This page may contain affiliate links. If you book through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support!

1 – Last call! The Sydney Royal Easter Show

If you haven’t taken the kids to the Sydney Royal Easter Show yet – well, you’re really missing out! This year you can walk through the actual Big Brother House, do the animal walk to see chickens, sheep, horses and feed and pet all the animals in the Farmyard Nursery (get a photo of the kids holding a baby lamb there!).

Then go watch impossibly muscled up men at the wood chopping arena – where else can you see it, after all?!  Eat your fill of the most incredible array of (absolutely delicious) show food, watch the street parade, check out the crafts where you’ll find incredible cakes, pet all kinds of dogs (maybe not the cats!), visit the Lifestyle Pavilion to have scones with the CWA ladies, sit atop a Police motorcycle, get a free RAT test from the NSW Gov stand and lay in a row of massage chairs. Aaah!

Then maybe stray to the different ride carnivals, ride the big wheel, buy copious amounts of showbags (Bertie Beetle bags are the cheapest at $3 but the big name bags such as Sonic, Paw Patrol & CoComelon are in the $20’s) and finish off the day with some Didgeridoo Fireworks! Phew!

Don’t forget to buy tickets online before you go as they do sell out. Public transport is included in your ticket, or if you’re driving be sure to book first – P1 is your closest Sydney Olympic Park Easter Show parking station choice.

NSW Government Discover NSW & Parents NSW Vouchers may be used when purchasing Carnival Fun Pass Credits via the Carnival Fun Pass App but not entry tickets into the show

Suitable for: all ages
How much: Standard $41, Concession $31, Kids Day Tuesday $12,  Buy tickets at Ticketmaster here
Where: Sydney Olympic Park
When: Ends Easter Tuesday, 19/04/2022
More info at the official website here

Don’t miss another of our Australian family YouTube videos! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel here 

2 – Sydney Tower Eye Sydney’s Highest 80s Arcade event

It’s time to party like it’s 1981 – a time when perms were socially acceptable, as were bubble gum jeans and enormous hoop earrings. Yes, that was me – and not that much has changed! Take a ride up the Sydney Tower where you will find it has been transformed into an 80s video arcade for the holidays! You get to play on 80’s arcade games to your heart’s content – what’s not to love? No coins required, because it’s included in your general entrance ticket. If ever you needed an excuse to visit the Sydney Tower Eye, then this is it! Table Top Pac Man, Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, Upright pin ball machines, twin car racers, twin motor bikes, dance video games and heaps more are all there for the playing.

Checking out the amazing 360 degree views of Sydney city and beyond from the massive windows is pretty cool too.

There’s even an over 18’s night time bar sessions – how fun that would be (I can dream)!

Grab your 80’s fluro (okay, so you don’t need to go QUITE as over the top as we did at the media event) and get UP there!

Suitable for: school age children to (tragic 80’s!) adults
How much: Family daytime access inc. 80s game play: Adults $31.50, Child $23 (ages 3-15yrs), Student or Senior $24, Children under 3 are free
Night-time bar event for over 18s inc. 80s game play: Standard Entry: $55 and Premium Entry $65 which includes a cocktail, hotdog, icecream and glow accessories (Wow!)  Book online at the official website
Where: Sydney Tower Eye, Sydney CBD
When:
Daytime: 1st to the 30th April 2022 (stay as long as you like!)
Night-time: April 8, 9, 22, 23, 29, 30 (two sessions, 6pm and 9pm)
More info at the official website here

Don’t miss another of our Australian family YouTube videos! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel here 

3 – Sydney Raging Waters are open during April holidays!

Sydney Raging Waters is awesome fun, and you may not realise that they are still open these April school holidays! We had the best time when we were invited there earlier this year so I just couldn’t leave it out of our list when they invited us back again these holidays. There’s a special discount on right now too, which is buy one single ticket and get one half price – too good to miss!

Sydney Raging Waters is such a fantastic day out for the whole family. Take my advice and book a VIP Cabana so you have a cosy base to leave your gear in and order food from too. (I love that lazy factor!)

