Great Aussie Holiday Park, Albury NSW: Video Review

Every now and then, we come across a caravan park that has that something special. This is one of those parks. The Great Aussie Holiday Park is located on Lake Hume, NSW, on the upper reaches of the Murray River and it is a member of the Top Tourist Parks group.

Russell and Melanie Diffey have owned the park for only 18 months but, in that time, they have made many changes. They were creating a ‘grey nomads only’ unpowered section while we were there, adding to the large range of powered, unpowered and ensuite sites, cabins and poolside and lake-view villas.

Amenities

Our first impression of this park was its immense size and the number of birds. The property covers around 350 acres and has about 2km of water frontage on Lake Hume, with its own concrete boat ramp. Being at the end of the road and with no nearby houses, it is very quiet, and the only sound we heard at night was the occasional bird call. Leashed dogs are welcome on sites but not in cabins.

Sites are arranged around the amenities block and entertainment area. This consists of a large ‘social room’ with an inside fire box that is lit during the colder months.

Leading off this large room is a picture theatre, a separate kitchen for functions, a small camp kitchen and a games room (with table tennis, pool table, air hockey, soccer table and a pinball machine). Barbecues and an outside eating area are adjacent.

The office has a small kiosk that stocks basics such as tinned food, bread, milk, ice and gas refills, and there is a petrol pump with unleaded petrol for boaties’ convenience in the summer and school holidays.

The amenities were always clean with plenty of hot water, and there were sufficient washing machines and dryers. We had full reception on our TV and Telstra 4G wi-fi and mobile phone.

ACTIVITIES

There are not many parks in the country that can match the Great Aussie Holiday Park for activities. To start with, it has an animal nursery, which includes a deer, sheep, alpacas, ducks, geese, chickens, a goat and other animals that may be brought in.

I found the archery great fun, as it is something I had never tried, and the park’s assistant manager, Geoff Evans, was an excellent teacher. He had me hitting the target very quickly. The golf driving range was popular with guests, and the frisbee golf was something different. Beside this is a BMX track, and volleyball and badminton are nearby. Do you fancy abseiling, or flying through the air on a flying fox? They are both available in season.

Gas and electric barbecues are free, and fire buckets are allowed as long as they do not burn the grass. Boaties will love the concrete boat ramp, and we saw pictures of magnificent brown and rainbow trout, yellowbelly, Murray cod and red fin caught by guests.

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

Kids will love the large water park, with its huge water ball dumping water from high above. Mums and dads could play tennis on the full-sized courts adjacent, or swim in the resort-style solar heated pool. Next to this is an adventure playground as well as a big jumping pillow.

There is a scenic drive around the back of Lake Hume leading to the Wymah car ferry and back into Albury. We drove to see the dam wall near Albury, about 30 minutes from the park. While in the area, we had a look around the twin towns of Albury and Wodonga where you will find city facilities and shopping, including day trips up to the snowfields and hire boats for Lake Hume. A large shopping centre at Lavington is closer to the park, and is the ideal place to stock up if necessary.

Fast facts

Getting there

Great Aussie Holiday Park is located about 30 minutes (35km) north of Albury/Wodonga in New South Wales. Turn off the Hume Highway on to the Bowna/Wymah Road.

Activities

• Fishing (private boat ramp)
• Tennis
• Solar heated pool
• Children’s water park, adventure park and activities
• Animal nursery and feeding
• Golf driving range
• Frisby golf
• Archery
• Abseiling
• Walking tracks

The full feature appeared in Caravan World #534, February 2014. Subscribe today for the latest caravan reviews and news every month!