End Of A Good Transitory Community In FNQ

The end of an era. More importantly the end of a well established transitory community, as one of the last of the old school council owned caravan parks goes out to private tender.
What a disaster. What a shame the council doesn't realise what an asset they have.
Leasing out the Mission Beach Caravan Park marks the end of one of the last remaining council run caravan parks on the Australian coast.
With the economy facing an uncertain future, this will become just another overpriced caravan park, the likes of which an increasing number of Australians can't afford to subscribe to. This will be a huge blow to tourism in Mission Beach.
This park costs very little to run and yet has the potential to turnover $300K to $400K per annum as a budget caravan park. The margin, I'm sure, is significant. The current management have done an excellent job of running the park, as did the previous management who were there for several years, building up a great deal of return trade in the process.
If a lessee was going to pay an annual lease equalling or exceeding what the council makes by running the facility, they're going to have to put up site fees considerably. Let's face it; the council won't put it out to tender, if it means recouping less than they currently do.
There's a high end caravan park directly across the road that has significantly lower occupancy rates and a far more transient  customer base. Higher priced parks are far less popular with people who stay in one place extended periods. A privately leased Council Park will struggle to sustain current occupancy levels with higher site fees. As a refurbished private enterprise, it will compete directly with the park across the road.
This will result not only in the park being far less viable, but it will also be a blow to other Mission Beach businesses. Businesses that also pay rates!
Many visitors come to Mission Beach, because of the park and it's reasonable weekly rates. I spend my permitted 3 months at the park each year. I barely move from the park during that time and I put around $8,000 into the local economy per annum.
The park is virtually full for 4 months of the year, with scores of other people doing the same. That constitutes around $400,000 going into the pockets of council rate paying businesses in just 4 months of the year.
If the dynamic of the park changes, the park will attract more transient tourism. Transient visitors do NOT consistently pour money into the local economy, partly because they spend a greater portion of their budget on accommodation, not on groceries, not on fishing charters, not on fuel,  not on sky diving, not on white water rafting. They invariably stay for shorter periods of time and bring supplies with them.
The park is one of the few in FNQ that provides budget accommodation to overseas van hire travellers. Australia's biggest foreign tourism sector. They are the people who keep local adventure activity businesses alive. Especially during the tourism low season. Neither budget accommodation or adventure activities ensures that Mission Beach enjoys a steady flow of tourism. It's a symbiosis between the two.
This is a very short sighted decision by a council that I always thought excelled in taking a fairly unique and open minded approach to tourism.
Not only is it a case of cutting one's nose off to spite one's face, it's also a case of cutting income from businesses that pay rates.
The park is currently very well managed under the existing arrangement and there's no necessity for significant change.
The council simply needs to refurbish existing amenities and put a small portacabin style bock at the northern end of the park. Contract somebody to do a little marketing and develop plans to diversify slightly and this park could remain a public asset for years to come.