Tag: Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park

What a way to experience our great coastline

What a way to experience our great coastline

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Fancy a first-hand look at the amazing coastline between Torquay and Aireys Inlet? Then the Guided Surf Coast Walk is for you.

There is no better way to experience the beauty of the Surf Coast than by taking part in the Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park‘s guided cultural walk.

The three-day guided tour will take you over 40 kilometres of the Surf Coast coastline, giving participants a great insight into the animals, plants and history of this rugged landscape – making this tour the only one of its kind.

You will get the opportunity to gain a special appreciation for our amazing coastline under the guidance of Wadawurrung woman Corrina Eccles. While for an ecological perspective, walkers will also be joined by Ranger Pete Crowcroft from the Great Ocean Road Coast Committee’s passionate environmental education team.

Guests take part in the Guided Surf Coast Walk.

Day one sees the group begin their journey at the Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park, before being transferred to Point Impossible where a Welcome to Country ceremony will take place before walking back along the coastline to the caravan park. Upon returning to the park, drinks and canapes will be on offer as well as a discount voucher to a local restaurant for dinner.

Day two is the biggest of the three days, with the group traversing a 22 kilometre stretch of coastline. The walk will commence in the morning with guests provided with a packed lunch and snacks.

Corrina leads the walk along many interesting points, sharing her culture and way of life on Wadawurrung Country. Explore midden and ochre sites and immerse yourself in the Aboriginal culture of the area. The group will experience a range of indigenous flora and fauna unique to this area, eventually arriving at Anglesea Family Caravan Park in the late afternoon where you will stay overnight. Dinner is provided at one of Anglesea’s well-known eateries.

Guided Surf Coast Walk participants learn about Wadawurrung Country with guide Corrina Eccles.

The third and final day sees guests walk from Anglesea to Aireys Inlet with Anglesea local Ranger Pete. Once again, breakfast and coffee are provided before hitting the trail.

Guests will receive a tour of the Split Point Lighthouse, made famous by featuring in the popular 90s TV show ‘Round the Twist’. The tour ends with a delicious lunch and Devonshire tea at The Lighthouse Tea Rooms, before guests are transported back to their car in Torquay.

The Guided Surf Coast Walk will take place from 1-3 May this year, with a single ticket costing $800 while a triple share is $450 per person.

Overall inclusions:

  • One nights’ accommodation in a Surfside cabin at Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park
  • One nights’ accommodation in a Superior or Cedar cabin at Anglesea Family Caravan Park
  • Meet and greet including drinks and canapes
  • Local restaurant discount voucher
  • Two continental breakfast hampers
  • Coffee vouchers each morning
  • One packed lunch and trail mix
  • Vouchers for the heated spa at Anglesea Family Caravan Park
  • A well-earned group dinner at a local eatery
  • Lunch and Devonshire tea at The Lighthouse Tea Rooms
  • Tour of Split Point Lighthouse.
One of the many stunning views you will see along the Guided Surf Coast Walk.

This tour is unlike any other and is perfect for those wishing to experience some of the wonderful features this coastline has to offer, while extending their knowledge of the land and its history.

The walk is limited to 25 participants so be sure to book your spot early. Book online now or call Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park to make your booking on 03) 5261 2496.

Wayne and Julie join the team

Wayne and Julie join the team

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Assistant Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park Managers – Wayne and Julie Del Marco

Wayne and Julie join the Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park management team as ongoing Assistant Managers at the busy holiday destination.

Wayne and Julie have spent the past five years managing caravan parks in Forster, including the Happy Halliday’s Caravan Park and Lakeside Resort Forster, in northern New South Wales. Read more →

Summer activities a success!

Summer activities a success!

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It’s been fun all summer long with more than 50 environmental education activities run with campers of all ages at the Torquay and Lorne Foreshore Caravan Parks.

The Great Ocean Road Coast Committee has been conducting the free activities as part of their camper activity program throughout January. Read more →

Introducing our new Caravan Park Operations Manager

Introducing our new Caravan Park Operations Manager

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The Great Ocean Road Coast Committee welcomes their new Caravan Park Operations Manager Daniel Aitken to the team.

Daniel joins the management team with more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry in Torquay and abroad in the UK. Read more →

Caravan Parks get a breath of fresh air

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Our Torquay and Lorne Foreshore Caravan Park management teams have undergone a change in management with new park managers, assistant park managers, commercial manager and marketing communications officer being appointed in the past six months.

Read more →

Who does what where?

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The forum provided an opportunity for coastal volunteers to learn more about the roles and responsibilities of the various land managers and government agencies involved in caring for the coast.

COAST ACTION/COASTCARE

Coast Action/Coastcare supports community volunteer groups involved in caring for Victoria’s coast.

