Darwin Bowls and Social Club has lodged plans with the Northern Territory Development Consent Authority to develop a 40-site RV park on unused land beside its Fannie Bay facilities.
According to documents, the proposal outlines a three-stage project on the western end of the club’s property at 8 Conacher Street. The development would utilise the 1.2-hectare portion of land that has remained vacant for 65 years, while the existing club occupies the remaining 1.4 hectares.
The application seeks an exceptional development permit and references clause 5.5.13 of the Northern Territory Planning Scheme, which sets out requirements for caravan parks.
The supporting document, prepared by Geoff Hunter, notes that the club considers the environmental and infrastructure obligations for an RV park to be lower than those for a traditional caravan park because modern RVs are typically self-contained.
The submission states that RVs generally include onboard showers, toilets, washing machines, retention tanks, potable water storage, solar panels and batteries. The club, therefore, proposes no communal ablution blocks, laundry buildings, or camp kitchens, although a sewage dump point with washing capability is planned.
The documents show the park would ultimately be enclosed by a 1.8-metre security fence with boom gates. Each RV site would be grassed and include a three-metre landscaped buffer for shade and privacy.
Sites would initially be unpowered, with longer-term plans to incorporate solar-powered options. The club’s maintenance team, which has managed the vacant land since 1960, is expected to continue overseeing upkeep.
“This includes mowing, tree trimming, landscaping etc., and the same team will be responsible for the proposed RV park,” the submission says. It also notes that the existing on-site caretaker provides 24-hour emergency assistance for the club and would extend those duties to RV guests.
The submission argues that the development could help address informal camping in the area. “Developing the land into an RV park will reduce the number of itinerants and backpackers that presently set up illegal camps on the site, causing antisocial issues to the adjacent businesses, the Darwin High School and local residents,” it states.
According to NT Independent, the document also describes the land as “currently undeveloped and in a dilapidated state” and suggests investment would “lift the whole area and assist in its promotion.”
It estimates the RV park could bring “up to 80 tourists per day” to Fannie Bay, which it argues would contribute additional revenue to nearby clubs, restaurants, shops and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.
Letters of support were submitted by the Trailer Boat Club, the Darwin Sailing Club, Saltwater@Bundilla café owner Gavan Keane and Fannie Bay MLA Laurie Zio. The development comes after a 2023 proposal by Darwin Council to establish a 20-site RV park at Bundilla Beach, located only a few hundred metres from the bowls club.
That plan was abandoned after community backlash and a public survey in which most respondents opposed the idea. Prior to its cancellation, more than 170 signatures opposing the project had been gathered by then-Fannie Bay MLA Brent Potter.
For business owners in the outdoor hospitality sector, the proposal highlights several trends shaping RV-focused developments in Australia, including the use of self-contained vehicles to reduce infrastructure costs, the strategic repurposing of long-vacant land, and the importance of community consultation when introducing new accommodation models near established residential and tourism precincts.
Operators planning similar projects may find the Darwin proposal a useful case study in how to align planning requirements with operational realities while demonstrating economic value to the surrounding community.