Communal cook ups create lasting memories
More than just a guest amenity, well-designed barbecue facilities can encourage longer stays and contribute to positive guest reviews
While a powered site or comfortable cabin may bring guests to a caravan park, it’s often the shared spaces that define their stay and create lasting memories.
Here, families gather for dinner, children make new friends and travellers swap stories. Among the most well-used of these spaces are communal barbecue areas and camp kitchens, which remain a hallmark of the Australian caravan park experience.
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The latest State of the Industry Report highlights the strength of Australia’s caravan and camping sector. In 2025, Australians took 17.3 million caravan and camping trips, generating 57.9 million visitor nights and $12.6 billion in expenditure.
While travellers are becoming more conscious of their spending, caravan and camping continue to offer an affordable, flexible holiday option. Average trip length has fallen to 3.4 nights, with traveller behaviour shifting toward shorter, closer-to-home holidays. At the same time, regional destinations continue to play a significant role, accounting for 87 percent of all caravan and camping trips.
As competition for guests continues to intensify, operators are placing greater emphasis on the facilities that elevate a stay from convenient to memorable. Well-designed communal cooking areas not only provide guests with a practical place to prepare meals but also create opportunities to relax and socialise.
A thoughtfully designed camp kitchen or barbecue area can encourage guests to spend more time onsite, foster a stronger sense of community, and become a standout feature that distinguishes one park from another. Amid cost-of-living pressures, they also give guests the opportunity to prepare affordable meals rather than dining out. As expectations continue to rise, investing in these facilities is an investment in guest satisfaction.
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Designing outdoor barbecue and communal kitchen areas, however, requires more than an ageing hot plate and a few picnic tables. Operators should invest in durable, low-maintenance barbecue solutions that are easy to clean, simple to operate and built to withstand heavy use. These should be complemented with appropriate amenities including sinks with running water, ample bench space, tables and chairs, and rubbish bins. This will help to create welcoming, well-maintained communal spaces for all guests to enjoy.
Matthew Hibbs, Key Account Manager – VIC/TAS at Christie Barbecues shared his insights into designing communal cooking facilities that enhance the guest experience while delivering long-term value for operators.
Why do barbecue areas and communal kitchens continue to be such an important feature for guests staying in caravan and holiday parks?
Barbecue areas offer guests a relaxed, affordable and convenient way to cook. Travellers can prepare meals without unpacking and cleaning their caravan kitchen, while families and groups can easily cook together and create memorable outdoor experiences.
Communal barbecues also encourage guests to connect, swap travel stories and share recipes, capturing the social atmosphere that sets caravan parks apart from traditional hotels. Well-designed barbecue facilities can encourage longer stays and contribute to positive guest reviews.
What are the key elements operators should consider when designing or upgrading a communal BBQ area?
A barbecue area should be viewed as a long-term investment and a feature that helps their park stand out. Choosing the right location, providing shade, seating, hygienic preparation surfaces and easy-to-clean facilities all contribute to a better guest experience.
Commercial-grade barbecues that are simple to operate, reliable and low maintenance are essential, while considering long-term operating costs, including gas versus electric and future solar integration, can deliver better value. Above all, a clean communal space is worth its weight in gold.
What trends are you currently seeing in outdoor cooking spaces?
Operators are investing in higher-quality outdoor cooking spaces with multiple barbecue stations, better food preparation areas, handwashing facilities and indoor-outdoor camp kitchens that can be used throughout the year.
There’s also a growing focus on landscaping, ambient lighting, recycling stations, device charging and accessibility, with DDA-compliant pathways, seating and cooking facilities becoming increasingly important.
What advice would you give operators wanting to future-proof their outdoor guest spaces?
Plan for the future by allowing capacity for additional electrical services and ensuring switchboards can accommodate increasing demand from electric barbecues, lighting and heating. Incorporating accessible pathways, seating and barbecue facilities from the outset also helps ensure the space remains inclusive.
Operators should also think beyond the barbecue itself. Attractive landscaping, flexible dining areas, convenient cleaning facilities and effective waste management all make the space easier to maintain and more enjoyable for guests. Positioning barbecue areas within sight of children’s play spaces is another simple feature that families really appreciate.
