Inside Gold Coast’s third-world squalor where residents live in extreme poverty and drug use is rampant

UPDATE: IT’S a scene out of a Third-World country where residents live in extreme poverty and drug use is rampant. Now the owner of this caravan park speaks out.

Transformations’ Mark Farrugia (left) and Matthew Russell talking to residents.

IT looks like a community in a Third-World country but this is the home of 100 residents living in extreme poverty just 10km from the Gold Coast’s Glitter Strip.

These are the people of the Mudgeeraba Caravan Village where drug use is rampant, police are called daily to incidents and ­ambulances will only enter with a police escort.

We were shocked when goldcoastbulletin.com.au published images of the deplorable living conditions yesterday. Now the owner of the Mudgeeraba Caravan Village has spoken out — defending the park and saying he was working to upgrade it.

Bob Purcell said only a small portion of residents abused drugs and the village would soon be improved.

The owner of Mudgeeraba Caravan Village Bob Purcell. Photo: David Clark

“We’re just finishing off a new cabin and I have put in 15 or 16 new cabins. The pool is empty because we are going to renovate it,” he said.

CARAVAN PARK OWNER SPEAKS OUT: SCROLL DOWN TO READ HIS FULL STATEMENT

Police stand guard after breaking up a wild brawl of up to 20 residents allegedly armed with knives and machetes at Mudgeeraba Caravan Village. Picture Mike Batterham

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR IN LIQUIDATION

MARKET STALLHOLDERS FEAR FOR SURVIVAL

An old bus, a container and a ragged mishmash of tarpaulins and caravans are home to more than 100 people in this sad place. One of the tenants lives in an old, green bus and another in a blue container.

An elderly, bearded man tells me he has lived in the park for 11 years.

He says he has no running water in his dilapidated caravan and uses a bucket of water to flush his toilet.

One resident’s dilapidated living quarters.

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Another painfully-thin man has leukaemia but has chosen to not have treatment. Still another says ice and alcohol use is rampant in the park and his eyes show fear.

A disgusting smell emanates from the ablutions block and the park is so dusty and rundown, I struggle to ­believe it is actually in Australia.

Ramshackle living at the Mudgeeraba Caravan Village. Photos: GARY HOWARD.

There are 70 sites at the park, which is visited every week by an organised team of Christian volunteers from Transformations Ministries who deliver food and show compassion to these people.

The day I joined them, the residents were cautiously friendly, welcoming the visit and the care shown to them. The exception was a manically angry woman, possibly fuelled with crystal methylamphetamine or “ice”, who charged out of her dilapidated caravan when she heard people approach.

Transformations’ Mark Farrugia (left) and Matthew Russell talking to residents.

In a psychotic state, she hurled abuse, swearing and thrashing around as she ranted at us.

The volunteers retreated without arguing as they were briefed by staff at Transformations Ministries, which is one of a number of groups attempting to bring hope to the hopeless.

Every Friday, Transformations director Matthew Russell and program co-ordinator Mark Farrugia lead a team of volunteers to the park where they build relationships with the residents.

“We want to bring the love of God to one of the worst places I have seen on the Gold Coast,” Mr Farrugia said.

“Our job is to show these people unconditional love, respect and support. We visit there with no strings attached and we want to show residents that Christians are there for them. We do not judge in any way.

An empty, filthy pool paints a grim portrait of life here.

“Transformations is a drug and rehabilitation service so we can also help any residents who have drug or alcohol addictions.”

Mr Farrugia said some people needed many attempts to make a success of their lives. “We can’t just write off residents of this park who may be ­dysfunctional and have messed up. They deserve another chance to get things right,” he said.

“We are appealing to churches on the Coast to come together to tackle this social issue.”

Since 2013, the Mudgeeraba Caravan Village has been the focus of 10 to 15 representatives of church, welfare and government agencies, as well as the Gold Coast City Council, all attempting to improve the quality of life of tenants.

There are 70 sites at the park.

And many concede there has been only a slight improvement.

However, police are almost daily visitors at the Mudgeeraba Caravan Village and the area
is deemed so unsafe that ambulances only go there with a police escort.

Sen-Sgt Mark Anderson, ­officer in charge of Mudgeeraba Police Station, said police were called out daily to the park to deal with assaults, domestic ­violence and incidents related to drug and alcohol abuse.

“We try and get children out of there as quickly as we can. It’s easier for us to deal with ­incidents if there are no children around,” he said.

Living conditions have been described as third world.

“This caravan park can be dangerous but it’s pretty safe before noon.

“However, once residents start on the drugs or alcohol, the situation deteriorates.”

Sen Sgt Anderson said it was sad to see people living in abject poverty only 10km from the Gold Coast’s Glitter Strip and he was hopeful that if living conditions were improved, residents’ quality of life and behaviour would also lift.

He was one of the founders of a working group with the aim of raising the standard of living in the park.

Village resident Shaun, with his dog, knows life on the margins only too well.

“This would help reduce the amount of trauma going on there. There has been some ­improvement but not a dramatic one,” he said.

“This is an ongoing program and we meet quarterly to discuss progress and plan for the next three months.”

Area councillor Glenn Tozer, chairman of the Mudgeeraba Caravan Village Working Group, said some residents had very difficult personal experiences.

Around 100 residents live at the park.

“I am deeply appalled by the conditions they live in and the tragic circumstances of some of their lives,” he said. “There have been times when the conditions there have been horrific.”

Cr Tozer said there were a number of variables, which made it difficult to improve residents’ lives, including mental illness, alcohol and drug abuse, unemployment and broken family relationships.

“Our key objective is to have compassion for the people in this park, while still upholding legislation that keeps our community safe,” he said.

“For example, this is one of the few caravan parks in the city which allows residents to keep dogs and we hope this helps improve the quality of life of residents.”

Mudgeeraba Caravan Village is the scene of extreme poverty on the Gold Coast. Photographer: Gary Howard.

Cr Tozer said council officers had investigated complaints relating to compliance issues in and around the area, and council followed appropriate processes to manage these.

He said the aim of the working group was to make sure all services were strategic in their actions.

“One of the key issues is public safety and police have offered escorts to people from these services who go in to the park,” Cr Tozer said.

“I feel confident we can get the best outcome for the community living there.”

The owner of the Mudgeeraba Caravan Village said he had owned the park for 25 years and it was being upgraded.

Bob, who declined to give his surname, said he was working on improving the site.

“It has been an ongoing plan for ages to improve the park,” he said.

An old pram among the ramshackle buildings at the caravan park. Photographer: Gary Howard.

He said caravans were owned by tenants or him and he pointed out there were some positive aspects to the park, which had been overlooked.

“We’re just finishing off a new cabin and I have put in 15 or 16 new cabins. The pool is empty because we are going to renovate it,” he said.

The owner also defended his tenants, saying it was only a handful of people who abused alcohol and drugs.

He cited the case of a man who lives in a bus, which looked extremely run-down. Bob said the man had a job and did not use alcohol or drugs.

“The inside of that bus has been done out. He’s done it up real nice,” he said.

Bob said residents’ quality of life was boosted by visits from churches who brought food and organised barbecues for residents.

One resident said the owner was trying to improve the park and many residents were happy to live there.

“A lot of people don’t want to leave. This is our home. There is worse violence in other places,” he said.

To help the people of Mudgeeraba Caravan Village through Transformation Ministries, visit blessablock.weebly.com