THE PARKIE AUT25 - Flipbook - Page 33
MEMBER PARK NEWS
will also benefit over time from additional quality
residential amenities.
Evolution of a caravan park
Raeleen and Samuel are excited to be part of the evolution
of the park. With backgrounds in motel management
and hospitality, they decided to look for caravan park
opportunities after returning from New Zealand, where
they had spent several years.
While homes have arrived on time, getting them
connected has proven more difficult due to finding
tradespeople with capacity needed to complete the
process.
Throw the wide array of guests, annuals, residents
and site tenants staying at the park – and the contract
management that goes with that – and it’s no simple job.
“But it’s enjoyable at the same time. I absolutely love my
job and I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else,” she said.
Having previously worked in caravan parks in Queensland
and Victoria, Raeleen’s passion for the sector park
reignited during a four-month campervan holiday in New
Zealand.
Portland Tourist Park is one of a number of caravan parks
in regional Victoria adding Part 4A site tenant options
into the mix as an affordable housing option for locals
wanting to downsize in their local community.
They applied for the job at Portland and on visiting the
park during the interview process, Raeleen knew it was
the park for them.
Raeleen said prices of the modular homes range from
$189,000 to $280,000, with most of these “right sizing”
home sales to Portland locals who had sold their houses,
freeing up equity and benefiting from rent assistance to
eligible pensioners as well.
The park re-development was already underway when
the couple arrived, with the next residential living stage,
which expanded the park by a further 41 home sites, still
only dirt and rubble. Today, its roads and infrastructure
are complete and new homes have already started
arriving.
EQX uses several established UMD builders to construct
the homes offsite, including CRPVic associate members,
Gervale Homes, YMH and Todd Devine Homes.
And despite its relatively new move into residential
living, the community is already strong with a resident
committee that organises events and working bees,
the latest a planting of around 100 trees along the new
fenceline of the new residential area.
With a further stage of approximately 30 home sites
available in addition to the 41 already developed, it
is expected that the overall park expansion will be
completed in five to six years.
MAJOR ADVERTISING SPONSORS:
CARAVAN & RESIDENTIAL PARKS VICTORIA
AUTUMN 2025
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