Ride the thrilling water slides (there are just so many of them!) for big kids, teenagers and parents or the scaled down version for the little kids. There’s water play areas for the non-swimmers, tiny tots and toddlers too. Catch some waves in the massive but gentle wave pool beach as lifeguards keep an eye out, or just go for a never ending floating ring circuit on the Dinosaur Lagoon. (Possibly the most relaxing heated pool activity ever!)

You can use your NSW vouchers to buy normal priced tickets here

Suitable for: all ages
How much: Save $10 by purchasing tickets online. Current offer buy one ticket get one at half price.
Adult $49.99 online (2 for $74.99 – can’t use NSW vouchers on this offer), Kids/Seniors (over 60yrs) $44.99 online  Buy tickets at the official website here
Parking: $10 per car
Where: Blacktown
When: Saturday 9th April to Sunday 24th April
More info at the official website here

Don’t miss another of our Australian family YouTube videos! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel here 

4 – Sydney Aquarium & Sydney Zoo Peppa Pig event

Invited and we couldn’t make it to this one too, but we’ve seen the SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium and WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo pics for this event and can’t imagine any toddler, preschooler or kindergarten Peppa fan wouldn’t want to get to this event in a hurry!!

Even if they’re not keen on Peppa (as if!), it’s the Sydney Aquarium and Zoo, which are epic Sydney School Holidays ideas anyhow. We never, ever get tired of visiting Sydney Aquarium!

Join Peppa Pig on an interactive adventure at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium & WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo from the 1st – 30th April 2022!

Suitable for: small children
How much: Adults $58, Child $41 (ages 3-15yrs) Children under 3 are free, for two attractions – so BOTH the Aquarium and Zoo  Buy tickets at the official website
Where: Sydney Aquarium, Darling Harbour
When: 1st to the 30th April 2022
More info at the official website here

5 – Disney+ Drive In at Openair Cinemas

Throw up the hatchback, pull out the fairy lights and cushions and sit back in your car for a Disney classic movie at the Openair Cinema’s Drive In. I don’t remember Drive ins ever being as fun as this one, with roller skating snack delivery waiters and a huge light-up mickey ears installation to take your own super-cool Instagram shots beneath. Don’t worry if you don’t have a car – couples can snuggle down in the red bean bags of the Doordash “The Park” and watch the show with their very own volume-controlled radio! Order your dinner with Doordash for a 30% discount and have it delivered to you without even lifting a finger thanks to QR codes. Supermarkets and cooking are soooo last school hols!

Drive In patrons (and mums and dads) never had it so good.

Suitable for: all ages
How much: Check website for next year
Where: Commbank Stadium, Parramatta
When: Ends Easter Sunday
More info at the official website here

Don’t miss another of our Australian family YouTube videos! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel here 

Need more ideas? Check out our Australian school holidays movie reviews here

Have you attended any of these activities, or do you plan to go? Tell me, or ask your questions in the comments below…

All information is correct as at April 2022 – please check the official websites as linked above for relevant, up to date information and prices.

We were hosted or invited guests to all of the above activities and speak from experience or trusted sources. As always, all opinions remain firmly my own.

Like it? Pin it on Pinterest!

The post 5 last-minute Sydney April school holiday ideas appeared first on Let's go Mum.

NRMA South West Rocks Holiday Resort is a family-friendly holiday park with its own spectacular pirate ship waterpark located in South West Rocks, NSW, Australia. We spent ten fun-packed days at this holiday park enjoying all the family activities it had to offer.

When you choose to stay at NRMA South West Rocks Holiday Resort, you’ll find yourself holidaying in the midst of a beautiful, natural bush park land setting bursting with local wildlife.

Situated alongside a natural lagoon and Hat Head National Park, don’t be too surprised if you wake up to a kangaroo or two lazing outside of your door in the mornings! By the end of our stay we had become regular observers of our neighbourhood kangaroos, kookaburras and a pair of goannas!

