Popular Proserpine RV Park closes down

A popular Whitsunday RV Park is closing down prompting community fear businesses will lose out as travellers boycott the region.

A council decision has raised concerns and put a Whitsundays community in fear it will lose business as out of town travellers may decide to stop somewhere else.

The Proserpine RV Park will close down on October 3 after councillors voted to not renew the lease on the property.

Whitsunday Regional Council leases the area to the Roman Catholic Trust Corporation for the Diocese of Townsville which is located behind the Saint Catherine’s Catholic Church on Main St.

The renewal of a contract with the Catholic Church involves the installation of drainage, lighting and appropriate carpark seal to the parking area, with a Whitsunday Regional Council report finding costs were estimated at $600,000.

The report stated that investing money in a property that the council does not own is unbudgeted as “ownership of constructed assets would return to the Catholic Church at the end of the lease term”.

Whitsunday Regional Council customer experience director Adam Hagy, Cr John Collins, Cr Jan Clifford, Mayor Andrew Willcox and Cr Ron Petterson at the opening of the new RV Park in Proserpine.

The same report had calculated the RV Park attracted 3,200 people on average over a six-month period with people expected to spend money on fuel and groceries.

Sharron Emmerson, who has lived in Proserpine for more than 60 years said she had travelled around the country in a caravan with her husband and had seen first-hand small towns being “rejunevated” by travellers.

“They stay at the RV, they go across to Drakes or IGA and they buy their groceries, they’ll go to the pub, have lunch, have a couple of drinks and then they’ll fuel up before they leave town,” she said.

Tony and Kathy Doherty and their dog Willow were staying at the Proserpine RV Park overnight but won’t be coming back if there’s no free option left. Picture: Estelle Sanchez

“And all that is going to be missed,”

Councillor John Collins addressed the council to defend the RV Park, explaining that “it’s benefited every single person in the whole region”, and local businesses would be greatly impacted by its closure.

Councillor Michelle Wright agreed with the renewal of the lease and said the RV Park was a “different market” from the Holiday Park and that word would get around “that [Proserpine] is not a friendly place to go” if it closed.

The Proserpine RV Park is leased from the Roman Catholic Trust Corporation for the Diocese of Townsville.

Councillor Mike Brunker opposed the project saying the expense to develop the land was too important and that such an amount should be invested in other projects.

“I’d spend $600,000 on the dam and make that a national destination,” he said.

Councillor Clay Bauman told council he didn’t think there had been “a great increase in traffic” in Proserpine and that it wouldn’t oppose the closure as there was no way around making significant investments.

Kathy and Tony Doherty from Melbourne were staying at the RV Park on Sunday and said it was a shame it was closing down.

Ms Doherty said there were going to Airlie Beach next and had wanted to stay in Proserpine again on their way back, but if there was no free option to stay the night they would find somewhere else. “They’re gonna lose us travellers,” she said.