Does a place like this exist? Your help pls

[Luckless]

Have you looked at Iluka near Grafton? Been a few years since I went there but from memory had a good camping area (either in the bush or powered caravan sites), hot showers, marine reserve, boat ramp, surf beach, estuary type area, open water, not many people and a short stroll to the bowls club in town.... not sure if it has changed much in the past few years though. Damn - remembering all that I think I might go there for my break! The only down side is the rocket range near by - although it was always pretty good to sit on top of the cliffs and watch the jets go past on training runs.... Think you might luck out on the pool though, but there were a heap of good rock pools that the kids could go swimming in.

[Scalem]

I'll get a closer look at Iluka when down that way, we've booked somewhere in Ballina which is not far away.

Thanks
Scalem

[Duyz72]

How was it?
Would like to know what decisions were made, and how it all turned out for you?

[Scalem]

How was it?
Would like to know what decisions were made, and how it all turned out for you?

It's been a few weeks since the trip, and I thought this thread was dead, but to sum up the trip it was a shocker!! Remember the low pressure system that moved down to Northern NSW and dumped a couple of hundred mm of rain, resulting in a fish kill of epick proportions in the Richmond River? Well we were there in the thick of it!!

The boat in tow only served the purpose of a trailer, never saw the water once. The caravan park we booked into was 2nd rate - I give it a 2 out of 5. One of the permanent residents there told me what was going on at this particular park, and without posting anything unresearched or based on only his opinion ( he is really cheesed off!!) I could see the evidence of poor maintenance. The community barby area was unfit for use. The barby plate has not been cleaned for what looks like months, the communal sink is a mess, the mens showers blocked up after the rain, and all the shower cubicals had filled up with water. You get wet on the way to the showers if it was raining, because there is no down pipe connected to the gutter, so rainwater was splashing on the concrete walkway....

We've got some photos someplace on a sd card, not even worth putting into a folder on the hard drive. We booked from thursday till the following Wednesday, but were sick of the rain and the dirty conditions and were gone by the Saturday, never to return, even if it was fine weather. The park further down seemed much nicer, and we were asked, " If you don't have a dog, why the heck did you stay in this dump?" That's what you get when you book things over the internet and never been there B4.


Scalem

[kingtin]

Unlucky Scalem

I never go anywhere now, without doing a recce first. Obviously, if it's a long way away hat becomes a no-no but I've found some shit places in the past, so am very wary. I'll go on the off chance of a place, but I never put booking deposits up front in case the place is crap when I get there.

kev

[Scalem]

Unlucky Scalem

I never go anywhere now, without doing a recce first. Obviously, if it's a long way away hat becomes a no-no but I've found some shit places in the past, so am very wary. I'll go on the off chance of a place, but I never put booking deposits up front in case the place is crap when I get there.

kev

Yep, couldn't agree more Kev. We are finding that once you find a place you like, if you can, book it for next year too, as so many are doing. But there was another site at Imbil where we had booked a specific site because we knew it, wanted enough room to fit two tents/families together on the same site. The friends we were sharing with had arrived about two hours earlier than us, only to find they had moved us to another, less attractive site to what we had booked, which was right next to the main road that fed the other campsites.

To make matters worse, knucklehead mate of mine didn't leave enough room for us to set up our camper trailer. Grrrrr!!!!! The original site we booked had no less than 4 tents on it, so any guesses why they moved us?? More revenue during a long weekend obviously!!

No more booking unless it comes recommended or I have inspected for myself.

Scalem

[wags on the water]

A thought for future trips, maybe look around Maroochy/Noosa areas? Or even the Hervey Bay area.
Sorry to hear your trip was a shocker.

Wags

[smiley_doobinator]

Try Yamba if you want to go camping in Nthn NSW, bout a 3 hour drive down but well worth it, great camping grounds (I have stayed at both Yamba Waters and Fishing Haven and would recommend both). great camping parks, great people and beautiful place to stay, cant go past it I reckon.

[mr fisher]

1770 is great but a bit far great fishing and camping ground on beach and good makeral and estury

also woody head great camping grounds boat ramp in camping ground and a reef not far out cabins 1 problem 20c a minute for showers.