Chinchilla Melon Festival 2017

Some might think that this blog about the Chinchilla Melon Festival is a little early as the event is not on until 16 – 19 February next year.

However visitors from out of town really do need to start planning their trip now as the town literally bursts with melon fun and all the hotels pull out their NO VACANY signs.

The Chinchilla Melon Festival is dedicated to the gloriously red, juicy and delicious fruit that reminds us of summer.

Chinchilla is actually known as the nation’s watermelon capital, as this region boasts 25% of Australia’s watermelon crop.

Every two years (on the odd-numbered years), the watermelon festival takes over Chinchilla, bringing together locals and visitors from all walks of life to celebrate with traditional activities.

In fact Chinchilla has a population of approximately 5,500 people. This swells to between 20,000 to 23,000 during the Melon Festival celebrations.

They all come to see the melon-growing competitions, shop at the craft markets, take part in the novelty events, enjoy the carnival rides and a watch the street parade. Visitors will see Melon Skiing, Melon Bungy, Pip Spitting and the Slip, Dip and Pull. The craft markets are all things watermelon and if you think your stomach can handle it, there is the watermelon eating competition.

At the end of the day and the last seed has been spat, festival goers can grab some dinner from one of the food stalls and settle in for the free family concert.

After all the melon excitement is over, we suggest that you come back to your comfortable room at Kings Park Accommodation and enjoy a peaceful night sleep.

To make sure you don’t miss out, call us today to book your Chinchilla Melon Festival accommodation.

Interesting facts:

•  The largest watermelon on record was in 2007 weighing 87.5kg and was grown by Bernie and Matt Davies of Chinchilla.

•  Five tonnes of melon is consumed on the Saturday during the festival, with another 15 tonnes of melons used for the melon arena games.

Investing In Our Community

Kings Park Accommodation has welcomed the news from the Council about its commitment to investing in the future of the local communities by providing an update on the progress of 60 capital works projects worth over $144 million undertaken by Council within the last four years across the region.

Last week the Council declared it has successfully completed 37 major infrastructure projects, all valued at over $500,000; and 2016 will see 23 projects either completed or progress into the early stages of construction.

Already the completion of these major projects has seen the delivery of much-needed waste, water, and road infrastructure across the Western Downs.

Over the past four years Council has completed major capital works projects such as the Chinchilla Aerodrome redevelopment, Dalby Regional Saleyards redevelopment, Condamine and Miles Waste Transfer Stations, and Miles Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants.

Mayor Ray Brown said Council is committed to providing first-class infrastructure for our residents, and the future growth and development of our region.

“Investing in the future of our communities and continuing to facilitate economic growth opportunities through sustainable development such as key waste, water, and road infrastructure will create significant benefits for our residents, businesses and industries, and enhance the liveability and prosperity of our region.”

Kings Park Accommodation is proud to be a member of this thriving community, and look forward to working with local staff, welcoming visiting work crews and watching the area flourish.

See Kings Park for yourself on Instagram

Over the weekend we launched our very first Instagram account to share all the great images of our lovely motel. Lots of great things happen here everyday, and we want you to be a part of it. 

We welcome you to follow us @kings_park_chinchilla

We would love to see photos from our guests too, so don't forgot to take some images during your stay and use the following hashtags -  #kingsparkaccommodation or #kingsparkchinchilla

Great Addition to Kings Park Accommodation

Kings Park Accommodation is very excited to announce that we now have two teams of Managers to look after you during your stay with us.

This week we welcomed Rob and Annette Langford to the team who will job-share with our current manager Bob Schaefer on a 6-week rotation.

Rob and Annette have a very successful background in motel and catering management, and we are excited to have them join the team here at Kings Park.

The new structure was developed when Bob’s wife Glenys decided it was time to head home to New Zealand to be closer to children and grandchildren. Although Bob was excited about being closer to the kids, he wasn’t quite ready for his retirement.

So, the Kings Park Accommodation owners decided to change the management structure to now have two management teams that will work on the 6-week rotation. We are very pleased that we get to keep Bob for 6-weeks, and then he and Glenys can explore New Zealand in their new motor home during his six weeks off.

Rob and Annette look forward to meeting all our regular guests and our new friends over the coming weeks.

Please contact us if you have any queries about Kings Park Accommodation or would like to book your next stay with us.

*The photo was taken during Glenys farewell dinner.

Precious Water to Flow in Chinchilla

Kings Park Accommodation has welcomed the news that the Western Downs Regional Council has given the go-ahead for a state-of-the-art potable water treatment plant in Chinchilla.

Construction of the $17.5 million project will commence in July 2016 when Stage 1 kicks off with an expected completion for August 2017.

Two Brisbane companies have been awarded the work -  Mondadelphous, a leading water infrastructure engineering firm, will lead the project and FB Contracting will see the construction of four kilometres of pipeline from the pump station to the new water treatment plant.

The Chinchilla Potable Water Treatment Plant project is part of Council’s multi-phased award-winning Accelerated Utilities Capital Works Program and will provide the residents of Chinchilla a modern top-of-the-line treatment plant, and 3.5 megalitre potable water reservoir.

The treatment technology will provide an ultra-filtration process to treat a wide range of water quality from the Chinchilla Weir, and including treated CSG water.

This exciting infrastructure development will ensure that the community of Chinchilla will have first-class, safe, reliable and high quality water well in to the future.

The staff at Kings Park Accommodation look forward to welcoming all the project teams into the community, and to hearing updates about the Potable Water Treatment Plant’s progress.