Aussies left with nowhere to go after council terminated leases at popular holiday parks on the NSW North Coast
Dozens of Aussies say they have nowhere to go after a northern New South Wales council terminated leases on vans in holiday parks to make room for more tourists.
Dozens of Aussies say they have nowhere to go after a northern New South Wales council terminated leases on vans in holiday parks to make room for more tourists.
Clarence Valley Council issued notices to holders of casual holiday vans in Brooms Head, Iluka, Minnie Water and Wooli Holiday Parks, that it would be terminating long-term (casual occupation) agreements.
In explaining the move, the council said holders are permitted to use the site for up to 180 days per year, meaning that for the other six months of the year they sit vacant and unable to be used by other visitors.
The councils general manager Laura Black said the move was due to growing demand from visitors for tourist sites and insisted residents were not being evicted.
For some Aussies, these parks had become a lifeline in a time of skyrocketing rents and home prices and cost of living pressures.
One of those is Roger House, who blew his life savings on a holiday van at Minnie Water Holiday Park nine years ago.
But on March 15, the council terminated his lease and gave him 120 days to vacate.
Ill be homeless. Ive got no family close by where I can go and live, he told the ABC. What am I going to do, pitch a tent?
Clarence Valley Council issued notice to holders of casual holiday vans in Brooms Head, Iluka, Minnie Water and Wooli Holiday Parks, terminating long-term lease agreements
For some Aussies, these parks had become a lifeline in a time of skyrocketing rents and home prices and cost of living pressures (a holiday with extensions is pictured)
The military veteran added that with the prices of rentals these days… you cant get a decent place to live on your superannuation and your pension.
Mr House is one of 131 casual lease holders in holiday parks in the four affected holiday parks, who have been issued with notices to vacate by the council.
The council said casual holiday vans are not primary places of residence, but Mr House presumed his lease allowed him to live onsite if he had no other permanent address.
Andrea and Rod Stone invested their life savings into a campervan parked at Riverside Caravan Park after they were unable to afford their rental.
Well lose $120,000. Well walk away with nothing, Mrs Stone said.
The stress amongst people here is terrible. I cant sleep, Im so distressed.
Ms Black said the council had been forced to make changes as the demand from visitors for tourist sites has grown significantly over the last decade.
These sites are on public land and its important that all visitors to the holiday parks have the same opportunity to use these sites when holidaying with their families and friends, she said.
For some people, these parks had become a lifeline in a time of rising rents, sky high home prices and continuing cost of living pressures
Weve been able to accommodate casual agreements for some time but with greater demand, we have made the decision to return these sites for all to use.
We are not "evicting" residents, these are casual agreements and cannot be used as a permanent residence. All users are required to have a primary place of residence elsewhere offsite.
Gary Martin, CEO of the Affiliated Residential Park Residents Association, said two different leases govern caravan park tenancies.
The Residential Land Lease Communities Act is a residential site agreement that allows the home owner to live permanently in that type of dwelling, he told the ABC.
The second one is called the Holiday Parks Act, and that is essentially a holiday home where the occupant has the right to stay for up to 180 days at a time.
But Mr Martin said that increasingly, there is a grey area where people no longer have that second place to live and have become permanent residents by stealth.
He said that many operators, such as councils, have not done their due diligence, and they havent been able to delineate where the person is actually living.
Clarence Valley Council general manager Laura Black (pictured) said the move was due to growing demand from visitors for tourist sites
A statement on the councils website said it is working closely with holiday park managers and holders of casual agreements, providing 110 days notice to terminate agreements and waiving all rental fees from 13 March to 30 June.
Under the Act only 90 days notice is required.
They used their retirement savings to buy into the park five years ago after leaving a rental property due to financial difficulties.
Well lose $120,000. Well walk away with nothing, she said.
The councils view that the change is necessary because of a growing demand from visitors is backed up by figures release on Wednesday showing NSW has recorded its highest-ever visitor expenditure.
Domestic and international travellers spent $53.2billion across the state, up 3.6 per cent year on year, according to new data from Tourism Research Australia for the year ending December 2024.
Our focus is on unlocking opportunity and driving investment in our visitor economy, NSW Tourism Minister Steve Kamper said in a statement to Daily Mail Australia.
These results reflect the strength of our experience tourism approach, which connects visitors to our states unique offerings.