This role encompasses:

  • coordinating volunteers for coastal projects
  • funding projects through the Coastcare Victoria Community Grants program
  • providing boundaries for volunteers
  • facilitating volunteer achievements, and
  • communicating and sharing ideas to provide connections between the different volunteer groups, projects and stakeholders.

The agency fulfils an important public education role on several levels:

  • linking coastal management policy to communities
  • helping to find a role for the public in coastal management
  • communicating current coastal-related issues, and
  • educating the broader community (e.g. children, schools, visitors, businesses) about caring for the coast.

Coast Action/Coastcare also contributes to community capacity building by providing various education and training programs for volunteers and the general public. These include occupational health and safety, leadership, first aid, community forums, field days, workshops and the annual Summer by the Sea summer holiday program.

Provided by Matt Fox, State Coordinator, Coast Action/Coastcare

GREAT OCEAN ROAD COAST COMMITTEE

The Great Ocean Road Coast Committee manages 37 kilometres of Crown land foreshore reserves along the Great Ocean Road between Point Impossible (east of Torquay) and Cumberland River (west of Lorne).

Its responsibilities as a land manager are focused on looking after these reserves by:

  • protecting the sensitive coastal environment through weed eradication programs and other activities
  • building and maintaining an A to Z of coastal facilities, assets and infrastructure – from artwork to zebra (pedestrian) crossings
  • controlling commercial and other activities on the reserves through the issuing of leases, licences and permits, and
  • contributing to the area’s overall amenity in various ways, such as removing rubbish from beaches and foreshore areas.

The committee also operates caravan parks in Torquay and Lorne, and manages the leases for two other privately operated parks at Anglesea and Cumberland River.

The income generated by the parks funds the committee’s coastal management work with additional income, mainly from State and Federal Government grants, supporting the delivery of various capital works and improvement projects.

Much of the committee’s work is undertaken in partnership with other coastal land managers, State Government and local community volunteer groups who contribute much valuable time and effort to caring for the coast.

Provided by Richard Davies, Chief Executive Officer, Great Ocean Road Coast Committee

PARKS VICTORIA

Parks Victoria is responsible for managing a wide variety of parks in Victoria as well as the recreational management of Port Phillip Bay, Western Port and the Yarra and Maribyrnong rivers

Specifically, the estate includes:

  • 45 national parks
  • 13 marine national parks
  • 11 marine sanctuaries
  • 3 wilderness parks
  • 25 state parks
  • 30 metropolitan parks
  • 60 other parks (including regional and reservoir parks)
  • more than 2,000 natural features reserves and conservation reserves
  • 10,412 formally registered Aboriginal cultural heritage sites, and
  • more than 2,500 non-Indigenous historic places.

These assets total more than four million hectares (about 17 per cent of Victoria) – total area of parks and reserves.

As land manager, Parks Victoria’s responsibilities include:

  • preservation of natural eco-systems
  • Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultural heritage protection
  • access and visitor facilities
  • fire management, and
  • education and interpretation.

Funded by the State Government, the organisation comprises locally-based rangers, as well as planners, environmentalists, scientists and managers working at both state and local levels,

Provided by Frank Gleeson, Ranger in Charge – East Otways, Parks Victoria

Infamous coastal controversies of the past five years

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As the clock ticks down on my last two months with GORCC, it seems timely to look back over the achievements and challenges of the past five years.

It will probably come as no surprise to many when I say that our work is not all plain sailing. Indeed, as the following top 10 list shows, GORCC has  weathered plenty of controversial issues. While these have been challenging at the time, they have all inevitably led us towards learning some very valuable and salient lessons.

Here are some of our most infamous controversies of the past five years. Rest assured that while the tone may be light, they each represent some very hard lessons learned!

