanners by the 5th.
The rally could generate more than $2 million in revenue for Gunnedah’s economy, based on spending from the 2013 CMCA rally in Narrabri.
The Flynns first visited Gunnedah in late 2017 and said they were impressed by the town.
