Caravan parks are constantly evolving and there can be little doubt that many are moving upmarket.
There is no greater sign of this than the arrival of cabins and, more latterly, glamping tents.
Now, while glamping guests may technically be sleeping under canvas, this is luxury accommodation, and they certainly won’t be putting up their own tents!
The Poinciana Tourist Park at Cooee Bay in Yeppoon on Queensland’s Capricorn Coast is the latest to follow the trend, and new management has implemented some major upgrades.
The headline act are the new glamping tents, touted as the first of their kind in Central Queensland.
No need to put up your own tent any more ... the glamping era is here! PIC: Pexels
The Bulletin newspaper reports that they boast all the features of a hotel room with a bed, fans, fridge, lounges and a deck with tables and chairs at the front.
New cabins are the next item on the project list, with the old ones to be demolished at the end of the September school holidays.
The 12 new cabins planned for installation have a modern look and will offer studio, deluxe and family options.
“We wanted to create another market for people, a bit more upscale than the glamping tents,” Poinciana Ventures development manager, Matthew Ouston, told the Bulletin. “Throughout the park, our main goal is to improve on what we’ve got to continue to make our current guests happy and develop various types of accommodation and facilities.”
The park has also installed a new camp kitchen and ensuite amenities.
Occupancy has been strong across the business, with a core group of people coming through looking for a beach holiday.
“There’s a big mix, during our winter months a lot of our caravanners are grey nomads from down south, Sydney, Melbourne,” Mr Ouston said. “They come up to escape the cold and for the beach lifestyle … we also have the young families or the couples doing the Queensland coast.”
The van park sits on six acres so there is currently plenty of room also for touring caravans and motorhomes. The park advertises powered sites for $38 and unpowered sites for $35.
However, further changes are in the offing. In the long-term, Mr Ouston told the Bulletin he envisions turning the park into more of a resort style offering with a recreational centre and pool area.
“We’ve got a fair bit of land here, when you stay in a hotel you have the four walls,” he said. “Our communal feel here has been a big hit, people actually talk to each other and you’re not separated in a little hotel room … our goal is to make people happy on their holidays.”
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