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Reports by:- Nicholstones

NSW, Sydney, Ingenia Holidays Nepean River - Emu Plains

Date of Stay: March 2014 Rating: 3
There are very few tourist sites left at this park as it is mostly permanent park homes. Those that do remain are along the central road clustered near the front of the park and have slabs, we were on one of the two remaining sites at the back (probably because these were the only ones big enough for our 20'6" van) without slabs, which was unfortunate as it rained the whole time we were there and our site was a swamp. There is a new amenities block at the front, we used the old amenities block at the back which we were told is about to be demolished (presumably to make way for more park homes) so there is no point describing it. The train noise at night is unrelenting, but at least means that the park is close to a station for direct access into Sydney. We didn't really investigate much of the park so can't comment on most facilities, but there is a dump point. We also noticed that the No Vacancy sign was up although the site behind us was vacant both nights we were there. The park is certainly worth considering as one of the few left around Sydney, but if you have a big rig make sure that they can accommodate it as if they get rid of the one we were on (which may well be on the cards once they demolish the old amenities block) then the remaining sites are fairly small. We paid $38 pn (2A powered) which isn't too bad given the city location.

NSW, Port Macquarie, Lighthouse Beach Holiday Village

Date of Stay: March 2014 Rating: 3.5
Nice well grassed and treed park next to the golf course. Park is on a mainish road and has no fence so be careful if you have young kids. Short walk to supermarket and shopping centre. Park has no dump point but they don't mind if you empty into the amenities. There is a café in the park but it wasn't open when we there (Monday) so we don't know what it is like.
Staff explained park layout and facilities. $28 for 2A PN, powered. Amenities are close to most sites, were clean, condition is good, water pressure is good, there was adequate hot water, soap provided, dry change area, paper towels/dryer provided, exhaust fans/good ventilation. Mostly level sites, sites will accommodate large motorhomes and 5th wheelers, annex slabs to some sites, adequate taps close by, adequate sullage close by. You can use your mobile wireless carrier used was Telstra, reception quality was 5. Open & roomy park. Good playground, in good condition. Clean pool, kid-safe pool area, tables and chairs provided. Suitable for a week or more, well maintained park.
Parking:- Check in is difficult as there is no parking for vans and the access road is very narrow, so you may be better off parking outside on the road when checking in.

NSW, Tumut, Riverglade Caravan Park

Date of Stay: February 2014 Rating: 4
Lovely grassy and shady park with huge sites. Some sites have river frontage but these are a bit further from the amenities block so you have your choice which you would rather. Good sized showers with dry area that stayed dry. There are some ensuite sites. Good playground, good laundry, clean gas free barbecues, dump point but no book swap. Powered sites are $32 pn (2A), we paid slightly less as we got 'stay 7 pay for 6'. A good base for keen fisherfolk or for visiting the northern Snowy Mountains.

NSW, Talbingo, Talbingo Tourist Caravan Park

Date of Stay: February 2014 Rating: 3.5
Nice park nestled at the base of the Snowy Mountains. This is the first park you come to after crossing through Kiandra from Cooma. We were offered either a grass site the other side of a creek from the amenities or a gravel site close by to the amenities. Given how dark the park was we were glad we hadn't opted for the grass site as it would have been hard to negotiate over the bridge without a good torch. Amenities were good, showers had curtains plus a raised part separating wet area from dry. No dump point in park but there is one beside the road on the way into town from the highway. Very friendly staff, staff offered tourist advice. $28 2A PN, powered. Amenities were clean, condition is good, soap provided. Sites will accommodate medium to large vans, no sites with annex slabs, shade to some sites, you can use your mobile wireless (carrier used was Telstra, reception quality was 5). Quiet, open & roomy park, adequate shade. Clean pool. Suitable for few days, suitable for families, well maintained park, park is considered kid-safe.
Local Information:- Local power station does not have tours, but you can go right up to the input pipes and dam wall, providing good photo opportunities.

NSW, Cooma, Cooma Snowy Mountains Tourist Park

Date of Stay: February 2014 Rating: 2.5
Sites tend to be quite narrow and many are not very big, suiting only smaller rigs. Although the woman at check-in could see the size of our van she allocated us to a site that was much too small, and already had somebody on it anyway. We just chose another one, but it shows they don't understand their park very well. Park roads are narrow which makes it hard to get onto the site. We asked for 4 nights ($30 PN powered, 2A) and she offered us a 5th night free. When we got on site we found our neighbours had asked for 2 nights and were offered a 3rd free, so presumably you need to ask for one less than you really want. It left a sour taste in our mouth that we hadn't just been told that we could have the 4 nights we asked for at the rate of 3 nights. Reasonable amenities, shower doesn't have a curtain but sufficient fall that the dry area stays dry. Toilets don't have a lid. Single barbecue (gas, free) servicing the park was filthy and in poor condition, we certainly weren't prepared to use it. Although most sites have slabs, these are very small and in poor condition. Site surface is dusty making it hard to keep the van clean. Night lighting is poor. Although we had good internet connection (Telstra), both TV and radio were poor.

