In the months leading up to the cancellation of the 2026 event, the industry was in discussions with the Victorian government to supply 10,000 caravans to house Games volunteers and workers.“The week before [the cancellation], they spoke to me and said, ‘We thought industry was going to pay for it’,” Caravan Industry Victoria chief executive Daniel Sahlberg said. “They were well aware that, for manufacturing caravans, we would need someone, ideally the government to foot the bill.
The state explored the option of spectators spending their nights back in Melbourne as it became clear local accommodation providers could not afford to meet the vastly inflated demand over a 12-day period.Sahlberg said discussions with the state began from November last year after he learnt Wodonga Racecourse was sounded out as an event precinct for the Games.“I ended up getting the Bendigo council and the Geelong council ringing me as well and sort of say ...
“If you had told us that from the start we could have gone out looking, but it is 10,000 units, which is a lot of money that you want an industry to fund.Sahlberg said he had sought out other companies to partner with and salvage the idea of using caravans to support the Games, but within a week the event was cancelled – at a cost to taxpayers of $380 million dollars in compensation.