Last-minute, cheap accommodation unlikely for Grand Annual weekend

As of noon Thursday, January 18, 2024, there were only a handful of accommodation options available in Warrnambool on Booking.com for the three-night event which kicks off on Friday.

Warrnambool Holiday Village, The Cally Hotel, Redwood Manor, Comfort Inn and Gallery Apartments were among those with no vacancy.

A spokeswoman for Mid City Motel and Deep Blue Hotel said they were fully booked.

Central Court, City Heart and Mahogany motels had availability but with a price tag of between $950 and $1000.

The squeeze on accommodation has intensified after the loss of a number of motels across the city.

Motel Warrnambool and Gateway Motel were razed in 2022 to make way for a JB Hi-Fi and Officeworks, while the Anchor Belle Motel and Downtown Motel are both listed as permanently closed online.

Olde Maritime Motor Inn owner Raj Patel said on Thursday he'd already turned away two to three people.

"A lot of people booked well in advance," he said.

"We've been booked out for a couple of weeks now."

There were four vacancies in Warrnambool on Airbnb for January 19-21 with prices ranging from $463 for a small city centre unit to $1412 for a four-bedroom townhouse in Gilles Street.

Sydney's Kelly Adamson and her husband Paul previously told The Standard they had struggled to find a vacancy for the classic, which they'd attended for the past six years.

Mrs Adamson said the couple usually paid about $900 for accommodation for a week but it was unavailable and the only accommodation they could find was almost three times the cost.

Premier Speedway general manager Michael Parry said on January 6 the club had been fielding a lot of calls from people inquiring about camping at the track, but it's not allowed.

People usually turned out to the Allansford site in force, despite camping never actually being allowed, but in 2023 the club clarified its position - camping at Premier Speedway is against the city council's local laws.

Warrnambool mayor Ben Blain said January was a very busy time for the coastal city but accommodation occupancy peaked classic weekend each year.

Surfside Holiday Park was at 95 per cent capacity on Thursday and Shipwreck Bay still had some availability depending on length of stay, but was sitting at about 80 per cent.

Cr Blain told The Standard last year's average occupancy was 92 per cent, up from 63 per cent when compared to a non-event period one week prior.