Community
28 August, 2025
Mortlake welcomes new caretaker
MORTLAKE Caravan Park has welcomed a new caretaker who hopes to prioritise heightening the natural beauty on offer at Tea Tree Lake.
Timothy Dryden recently began in his role as the park’s new caretaker after the 56-year-old family man decided it was time for a career change.
“I grew up in the district, living and working in Warrnambool and Port Fairy,” he said.
“I was working at Saputo Allansford for 20 years, working as a supervisor there, but I’ve gotten out of the factory life and shift work for a few different reasons.
“I transitioned into a role at Southcombe Caravan Park in Port Fairy and was fortunate enough to get a chance in November.
“This role came up so I applied in a bid to grow my career a bit.”
Mr Dryden has previous experience in the tourism industry, including running a cleaning crew at Shipwreck Bay Holiday Park and his own entrepreneurial pursuits as an Airbnb host.
“I’ve been doing that for around 12-years now and it’s a great experience for the tourism sector because there’s a lot of similarities there,” he said.
“You’re dealing with bookings, working with the public and trying to provide people with a positive experience in their stays.”
Mr Dryden said he was impressed with the facilities available at Mortlake and the potential the caravan park boasts due to its location at the scenic Tea Tree Lake.
“It’s a beautiful park,” he said.
“Overall, I have a really positive first impression – particularly with the worker cabins, which are a great initiative.
“They’re well used and beautiful cabins, so that’s a good asset.
“You look at the location of the caravan park, which is incredible for families with the skatepark across the road with Tea Tree Lake and a swimming pool nearby.
“While I’m new to Mortlake and learning what’s going on, what I’ve seen should appeal to people who are travelling through.”
Mr Dryden said an area of priority will be to get stuck into the gardens.
“We know there are things which could be improved,” he said.
“My focus, once I have learned all the computer and booking stuff, will just be to beautify the gardens, stay on top of mowing and maintenance, that sort of stuff.
“My goal is to give people a good experience of Mortlake, as most of the visitors will be staying for one to two nights, so we want to give a good impression.”
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