View Contributors Short List
Date of Stay: July 2015 Rating: 4
After giving Bowen a miss for the last few years due to unfavourable parks &/or overpriced stays, we decided to try out this park. What a surprise it was, the staff couldn't do enough for us to make the stay pleasant, there are 2 toilet blocks which are immaculate, the grounds are kept neat & tidy & a bonus was a 200 metre walk from the park across the golf course onto a beautiful beach. For $35 per night it was good value for money compared to the others in Bowen. Can thoroughly recommend this location. You do need to ring ahead as most of the sites are taken for extended winter stays but the staff will always try to fit you in
Date of Stay: July 2015 Rating: 4.5
A delightful, well run & maintained park on the tablelands. The park area is huge with drive thru sites, & sites all over the place amongst the trees by the river & around the grounds. There are 3 toilet blocks so you are never far from the facilities. This park is run by the local council & is a credit to them for being so well kept, I would say it is the best park on the Atherton tablelands & we have stayed in most of them over the years. It's only a short walk up to the town & shops, a short drive to all the places of interest on the tablelands & a short drive back down to the coast. We will make this our stop off again next year
Date of Stay: July 2015 Rating: 0.5
"Health Park" What a joke. This park would take the 1st. prize for the worst park in Australia. The toilet block is a stinking, smelly, unhealthy place to be avoided. The park area is nothing better than a dust bowl & of course there are those who roar around in their cars raising the dust. There is no evidence of any maintenance or cleaning being done other that for one of the 2 employees monitoring the water in the pools.
The biggest insult is for them to now have a charge of $40.00 per night (take it or leave it). The one reason to be here is the pools & it is far preferred if you are really wanting to use the pools to stop over in Mount Garnett then drive out the 15kms to the pools. We have stopped here over the years several times but this will be the last time EVER to stop here.
Date of Stay: July 2015 Rating: 4
Wanted a change & to be closer to the Willows shopping plaza & Brothers club. This park turned out to be tops in every respect, clean toilets, immaculate grounds, 50% of the park is retired permanents who keep their area spotless. The park is close to the freeway around the city which gets you north or south easily, noise didn't seem to be an issue with us. The only down side is you must book in advance as they are constantly full thru the winter season, & don't try & come when the cowboys are playing at home as the stadium is just down the road. $95 for 6 nights was good value too.
Date of Stay: March 2015 Rating: 0.5
We have stayed in a large number of show-grounds on this trip thru N.S.W. S.A. Vic. & now N.S.W. again on our way back north. The Berry site has to be the absolute worst we have seen so much so that when we entered the grounds we decided to check out the facilities before paying an money. There was an OLD 3 stall toilet block way up on a hill far from the camping/van area & it wasn't in very good shape. But when there is something like 50 vans crammed into a tiny area, no sullage, etc. etc & all wanting to use the facilities it would have been chaotic. There were vans with dogs, there were vans with little kids, it was a mess. When queried the caretaker told me it wasn't a van park so don't expect flash facilities, when asked how the people copped with the limited toilets etc. he told me that most people used their own in their van & don't expect better for the cheap price of $24.00 per night, & if we didn't like what we saw then we could move on. We drove right out & went to a delightful park, immaculate facilities, lots of space, & right by the sea at Shoalhaven heads some 13 kms away for only $1.00 more per night, so if in the area check out the Colonial Palms in Shoalhaven heads
Date of Stay: February 2015 Rating: 4
Since my last report on this park there are new owners who have done & are doing a great job of cleaning up & revitalizing the park. Full marks to the new owners . The sites are in good shape, drive thru if you wish, the toilet block is immaculate, location while at one end of Whyalla is close to a major shopping precinct with all the services you could need incl. medical, discount fuel, hotels, etc. A must do is to go to the Salvation Army in Norrie for a great lunch for 2 for only $5.00 in their café/coffee shop.
