Cross Roads: Donga

By Paul Eslick

Geoff always told me a donga belonged to a dead dingo. Well I can state that we have had the experience of occupying one of these on our sojourn north.

Wiktionary describes a donga as a "transportable building with single room accommodation used on remote sites or as tourist accommodation."

Two single beds, no ensuite unless you bucket and chuck it and at a cost of $100.00 per night. We were lucky enough to catch the last one and sheer luxury when compared with the alternate.... camping.

On the way up we stayed on the 6th floor of a luxury hotel in Cairns which only cost $96.00 per night. Now there is something here to note and it has all to do with supply and demand. Thousands of rooms to rent in Cairns, at night not many lights on which indicated very low occupancy rates compared to the donga with a 100% occupancy rate.

If you are going to purchase a rental property ensure you have accurate historical data regarding vacancy factors. Remember a vacancy rate over 3% indicate a glut: too many vacancies and low rents so beware as it might not be the best area to invest in.