ReLOCATION, reLOCATION, reLOCATION

							ReLOCATION, reLOCATION, reLOCATION

In a letter dated May 5th, 21 annual sites holders in The Dunes adjacent to Voss’s
Car Park & 3 annuals in The Hill on the same block as the old cabins were advised by
GORCC that they would have to relocate their vans & aluminium annexes before
September 1st . Also 8 seasonal sites on the block in The Hill with the old cabins would
be required to relocate for the new cabins that were to fill that area. This came as rather a
shock to all concerned, especially when it was found GORCC plans carried a date from
last year yet GORCC said “our decision was only made recently“!

Campers were offered a choice of sites scattered in almost every area of the park & asked
to select 3 options each. Most sites were not suitable especially considering the somewhat
larger vans & 3 metre wide annexes which most annual campers have. Most chose at
least 1 site along the eastern boundary about half way between Bell St & the exit to
Voss’s Car Park. Eventually GORCC showed a little sense & offered all those affected
sites in this area. Seventeen campers have accepted while the remainder chose elsewhere.
This means that some toilet blocks in the park can still be closed during the off-season, a
saving to GORCC, & that many campers were able to stay close to the friends they have
camped near for years. Unfortunately it also meant that the seasonal campers who had
occupied those sites were disrupted , displaced & will be on different sites this coming
season. At least 2 regular annual campers have unfortunately departed.

Groundworks in this new area (see photos from 13/6/09 on the TCCC site) included
removing most of the existing vegetation & trees, & was not re-seeded until
early July. Most elected not to do the move themselves, mostly lacking the time & the
skill. The few brave souls who DIY’ed were beset with foul & very windy weather.
With less than 2 months to go the rush was on. First, pack the fragiles, empty at least the
annexe, remove all power & wiring, water, & homemade sullage Remove all decks,
paving & skirts around both the van & annexe. Don’t forget the BBQ, TV aerial &
clothesline. Storage of some of the above items in the camp catering kitchen was
invaluable. All this you have to do yourselves. It takes 2 full days for the professionals to
dismantle, move & reassemble each camp. It is a sight not to be forgotten to see the
flooring & subfloor frame of your annexe, minus enough boards to attach it to chains
behind a truck, being towed along the road to your new location! Due to e.g. their new or
old location some vans had to be moved by crane to a flat bed truck then off-loaded by
crane. The cost of a commercial relocation was a minimum of $2,600, while a crane &
truck cost $650 for the few hours it took. Quite a few vans & annexes have needed
additional work at the same time, again at greater expense. Some had the rusting steel
roof replaced, perhaps with steel again, or perhaps with aluminium panels (at $220 for a
1.2 metre span.) So it ain’t cheap. Seventeen camps by 2 days each means 34 working
days, so time was tight, but eventually all bar one was moved by deadline of September
1st, the majority with the one contractor.

Now there are camps with very different amounts of progress towards completion. Some
have merely removed stored items from the catering kitchen, which was required to be
vacated by about 20/9/09. Others are still partway through replacing all those things that
were removed. Usually it requires a visit by the plumber & electrician, maybe new carpet
- all more expense. Replace/relay the deck & skirts, relay the paving etc. Do It Yourself
or pay. Often the old things don’t now fit, as the new site has a different slope A lucky
few have just about finished, but the majority are only halfway.

Surrounded by old friends, & having got to know more of the neighbours so much better,
these campers are a determined bunch, who will make this forced move work for them.
Some will miss the shady tree left behind & since removed, others friends who were on
the other side of the track & did not have to move. Summer seasonals who been have
displaced may feel some angst, but it is not directed at the campers who now occupy their
old sites. The snowball effect caused by allowing the annuals to group together was
indeed unfortunate for the seasonals, whose options to retain old groupings with friends
were not as wide. Many annual & seasonal campers will get much more exercise this
summer, walking much further to socialise with old friends

The unfortunate upshot of all this moving is that it has perhaps served no purpose. It
seems that the large tents planned for the east end of The Dunes will not arrive, the old
cabins on The Hill will not this season be replaced, & unless there is exceptional rainfall
between now & Xmas, the area of The Dunes which supposedly offered beach-side
camping with ocean views will be perhaps the worst, windiest & least hospitable area in
the whole park.