Queensburgh Caravan Park

Queensburgh Caravan Park

 

On the outskirts of Durban is the Northern suburb of Queensburgh only ten or fifteen minutes from the Durban city centre, and here you will find one of the most incredible caravan parks in the country. The Queensburgh Caravan & Camping Park is nestled in a small alluring valley enveloped by lush bush. Here you are camping in the country surrounded by mountains, and yet you have no perception that you are actually in the middle of a suburban and built up area.

Pieter and Corrie bought Queensburgh Caravan & Camping Park in 2003. This was a caravan park that you would not even have suggested that your worst enemy camp in for a day, let alone go to for their annual holiday. The caravan park was run down and had what I termed ‘squatters’ living in their dilapidated caravans and mobile homes when Pieter and Corrie bought the park.

Soon after Pieter and Corrie bought the caravan park, they invited me to spend some time with them in the park and advise on the upgrading of the park into a respectable destination for Caravanners and campers. This was a huge challenge for Pieter! Simply buying a run down Caravan Park, and transforming it into a desired destination, is something only the brave tackle. Once a caravan park has a bad name, only tons of hard work, belief and faith, tenacity, perseverance and a lot of money, is the sole recipe for success. I believed that Pieter and Corrie had all the attributes, and they went to work! A very brave man Pieter!

My first impressions of Queensburgh were one of disbelief; how could a caravan park with so much potential and in such a prime location be so run down?  My advice to Pieter was: kick out, evict and get rid of these unsightly permanent/squatters that were living there. Set standards and stick to them, and then go and create a very good relationship with your Bank Manager! Then – have fun!

Over the next three years Pieter performed miracles. Every so often I would pop in to ‘interfere’ and Dot and I also camped at Queensburgh on occasions over this time. The transformation was remarkably spectacular. The permanent residents in the park did not know what hit them. You now drive into the resort and you are immediately welcomed with presentable and attractive gardens, with neat and orderly mobile homes and caravans. The so called ‘trailer trash’ are out!

As a registered Assessor for the Tourism Grading Council, early in 2007 I did a provisional grading assessment of the resort for Pieter and Corrie, with the emphasis on Queensburgh obtaining a Three Star Grading. I am proud to say that in July that year, I did a full grading assessment and recommended to the Tourism Grading Council a Three Star Grading for Queensburgh Caravan & Camping Park which was approved. Two or three more visits thereafter, each followed with diagnostic reports, and in August 2008 (this year) I was able to recommend an additional Star for them. Queensburgh Caravan & Camping Park can now proudly boast a Four Star Grading. A great achievement for a great hardworking team!

The Queensburgh Caravan & Camping Park is more than just another Caravan Park.
Situated on the banks of the Umbilo River with lovely mountain scenery, the park
is an ideal family camping holiday venue.

If you had seen the ablutions four years ago, compared with the facility today, you would not only claim disbelief, but will be totally amazed! The transformation is unbelievable. In my opinion the ablutions are possibly of a five star quality and are now an excellent facility. Ladies, here is an ablution that you can even blow-dry, tease and spend hours doing your hair! Let alone putting on your face!

The sites are well grassed, level and close to the ablutions. The swimming pool is one of the best I have encountered in the country! The roads through the park are tarred. The pub is, well, absolutely indescribable. The pub is a magnificent and exceptionally well stocked facility overlooking the impressive pool area. It is also overlooking the river and merrily adjacent the camping area.

What to do in Durban.

When staying in Queensburgh Caravan & Camping Park, you’re only 11 kilometers from the Pavilion shopping centre and within easy access of Hillcrest, Westville, Kloof and Pinetown, as well as all the speciality shops, bottle stores, banks and restaurants.

You are only about fiveteen to twenty kilometers from Durban city centre which offers many exciting activities, including visiting the uShaka Marine World, a wonderland ocean aquarium where you can swim in tanks; providing you with the ultimate swim. At the uShaka Marine World you also have a dive tank, snorkel reef, a fun water world of slides, marine theme shopping, culinary delights and non-stop surf and beach action.

Durban’s beachfront, more aptly named The Golden Mile, is the popular stretch of beachfront in Durban, and is one of the main tourist attractions in the Durban area. It runs from south beach,where the uShaka Marine World is located, to the newly-constructed Suncoast Casino and Entertainment World at Battery beach. The Suncoast Casino and Entertainment World complex is a haven of sun and fun and is the largest in Durban, boasting 1 250 slot machines and 50 gaming tables.

Designed and built in an old quarry site on the banks of the Umgeni River, the Umgeni River Bird Park is one of the greatest attractions of the city where conservation is high on the park’s list of priorities. Here, it is reported, they breed 17 of the 23 endangered species, and these birds are on view in the park.

The Comrades Marathon: The world’s greatest ultra-marathon, 90 kilometres long, is run between the capital of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg and Durban, makeing Queensburgh the ideal Comrades base.

Durban’s Botanical Gardens is easily found on the Berea, and the gardens are effortlessly accessible from Queensburgh with ample parking for visitors.

Not to forget the golfers. Less than twenty kilometers away is the Bluff National Park Golf Club. The Durban Country Club and Beachwood Country Club are equally as close. Windsor Municipal Golf Course is adjacent Durban Country Club. The Royal Durban Golf Club is situated at the Greyville racecourse in the centre of Durban, with Cato Ridge Country Club only thirty odd kilometers away. At Kloof you find the Kloof Country Club, and a little north, you will get both courses at Mount Edgecombe. All these golf courses are SAGA  affiliated and are top courses in the country.

Pieter and Corrie are contemplating a courtesy bus to take visitors to the main attraction and tourist venues in and around Durban, (excluding the golf courses naturally) thereby makeing it a lot easier for local and International tourist and holiday makers to relax and enjoy the friendly Queensburgh Caravan & Camping Park hospitality.

Without a doubt, the Queensburgh Caravan & Camping Park is one of the finest tourist and family holiday destinations in the country, and Dot and I camp at Queensburgh at least three to four times a year. Once to do their annual grading assessment, twice a year with our caravan club, and at least once a year simply because we enjoy the hospitality and attractions that Queensburgh have to offer. And the golf courses nearby!

National Star Grading: Four Stars.

Niceties.
18 well grassed and shaded sites all electrified. Cellphone reception. Bar. Swimming pool. Wheelchair friendly. Small dogs allowed by arrangement.

Ablution facilities.
Ultra modern, abundant hot water, showers & baths male & female, hand soap, toilet paper and scullery and laundry facilities.

Localaty
Take the M7 and glide off onto the M5 Main Road towards Escombe / Queensburgh. On the corner of St Augustine road, (Police Forum Building on corner) follow the sign back under the M7 subway to the caravan park.

Additional accommodation.
Self-catering chalets also available. Prices on request.

Contact.
Tel: 031 464 5800: Fax: 031 464 5810: Cell: 082 852 0027 :
E mail qcr@absamail.co.za

Website:
www.queensburgh.caravanparks.com