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For years, the Sandy Point Holiday Park has offered beach lovers their own modest version of the Australian holiday house dream.
Set just behind the dunes of the pristine South Gippsland coastline, the caravan owners could fall asleep and wake to the sound of rolling waves surging from the Southern Ocean.
For an annual fee, each caravan owner had their own place within the small caravan park.
In addition to the caravan owners, the holiday park had been popular with school groups and other holidaymakers, including campers.
But now the park owner has gained approval to redevelop the site. After several failed attempts, South Gippsland Shire has finally allowed the site to be turned into private housing.
South Gippsland Shire approved a subdivision for the site allowing for 11 dwellings and the removal of some native vegetation.
The decision has devastated caravan owners who face losing their holiday homes. Residents, too, are also worried the town’s tiny economy, which includes a general store, surf school and a few other businesses, will suffer without the tourism generated by the caravan park.
The council decision was split, with Mayor Nathan Hersey using his casting vote to approve the application.
The application attracted 29 objections and one submission supporting it. A council report into the caravan park dating back to 2020 said it had 74 sites for “annuals”, in which the caravans were privately owned and owners paid a yearly fee. There were also 10 camping sites at the time.
The caravan park has been in operation since before 1964. Small sections of the caravan park have previously been carved off for housing.
Geoff Paine bought his “glorified shanty cottage” at the caravan park about five years ago.
He said houses at Sandy Point were unaffordable, so a caravan gave him an economical option in the location he loves.
“It was our little beachside escape,” he said. “It wasn’t glamorous, but it didn’t need to be.”
Paine said the caravan park had been an integral part of the Sandy Point community, but that would be lost if the owner proceeded with development plans.
“For anyone who has a tent or a caravan, that’s one more location they can’t visit.”
The Sandy Point Community Group has decided to lodge an appeal with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal against the council’s decision.
In a statement, it said the council had refused a previous application for a 14-lot subdivision of the site in a decision that was upheld by the tribunal.
The community group said the latest proposal failed to address key issues identified in that earlier tribunal ruling.
“In particular, concerns remain that important planning and environmental considerations have not been sufficiently resolved,” the group said.
The group wants a masterplan for the site that will determine how it can be used best.
Sandy Point resident and community group committee member David Zohs said it was disappointing the council was split on the decision, so the VCAT challenge would help resolve the issue.
“Any group has the right to keep pushing for the best outcome for the community,” he said. “That’s what we’re doing.”
The council’s decision to approve the application came shortly before it released new flood mapping, which indicated how townships across the municipality might be impacted by increased flooding and inundation risk.
The flood studies identified an additional 180 dwellings and 900 properties likely to be affected by flooding.
The site of the caravan park itself does not fall within a new proposed inundation overlay area.
But South Gippsland Shire councillor Sarah Gilligan said the mapping showed road access to the caravan park could be cut off under increased flooding scenarios.
Gilligan, who voted against the development application, said if the proposal proceeded only people who could afford to buy property or rent would be able to holiday in Sandy Point.
“This will remove all the affordable accommodation in Sandy Point,” she said. “This is a public beach.”
Gilligan called for stronger planning regulations from the state government to prevent looming harm to lives and properties from rising sea levels, coastal erosion and increased flooding risk.
Gilligan said she understood why some of her fellow councillors had followed council officers’ advice and voted in favour of the application. While Gilligan accepted the council’s decision, she argued the absence of coastal hazard overlays had put the council in an impossible position.
Gilligan said the caravan park owner was entitled to develop the site under present planning rules, but she argued those regulations were outdated.
The Age made multiple attempts to contact the caravan park owner.
Local businesses have also raised concerns about decreased patronage if the caravan park closes.
General store owner Paddy Annareddy estimated the caravan park accounted for 30 per cent of his customers during summer.
“You make enough to get you through the winter when there’s no business,” he said.
Offshore Surf School owner Shane Hogan, who operates classes from Sandy Point, said many school groups camped at the caravan park and had a surf lesson before hiking to another nearby beach.
“It’s a sad day when your town doesn’t have a caravan park for camping,” he said. “You lose diversity in your economy.”
Hogan said the caravan park was in a beautiful location, but the site had been allowed to deteriorate to a point where it needed substantial maintenance.
South Gippsland Shire Council did not respond to The Age’s questions. But in a statement, council chief executive Allison Jones said the decision was confined to the planning merits of the proposed land use. She said the council had rejected an earlier proposal for the site but the revised application had addressed those issues.
“Whether the applicant elects to act on any approval that may ultimately be granted for the land is entirely a private decision and not one that council can influence,” Jones said.
And that decision may ultimately determine whether dozens of caravan owners will keep or lose access to the Australian dream of a beachside shack.
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Benjamin Preiss is The Age’s regional editor. He was previously state rounds reporter and has also covered education for The Age.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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