The Mingling Waters Caravan Park and Café at Nowa Nowa is being brought back to life by its new owners – Sam Pickersgill and Kristen Huggins.
The couple purchased the leasehold of the caravan park about six weeks ago and have been busy rejuvenating it for the holiday season.
The park was previously operated by Steven and Heidi Guinane, who have now relocated to the Mornington Peninsula.
While Sam and Kristen lived in Pambula, just over the border in New South Wales, for 10 years, they are no strangers to Nowa Nowa.
Kristen is the daughter of Sandra and Greg Huggins who own the Nowa Nowa general store, a mere stone’s throw from the caravan park.
Having travelled around Australia in earlier days, the couple is familiar with caravan parks and have a vision for how they would like to see Mingling Waters run.
At one stage, Kristen worked as an assistant manager at a caravan park in Western Australia.
When Mingling Waters came up for sale, the couple decided to buy it.
“We wanted to put our energy into something of our own rather than working for other people,” Kristen said.
Sam says the caravan park’s position on the Nowa Nowa arm of Lake Tyers “where the fresh water meets the saltwater” is idyllic.
He says his background in civil construction will come in handy for his role at the caravan park.
Mingling Waters also contains its own café, which is open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch, and has established a reputation for iconic and popular burgers.
While the previous owners had about 20 burgers on the list, Sam and Kristen have culled the selection down to six.
“We decided to reduce the burger list to include sandwiches, focaccias and frittatas,” Kristen said.
The café is popular with local tradesmen, who call by to pick up bacon and egg rolls or salad sandwiches on the way to work.
In time, the couple is keen to have music and pizza nights and provide a focal point for locals to come together.
Picture: Sam Pickersgill and Kristen Huggins have taken over the Mingling Waters Caravan Park and Café at Nowa Nowa and are intent on rejuvenating the popular park white maintaining its natural ambience.
