General News
13 May, 2026
What’s going on?
A PRIME piece of Innisfail riverside real estate might soon have a new tenant or lessee.
The now ‘officially closed’ 49-space River Drive caravan park on the Bruce Highway at Mighell, owned by Cassowary Coast Regional Council, was recently publicly advertised to attract expressions of interest (EOI) for its future use.
Its closure at the beginning of last December was part of council’s move away from owning and/or managing assets.
But it doesn’t mean the site cannot continue to be used as a caravan park – only that another operator could be contracted to take over.
The park was popular over many years, visitors often posting favourable Tripadvisor reviews about its location and amenities.
“The manager was very kind, moving my site to get me away from the road to improve my sleep quality. The barbecue and shower facilities were clean and it was easy to set up the van on the site. It was also very close to town and shops if you need to restock,” one reviewer commented.
“Great location, close to town, fantastic clean facilities, well equipped spacious camp kitchen and superb friendly, welcoming manager. Oh, yes and really good value too,” another said. “Love this park. It has great facilities including the best camp kitchen, complete with library, that we’ve seen after nine years on the road.”
But despite its popularity, council has decided it no longer wanted to be responsible for running the site.
“Although the property has historically been operated by council as a caravan park, council is inviting expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced applicants setting out their vision for the future use and enhancement of the site and subsequently benefits to our region,” council’s advertisement said.
“The purpose of this expression of interest is to:
Identify capable operators of the site as either a caravan park or other tourism, cultural, environmental or community-focussed enterprise
Explore opportunities to improve service delivery, regional visitor experience and operational efficiency
Assess innovative ideas that enhance the property’s sustainability, resilience and alignment with regional tourism, community, environmental and/or cultural objectives.”
Council also said “any purpose other than a caravan park would require the preparation of a suitable land management plan (LMP) and if necessary, planning scheme approval”.
In a climate of ongoing accommodation shortages in the region, council’s EOI post drew comments from social media users.
“Can it not be used for our local residents who do not have accommodation? Bring in more shipping container homes for that space. Close to shops, doctors, schools,” one said.
Another commented: “A potential development opportunity for affordable housing, providing much-needed accommodation for the local community. This could be a game-changer for our town, bringing in new residents and boosting the local economy. Let’s hope it gets off the ground.”
After expressions of interest closed on 13 March, The Observer asked council for any further details about the park’s future use, including if any new operators or other lessees have been identified to take up its operation – but there has been no response to the newspaper’s queries.
Read More: Cassowary Coast