Major upgrades, including more waterfront sites, are on the cards for a popular caravan park that has attracted visitors for more than 140 years.
Set on the Maroochy River and close to Maroochydore Beach, the park welcomed 44,483 visitors last year.
Cotton Tree Holiday Park will now receive a $1.3 million injection after funding was put aside in the 2024-25 Sunshine Coast Council budget, delivered last month.
The budget outlined that the park would receive powered tent site upgrades worth $861,000, fence replacement worth $410,000 and a renovation to the onsite Beach House worth $100,000.
The upgrade comes as the region’s caravan parks boom continues, with sites at Coast holiday parks, including Cotton Tree, often booked out a year in advance.
Sunshine Coast Division 4 councillor Joe Natoli said caravanners and campers were “in for a treat” thanks to the upgrades.
“Visitors to the beachside haven, nestled on the banks of the Maroochy River, are set to enjoy improvements and upgrades to a number of powered sites,” Cr Natoli said.
“The new offering will provide campers a home-away-from-home experience with improved amenity and expanded powered sites.
“The site upgrades will increase the number of popular waterfront camping sites, allowing more visitors to step out of their camp sites and onto the beach.
“A new fence will help improve security and the presentation along Cotton Tree Parade.”
Mr Natoli said the four-bedroom, two-storey Beach House would also be renovated.
“The former manager’s residence has been used as holiday accommodation for the past few years and now requires some refurbishment work to bring it up to modern standards,” he said.
Cr Natoli said the council was currently in the design phase and would share plans for the upgrades later this year, when more details become available.
There are more than 30 holiday parks in the Sunshine Coast and Noosa council areas.
Six of them are owned by Sunshine Coast Council, operated by Sunshine Coast Holiday Parks.
Help keep independent and fair Sunshine Coast news coming by subscribing to our free daily news feed. All it requires is your name and email. SUBSCRIBE here now.
