Latest news with #Licola
ABC News
3 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Changes at Licola's caravan park and store prompt 'intimidating' threats
Nestled on the banks of the picturesque Macalister River, Licola is a popular stop for four-wheel drivers, motorcyclists and caravanners heading bush to explore Victoria's rugged Alpine National Park. But changes to how the town's store and caravan park will be managed have upset locals and tourists. With a population of about 15, the entire town — including store and caravan park — is privately owned by the Lions Club. Earlier this year, the Licola Wilderness Village board announced it would not renew the lease held by shopkeeper Leanne O'Donnell. And at the caravan park, guests can no longer pay an annual fee to leave their van year-round. "We're trying to keep Licola going," board secretary Stephen Boyes said. Mr Boyes said the changes had caused so much anger that staff at a nearby camp run by the Lions Club had been threatened. Mr Boyes acknowledged the previous operator Leanne O' Donnell had run the shop well, but said the lease had been financially unsustainable for the board. "We're on track to lose about $50,000 this year just maintaining that side of the road," he said. Mr Boyes said the change in management would include introducing 24-hour access to fuel at the store. "We are looking to put an after-hours card payment in on fuel," he said. "The operations will be very much the same. Fuel will remain a major part." The caravan park will temporarily close next year for upgrades, including a new layout for tourist stays, an upgraded power system and a modern camp kitchen. There will be 40 powered sites and 10 riverfront camp sites available by early next year, but annual sites will be removed. "We will be looking to run it as a tourist caravan park … it wouldn't have annuals in [it]. It would be just for short-term stays," Mr Boyes said. "We're doing this to improve viability. "When sites are permanently taken but not occupied, that limits how many visitors we can actually host." Licola is about three hours' drive east of Melbourne and is the only privately owned town in Victoria. All of the facilities in Licola were bought by Lions Club New South Wales and Victoria in 1969 to keep the town alive. The group established Licola Wilderness Village, a camping site that hosts camps for disadvantaged students, which is separate from the caravan park and sits opposite the shop. Mr Boyes said the changes at the general store and caravan park had prompted anger and backlash directed at innocent staff. Mr Boyes said staff at the Licola Wilderness Village camp were getting threats in emails and in person. "We are getting close to a point where we think we may have to remove our staff from the village for a while," he said. Mr Boyes said he wanted locals to understand the board was working in the best interest of Licola. "We have a responsibility under the Corporations Act to act in the best interests of the entity," he said.
ABC News
16-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Licola General Store change in management has locals worried
A single mum who says she spent her life savings reinvigorating an isolated caravan park and general store in Victoria's high country has been ordered to pack up and move out. A misunderstanding of the fine print in a lease agreement has left Leanne O'Donnelly with an unexpected end of lease at the Licola General Store. Licola, 254 kilometres east of Melbourne, is unique in that most of the town is owned and managed by the Lions Clubs of Victoria and New South Wales. While it is only home to a handful of residents, Licola's mountainous and bush surrounds are a popular drawcard for hikers, four-wheel drivers and motorcyclists keen on outdoor adventures. The Licola Wilderness Village board says the town's caravan park and store will stay under new management. Ms O'Donnelly said she was shocked when she was handed a 12-month notice to vacate in January and ordered to clear the had moved her family to Licola in 2022 and pictured their future there. She said she had since updated cabins and formed bonds in the community. "I sold my house, moved my children here to do this," she said. Ms O'Donnell thought she had signed a three-term lease, giving her a 12-year tenure. But she and her lawyer misunderstood a section in the fine print, stipulating that the board could refuse to renew her lease after just one four-year term. She said she had been told to remove everything including signage which had been in place for more than 50 years. "Just a lot of disbelief, a lot of sadness," Ms O'Donnell said. The Lions Club bought land and the facilities in Licola in 1969 for $20,000 and established a camping village opposite the shop, for disadvantaged students. The Licola Wilderness Village board also manages the lease for the general store and caravan park. In a statement, the board said the store would not close but would be operated directly by the Lions Club. "We want to be absolutely clear, the general store and caravan park are not closing," a spokesperson said. "While our Lions Clubs are proud to fund and support the camps, we cannot continue to subsidise the shop and caravan park, which have been operating at a financial loss to Licola," the spokesperson said. Ms O'Donnell said the store became a critical hub for residents and authorities during bushfires and floods. She said she never left motorbike riders stranded. "We have them rolling in here at nine o'clock at night, and we'll come out, open up the bowsers, do the fuel, put them up in accommodation if they need it," she said. "Over the summer period it was so awesome to see the locals come together and sit in a space where they could have a beer together and have a chat," Ms O'Donnell said. "They'd have some dinner, have a snack, and then go back to their farms." Ms O'Donnell said she was angry and frustrated by a lack of communication from the board. "If my business is costing a lot of money, why don't they just put the rent up," she said. "I did ask them that, and they weren't even interested in discussing it. "I would love to come to some sort of negotiation with them." Licola resident Ralph Barraclough said the store had never been in a better condition. "The whole community absolutely adores the place," Ms Barraclough said. He and other locals protested outside the Lions Club convention in Traralgon earlier this month. Caravaners Locky and Cindy Byrnes have been visiting the Licola Caravan Park for the past 25 years. "We come here all the time with the rest of our family," Mr Byrne said. "Our kids have been coming here since they were babies." The couple contacted the board about the caravan park's future, but were told there was no information available.