A beautiful surf beach across the road

As if the amazing wildlife isn’t enough, you get a beach holiday too! Just across the road from NRMA South West Rocks you’ll find the beautiful, dog-friendly Trial Bay Beach which stretches from Trial Bay Gaol all the way around to the sleepy coastal township of South West Rocks. Swimming at the beach is a lot of fun, but one of the most exciting swimming options in the area is within the South West Rocks Holiday Resort itself – the pirate ship pool and waterpark, Shipwreck Island!

Resort fun activities and entertainment

From an amazing water play area, to a kids club, bouncing pillow and games arcade, NRMA South West Rocks will keep both kids and their parents happy with it’s great range of family fun!

Shipwreck Island Waterpark

Ahoy, me hearties! This fantastic resort swimming pool and waterpark is one of the main features of the holiday park. As far as holiday swimming pool areas go, this one is awfully hard to beat – because it has a full-sized pirate ship presiding over it!

Climb up to the skull waterfall cave, zoom down one of the three exciting water slides branching off of the ship’s full-size deck, swim in the large, waterfall surrounded resort swimming pool or dodge the massive dunking bucket downpour from it’s crows nest vantage point at the top of the pirate ship mast – your kids are never, ever going to want to leave Shipwreck Island!

There’s rigging to climb up the side of the boat if you don’t feel like walking up to the main deck, then choose your slide! A covered blue slide hurtles you down super-fast. Take the green slide for a more leisurely trip down, or you’ll need to be daring enough to walk the plank to ride the twisting sea-serpent slide down!

There’s fun for even the littlest first-mates on this pirate island, with a tiny slide for the little ones in its own pool area, in addition to the bigger ship slides. The fun is quite simply non-stop on Shipwreck Island!

No time to read? Watch our NRMA South West Rocks Holiday Resort Youtube video

The swimming pool and waterpark area is incredible, but there’s even more to do at this fun holiday park.

There’s a big jumping pillow and a children’s playground, both fully covered for the ultimate sunny or rainy day fun.

Next door you’ll find a mini golf course which you enter through a giant steel shark’s jaws!

A fun kid’s club operates on holidays and other allocated days with lots of fun organised activities.

Another popular activity in the park is the games arcade with several arcade games, a ping pong table, pool table, movie theatre and air hockey.

The roof-top half-court tennis court is another fun sport to play at NRMA South West Rocks – plus you get a great view of the park while you have a match! There’s also a volley ball net.

Don’t forget to take a turn around the park in a fun go cart! You can hire them from reception.

Oh, and don’t miss the gorgeous fairy garden that will have any little girl or boy swooning with delight, and makes for the cutest photos!

A dog friendly caravan park

Dogs are welcome at NRMA South West Rocks, so there’s no need to leave your best friend behind! There are pet-friendly cabins, tent sites, caravan sites and also dog-friendly ensuite sites! Dogs can be walked in the holiday park on a leash, and most of the beaches in the area – outside of the National Park – are dog-friendly, so you and your pooch will have a wonderful time together!

There are some pet exclusion times during peak booking periods such as school holidays, so you’ll need to book your stay directly with the holiday park by phone, rather than online.

A Holiday Park restaurant

The Full Circle eatery is an on site restaurant offering home cooked meals. It offers fare including some of the best fish and chips – plus burgers – in town! You’ll also find coffee, pastries and cake at this handy holiday park cafe – what more do you need on your next family holiday? The best part is no cooking – or washing up!

South West Rocks Caravan Park & Other Accommodation Options

With so many different accommodation options, your biggest problem may be choosing how to stay at NRMA South West Rocks Holiday Park!

All kinds of private villas, glamping safari tents, powered and unpowered sites for your caravan, motorhome or tent are all available for you to book for your holiday. Plus there are numerous ensuite sites available too.

NRMA South West Rocks Holiday Park facilities

This holiday park is serious about your entertainment and comfort no matter where you are in the park – even the ladies amenities plays relaxing music to you! The toilets and showers in the two main amenities blocks are spotlessly clean, as are the laundries.

