One pandemic, a couple of lockdowns and a thousand changes to the world later, the idea of a serene little patch of grass where you and the kids can be at one with nature sounds like exactly what many families are craving.
Grab your torches, kids big and small, we’re going on a bear hunt for some of the best camping and caravanning sites before the school holidays. As parents, we need destinations that are easy to get to and provide most of the essentials like power, fresh water and toilet facilities. As much as I love getting off the grid with the kids, this is supposed to be a relaxing trip for all “in-tents and purposes” (see what I did there?).
Today’s treasure map takes us from Queensland through NSW, into Victoria and down to Tasmania.
First stop is sunny Caloundra in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Even the name of this place conjures up visions of a dripping Calippo in the sun on a hot day in the ’70s where the colour is washed out of everything, except your brother Dwayne’s bleached blond fringe and your dad’s bright red singlet-shaped sunburn. Thankfully though, this BIG 4 Caloundra camping park and all its facilities are well up to date today – and we all know the importance of sunscreen.
Located right near the heart of the town on Pumicestone Passage, BIG 4 Caloundra is a family-owned business that really knows the business of catering for families. From glamping tents to BYO tent campsites to modern water-view villas, this is the place to suit all tastes. The park has a comprehensive kids’ holiday program ranging from movie nights to pool games, dance classes and even rock climbing.
But no matter what time of year you rock up, this place is epic. In fact, it’s a kid’s paradise. There are the usual jumping pillows and swimming pools, racing pedal carts, a pizza bar based in a slipstream van, and even an espresso van to help Mum and Dad keep up with the moppets.
Caloundra itself has a smorgasbord of activities to keep you on the go. Check out the cuddle-friendly farmyard animals at nearby Maleny’s Dairy and show the kids how to milk a cow.
Hire a little boat from Bill’s Boat Hire and go pelican-spotting with a delicious picnic lunch. Or check out the funky family friendly beats at the Caloundra Music Festival on around September/October each year.
It’s now time to head down the coast into New South Wales in search of our next hidden treasure. The next stop is Port Stephens, two and a half hours’ drive north of Sydney and famous for its blue-water beaches and pristine waterways. Part of the cool tribe of holidays parks from Calippo is a campsite connected to the Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary.
Apart from the incredible experience of watching these koalas be rehabilitated and released back into their natural habitat through the resident vet clinic, guests at the park can walk among the animals via the sky walk and listen to their wild mating calls in the mornings and evenings throughout the camping grounds. You can even choose to adopt a koala during your stay.
Now when I say “camping”, I should clarify that just as the experience of your stay here is next level, so too is the accommodation. There’s no mozzie-infested, soggy, collapsing tents in sight. Instead, you can choose from a range of deluxe four-star glamping tents of different sizes complete with private kitchens and bathrooms. One does need to sleep soundly knowing one is protected from the infamous and vicious Aussie drop bears after all! With any luck, this is not one of the koalas you’ve managed to adopt along the way.
Outside of the park, explore the incredible sand dunes of Port Stephens by 4WD, quad bike and sandboards. And for those who need a slower pace, you can trek the dunes by camel or on horseback.
Ok, it’s time to dust off the dunes and hit the road to Victoria. Now, since we are seeking experiences outside the norm, why not keep the theme going with our next destination – a trip back in time to the old steamboat era at award-winning Echuca?
The NRMA’s Echuca Holiday Park boasts a mix of cabins and drive-through powered and unpowered spots, but my guess is that you won’t be spending much time indoors. The town is based on the bend of the mighty Murray River. Bring out your inner boat captain and climb aboard the old steamers and paddleboats that meander along the banks of this historic region. Pull up at any of the mouth-watering restaurants and wineries that come alive for the Echuca Moama Food and Wine Trail and sample the local produce. This is one park where you will be spoilt for choice with a swimming pool, kids club, tennis, playground, basketball… the list is endless.
Our final destination on the treasure map is waiting for us in the secret gem of Tassie and it is not going to disappoint even the keenest explorers.
Grab your best bucket hats and hiking boots gang, we’re heading to Cradle Mountain and Australia’s coolest cabins in the woods. This is a heritage-listed landscape described as some of the most untouched mountains on earth. Let your inner log-cabin camp leader truly shine in this wilderness. Check into your dormitory, cottage or cabin of choice (or park the caravan or pitch the tent) at the Discovery Parks Cradle Mountain Holiday & Caravan Park, and head to the lodge to meet some local explorers and settle in for some quality ghost stories by the log fire. Only kidding. There aren’t any ghosts on Cradle Mountain. It’s the yowies you’ve really got to worry about.
Luckily, I’m told that yowies don’t like to kayak or hike and they certainly don’t like playing in the snow in winter so, if you plan your trip well, you may just survive to tell your tales to the next guests.
And sadly, that’s the end of the treasure hunt, folks. But as any good camp leader would say, it’s not about the mysterious chest of gold at the end of the trip but more about the memorable treasures you made and found together along the way. And if that’s not good enough for your show and tell when you get home, you could always ask your new friend Patrick Swayze to whip out Barry the camel from Caloundra, Freddy the vicious drop bear from Port Stephens, Murray the eel from Echuca or Hank the Yowie from Cradle Mountain, who all hitched a ride on the roof of the car when Dad wasn’t watching.
Take me there
Camp sites: Low-season prices, per night, start from: $83 at Caloundra; $28 for an unpowered site at Echuca; and $55 at Cradle Mountain.
Cabins: Low-season prices, per night, start from: $226 at Caloundra; $380 to $460 for various family cabins at Port Stephens; $307 for a two-bedroom cabin at Echuca; and $252 at Cradle Mountain.
