I had never heard of Waterfront Holiday Park before Peter told me it would be the next place we would be staying in our 2026 ‘First Farewell’ trip. He was looking forward to a nice, quiet place.
Before we arrived, he told me there were new owners who had been there for four years. In that time, they had completely revamped the park. Not only had they physically revamped the park, they had just made a decision to make the park adults only.
AFTER-HOURS ARRIVAL
When we arrived, Peter checked his phone and got his gate code so we could get through the gate, as well as our site number. Well, that was easy except for the usual problem of the caravan mirrors meaning he couldn’t reach the keyboard! So he opened the door a bit and half hung out of the car and punched the code in and the gate opened. There’s also maps of the park there so you know where your site is.
There is a very good benefit to this system of entry. If you arrive out of office hours, it’s not a problem. You can still get in and set-up on your site. How good is that!
The site we had was huge. It looked beautiful because of the well-maintained grass. The site next to us was being watered because those guests had just left and the park owners, Cathy and Evan, always like to have the sites watered and mowed if necessary as soon as someone leaves. They have set-up some very good systems for keeping the park looking so green and lush.
The sites easily take a large caravan, awning and car. Our van is 8m and we had plenty of room all around us because our site was 12x10m! All the roads are gravel and the combination of green grass and yellowish gravel is very attractive. They also made sure that each site now had power and water. The water is treated on site as it comes from the Murray.
Behind our site, overlooking the river, they have built wooden platforms. These aren’t just for the people on that site; they are for any guests who want to bring a chair and relax while looking at the view.
EXPLORING WATERFRONT HOLIDAY PARK
During our stay, we had a good walk around and a look at the accommodation. There are three styes of on-site accommodation: small studio rooms, cabins and large villas. Currently there are 44 powered sites (two are ensuite sites) but there are no unpowered sites. The sites are so popular they are planning on building four new ensuite sites to meet the growing demand.
Waterfront Holiday Park may be old, but the renovation to the amenities block is amazing. It’s open all day and night – not that I checked it out in the middle of the night! I was very impressed with how comfortable it was. There’s a very good laundry too. If you run out of washing powder, don’t worry – they have a washing powder sales machine in there.
As we walked around the park, we found some great communal areas. These are slowly being reviewed and updated when possible. But even as they are, they are still very usable and comfy. The iconic panda statue is a very popular addition to the park. Cathy bought him from home when they moved onto the park.
One of the most attractive things about this park is nature! There’s a little island you can access from the park and enjoy being surrounded by trees and water. It’s also pet-friendly, as one little dog found out when he found a tree that went with his colour scheme really well!
The nature aspect to Waterfront Holiday Park is more than the island and colour coordinated trees. Evan told me they had the most amazing sunsets ever – they perhaps miss out on a great sunset about 10 or so days a year.
We were there for four nights, and I took photos of the sunset on three of those nights. I have to say, they are stunning, even the not-very-good ones.
There are communal areas, lovely gardens, decorative birds and the very special aforementioned panda.
Being an adults only parks means Waterfront Holiday Park is quiet most of the time. You can catch up with other guests, have fun, join up for a barbecue and do all those things that make caravanning so good. But there’s no risk of getting in the way of kids playing games, throwing balls, riding bikes or scooters. The park is easy to stay in, easy to sleep in, and a must on our repeat-visit list.
– Alison Huth
