Myall Shores NRMA Holiday Park

Myall Shores Holiday park is located approximately 20 mins from Bulahdelah heading East.
If you are coming in from Tea Gardens, head to Hawks Nest and drive toward the Mungo Brush Campsite, follow for approx 20 minutes until you get to the ferry. Once across the ferry the Holiday park is on your left.

Campsite
We found the campsite to be in a great spot in regards to the water, we booked a waterfront site, which you are literally about 20 metres from the waters edge, which is very nice. The main issues about the campsite was that the water service was approximately 30 metres away from where we had parked the caravan. We were not told of this when we arrived, nor when we were shown to our campsite. This was disappointing as we then had to fill the water tank in the caravan to have water. Or carry a spare 15-20 metres of hose, which would have been nice to know about before we turned up. Also the water was not as clear as we expected, the water is a weak tea colour which may turn some people of from drinking it, even though we were told that it was safe to drink.
There was no annexe flooring at the campsite and there was a fair amount of debris on the ground from the trees etc. The sites are not very well marked and the trees etc can be an obstacle to get the van/car through. It is not a drive through style van park, so brush up on your reversing skills.
It was very reminiscent of a bush camp rather than a “Holiday Park”

Lighting around the campsites was very poor, and for the vision challenged like me, found it hard not to trip over things late at night while visiting the loo.

For the campsite, we rated 6/10

Amenities
The amenities were clean, however need some work. Where we stayed, which was advertised as waterfront sites, there were 3 buildings that house the amenities. Each building has a dividing wall inside which then acts as two separate rooms. Each building had one shower and one toilet on each side of the building. Attached to the buildings is the “camp kitchen” which consists of a laundry sink and tap, which is open to the elements. Not very pleasant if you were camping in the rain. There is a bush style cooking area which consists of a 4 burner bbq and a bench seat and table, this is under cover. The whole setup is very basic.

Again, the lighting was very poor in and around the amenities, with some of the lights in the toilets not even working.

For the amenities, we rated – 6/10

Value for money
For the money that we paid, this was a good little holiday. We got it on a “Hot Deal”, which was advertised on the site. Had I stayed here for full price, I would probably be disappointed, when compared to other places that I have stayed for similar money.

For value for money, we rated 8/10

Kid Friendly
It is advertised as a family friendly park and it is well advertised for the kids inside the park, there is a small pool at reception and a small play equipment that is very hard to find unless you are exploring the park. Sienna’s (My 8yo daughter) main complaints were
– that she had no access to water to get a drink, no bubblers etc.
– Spooky Island (as it is advertised) was dangerous as kids could fall from the edge of the walkways etc.
– Play equipment was hard to find and not very exciting
– Not scooter friendly, some areas of the park were not tarred.
– Pool had too much chlorine

 For kid friendly, we rated –  6/10

Location
The nearest shops are located at Bulahdelah, which is a 20-30min drive on dirt road, which can be ungraded and rough at times. We didn’t think the road was too bad but did see a bloke driving a Lexus about 2 KPH, I’m sure he thought otherwise of the road. Once in Bulahdelah there is an IGA for a grocery store. The town is well equipped with butchers, bakers etc. But don’t expect to find any supermarkets like Coles or Woolworths, and as all small country towns, they aren’t always open like the big names.
The nearest Coles is in Tea Gardens, which is about the same distance as Bulahdelah, however you have to go across the ferry, this an extra cost and only leaves every half hour. The operating times are 8am-6pm 7 days per week.
The best part about this location is the views, you have an almost 180 degree view of the lake from the lakeside campsite that we stayed.

For location, we rated – 7/10

Facilities
The reception looks inviting, with a bar/restaurant at the front, there is also an area to buy various items that you may have forgot, or the daily staples like bread/milk etc. There is an information room at the front of house too, which can be handy. Bike hire is available for a donation.
We found the facilities to be a bit confusing, when you walk up to the building you are greeted by what looks like an window opening (Bar maybe?), which one would think is where you check in, but then are directed inside to check in. Once inside the reception, it is a general store, bar, restaurant, café etc. Just a bit confusing, but good use of the space I guess.
We had dinner at the reception/restaurant/bar?
There a quite a lot of signs posted around the park and at reception telling of their ‘legendary pizza and fish and chips’ when you get there, you have 4 choices of pizza and fish and chips…..that’s it. I expected to see more on the menu for the amount of advertising. The food was far from legendary in my opinion, but the prices were reasonable and our bellies were full. The pizzas were served in cardboard pizza boxes and no plates were offered, we did get cutlery but no plates….. I think it would be far more economical and easier to just serve it on a plate etc. We found that the service was pleasant, but the table service was poor. We waited 20-30mins to have the tables cleared after we finished, which I think were only cleared as they were closing up. On that note, be quick as the ‘restaurant’ is only open for 1.5 hours….5pm-6.30pm….
WiFi is available, pets are not allowed.

For facilities, we rated – 5/10

View
The view is spectacular, almost 180 degree views of the lake, which is brown in colour but great for a swim. You can walk out approx. 200m before it gets deeper. The water can smell of sulphur at some stages also
For view, we rated – 9/10

Cleanliness
The park is clean and litter free, the amenities are also clean as is the camp kitchen. The campsites are littered with falling debris from trees etc, which makes it feel more of a bush camp than a holiday park. None of the sites have awning matting, which can be messy if you just come out of the water and go back to camp.

For cleanliness, we rated – 9/10

Safety
The water is relatively safe and calm and you can walk out 200m + before it gets deeper which is great for the kids. The ground around the campsites can be uneven, so watch your step.

There is boom gates at the entry to the park which is PIN code access. Very little traffic in the park, which is great for the kids to ride their bike etc. very little public traffic due to the ferry which only leaves every 30 mins.
The downside to the safety would be the lighting in the park. The lighting in and around the amenities is very poor and with the uneven ground could be dangerous.
The park is family friendly and discourages bucks parties etc.

For safety, we rated – 7/10

Friendliness

The staff were very friendly and accommodating.

For friendliness, we rated 9/10

Overall rating for Myall Shores NRMA Holiday Park –  72/100

*****please be advised, we are not a professional rating website or company, these ratings are based on our experience with the park/s and should be taken as an indication of our personal experience only*****