THE PARKIE AUT25 - Flipbook - Page 32
PORTLAND TOURIST PARK
Affordable living a key part of the mix
Caravan parks mean different
things to different people – for
some it’s a stop on a journey,
others
come
together
for
extended holidays and it is a place
to call home for a growing number
of people.
Portland Tourist Park is a true
example of a mixed-use park,
offering space for every type of
customer and client, from tourist
campers and caravanners, to
annuals, Part 4 residents and Part
4A site tenants.
It’s a park that honours long-term
annuals and residents in older style
vans and cabins reminiscent of a
by-gone era, while focusing on the
modern with the recent expansion
of the park offering homeowner
Part 4A site tenant options.
It’s a mix that Raeleen Donovan, who
manages the park with husband
Samuel, is more than happy to be
part of. The couple arrived at the
park in August 2024, taking on the
management role in December.
Portland
Tourist
Park
was
purchased in May 2020 by Portland
Bay Communities Pty Ltd, with
Equinox Property Group (EQX)
managing the park and realising an
Portland Tourist Park Managers
Raeleen and Samuel Donovan.
opportunity to not only operate an
established tourist park but develop
and build affordable homes on a
vacant two-hectare block.
A planning permit allowed for
development of approximately 100
additional home sites – in addition
to the 16 Part 4 homes, 44 annuals
and 69 tourist sites that were onsite
on acquisition.
This process took approximately 12
months. While the planning permit
adopted the flexibility to stage the
additional home sites over seven
stages, market conditions have
been strong enough for EQX to
develop two stages at a time.
The first two stages of expansion
added an additional 30 sites, which
were quickly developed and settled
and led to the development of the
next 41 homes in late 2024.
The expansion has also benefitted
the entire park, with EQX installing
new reticulated fire infrastructure
(hydrants and fire hose reels),
bringing the existing park up to
today’s regulations, while residents
Managing Grow wi Expert Oversight
Expanding a tourist or lifestyle park is more than just
adding sites or homes - it requires careful planning,
regulatory approvals and seamless execution to ensure
long-term success. With the increase in red tape, the
complexity of redevelopment continues to grow.
At Portland Tourist Park, Scope Project Consulting took
the stress out of this process by leading Stages 3 and 4
of the project, delivering a 40-site staged development
as part of a broader 90-site expansion.
The Scope team managed road and services installation,
permit applications, contractor procurement and
construction oversight, ensuring a coordinated
approach across all project stages.
Scope’s Director, Ben Fryer, understands the demands
on park operators.
“Managing a redevelopment while running a busy park
can be stressful”, Ben said.
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“With increasingly complex regulations and multiple
stakeholders involved, projects can quickly become
time-consuming and costly.
“Our role is to take that burden off park owners—whether
managing the entire project or just key stages—to keep
things running smoothly,” he said.
The Portland Tourist Park redevelopment highlights
how strategic project management helps control
costs, mitigate risks and keep timelines on track, all
while delivering a quality outcome.
If you’re considering a redevelopment or
expansion, partner with Scope and unlock your
park’s full potential. Visit https://scopepc.com.
au/ for details.
