SU QLD’s beautiful Cooroibah Campsite on the Sunshine Coast has a new campsite supervisor who is looking forward to welcoming new school, community, and church groups to the 120 acre facility.
Bill Howard, who was previously a school chaplain in Clermont and Capella in Central Queensland, took the reins in December and is already busy making campsite improvements.
“The only thing I supervise are the kangaroos and lizards,” he joked.
“When I first got here it is was pretty simple so we’ve upgraded all the A-frames that sleep 18 [campers] and it looks really good now.
“We’re changing mattresses, we’re mowing the lawns and they’re looking great now. We also have phones on site because there’s very little mobile phone reception, so you can really switch off while you’re here.”
The campsite, which can accommodate about 130 guests in cabins and dormitory-style accommodation, plus tent sites, has large grass fields, a large enclosed meeting space made with materials from the campground by volunteers, a well-equipped kitchen great for self catering for groups, a 15m pool, and bush backing onto a national park with trails.
“We’ve had groups go mountain biking, and the driveway is so long not many people know we’re here so you can make as much noise as you like, as the Gents Camps tend to do,” he laughed.
“I think what people like the best about Cooroibah Campsite is that it feels like it’s a million miles from anywhere, and when it’s quiet, the serenity is second to none. All you hear is animals, trees, and the wind. It really feels like hallowed ground, and it just feels comfortable being here.”
And don’t forget your telescopes because without light pollution, Bill said it’s so dark the whole sky is lit up with stars.
“People say they can’t believe how many stars there are out here.
“People are coming to check it out and they’re happy with what they see here. And we’re getting people coming because it’s run by SU QLD.”
For more information about Cooroibah visit https://www.suqld.org.au/campsite/