Cotton Tree Caravan Park

Cotton Tree Caravan Park is a heritage-listed caravan park at Cotton Tree Parade, Cotton Tree, Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 3 April 2009.

History

The lower reaches of the Maroochy River began to develop as a place of resort in the 1880s. On the southern bank at its mouth, where Cotton Tree Caravan Park is sited, a 215-acre Wharf and Water reserve was gazetted in 1873. Holiday makers informally camped on the reserve among the native Cotton trees (Hibiscus tiliaceus). The use of the reserve, adjacent to a calm, shallow stretch of the river, reflected the preferences of the Victorian era for seaside swimming, boating and fishing. Similar locations for resort on the North Coast (now known as the Sunshine Coast) developed in the same period at Caloundra and Tewantin.

The Salvation Army established the area as a resort location. A yearly "Maroochy Heads encampment" was organised over the short break between Christmas and the New Year. The encampment provided a range of religious and leisure activities for local settlers and South Sea Islanders working on sugar cane farms at nearby Buderim, with alcohol, gambling and dancing prohibited. The first reported encampment was in 1896, when over 200 people stayed on the reserve. Later advertising by the Salvation Army suggests the encampment may have begun as early as 1888.

The encampment became a popular annual event. Over Christmas 1905, 400 people camped on the reserve. The surf beach immediately south of the river mouth gradually became more popular for swimming and in 1908 a life saving reel was installed. While the resort charms of the Maroochy region gained wider exposure in the 1900s and outside tourists became more common, campers were predominantly from the Blackall Range and districts surrounding Nambour until the interwar period.

By the 1910s, the encampment, advertised as 'Nature's Pick Me Up', had extended to two weeks duration. Tents were available for hire, erected for a small fee. Meals were offered in the dining tent and a large marquee was used for gatherings, while a kiosk operated by the Salvation Army sold bread, soft drinks, lollies and fruit. Two other private kiosks were in operation on the site by 1913. Wells were sunk in the sand to source fresh water and Maroochy Shire Council erected a new jetty and bathing sheds in 1912.

In 1908, the Queensland government included much of the 1873 reserve within its survey of the Township of Maroochydore (which included Cotton Tree). The potential loss of public land attracted strong resistance from campers and the Maroochy Shire Council, and land sales did not proceed immediately. A second attempt in 1914 to sell Maroochydore town lots also met with strong public resistance. On Boxing Day 1914, over 500 people voiced their opposition at a public meeting held on the reserve in the Salvation Army marquee. In early 1915 the new TJ Ryan Labor government announced their intention to proceed with the sales. While objections were lodged with the Lands Department and protestors criticised the 'bartering of people's heritage for money', the government proceeded with auctioning the allotments under perpetual lease from December 1915.

Seventeen remaining acres of the original reserve was re-gazetted for Camping and Recreation in September 1916. This north-easterly portion of the reserve was not submitted for sale because it was considered tidal. Following the land sales, the number of seasonal campers on the reserve appears to have declined, until 1926, when more "canvas houses" than in previous years were noted. The Salvation Army's involvement with the site decreased, replaced by a Methodist mission over summer 1919/20. The last reported Salvation Army encampment took place in 1929, with 100 tents on the reserve.

The Maroochy Shire Council's involvement in managing the Cotton Tree reserve gradually increased during the interwar period. A new jetty was constructed in 1923 and new bathing sheds were constructed in 1929. Sanitation was an important concern for the increasing number of visitors to the site, with Health Inspector's ensuring the wells and cabinets at Cotton Tree were cleaned before holidays. Under its Seaside Improvement Scheme, the council improved access to the reserve during 1940, with camping fees introduced by this time. New camping areas were also established on the beachfront extending south to Mooloolaba. In 1941, the reserve was re-gazetted, with Maroochy Shire Council as trustee.

During the interwar period, coastal resorts to the south and north of Brisbane (today's Gold and Sunshine Coasts) became more reliant on the provision of adequate roads and bridges to attract and deliver the growing amount of motor-driven tourists. Improvements to road networks during this period strongly influenced the development of the tourist industry in the Maroochy area. Until the late 1920s, the Maroochy River was the key transport route to Maroochydore, with most visitors arriving by motor launch at the Cotton Tree jetty, via Nambour railway station and the Moreton Mill tramway. In 1922 the Maroochy Shire Council began work on a road suitable for motor vehicles between Nambour and Maroochydore. By 1927 the route was upgraded to a Main Road, effectively ending the Maroochy River's role as the key transport artery for Maroochydore.

