We had informed the managers at Hidden Valley that we intended to stay long term before we arrived. This was to get the ball rolling early so we could settle as quickly as possible. On the day of our arrival however, it was one of the busiest times on the dry season calendar. This was for no particular reason but the caravan park was pretty much booked out. Since being at the park for a while, we have seen occupancy rates go up and down in waves and obviously we must have come in on a ripper. All of the permanent or long term sites were occupied and we were told there was a 'short' waiting list which we needed to go onto so, in the meantime, we were put in the short term tourist area. Steve and I had sussed out the park on google maps and realized that we were going to be parked in full sun which worried us a bit. I cheekily asked about shady sites and Adam the manager laughed and said that it would start getting cooler in the next week or so and we'd be happy to be in a sunny spot. They had given us the last drive through site available so it was quite big enough for the van and parking of two vehicles which was great despite the lack of shade. Once we were comfy, we had to make a decision what to unpack and what to keep until we were permanently settled. We didn't erect the annex but unpacked some of the girls toys for them to play with. We also had to put the reptiles outside so needed tables for that. We left the Subaru packed as well as the roof rack of the Landcruiser.
I made sure that we were put on the permanency list and we walked around the park to familiarize ourselves with the permanent sites. We really wanted to shift as quickly as possible because we were also paying the tourist rate which was quite expensive over a week. During that first week we asked regularly about more long term sites and after about a week, the managers offered us a choice of several sites that were NOT long term but were near the permanent areas in the park. We picked a shady and spacious site and on the Saturday morning, packed up and shifted the 200 or so metres to the other site. The girls rode in the van because they thought it would be fun and it wasn't far so we agreed. I think they wanted to know how the cats felt travelling in the van while it was moving. Our pack up was relatively simple as we hadn't unloaded much.
When we settled at site number 2, Steve decided to put up the gazebo's to give added shade and make us feel more at home. He also decided to put up the annex. After all we didn't know how long we were going to be there before shifting again. It became apparent that we'd been placed with a group of vans also waiting for permanent sites so it's like we were placed in the queue. We were told that sites would start becoming available because people who had settled here for work would start leaving to head south again. That appears to be the trend here. People, usually couples, migrate up here for work and head off travelling again after topping up the coffers a bit. Anyway over a couple of weeks, sites did become available but none were offered to us. We soon realized that the size of our van and the pets would determine where we were eventually settled. Having a bitumised site with gravel would be neater but those sites were tiny in comparison and no good for a dog and cats which like grassy or sandy spots.
Our continued education on permanent sites came from talking to different people around the park. A group of permanent sites along the side boundary of the park were pet zoned and had large yards behind them. We thought those would be great but soon discovered that the waiting list for those sites was longer and that many of the sites had large igloo structures over the vans to protect them from leaf fall and the weather. These structures were bought and sold to each new tenant at a cost of between $5000 to $9000 which was something we didn't want to do. It was a huge expense for a bit of pipework and shadecloth or tarping. The rent paid for different sites varied according to position. Permanent sites were only $130 a week to rent but power meters were attached to each box and so power costs were added onto that. Even so, paying $130 a week was far more acceptable than the $550 for a basic hovel to $990 a week for a 4 bed 2 bath home in town. It seems that if people have their own vans they can live far more cheaply. Even an onsite van in the park is $250 - $280 a week which is still cheaper than houses in town especially when many people are at work all day.
A permanent site was vacated
while we were situated at site 2 and another resident that Steve had befriended suggested we should approach the managers about it. We drove and walked past the site a couple of times but there is always that nagging doubt about putting ones hand up too quickly just in case something better is coming up. Anyway after a few days the managers offered us the site and Steve and I did some serious scouting of the area to see if it would suit us. It was, however, a case of beggers can't be choosers and we didn't want to reject this site and find that it would be perfect later on. The site was at a junction of two roads in the park and was triangular in shape. A bus had been parked on it until recently and was situated across the site. There were 4 massive trees to consider, two boabs, a mahogany and a mango tree. The mahogany had huge roots running throughout the site which would affect levels and parking ability. The main concern for the managers was that the van be positioned on the site so it could be removed quickly in the event of a bushfire or cyclone. After some serious consideration, we decided to accept the site because we wanted to get settled. 
Again, the shift began and it was more involved this time because we had erected the annex, the gazebos and unpacked a few more things for the girls. We had also purchased a front loader washing machine which needed shifting. On the day of our final shift (a Saturday again), we pulled the van off the old site and left the entire contents of our annex sitting in broad daylight for us to shift bit by bit. We used the Subaru to load up what was left lying on the ground and Steve had Erin and Becca following the Subaru to make sure nothing fell out of the tailgate which we couldn't close. When positioning the van on the new site (a task which had to be done right as we weren't shifting again), Steve decided to do something unorthodox which had all the locals buzzing. We parked the van lengthways down the site instead of across it. We positioned the van over the tree roots which meant they wouldn't interfere with the annex floor and create a speed hump. Parking lengthways also allowed us to take up the entire site but leave space for a small yard. It also enabled us to park both vehicles off the road. After some initial head scratching by everyone, our fellow residents agreed that we had parked the van sensibly to take advantage of all the space on the site.
The site we now occupy is considered 'long term' not permanent and we are charged a flat site fee as there are no power meters attached to our box. This has an advantage because we can use as much power as we like and considering that airconditioning is on 24/7 during the wet season, that might not be a bad thing.Since we have settled on our new site, the real pros and cons have become apparent. The shade is magnificent and keeps the van cool. Sunlight beams onto the site first thing in the morning and last thing at night which is ideal for morning cuppas overlooking the campground. We are directly opposite the campground which means there is lots of people movement especially from the backpackers who trudge across from their tents to the camp kitchen. It is not disruptive and can be interesting watching the activities of everyone in the campground. There is a toilet and shower block across from our site which all our neighbours use as most of them don't have shower vans. It's handy to use and a change of scenery from our tight little setup in the van. One has no idea how nice a flushing toilet is from time to time. Another toilet block is situated only a short walk in the opposite direction with ample washing line hanging space. The view is magic. I have an amazing vista out of my kitchen window of the mini Bungles or Mirima National Park which borders the caravan park. In fact I can see orange rock formations on three of the four views of our site. The swimming pool is seconds away and we can usually hear the watery activity from our site. In fact if Erin forgets something like her scuba gear, she can just duck back to the van and get it. Probably the only three negatives (and they aren't a major disruption) are the power and water are across the road from our site. We have had to dig a trench across the road to bury our wires. Luckily the road is just dirt so it wasn't too hard to dig a hole. The road being dirt is annoying however, because there are dust clouds whenever someone drives down the road. As long as people stick to the 10kph speed limit, it isn't too bad. Finally we have had to buy a satellite dish to receive TV reception because the signal is so bad in Kununurra. The surrounding rock formations don't help but everyone in the park who is long term has a satellite dish. At least if we move on to other destinations we can take the dish with us, reset it and receive TV anywhere in Australia, even out bush, not that you would really want to. So the van site shuffle has thankfully come to an end and after several weeks in our new site, we are finding it more liveable than we expected. Lucky I guess as we aren't planning on shifting again in the near future.
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