Caravan park shortage costs millions in tourism dollars
By Brad Lester
MILLIONS of tourist dollars are being lost as a shortage of caravan park spaces forces thousands of visitors away from the South Gippsland coast.
Up to 3000 tourists have already been turned away from the Cape Paterson Caravan Park this summer.
And the problem is expected to worsen dramatically with the closure of two caravan parks at Phillip Island and another at Inverloch.
The park closures will result in tourists leaving the district, stripping about 600 caravan and camping sites from the shire, and vital tourism dollars from the economy.
Cape Paterson Caravan Park proprietor David Wilson, estimates he will have to turn a further 1000 people away for the Labour Day long weekend in March and up to 2000 people at Easter.
He believes another park should be opened in foreshore bushland at Cape Paterson and is calling on the State Government to encourage the development of more caravan parks along coastal Victoria.
“The phone has just been ringing hot today with people wanting to stay one or two nights. It’s a disaster the way it is happening, but the government is not doing anything about it,” Mr Wilson said last Wednesday.
“The opportunities for people wanting short cheap stays are limited. It’s not just here but also in shires in other coastal areas as well.”
Mr Wilson has approached the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) to create another caravan park in existing bush between the caravan park and the Cape Paterson Surf Life Saving Club.
But he said Bass Coast Shire Council told him the DSE would be unlikely to approve such a development.
“The State Government needs to sit down and seriously think about the future of caravanning and camping in Victoria,” Mr Wilson said.
“Lots of international tourists drive around and look for sites but they can’t find any and end up staying on the roadside. It’s the same with interstate tourists.”
Mr Wilson believes the bushland also poses a major fire risk to his park. A fire in that vicinity several years ago nearly destroyed the park.
“It should be thinned out a bit because if we got a fire with a south-westerly wind behind it, it could go through the park,” he said.
With 98 per cent of sites re-booked from summer to summer at Cape Paterson, the opportunities for new guests are limited.
“We like to take repeat bookings because we are guaranteed income from them, but if we were to put aside 10 sites or so and allow them to be occupied for one or two nights, then we could nearly get the same revenue,” Mr Wilson said.
Being located on Crown land, Mr Wilson is unable to expand without government approval.
All 105 camping and caravanning sites, plus eight cabins, are booked out at the park until January 30.
The Inverloch Holiday Park and foreshore camping reserve are fully booked, with most of the 41 tourist cabins, 60 powered sites and 186 foreshore sites occupied until January 17. Proprietor Adrian Edwards said many guests are repeat visitors lured by the attraction of a coastal retreat.
“It’s pretty usual for this time of year and the only difference is that we are booking out marginally earlier every year,” he said.
“It’s the busiest time of the year for us and I would imagine that most Victorian coastal parks would be pretty much the same.”
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