The first section of the Bruce Highway, between what is now Rothwell and Eumundi, was opened in December 1934. For the first time, motor tourists from Brisbane had reliable access to the North Coast, with a trip to Maroochydore taking approximately two hours. The potential for tourism growth at North Coast seaside and mountain resorts had been a key factor in the decision to allocate Main Roads funds to this project, and when first opened, the highway was classified as a "tourist" road.

The Main Roads Annual Report of 1937 commented on the "remarkable" progress of North Coast seaside resorts, particularly Maroochydore and Caloundra, following construction of the highway, and recorded increased traffic on both the highway and connecting roads. A bitumen road between Maroochydore Post Office and Cotton Tree was completed by January 1937.

The improvements to the road network fostered the beginnings of caravan tourism on the North Coast. Caravanning, essentially another version of camping, developed as a result of increased car usage during the interwar period. The earliest versions of caravans were more like motorhomes; cars with bodies modified by their owners to include a rear compartment for sleeping and storage. Australian manufacturers of towed caravans had appeared by the late 1920s, some moving into the industry from building car bodies. Self-built caravans were also popular, with manuals published on their construction and fittings. By 1937, Australian enthusiasts had their own journal and motoring supplements in newspapers were devoting column space to caravans. Caravans were reported alongside tents at Maroochy seaside camping grounds by the end of 1937, with the region's earliest private caravan accommodation, Tooway Park near Caloundra, under construction in the same period. By 1939, 169 caravans were registered in Queensland.

For the affluent motor tourist who holidayed at seaside camping grounds, caravans offered freedom and flexibility, without sacrificing comfort. As a "home away from home", fitted with modern conveniences, caravans were markedly different from the simplicity of camping under a canvas tent. They were an alternative to local hotels and guesthouses, which were in high demand during peak seasons and offered varying levels of quality.

Camping numbers at Cotton Tree steadily increased during the late 1930s, and continued to do so following the end of World War II. Summer 1945/46 attracted record crowds to Maroochy and by summer 1950/51, an additional water well was necessary for campers. Police were stationed on the reserve during holidays and there was a daily attendance of officers from the Maroochy Shire Health Department. A new ranger's office was built in time for Christmas 1953, when an estimated 4000 people camped on the waterfront between Maroochydore and Mooloolaba.

The popularity of caravans became more noticeable by the end of the 1940s with an estimated 12,000 caravans on Australian roads by the end of 1948. In 1949, increasing numbers of caravans were noted on North Coast roads. The RACQ urged local authorities on tourist routes to provide "well equipped camps" to prepare for the boom. Over the 1951/52 season, the number of interstate caravans at Maroochy campgrounds was noted and calls continued for more sites for caravans.

The lifting of petrol rationing by the Menzies Federal government, the increased affordability of cars for the wider population and longer paid holidays were catalysts for the growth of mass motor tourism during the 1950s. In turn, this growth influenced the number of caravan users and the associated development of caravan parks. Queensland's caravan registration figures grew rapidly during the decade from 2320 in 1953, to 5406 in 1961.

In the 1950s relatively few sites in Queensland offered the infrastructure considered desirable for accommodating caravanning needs. Caravan advocates looked to the United States and the United Kingdom for examples of best practice in caravan parks (also known as trailer parks and auto camps). Caravanning guides and journals offered suggestions for layout and features. These involved a more formal arrangement of space than camping, characterised by a grid or circular design and landscaped grounds. Features to consider included a location near a main road, a prominent entrance, recreation room, brick amenities block, levelled concrete slabs, landscaping, hot showers and electricity.

The Maroochy Shire Council played a key role on the Sunshine Coast in developing caravanning facilities. One of its earliest responses was in 1939, when it established a short-lived "auto-camp' in Nambour. In August 1952, the Alexandra Headland Caravan Park was opened by the local State member Mr Frank Nicklin

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