Plans for a major upgrade of a decades-old beachside caravan park in Queensland’s Hervey Bay is now moving ahead quickly.
Fraser Coast Regional Council has just awarded the $10.5 million contract to revitalise the Pialba Caravan Park contract to Rejuvenate Group.
The upgrade will include replacing underground services, improving internal roads and landscaping, building a new camp kitchen and BBQ area, installing new toilet and shower facilities, and creating a new recreation zone.
The project will be completed in stages to allow parts of the park to remain open during construction. Bookings for the Stage 1 upgrade area have been paused from July 31, to allow site access for the contractor and works to get underway.
The Pialba Caravan Park is to undergo a major renovation. PIC: Fraser Coast Regional Council
Construction is expected to run for about 18 months, weather permitting.
Cr Lachlan Cosgrove said the works would bring the park up to modern standards and better meet the needs of today’s travellers.
“The current infrastructure is ageing and wasn’t designed for today’s larger caravans and RVS,” he said. “The upgrade is about making the park more functional, comfortable and enjoyable for visitors while maintaining its relaxed coastal feel.”
Rejuvenate Group has previously delivered similar upgrades at the Scarness and Burrum Heads caravan parks.
Last year, the council paused work on $22million worth of revamps at both Pialba and Torquay caravan parks in favour of a consultation process where councillors and the community were asked to look at new possibilities.
While the Pialba Caravan Park renovation plans are now moving full steam ahead, no final decision has been made about the future of Torquay Beachfront Tourist Park.
Fraser Coast Regional Council says the options it is considering include: keeping it as a caravan park; turning it into open space with basic facilities; and creating a premium playground and recreation hub.
It says that, before any decision is made, the community will be asked for feedback through a formal consultation process.
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I first stayed at the park as a 14yo on my first trip to Hervey Bay and have been going ever since, and now at 68 looking fwd to go back in July, Yes it’s getting a bit tired, but I’m sure many would agree it would be sadly missed, so handy to everything, never been a lover of the old Pialba Park.
Keep caravan parks, they are an important part of the tourism industry. They also make manufacturing caravans and services to vans and vehicles a major industry.
keeping parks open on the coast encourage tourism in the outback and will lead to prosperous inland towns.
keeping parks open the dream alive
As a resident of Hervey Bay for over 30 years, many many residents are opposed to the removal of Torquay Caravan park. A community petition is circulating. The caravan park is a proven revenue raiser for our community with thousands of dollars spent by tourists young & old into our local businesses. We already have plenty of green space & playground all along our beautiful foreshore. It is about time Fraser Coast Council STOPS listening to developers & starts listening to the constituents who voted them in. Council SHOULD have been continually maintaining the caravan park as that is what we pay them to do, isn’t it?
Agree 100% Karen. Keep fighting! People are sick of these endless developments and excuses to ruin important sites for the locals!!! We visit the Park once or twice a year, but will find another town unfortunately if this debacle is carried out.
Agree whole heartedly…I’m a resident of the area and green space is already plentiful…leave the caravan Park alone… developer’s do not need to have a say in this just because they want to build a million dollar property on the other side of the road.
“Playground & Recreation Hub” ??; Mostly means a place for druggies to dump their used items and kids on ‘lectric scooters to terrorise the walkers of any age.
There has been talk that the FCRC is considering allowing parts of the pialba park to be dog friendly. I say NO, as there aren’t many parks theses days that there are no dogs. We stay there sometimes 4 trips a year and have done for many years, please don’t spoil it.
We have stayed at the Pialba Beachfront Caravan Park 40+ times. We enjoy that it is a ‘no frills’ caravan park – that’s the main attraction for us! You have the beach at the front, and can easily walk into town for the essentials; also connect with the Esplanade if you’d enjoy a stroll to the retail and picnic areas along the beach front. Yes, the park does now need to be updated – our motorhome is 7m long and we struggle to park it on the small sites – particularly when the park is near-on full. The amenities at the eastern end of the park constantly experience plumbing & electrical problems – but they weren’t built with today’s needs in mind either.We’ll keep coming back! As for the Torquay Caravan Park, it definitely needs to get the same treatment as Pialba, Scarness and Burrum Heads. It’s another institution caravan park for many travellers, not to mention the financial input those travellers contribute to the local economy. There are plenty of beachside parks in and around Hervey Bay. Torquay caravan park doesn’t need to be removed.
We stayed at the Torquay Caravan Park last year on our trip north to Hervey Bay (from Sussex Inlet NSW). It is a really lovely van park, with all the facilities you need onsite. The surrounds and amenities are clean, neat and tidy and we could not fault customer service in Reception.
The other Hervey Bay van park is a shambles and certainly does need upgrading but please leave Torquay alone.
Agree totally Katherine!
I’ve stayed at Torquay Park over 20 years when I can get a site. It’s in a very convenient location and lovely beach. Close to shops so we don’t need to take the car. I feel it should remain a caravan park
Agree. We are the same. Love it there, tried all the others. Torquay is the best park, best location, best swimming spot!!!
Yes, it should stay as a Caravan Park. There is a very large foreshore of park land that is not fully used. A hell of a lot of caravan Travelers come here and spend a lot of money in the area, also stay at the van parks to which most the money goes to the Council.
Agree Kevin. We were interviewed on TV in March 2025 re:The desire of a Developer or council to bulldoze this great park became known. We will take our regular visits to another town if they do this to Torquay!
Have stayed at the Pialba caravan park in the past but very displeased with the managers and not in a great location. Torquay caravan park is now our go to park and much better located to shops and swimming beach. If they close Torquay park we will most likely look elsewhere for our beach stays other than Hervey Bay.
We agree with you Phil. We will do the same!!
Some of these waterfront Caravan Parks should have Waterfront Cabins it is a prime position for tourists and not just for Grey Nomads.
It’s a caravan park NOT cabin park. Too many cabins taking over caravan parks already. Just stay at a motel in town.
Torquay Caravan Park should definitely stay in business. We were interviewed on TV in March, with others who are also wanting Torquay to stay a Caravan Park, NOT another high rise, and NOT another green space! Hervey Bay already has a huge amount of green space and facilities along the Esplanade. Pure greed is what it’s sounding like to us!!!!
We stayed at Pialba CP in late 2015 and it needed an upgrade then. Last time in Hervey Bay we stayed at Hervey Bay CP, October 2023.