Standown Park lies between Gympie and Tin Can Bay on the Tin Can Bay Road approximately 28km north east of Gympie. The park is well maintained and pretty much is for the senior travelers and does not cater for children. Standown Park is an original farm in the are which now has 28 sites all equipped with power and beautiful pressurised spring water. The sites are large and the grounds are kept in first class condition; the amenities are very good but could struggle at peak times, there is handicapped facilities and a laundry, apart from the magazines some DVD’s are available for loan on a please return when finished basis. Price for the stay was a very acceptable $15 per couple per night and the park would suit from one night to many weeks as it is a place you could certainly call home.
Apart from the peaceful surroundings what makes the park a place to come back to is the genuine hospitality and community atmosphere. Just about everyone meets in the camp kitchen / BBQ area at around 10.00 (or thereabouts) for a chat and morning tea; around 4.30 (or thereabouts) for happy hour at a large open fireplace which goes on for as long as you want to stay, you will note there are a lot of "therabouts" as it can start whenever and finish whenever (relax & enjoy). Everyone gets together on Sunday morning (BYO bacon etc) for a BBQ breaky; our hosts were Rex & Liz who did a fantastic job of making everyone feel like part of the family. Our stay coincided with Anzac day and it was good to see a small service taking place and the Anzac’s remembered; all that were in the park attended the service.
As we all know the Hobbit population is dwindling so Linda ventured into the long grass (where they are known to hide) and low and behold she found another Hobbit friend (Neil). Linda continued to search but without any further success; seems like there was only one to be found.
Both Linda & I would recommend Standown Park for a visit based on the great time we had; surrounding Gympie, Tin Can Bay and Rainbow Beach can all be reached within 30 minutes.
Look forward to posting again soon.
David & Linda – The DavLin Rig
