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CMCA RV Park Ingham custodians share the wins of the park’s first season
Words and Images by: Paul and Anita Flynn Q2119

Flat ground, green grass and plenty of shade

Ingham is a town of over 4850 residents on the Bruce Highway north of Townsville in Queensland. Many members have travelled through here at one time or another, but haven’t had the chance to stop over. Now members have the opportunity to explore the region while staying at CMCA RV Park Ingham – a short-term parking area for those people travelling in self-contained vehicles.

Members can stay for up to five days in any 21-day period and have access to a dump point, water, rubbish bin and shelter shed. The RV Park has plenty of shaded areas as well as a custodian on-site to assist where possible. CMCA RV Park Ingham is normally open from April through until November, although this can be subject to change at short notice, due to weather conditions such as heavy rain.

Bliss for the Ingham open group!

This season has been well attended by members in transit from the Dam Fine Rally in Townsville to Christmas in July at Mareeba and beyond. Many others have passed through, including new members who have joined CMCA at the gate. The first weekend in August was the Australian Italian Festival and the park was at capacity, hosting 50 vans every night for almost a week. This prompted a visit from President of the Chamber of Commerce and  Deputy Mayor, Mary Brown, who has worked tirelessly for over four years to establish these opportunities.

Deputy Mayor Brown expressed the overwhelming response from the business community and information centre staff, who are delighted by the support of members for the town of Ingham and the commitment from CMCA. Since the opening of CMCA RV Park Ingham, the business community has experienced a financial gain of over $40,000 a month from passing  tourists. This has prompted several businesses in the local region to open areas for people to stay over and are reporting being viable again. This is a win for everyone.

As Ingham is the first of many parks to be rolled out across the country, we need to be seen as an asset to all concerned. We feel that Ingham Council will give us an ‘A+’ rating to other councils that may be contemplating following this concept.

The park has had many members visit throughout its first season

PARK FAQs

We want to take this opportunity to provide answers to some of the questions we are frequently asked. CMCA has leased this park and provided the basic infrastructure, which is constantly upgraded to meet member requirements. This self-contained RV Park provides short-term stopover solutions for its members. The rules for generators and pets are as per CMCA policy.

As further parks are established throughout Australia, each will be subject to different regulations as set down by local councils. The RV Park in Ingham is a ‘self-contained’ park, making the correct disposal of grey water imperative. Members should follow upcoming media releases from national headquarters adhering to the Leave No Trace conditions and Self Contained Vehicle (SCV) policy.

On behalf of everyone who has been involved in the establishment of CMCA RV Park Ingham, we would like to thank fellow members who have visited the park this year.

If you are interested in being a custodian volunteer in one of our parks, please contact NHQ on 02 4978 8788 for details.

Category: Features
Written: Tue 01 Nov 2016
Printed: November, 2016
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