82: Take it easy at a caravan park

They may sometimes be cast as the poor cousin of the accommodation world, but caravan parks have a lot going for them (hey – even Dannii Minogue is a fan!). Staying in a caravan park can be a relaxed, sociable experience, with many now running the spectrum of comfort levels, from powered camping sites to absolute beachfront villas. Choose from parks with pools, playgrounds, tennis courts, go-kart tracks and programs full of fun kids’ activities – art classes, treasure hunts or family fun days, anyone? – or keep it old-school with a great location and relaxed atmosphere instead.

Unlike coastal camping, which is about getting away from it all, staying in a seaside caravan park is a lovely way to meet other families with similar interests – you may double your fishing quota or find a new skateboarding buddy!

Try these

NSW: Blue Dolphin Holiday Resort , Yamba – This caravan park is close to seven surfing beaches and boasts two large pools, waterslide, tennis courts, kids’ playground and an indoor soft play centre. 02 6646 2194;

Qld: Cairns Coconut Holiday Resort – This resort is just seven minutes from the town centre but you’ll be too busy enjoying the amenities – three pools, tennis courts, 18-hole mini golf, volleyball, badminton, basketball, adventure playground and outdoor movies (to name just a few) – to leave. 07 4054 6644;

Vic: Best Friend Holiday Retreat , Yarram – This dog-friendly holiday park is just three kilometres from the enchanting Tarra-Bulga National Park in Victoria, with a waterfall and natural rock-formed swimming pool to enjoy. 03 5186 1216;

WA: Esperance Seafront Caravan Park – An ideal base from which to explore Cape Le Grand, the nearby Pink Lake and the cobalt blue water of the Bay of Isles. 08 9071 1251;

SA: Robe Long Beach Caravan Park , Robe Opposite Long Beach, this caravan park offers an indoor heated pool, outdoor movies, arcade games, bike hire, karaoke, live music and a kids’ club. 08 8768 2237;

NT: Darwin Free Spirit Resort – A 15-minute drive south of Darwin, the Free Spirit Resort is perfectly positioned for the countless activities on offer – including spotting crocodiles. 08 8935 0888;

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A town charmingly paused in time has become a hot mountain biking destination.

There’s a forest reserve full of eucalyptus and pines surrounding town – when you combine all the greenery with a main street of grand old buildings still standing from the Victorian Gold Rush, Creswick looks more period movie set than a 21st-century town.

old gold bank Victoria — Grand buildings from the Victorian gold rush. (Image: Visit Victoria)

This entire region of Victoria – the Central Goldfields – is as pretty-as-a-picture, but there’s something extra-special about Creswick. I used to live 30 minutes north; I’d drive in some evenings to cruise its main street at dusk, and pretend I was travelling back in time.

It was sleepy back then, but that’s changed. Where I used to walk through its forest, now I’m hurtling down the state’s best new mountain bike trails. There’s a 60-kilometre network of mountain bike trails – dubbed Djuwang Baring – which make Creswick the state’s hottest new mountain biking destination.

Meet Victoria’s new mountain biking capital

Creswick bike trail — This historic town has become a mountain biking hotspot.

Victoria has a habit of turning quiet country towns into mountain biking hotspots. I was there in the mid-2000s when the tiny Otways village of Forrest embarked on an ambitious plan to save itself (after the death of its timber cutting industry) courtesy of some of the world’s best mountain bike trails. A screaming success it proved to be, and soon mountain bike trails began popping up all over Victoria.

I’m no expert, so I like that a lot of Creswick’s trails are as scenic as they are challenging. I prefer intermediate trails, such as Down Martuk, with its flowing berms and a view round every corner. Everyone from outright beginners to experts can be happy here. There’s trails that take me down technical rock sections with plenty of bumps. But there’s enough on offer to appeal to day-trippers, as much as hard-core mountain-bikers.

I love that the trails empty onto that grand old main street. There’s bars still standing from the Gold Rush of the 1850s I can refuel at. Like the award-winning Farmers Arms, not to be confused with the pub sharing its name in Daylesford. It’s stood since 1857. And The American Creswick built two years later, or Odessa Wine Bar, part of Leaver’s Hotel in an 1856-built former gold exchange bank.

The Woodlands is set on a large bushland property. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

Creswick is also full of great cafes and restaurants, many of them set in the same old buildings that have stood for 170 years. So whether you’re here for the rush of the trails or the calm of town life, Creswick provides.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

Inside the Woodlands, a chic 1970s log cabin. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

RACV Goldfields Resort is a contemporary stay with a restaurant, swimming pool and golf course. The Woodlands in nearby Lal Lal comprises a chic log cabin set on a 16-hectare property abundant in native wildlife.

Eating there

Le Peche Gourmand makes for the perfect pitstop for carb and sugar-loading.

The menu at Odessa at Leaver’s Hotel includes some Thai-inspired fare. Fuel up for your ride on baguettes and pastries from French patisserie Le Peche Gourmand . The Farmers Arms has been a much-loved local institution since 1857.

Playing there

Creswick State Forest has a variety of hiking trails, including a section of the 210-kilometre-long Goldfields Track. Miss Northcotts Garden is a quaint garden store with tea room.

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