There are several camp kitchens for all your camp meal preparation needs.

The park also offers multiple rubbish stations and a dump point to empty your porta pottie or toilet cassettes.

The perfect South West Rocks base

Located on NSW Mid North Coast, NRMA South West Rocks Holiday Resort makes both an excellent Brisbane and Sydney family holiday destination, at around five hours drive from both cities.

The town of South West Rocks is a charming coastal town with beach front walking paths, side creeks with bridges and town beaches. South West Rocks is well serviced with Coles and IGL supermarkets, a petrol station and local boutiques, takeaways and restaurants. The closest large service town is the inland town of Kempsey, 38kms away.

Things to see in the South West Rocks area

NRMA South West Rocks makes the perfect base to explore the many tourist attractions of the area. Local attractions include the historic Trial Bay Gaol which is located only five minutes up the road at Arakoon. There are several beautiful picnic areas dotted around the jail too, including little bay where you will find mobs of kangaroos just passing the time of day!

If you enjoy bushwalking, we hiked the beautiful Monument Walk loop which starts near the Trial Bay Gaol. Only 3 kms long, it does include some steep inclines and narrow, windy paths – but also takes in some incredible coastal views along the way plus some interesting historic features.

Ten minutes drive away is the remarkable Smoky Cape Lighthouse. This lighthouse is situated at the top of a hill with a steep walk up to it, however because of its commanding position it also offers some of the best views in the region. If you’re not able to make the climb there is still the spectacular Captain Cook lookout at its base to enjoy with its own picnic area.

Way down on the beaches below the lighthouse you’ll find the Smoky Cape Beach, a 4WD access beach that hosts sea bird and sea turtle rookeries.

The small town of Hat Head is a 25 minute drive away with more beautiful beaches and coastal walks.

How to book your NRMA holiday parks holiday

NRMA South West Rocks Holiday Resort has all you need for the perfect family vacation to enjoy together – it’s family holidays made easy!

For more of our NRMA holiday park reviews, check our NRMA Holiday Parks list

Find out more or book your accommodation for NRMA South West Rocks Holiday Resort at the official website here.

How to get there

All information is correct as at March 2021 – please check the above website link for relevant, up to date information and accommodation prices.

The Let’s go Mum family are partnering with NRMA Holiday Parks, however all opinions remain firmly our own.

Like this blog? Pinterest pin it!

Have you ever visited South West Rocks? Tell us your activity ideas for families in the comments section below!

The post NRMA South West Rocks Holiday Park review appeared first on Let's go Mum.

NRMA Darlington Beach Holiday Resort is a beautiful holiday park located half an hour from Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia.

We spent 10 wonderful days at Darlington Beach, a stunning eucalypt-studded holiday park bursting with wildlife, and fringed with a gorgeous sandy beach stretching for miles in either direction. Plus there’s more holiday fun, adventure and activities at this Coffs Harbour caravan park than you can poke a stick at!

A beautiful surf beach just down the path

The Arrawarra-Corindi Beach offers everything you could want from a coastal holiday. Swimming, surfing and fishing – even the family dog is allowed off-leash on the beach! In just a couple of minutes stroll you’re on the gorgeous white sandy beach and in holiday-relax mode whilst the children are shell-collecting and sand-castle building to their hearts content.

Kangaroos live at this holiday park

A big feature of Darling Beach holiday park is its local inhabitants – Kangaroos roam the park at will, peacefully co-existing with the park guests. It’s not unusual to wake up to a kangaroo gently nosing around under your caravan awning, or a mother with her joey still in the pouch grazing just outside. Kangaroos eat, sleep and play amongst the caravans and tents – watching them became our new favourite hobby! It’s like living in a wonderful wildlife documentary. (Check out our Let’s Go Mum Youtube Darlington Beach review video to see just how cute these new neighbours can be on your next family holiday!)

