{"id":174956,"date":"2025-09-28T10:49:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T10:49:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/174956\/"},"modified":"2025-09-28T10:49:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T10:49:09","slug":"caravan-parks-4000-disaster-caused-by-frustrating-travel-habit-about-to-explode","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/174956\/","title":{"rendered":"Caravan park’s $4,000 ‘disaster’ caused by frustrating travel habit: ‘About to explode’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The owners of a popular caravan park<\/a> in Queensland are pleading with travellers to make one small change that could stop thousands of dollars from going down the drain.<\/p>\n

This week, Amanda and Blake from Stanthorpe Holiday Park<\/a> were faced with an expensive and rather smelly $4,000 \u201cdisaster\u201d when their septic system became clogged with wipes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe discovered that the chopper pump that runs our septic system had blown up and wasn’t processing, so we had 10,000 litres of poop about to explode into the park,\u201d Amanda told Yahoo News.<\/p>\n

\"BlakeThe system was clogged with flushable wipes, which turned out to be not so flushable. Source: Stanthorpe Holiday Park<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe seven-metre-deep pit was completely full \u2013 and this was the first day of the school holidays too, mind you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pump was choked with wipes<\/a>, flushed down the loo by visitors despite multiple signs in the toilet block warning them not to.<\/p>\n

Donning a pair of gloves, Blake managed to fix the mess on Friday morning but it wasn\u2019t a pleasant task.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s very brave. He just goes, \u2018don’t come near me. I’m covered in everybody else’s DNA\u2019,\u201d Amanda said.<\/p>\n

Photos from the site show Blake holding up a dirty wipe at arm\u2019s length, with a pile of muck-covered wipes lying on the ground in front of him.<\/p>\n

The cost of a new pump set the pair back $3,000, along with an additional $1,000 to have the pit emptied.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring busy school holidays, it’s very inconvenient to have to do that. And obviously, the cost involved too means we basically lose our profits for the whole school holidays which, as a country park, we rely on,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"BlackAmanda and Blake are issuing a plea to all travellers to PLEASE stop flushing wipes down the toilet. Source: Stanthorpe Holiday Park<\/a><\/p>\n

The ordeal has prompted Amanda and Blake to issue a plea to travellers to never flush wipes down the toilet<\/a>, even if they are labelled as \u2018flushable\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s absolutely not flushable, it still can cause major issues,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe three Ps is what you should always flush \u2013 pee, poo and (toilet) paper \u2013 and anything else should go in the bin. With a big please!<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s for any park, and particularly the country parks because the sewage systems can be very delicate and expensive to maintain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stanthorpe Holiday Park provides a specific type of toilet paper that is designed to dissolve into septic systems. Amanda advises guests to use what the parks have provided before bringing in your own supplies.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can also follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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