A major upgrade in facilities at two Sunshine Coast caravan parks has coincided with a sharp increase in visitor numbers.
Sunshine Coast Council invested $3 million at the Coolum and Mudjimba Beach Holiday Parks and the manager of the parks, Jason Filippini, said the new upgrades had been a big hit.
“Park visitors have been looking forward to the upgrade for a long time and, while it seems like a small convenience, it makes a big difference to their stay,” he said. “As a result of the pandemic, the industry has grown in the last two years and the popularity of caravanning and camping around Australia is massive and we have seen the results here locally … our holiday park visitation rates are up by 18.5% in the last two years with an average length of stays 4.6 nights.”
The upgraded facilities at Coolum Beach Holiday Park. PIC: Sunshine Coast Council
He said constant park improvements always added to a positive experience for guests.
Both parks now offer sustainable and accessible coastal-style amenities, and local councillor, Maria Suarez, said the changes meant the facilities would remain contemporary and attractive for all guests.
“The modern conveniences include two new amenities blocks with showers for all campers, including those living with a disability, and a laundry space to wash and dry,” she said. “As we strive to become Australia’s most sustainable region it was paramount the buildings were equipped with solar power generation, battery storage and rainwater harvesting for use in flushing toilets.”
Ms Suaraez said that all the amenities building materials, fittings and fixtures had been chosen to withstand the coastal environment, achieve longevity and reduce maintenance costs.
And the work is not finished.
Next year, 19 powered sites will be upgraded towards the southern end of Coolum Beach Holiday Park. The works will start after school returns in January and are expected to be completed by the end of March 2023, weather permitting.
The Sunshine Coast Council operates six holiday parks – Dicky Beach; Mooloolaba; Maroochydore; Cotton Tree; Coolum; and Mudjimba.
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All very nice, but please keep the prices affordable and space between sites, there is nothing worse than being crammed in like Sardines, and please limit the amount of dogs .
How True Katrina. Last time we stayed at Coolum we felt like we were in a tin of Atlantic sardines. Still we enjoyed the location but were concerned about the small sites particularly as our van is 7m from tow ball to rear bumper.
Coolum needs a pool
Very disappointing that you have dog friendly parks but when we mentioned that we had a cat that stays inside the van we were told that cats are not allowed into your caravan parks.
Coolum caravan park said thats council rules.
We tried to book at these parks with our cat and got the same response. Our cat is not allowed out of the van without her harness on, yet people do o not always restrain their re dogs.
. Our cat makes very sure all dogs keep their distance.
Why do you tell them you have a cat, and can they show you written rules regarding cats.
Good to see that more travellers are using caravan parks – because it means less using free campsites
Why wouldn’t you use free campsites? If you’re fully self contained (I won’t use any one else’s toilet or shower) and there’s more money to leave in Town. Win Win
Cats are bird killers, simple
I would not have mentioned that you had a cat.
We have our own facilities in the van. Rarely use C.P. amenities.
Its always nice to have good amenities for those that prefer full service caravan parks, for the self contained people amongst us most of us don’t need amenities or power at all, just a safe place to park, a bit of water and a dump point. For us amenities dont really enter into the equation, its more about cost, attractions, environment etc. We prefer low cost basic camping options for self contained travelers so we can spend more of our budget in the area or stay longer. So new flash facilities and crowds, high cost etc are more likely to turn us off from staying.
It has to be remembered that most Caravan Parks do not cater for the low budget caravanners & out of the way campers. They cater for the majority of travellers in caravans, motorhomes etc. who don’t see $45 per night as expensive and that is why their visitations are up 18%. Great to see the Sunshine Coast Council spending money to attract more visitors to the area for a greater length of time.
The positive ambience of any caravan park will attract visitors through word of mouth and user ratings. That said, it is always nice, but not essential, to have modern up to date facilities. Some of the better parks I have stayed in have not necessarily had improved facilities, while I would not revisit some of the more modern parks. What I consider to be the basic facilities include: good natured and well organised office staff and groundspeople, clean and well maintained ablution blocks and laundry room, clean and well organised kitchen/common areas, sufficient space between sites is a must particularly as most people have big SUVs, water, power and drain within reach of caravans. There are probably a few more but that’s my list, off the top of my head. Cheers.
If we have a large site can we park a second car near our caravan at Mudjimba