GORCAPA releases Master Plan for Kennett River

KENNETT River’s caravan park and visitor precinct will be upgraded following the approval of two major plans by the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (GORCAPA).

GORCAPA has endorsed a new Master Plan for the Kennett River Family Caravan Park and released the Kennett River Precinct Plan.

The Master Plan outlines a sustainable facility upgrade, with improvements to site safety, functionality, infrastructure and the overall visitor experience.

Key changes include expanded bathrooms, nature-based play areas, a central amenities block, outdoor dining spaces, water-sensitive urban design, better drainage, and upgraded accommodation sites.

GORCAPA director of community, corporate affairs and visitor economy Andy Mathers said the plan marked a shift away from high-impact tourism.

“By focusing on nature-based design, sustainability and native landscaping, we’re creating a visitor experience that enhances – not detracts from – the environment.”

Community input helped shape the Master Plan, with 46 submissions received, and another 95 on the Draft Precinct Plan.

GORCAPA also held targeted discussions with licensed tourist operators, online information sessions with 65 participants, and formed a Community Reference Group (CRG) with representatives from local groups including the Kennett River Association (KRA) and Kennett Community Action Group (KCAG).

KRA president Corrina Dichiera said the community had high hopes, but these were not met in the final design.

“The community held high hopes that GORCAPA would design a precinct that showed innovation and vision for the future management of tourism in Kennett River,” she said.

“The end result is a final precinct plan that not only fails to resolve the issues currently facing Kennett River caused by growing tourism numbers, but one which causes new safety concerns for the community and visitors.”

Ms Dichiera said the CRG began as a genuine opportunity to address concerns but became a “box-ticking exercise.”

GORCAPA says it made several changes to the draft in response to feedback. These included reducing motorcycle parking bays from 10 to five, adding accessible parking near the river, installing bollards to improve pedestrian safety at Kafe Koala, and allowing right-turn access from the service road into Hawdon Avenue.

“Community input through the Community Reference Group and broader community engagement has played a critical role in shaping the plan’s primary outcomes,” GORCAPA interim chief executive officer Christine Ferguson said.

“We’re confident the Final Kennett River Precinct Plan reflects a balanced response to the many perspectives shared, while also delivering on our obligations for public safety, environmental protection, local amenity and visitor management.”

KCAG president and CRG member Elenore Lannigan welcomed the outcome. “We understand that projects like this come with constraints, and that the outcomes had to accommodate the diverse needs of all stakeholders, legislative requirements and environmental considerations,” she said.

Works will be delivered in stages over the next decade, subject to funding and feasibility.

For more information, head to greatoceanroadauthority.vic.gov.au