$5 million park plan Cabin fever

Alex de Vos
TORQUAY campers have slammed a planned $5 million upgrade to Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park.
Great Ocean Road Coast Committee released a master plan to upgrade the caravan park, which chairman Peter Anderson said would improve its “very poor” facilities, infrastructure and onsite accommodation.
He said the committee wanted the views of campers and the public before it finalised its plans.
But regular camper Sam Boehm said the upgrade was nothing more than a “money-making exercise”.
“It’s an excuse to build more cabins,” Mr Boehm said.
“And cabin life is different to caravanning and camping – it’s more isolated and has a different ambience.”
Seasonal camper Michelle Romijn, who has been visiting the caravan park for the past six years, feared her family might lose its camping site during the upgrade.
“The cost of a cabin is out of reach for the average person,” Ms Romijn said.
The masterplan paints a picture of how the park might look in the future.
Mr Anderson said power in the park needed to be upgraded and sullage connected to every site to protect the sensitive coastal environment.
The plan also proposes new onsite accommodation to replace existing cabins and additional cabins, which the committee said are increasingly popular with visitors to the coast.
GORCC executive officer David Clarke said a ballot system would be used to allocate new sites to campers who would lose their spots during the upgrade.
Mr Clarke said the committee had allocated $350,000 in 2007-08 toward planning and implementation.
He said a $90,000 grant had also been received from the Department of Sustainability and Environment.
The committee would borrow money to fund the rest of the work, he said.
Mr Clarke urged campers and members of the public to have their say on the park upgrade.
Written submissions to GORCC regarding the upgrade close on February 22.