A holiday park shake-up has sparked a petition, with long-time visitors concerned about lost facilities and rising site fees.
The petition relates to Cotton Tree Family Holiday Park, where regular visitor Shane Croasdale is calling for an amenities block to be reinstated and site fees to be reviewed.
Mr Croasdale, who has been visiting the park’s unpowered sites for 17 years, said it had recently undergone significant changes that had affected his experience.
“The removal of the nearby amenities block, which catered to hundreds of visitors during their stay, has forced individuals to walk approximately 200 meters in the middle of the night to the nearest facilities,” Mr Croasdale said.
“This increased distance, especially in the quiet hours of the night, poses a serious safety risk, especially to the many young and vulnerable women who holiday there every year.”
Sunshine Coast Council said the amenities block was removed because of ongoing maintenance issues, while guests continued to have access to four other amenities buildings at the park.
“Council removed amenities building number five after ongoing maintenance issues, including blocked drains and toilets and inconsistent hot water,” a council spokesperson said.
Mr Croasdale also claimed site rental prices had increased by at least 25 per cent following the changes.
“These increases come with no added benefits – and in fact, with the loss of crucial facilities. It appears that the balance of value for money has tilted dramatically in favour of the council’s financial gain rather than the visitors’ quality of experience,” he said.
“It’s time to urge the council to reassess their priorities. The loyal visitors of the Cotton Tree Family Holiday Park deserve to have their voices heard and these recent alterations need to be reconsidered.”
The council said it took feedback about facilities and customer experience seriously.
“Recent and planned works at Cotton Tree include site upgrades, fence replacement, road and site maintenance, a new camp kitchen and future drainage improvements,” a spokesperson said.
“Investment is being directed towards maintaining and improving facilities that provide the greatest benefit to guests across the park.”
Council said its holiday parks were an important tourism asset, welcoming almost 128,000 visitors last year.
Council also disputed the claimed 25 per cent increase in site fees, saying recent increases ranged from four per cent to a maximum of 20 per cent.
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The council said the parks used a dynamic pricing model, with prices varying according to demand, season, occupancy and booking patterns.
“Pricing decisions balance value for guests with the rising cost of maintaining and operating the parks, including utilities, insurance, staffing and maintenance,” the spokesperson said.
Council said guests who booked early or travelled during quieter periods could often access better-value rates.
It also said the Consumer Price Index was only one measure of rising costs and did not always reflect the full cost of operating and maintaining a holiday park.
Under the Local Government Act, Council said it was required to operate the holiday parks so the cost of running and maintaining them was largely covered by guest fees.
“This means the service is funded by its users rather than ratepayers,” the spokesperson said.
See the petition here.
