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REASONS TO STAY AT A HOLIDAY PARK IN WINTER
They may be considered a summer destination first and foremost, but there are plenty of great drawcards at holiday parks over the cooler months
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Great deals
As winter isn’t as popular a time to travel as summer, it’s a great time to grab a bargain! For example, kids can stay free in cabins at BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort during the winter school holidays, from June 23 to July 15, in 2023. The average daytime winter temperature in The Whitsundays is 24 degrees, which is not too bad at all, and its large lagoon-style pool is heated. There are also lots of social activities, including cheese and wine afternoons, pancake breakfasts, as well as roast and curry nights. The Airlie Beach resort also offers an outdoor cinema four times a week (increasing to seven during school holidays), a kids’ club, craft, games and six animal park feeding sessions per week.
Images: Kids playing in the pool at BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort at Airlie Beach, Cabins at BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort, BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort aerial
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Awesome facilities
Who needs to go to the beach when there are so many fantastic facilities available within the holiday parks themselves? And they are constantly innovating. This winter, BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park is welcoming a fantastic new playground. Designed by Urban Play, the sustainable playground was made with old plastic bags, food packaging waste and recycled maritime waste, such as fishing nets from the ocean. It features a double flying fox, play tower, seesaw, springers, climbing blocks and swings. Created in conjunction with the 7 Senses Foundation, it’s also a sensory haven for children of all ages and abilities. Combined with the bush-feel landscape design, the shaded and semi-fenced playground is a great place to while away a few hours enjoying a picnic lunch. The park’s onsite restaurant, Nibbles Café, also has a fire to keep you warm as you dine.
Image: The new playground at BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park
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Whale watching
Winter is peak season for whale watching, as the majestic humpbacks make their way from Antarctica up the east coast of Australia and back, and as many of our holiday parks are based on the coast, they make the ideal base from which to witness the spectacle. BIG4 Easts Beach Holiday Park is located in one of the country’s prime whale watching spots, at Kiama on the NSW South Coast. Maximise your chance of seeing them by hiking the 20-kilometre-long Kiama Coastal Walk, which passes right in front of the Park. It also offers a range of super fun activities at the Krazy Kidz Club on the June long weekend and during the NSW school holidays, including cooking classes to learn to make such things as Mars Bar balls, Crunchie slice and Malteser fudge, as well as craft activities such as slime making, sand art, foil art and scratch art.
NRMA Victor Harbor Beachfront Holiday Park in South Australia is also a great place to stay during the Victor Harbor Winter Whale Fest — a month-long event celebrating the annual migration with art exhibitions, film screenings, author talks and tours. The Park – an hour’s drive south of Adelaide on the Fleurieu Peninsula – offers accommodation in cabins, villas and safari tents, and has a solar-heated pool, a pump track and games arcade.
Image: A family enjoying a coastal walk in Kiama, An aerial view of BIG4 Easts Beach Holiday Par © NEG photography, Inside a glamping tent at NRMA Victor Harbor Beachfront Holiday Park
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Wildlife spotting
Winter is also the best time to spot native wildlife. While animals like kangaroos and wallabies can be hard to see during the day in summer – when they are hiding under bushes in the shade – during the colder months they are out and about enjoying the warm winter sunshine. Reflections Holiday Parks — Wyangala Waters is an excellent place to see these iconic marsupials. You can also go hiking in peace, without the pesky flies and mozzies. Watch the morning mist rise over the dam, before casting a line. Surface fishing for giant Murray cod is particularly popular during winter, and you can also try to hook a carp or yellowbelly (golden perch). Far away from the city lights, it’s also ideal for stargazing.
Images: A kangaroo at Reflections Holiday Parks Wyangala Waters, A villa, Cabins
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Toasting marshmallows on a campfire
What can bring greater joy to a kid than sitting around a campfire toasting marshmallows with their family and friends? Winter is the prime time to do just that, with lots of holiday parks offering outdoor fire pits to help create a memorable holiday experience. NRMA Jindabyne Holiday Park, located in the gateway town to Thredbo and Perisher snow resorts in NSW, has a communal campfire where skiers and snowboarders gather each night to share tales of their day’s adventures. Located on the shores of Lake Jindabyne, it has a range of cabins, glamtainers (with fireplaces!) and villas to choose from – or if you’re really brave you can pitch a tent! There’s also a woodfired pizza oven to cook up a hearty meal, a drying room and a ski tuning table. BIG4 St Helens Holiday Park in Tasmania also has a fire pit, as well as a wood-fired pizza oven, indoor games room jumping pillow and play area.
Images: Kids in front of a fire pit at NRMA Halls Gap Holiday Park, Glamping tents at NRMA Victor Harbor Beachfront Holiday Park, Toasting marshmallows at NRMA Halls Gap Holiday Park
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Toasting marshmallows on a campfire
What can bring greater joy to a kid than sitting around a campfire toasting marshmallows with their family and friends? Winter is the prime time to do just that, with lots of holiday parks offering outdoor fire pits to help create a memorable holiday experience. NRMA Jindabyne Holiday Park, located in the gateway town to Thredbo and Perisher snow resorts in NSW, has a communal campfire where skiers and snowboarders gather each night to share tales of their day’s adventures. Located on the shores of Lake Jindabyne, it has a range of cabins, glamtainers (with fireplaces!) and villas to choose from – or if you’re really brave you can pitch a tent! There’s also a woodfired pizza oven to cook up a hearty meal, a drying room and a ski tuning table. BIG4 St Helens Holiday Park in Tasmania also has a fire pit, as well as a wood-fired pizza oven, indoor games room jumping pillow and play area.
Images: BIG4 St Helens Holiday Park, Glamping tents at NRMA Victor Harbor Beachfront Holiday Park, Toasting marshmallows at NRMA Halls Gap Holiday Park