newy.com.au – Accessibility upgrades at Swansea Lakeside Holiday Park have won state industry recognition, while the council officer overseeing Lake Macquarie’s five holiday parks has been named Employee of the Year.
The council-run park received the Innovation Award at the Caravan and Camping Industry Association NSW awards on August 13, after adding sensory rooms, accessible barbecues and amenities, and an all-abilities exercise precinct during the past year.
Its team also introduced specialised staff training and a website designed to be fully accessible.
Lake Macquarie Holiday Parks co-ordinator Garry Ellem received the Employee of the Year award, recognising nine years spent improving the council’s parks and making them more accessible.
Mr Ellem said the team used universal design principles, which aim to make places and facilities usable by as many people as possible.
“Every step forward and every improvement is guided by our vision to make inclusive tourism mainstream,” he said.
“Through the universal design lens, we are always on the lookout for what else we can do that makes our parks easier to navigate and enjoy.”
Swansea Lakeside, the council’s largest holiday park with more than 380 sites, also received bronze in the NSW Holiday Park of the Year category and was a finalist for best NSW Holiday Park on Crown Land.
Council property and business development manager Elizabeth Lambert said the park had competed against sites operated by major accommodation groups including BIG4, Discovery and Ingenia.
“We are so proud of the whole holiday parks team, but particularly Garry who has dedicated the past nine years of his career to making our holidays parks better and more accessible for everyone,” she said.
Further work is planned across the Lake Macquarie Holiday Parks network. Two tiny homes and an accessible ensuite for caravan visitors are due to be installed at Belmont Lakeside Holiday Park.
The council is also considering an accessible tiny home, although Mr Ellem said the design remained at an early stage because the required features needed to fit within the width of a caravan-style structure.