This park is now THE place to stop, the staff are obliging, it is right on the highway & is definitely good for a few days to see the area & at $25.00 p/night is a bargain
Date of Stay: February 2015 Rating: 2
This could be a great park, spacious sites, clean toilets, no crowding, good camp kitchen, great location for visiting the wine region BUT we left after a couple of days because of the constant dust clouds blowing over the site from cars speeding round in the park. Management were told of the dust problem but showed no interest in doing anything about it ie watering down the roadway or stopping the speeding culprits. The road loops around the park with no speed humps. A good stopover ruined by dust. At $28.00 per night it is overpriced by around $4.00 compared with other parks in the region. We won't be back but will stop in alternate parks.
Date of Stay: February 2015 Rating: 2
This could be a great park, its right by the ocean with a beautiful long sandy beach, its on a curve of a local river at its mouth to the ocean & the river has excellent safe swimming for children whilst there is surf on the beach. It has a huge non powered camping area along the banks of the river where you can try fishing from your camp site under the shade from huge trees. The main van area is well laid out with big grass sites, lots of shade & a pleasure to stay here. Narrawong is close to Portland for shopping etc. You could rate this place as one of the best on the Australian coast for a minimum 2 week stop over, BUT BUT.
The toilet facilities are a total disgrace there is only 3 stalls & 3 showers in the men's to service some 150-200 campers during our short stay. We were going to stay for at least a week but after experiencing the toilets WE PULLED OUT AFTER 2 DAYS Can you believe the management had closed one toilet block to avoid having to clean it leaving only one block to service 175 sites.
The smell 30 ft. from the toilet block was enough to make you feel ill, why the local council haven't condemned this place is unbelievable; it must be a serious health risk.
What could have been a wonderful camping experience was ruined by the thoughtless attitude of management who don't show any interest in the welfare of their customers even after collecting some $32.00 per night. This park is hugely popular with younger families with children as it is a huge area, safe for water activities, & the kids can run free without problems. I seriously question whether it is a good place to take children with the risk of illness from the poor toilet facilities & total lack of grey water drainage. We wont be back at any price, I rate it a 2 when it could have been a 5 but for the toilets. There are other parks along this coast which might be a better option.
Date of Stay: February 2015 Rating: 3.5
This is a very nice, quiet, picturesque park, a little dated in the ensuite sites but the power sites have a new demountable toilet & shower block plus another incl the laundry ($3.00 per wash). The power site area is mixed with the non powered & only has about 4 multiple plug power outlets. There's no slabs unless you buy an ensuite but the grass is as good as the lawn at home. It's right on the bank of the Colac lake & beside a very nice botanical gardens so there is no noise or traffic worries. Can thoroughly recommend this park for a week to see the Otways, the Great ocean road region etc. The town has all the major shops plus many restaraunts, bakeries etc. The only down side is the owner has appointed a new manager who hasn't got a clue about running a park, or dealing with the clientele. I was told that I could only use 1 power lead to the van & when I connected the Engel fridge in the back of the car he deemed this to be 2 leads & wanted to charge an extra $5.00 per day for running the fridge. When told there was only one lead to the van & the fridge was running on a van point he went into a rage & screamed abuse at my attitude Took the lead off the outside point & put the fridge in the van to stop his ranting about a single lead to the van. Needless to say we didn't stay the week we had planned; went to Geelong instead. A good place to stop, but ruined by a bad tempered idiotic manager so be warned, stay at your peril & keep clear of him & all will be fine. $25.00 per night for a good park
Date of Stay: February 2015 Rating: 2.5
This is a typical showgrounds camping/van park, short on the bells & whistles, but long on value for money at $22.00 per night. There is heaps of room to spread out, no problem with cleaning the van & car, its close to the city of Geelong with a bus service nearby to the centre or rail station to go to Melbourne for the day. The toilets & showers are clean & there is several blocks depending on where you camp, there is power & water or non powered, its quiet from traffic noise & all the people using the area are vanner's like us so there isn't any ankle biters & screaming kids. Its a basic place at a basic cost & in my opinion far superior to the 3 parks on the Barwon river area. There is a caretaker living on site who will help with site selection, take your money & offer travel & tourist advice. This is a park for travellers. You must remember that it is a showground so there are times when they won't take vans & there are times when events are being held & you don't want to be there so its a good idea to check with Bill ( the caretaker) before turning up at the site.
