A working cattle station that also operates as a weddings and events venue has submitted plans to expand into a tourist park catering for up to 300 guests.
The proposed expansion of Yandina Station would involve adding 74 caravan sites, 13 new tourist cabins, a new community centre, laundry and amenities facilities, internal roads and carparking.
The 88-hectare property at 684 North Arm Yandina Creek Road currently includes a reception building, residence, farm sheds and 25 tourist cabins.
A development assessment report by Project Urban prepared on behalf of Yandina Cattle Station Pty Ltd says the proposed development seeks to expand the site’s accommodation offerings while preserving its historic character and natural setting.
“The proposed development is designed (to) expand existing tourist accommodation to support up to 300 guests combined and is strategically positioned to offer a high-quality, nature-based tourism experience within a rural setting, capitalising on the region’s scenic values and cultural heritage,” it said.
“The development will retain and enhance the rural character of the property through the use of natural materials, sensitive siting of buildings and integration with the existing landscape.
“The proposed tourist park is a well-considered, low-impact rural tourism use that will positively contribute to the regional tourism offering, enhance the local economy and protect the site’s environmental and cultural values.”
Established in 1853, Yandina Station is the oldest cattle property on the Coast and the region’s oldest continuously lived in dwelling.
The report says previous approvals are in place for the existing tourism infrastructure, which it states “establishes a planning precedent” for the site.
“Key components of the existing approved use include a function venue catering primarily to weddings and events, a series of detached tourist cabins and ancillary structures such as sheds and utility buildings. These uses were approved and established under a development permit that recognised the site’s potential for low-impact tourism and rural enterprise within the Rural Zone,” it stated.
“The original approval did not contemplate large-scale caravan or camping facilities, nor did it establish development across the broader site. As a result, the current application represents a distinct and expanded land use scenario, requiring a fresh assessment.”
The proposed expansion would include two communal facilities buildings with a total floor area of 750sqm, two amenity buildings each with a floor area of 88sqm and a 19sqm laundry building.
The overall capacity of the site would rise to 300 guests, with 148 occupants in caravan sites, 52 in the newly proposed tourist cabins and 100 in the existing cabins.
The report says essential services such as water supply, wastewater management, electricity and telecommunications will be provided through a combination of on-site infrastructure and connections to existing utility networks where available.
The application is subject to impact assessment by Sunshine Coast Council.
