Plan your next sun-soaked getaway at one of NSW’s top beachside holiday parks. Plus, learn where to find the best local produce and things to do. These seven stays are worth bookmarking (especially for food lovers).
Kingscliff
Keep driving north to find Tweed Holiday Parks Kingscliff Beach. With ocean-front cabins, direct access to Kingscliff Beach and a walk across the road to amazing cafes and restaurants, it’s a fantastic spot to settle in. Plus, its new camp kitchen is primed for making the most of local ingredients. A visit to Tropical Fruit World offers more than just a farm tour and fruit tasting. Exit via the fresh fruit market for the freshest produce you can get – most of it picked from the orchards that morning. Or go fishing and crabbing with Catch-A-Crab, making sure to add the optional lunch booking to get a taste of the catch of the day. Swing past Earth Beer Company on the way home to pick up some Royal Big Australian Pale Ales, a refreshing brew crafted with all-Aussie ingredients.
Byron Bay
If you’re heading along the Far North Coast, you’ll find Reflections Byron Bay – Holiday Park’s cabins, glamping tents and powered sites nestled among the trees and right on the beach – keeping you close to the buzz of Byron Bay while surrounded by nature. Take in the natural beauty from the water on a Cape Byron Kayaks tour before tasting the region’s delicious produce – the Byron Community Markets’ food stalls and Byron Farmers Markets are a great place to start. Then, go straight to the source at The Farm Byron Bay’s Produce Store where you can stock up on fresh ingredients harvested from the gardens and farms nearby, deli items and artisan goods made by passionate local producers. With shopping bags full, return to the camp kitchen and cook some knockout meals with the best of the region.
Right on the pristine white-sand beachfront, Holiday Haven White Sands is just a two-minute walk back to Huskisson for all the convenience of the town centre. After spotting a pod of dolphins cruising past a watercolour-sunrise sky, swing past Blak Cede Gunyah Café and Shop for a breakfast of wattleseed banana bread with native honey. This Aboriginal women-led social and cultural enterprise serves cracking meals prioritising traditional foods from the Kareela Ngura community garden and sells native-ingredient spice mixes and dressings. Get another taste of local flavours with a trip to the Old Salt Distillery, which blends spirits and liqueurs with a mix of botanicals, many grown right there on the property. Jervis Bay Brewing Co. offers up a tasty mix of craft beers and hosts food trucks, if you’re taking the night off cooking.
The sparkling waters of Shoal Bay are mighty alluring for a getaway, and Shoal Bay Holiday Park is nicely situated so you can make the most of Port Stephens’ natural playground. Thrill seekers will love the Aboriginal Culture and Sand Boarding Adventure Tour with Sand Dune Adventures, where you’ll glide down the largest moving coastal dunes in the Southern Hemisphere and learn about bush foods and traditional medicines too. The Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary is a beloved stop for all ages and the Tomaree Coastal Walk is simply stunning. And the food of the region is a serious drawcard. Pick up oysters fresh from the rack at Holberts Oyster Farm or drive inland to Seaham for a visit to Farmgate – In Our Hands, where you can buy eggs, honey, dried fruit, bone broths, jams and more at this farm gate. You’re spoiled for choice with cafes heroing local ingredients here too.
Wallaga Lake
The Sapphire Coast dazzles year-round, with a host of beautiful spots to stay. You’ll find BIG4 Wallaga Lake Holiday Park on the shores of Wallaga Lake, a short coastal walk to the beautiful Haywards Beach. This park is a great shout if you’re all about water activities like boating and kayaking, plus it’s a great spot to cast out a line if you have a NSW fishing licence. Here, you’re just a 10-minute drive from Bermagui’s bakeries, cafes and restaurants so you can taste the region’s abundance of fresh produce and soak up the scenery – the Blue Pool and Horse Head Rock are picture-perfect places for a dip.
Bermagui
Check into Reflections Bermagui – Holiday Park where you can see whales migrating between May and November and be lulled to sleep by the sounds of the ocean. Start the day on the right foot with a trip to Honorbread Bakery in Bermagui, where you can savour a still-warm cinnamon bun or ham-and-cheese croissant and pick up fresh sourdough for sandwiches back at camp. Head to the Bermagui Fishermen’s Wharf to check out the seafood co-op, which has been supplying the Sydney Fish Market with the best of the region for decades. Here you can get your fish-and-chip fix at Blue Wave Seafood or pick up fresh fish, prawns and oysters to put your own spin on in the camp kitchen or on the barbecue.
Less than an hour’s drive south, Tathra Beach Eco Camp is immersed in nature and is a haven for wildlife. With a mountain bike trail at the back and a short walk from the beach out the front, it’s made for getting away from it all. Not far from Merimbula and Pambula, Tathra puts you within reach of the region’s famed oysters. Head to Broadwater Oysters for award-winning Sydney Rocks, which you can enjoy onsite lakeside, or grab and go a platter to eat at sunset from the deck of your glamping tent. An aperitif featuring one of North of Eden Gin School’s fragrant creations, such as the Oyster Shell Gin, makes an ideal pairing. Breakfast is easy thanks to Wattleseed Cafe onsite, serving up coffee, native-ingredient teas and freshly baked treats featuring local produce.