NSW, Sutton, Eaglehawk Holiday Park

Date of Stay: February 2014 Rating: 3
Big wide open park, although with a lot of cabins and dormitories for visiting groups. There are 4 ensuite sites stuck in a barren area at the back well away from everything else. These sites are pretty sandy and have no shade. We had an ensuite site, good ensuite with formed shower cubicle with a curtain, cupboard for unpacking into, towel rail and a bench. Hot water is instant type so never runs out. Park has no dump point and management allows cassettes to be emptied into the amenities, I imagine this would be pretty unpleasant if you were using them at the time. Although just on the NSW side of the border it is an easy run into Canberra and shouldn't take much more than 10 minutes.

NSW, Sydney, Lane Cove River Tourist Park - North Ryde

Date of Stay: February 2014 Rating: 4
Good, well treed park in the middle of Sydney, on the fringe of the national park. Under the flight path of Sydney airport, so planes drone overhead constantly. Train station within walking distance. Short drive to shopping centres. Poor showers that do not have separate dry area, water flows out from most of them, although some seem to have better drainage angle. Dump point, tv room.

NSW, Twelve Mile Creek, Australian Motor Homes Tourist Park

Date of Stay: January 2014 Rating: 3.5
Open park with a lake in the middle which has a small beach area. Big games area and camp kitchen, including exercise machines. Quite a few drive through sites long enough to stay hitched up, catering for the overnight highway traffic. Good amenities, with separate blocks for showers and toilets. Showers have moulded wet area separate from dry area and shower curtains. Although on the Pacific Highway, we weren't disturbed by road noise. Very friendly staff ($30 2A PN, powered). Amenities are close to most sites, were clean, condition is very good, water pressure is good, there was adequate hot water, soap provided, dry change area, paper towels/dryer provided, exhaust fans/good ventilation. Adequate number of tourist sites, mostly level sites, sites will accommodate large motorhomes and 5th wheelers, very few sites are shaded, drive-through sites, adequate taps close by, adequate sullage close by. Basic laundry, good rec room, good camp kitchen, you can use your mobile wireless (carrier used was Telstra, reception quality was 5). No permanents. bbq (free). Good playground. No pool.
Liked:- Convenient location just north of the Sydney-Newcastle conurbation, enabling an overnight stop before or after going through Sydney.
Added Touches:- 'Catch and release' fishing at next door fish farm. Bush walk.

NSW, Taree, Twilight Caravan Park

Date of Stay: January 2013 Rating: 3.5
Manager's name is Ray & Lyn Lapham. We only did an overnighter here so can't comment on most of the facilities. It is convenient to the Pacific Hwy and is set up with drive-through sites. Our 20'6" van only just squeezed on to stay hitched up, and the sites are so narrow that there was no room next to the van to put out the awning or even set up furniture. There did not appear to be too many other sites that were different, so not sure how suitable the park would be for a longer stay. Nice amenities, with bench, shower curtain and half wall to keep dry area dry. Rubber mats are provided in the showers. Our site was very unlevel, we had all our wood under the wheels and had to unhitch the van so we could raise it to a comfortable level. $27 2A PN, powered. Amenities were clean, condition is good, water pressure is good, soap provided, dry change area, paper towels/dryer provided, disabled facilities. Good night lighting, dump point, you can use your mobile wireless (carrier used was Telstra, reception quality was 4). Quiet. Clean UC gas bbq (free), bbq area lighting, seating provided. Clean pool. Suitable for few days.

ACT, Canberra, Canberra South Motor Park - Symonston

Date of Stay: January 2013 Rating: 2.5
No pets allowed, although several of the permanents had cats. Park is mainly permanents, with a limited number of tourist sites. There are 2 amenities blocks, the one closest to most of the tourist sites has terrible showers with no curtain or bench, tiny showers so you have to stand in the shower area to open the door and the whole block is basically awash after a few showers. The other block has good showers with a bench and half wall to protect the dry area, also much larger cubicles. In the first block the ladies' amenities had a full size bath. There is an onsite tavern/bistro/minimart, with basic pub style meals. The park is surprisingly quiet considering it is on the corner of 2 major roads and we never had any issues with the tavern patrons. Staff offered tourist advice. $239.75 2A per week, powered. Amenities have soap provided, paper towels/dryer provided, good night lighting, annex slabs to some sites, shade to some sites, adequate taps close by, adequate sullage close by. Basic laundry, no rec room, no camp kitchen, dump point, secure entry, you can use your mobile wireless (carrier used was Telstra, reception quality was 4). Clean UC gas bbq (pay $1), bbq area lighting, seating provided. Good playground in good condition. No pool. Suitable for a week or more, suitable for families, park is considered kid-safe.
Liked:- Close to parliamentary precinct.
Local Information:- We spent 4 weeks in Canberra and ran out of time to see everything. So many things associated with the national capital (old and new Parliament House, Archives, Library, High Court, Portrait Gallery...) most of which are free. Namadgi NP and Tidbinbilla are on the city fringes with heaps of terrific walking. Fyshwick Fresh Food Market (Thu - Sun) is not far away and is absolutely fantastic.