Caravan park sites reserved for seasonal workers

OPERATORS of the Lorne foreshore caravan park have set aside five sites for seasonal workers in a bid to ease the town’s accommodation crisis over summer.

The Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (GORCAPA) said the sites can accommodate four people each and are being offered exclusively to the workers over the 2022-23 period.

GORCAPA is a part of a working group that includes local government, traders and community members who have been trying to source solutions to the town’s limited housing availability which has resulted in some businesses closing their doors due to a lack of employees who have been priced out of town.

On Census night in August 2021, results showed more than 60 per cent of homes in the town were unoccupied, with a similar figure reported in nearby Anglesea, but that does not translate to them being available for rent at an affordable price point, with many listed on short-stay accommodation sites.

The 2022 Rental Affordability Index revealed the Surf Coast has become “severely unaffordable”, with about 40 per cent of an average annual household income required to secure a property at the median rent price.

The RAI report shows the region, along with parts of the Bellarine, have become incurred some of the highest rental increases in the country since the start of the pandemic.

“We are expecting one of the busiest peak summer seasons in recent years on the Great Ocean Road, which means an increase in demand for seasonal worker accommodation,” GORCAPA chief executive officer Jodie Sizer said.

“As part of our role in managing the Great Ocean coast we are committed to supporting local towns to manage the influx of visitors and workers over this busy period. We are continually looking at opportunities to increase accommodation capacity for seasonal workers at visitor hotspots on the Great Ocean Road, particularly in Lorne.”