New caravan park proposed for Lara

PROPONENTS of a camping and caravan park near Lara say the park will have best-practice and environmentally sustainable design, and will not only celebrate the Lara area but also address the area’s urgent need for short-term tourism accommodation.

Long-time Lara residents Dean Hinch and his family, along with several other Lara locals, have come together to lodge a planning application for a camping and caravan park after seeing their town miss out on what they describe as valuable tourism dollars and thousands of day-trippers because of limited accommodation options.

“In addition to the 455,000 passengers travelling on the Spirit of Tasmania every year, there are almost 30,000 caravans and motorhomes, with nowhere near enough available accommodation,” Mr Hinch said.

“Not to mention that Lara is a stone’s throw away from Avalon Airport, with 1.4 million passengers travelling through every year.”

The $10.1 million development, which would be located at 325 Forest Road North between the You Yangs and Serendip Sanctuary, is proposed to provide high quality eco-tourism accommodation with a rural look and feel.

The park will have 118 accommodation sites, including 56 cabins, 48 caravan sites and 14 camping sites, and feature viewing platforms to take in the surrounds.

An olive grove will also be integrated into the development, enhancing the rural outlook and establishing a farming enterprise on the land.

As well as the jobs generated during construction, the development will generate more than 30 ongoing local jobs to operate and manage the camping and caravan park.

“The park will be a win for everyone, which explains why we’ve already received so much support from the local community,” Mr Hinch said.

“We look forward to now receiving support and a timely decision from the City of Greater Geelong.”

Public comment on the proposal closes on September 26.