  • ‘Parking Gate’
    Who can forget our attempt to install parking meters in Torquay, Jan Juc and Anglesea in 2007? It had worked in Lorne for three previous years so we thought we’d use it in other areas to generate some new funding for our work to look after the coast. After announcing our plans, we endured a massive backlash from throughout the local community, causing us to back down and even leading us to eventually remove the meters from Lorne. It still comes up from time to time in media reports.
  • ‘Pool Gate’
    The controversy continues in Lorne about the redevelopment of the Lorne swimming pool and whether it should be heated or not. We’re hopeful this will all be resolved one way or another in the near future.
  • ‘Bunker Gate’
    Our staff discovered an elaborate bunker in the sand dunes at Fishermans Beach in Torquay, which made the news on all major radio stations and ABC TV. Must have been a slow news day!
  • ‘Memorial Gate’
    Thinking we had everyone’s support, we set out to upgrade Point Danger in Torquay, which included building a new war memorial. Unfortunately we had neglected to honour Joe Walker and his mates who had built the original rock cairn, which our local war veterans still considered to be very important. After some difficult times, we worked out a compromise with Joe and the RSL to keep the old memorial while building the new one. They are both resplendent now, especially at the annual dawn service on ANZAC Day
  • ‘Camper Gate’
    Our plans to upgrade the Torquay and Lorne Foreshore Caravan Parks have certainly generated strong reactions from many of our regular campers who for many years have enjoyed staying in the parks. And continue to do so with the imminent start of stage one power upgrade works at Torquay currently attracting many questions, concerns and comments from the campers affected by these works.
  • ‘Cut/gap Gate’
    A few residents in Torquay became very concerned at what they thought were our plans to close the ‘gap’ at Whites Beach.
  • ‘Stairs Gate’
    Unfortunately the old stairs at Bird Rock in Jan Juc had to be removed because they were no longer safe and it wasn’t possible to build a safe set. Despite the danger, the signs and a fence, a few irresponsible surfers still get to their favourite wave by scrambling up and down the cliff face rather than using the stairs leading down from Little Rock car park. It seems some people never learn.
  • ‘Toilet Gate’
    The old toilet on the foreshore in Torquay has needed to be replaced for some time now. Unfortunately it is situated directly across the road from some very expensive premuim real estate. Not surprisingly the owners are concerned – and have been for some time – about how the new building  will be sensitive to their needs (i.e. views) as residents and property owners. The new facility still hasn’t been built while the existing one continues to deteriorate. Beauty certainly is in the eye of the beholder.
  • ‘Slaughterhouse’
    An unused and little-known but important bit of Crown land in Lorne has the potential to be used for accommodation or some other appropriate purpose. But should it be developed at all? And if so, how to ensure the best outcomes for the coast and the community?
  • ‘The Pong Su’
    An international drug operation gone wrong, with dead bodies washing up on the Lorne foreshore. Nothing to do with us but very interesting all the same.

Posted by David Clarke, CEO.

Change one of life’s constants

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The wise person who once said, “the only thing that stays the same is change”, certainly hit the nail squarely on the head. Life is all about change – as is the coast, the community, GORCC (like all other organisations), and many other aspects of the world we live in.

Change has certainly been in the wind at GORCC over the past week since we announced the resignation of our Chair Peter Anderson along with my decision to finish up in June 2010 as Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Peter’s decision reflects a recent change in his work circumstances. After serving voluntarily on the committee since its formation in 2004 – the past three years as voluntary Chair – his leadership and invaluable contribution to the coast, its ongoing management and care will be sorely missed.

Fortunately John Carlile has agreed to step into the role of Acting Chair until the new committee comes on board later this year. Like Peter, John is passionate about the coast and its future. So much so that three years ago he volunteered for the committee and has been an active member ever since.

John will keep a steady hand at the helm over the next few months as GORCC navigates its way towards the government’s appointment of a new committee from July 2010 and the committee’s recruitment of a new Chief Executive Officer.

All of GORCC’s important work continues as usual: looking after the coast and delivering projects such as the Surf Coast Walk, the power upgrade at Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park and the start of redevelopment works at Fishermans Beach.

My own decision to resign as CEO was made after much soul-searching. I appreciate the trust the original committee placed in my capabilities to lead and shape what was then a very new organisation when it appointed me as GORCC’s inaugural CEO almost five years ago.

I will look back on my time with GORCC with considerable pride and happiness. Whilst there have been plenty of challenges, I consider the achievements to be significant; for example:

  • the caravan park upgrades are now well underway
  • more than $10 million in local, State and Federal Government funding has been secured in recent years
  • we have received external awards and recognition for our coastal management efforts, which are underpinned by our Environment and Land Management Plan
  • our relationships with government, key stakeholders and the community are robust and mutually beneficial
  • communication and engagement initiatives are ongoing and increasingly leading edge
  • we have delivered complex projects, such as the new Lorne Pier, and have a diverse project portfolio underway in the planning and delivery stages, and
  • our advocacy for the coast is well-regarded and regularly called upon.

GORCC is well positioned to achieve the key goals of significantly upgraded caravan parks that provide sustainable funding to enable ongoing protection of the coast and upgrades to its facilities and infrastructure.

The input of our staff over the last five years has been immense and I thank them for their contributions.

While it will be business as usual during my last two months as GORCC’s CEO, change is in the wind. I am excited about the changes ahead in my own life and confident the committee and new CEO will continue to lead GORCC effectively for the benefit of the coast and community.

Posted by David Clarke, CEO.