No time to read? Watch our NRMA Darlington Beach Holiday Resort Youtube video

NRMA Darlington Beach features and activities

Resort fun activities and entertainment

There are all kinds of holiday entertainments, activities and attractions to keep the family happy at Darlington Beach Holiday Park. From the most energetic kids and adults, to parents who may just prefer to relax and laze the days away – there’s something to keep everyone happy at Darlington Beach!

The central hub of Darlington Beach is a complex of food, fun and entertainment.

Two resort swimming pools

The swimming pools and water park at Darlington Beach are located next to each other, however a pool fence separates the two. This means parents can know that whilst watching their little ones playing in the water park, they aren’t going to suddenly run off towards the swimming pool area!

The best thing about having two large water play and swim areas in close proximity is that the big kids can play all day between the two areas and never get bored!

The two stunning resort swimming pools are separated by a bridge crossing, and feature twin waterslides in one large pool and a warm baby pool branching off the other. There is also a separate hot spa close by.

An exciting new waterpark

Darlington Beach already has so much for families to do together, but now you can add to it a brand new water park with two huge water slides, water-play fountains and a big tipping bucket!

There are lots of picnic tables surrounding the water park area, so families can settle down for lunch, a coffee from the café – or even for the day if they want to!

Other activities you’ll find in this central park area are the big jumping pillows, a children’s playground, a kids club and activity room to keep those busy crafters happy, plus a games room featuring arcade games and a ping pong table.

A holiday park with its own golf course!

Darlington Beach offers sports galore! Swimming, surfing and body surfing are just a stroll down the path at the beach. This park also boasts a full size lawn bowls green. If you love golfing holidays, this is the place to be – because there’s a complete 9 hole golf course at the other end of the park!

Then there’s a sports field, a tennis court, and even an archery range! You get the idea – you have options, and lots of them. Your holiday can be as relaxing or active as you like at Darlington Beach!

Pump Track and BMX track

One thing is for sure – kids love to bike and scoot in holiday parks, and with the 10km speed limit parents can relax a little more knowing the traffic is slow. But there’s also a dedicated area that keeps them off the roads and having fun! Darlington Park has a moulded plastic pump track for scooters and bikes, plus a dirt BMX track too.

Don’t worry if you forgot to put the kid’s scooters in the boot, or couldn’t bring your own bicycles – because go carts and bikes are available for hire from reception. You’re all set!

The Pet friendly holiday park that feels like a National Park!

Even though NRMA Darlington Beach Holiday Resort is chock-full of Australian native wildlife, dogs are allowed at this holiday park. You can still bring your pet along as long as you keep them on a leash when you’re walking around the park. There’s no need to rough it either – there are pet-friendly cabins, tent sites, caravan sites and even pet-friendly en-suite sites!

A dog friendly Coffs Harbour Coast beach

Best of all, this may be the happiest holiday park for dogs in Australia, as in addition to being allowed to be walked around the park on a lead itself, the beautiful Arrawarra Beach (accessed directly from the holiday park) is a dog-friendly off-leash beach! Our dog Sweetums thought she was in seventh-heaven with all the wonderful walks she took with us at Darlington Beach. (You can see all the fun she had at the beach in our Darlington Beach review video)

There are some pet exclusion times during peak booking periods such as school holidays, so you’ll need to book your holiday with dogs stay at Darlington Beach by phone.

A resort restaurant

The Flamingo Cafe/Restaurant offers all kinds of tasty treats from breakfast to dinner, with boards full of yummy meals. There are many indoor and outdoor seating options, including a large indoor space with a TV, and seating by the water park and toddler playground (yes parents of little ones – you may actually get to finish your meal or have that coffee from the cafe, undisturbed!). If the bigger kids finish dinner early, they only have to walk a few steps to be at the pool or water park too! A parent dinner in peace – ah!

Also located at the restaurant area you’ll find the resort gift shop and kiosk – I dare you to leave here without buying at least one of their gorgeous souvenirs on offer, which includes holiday clothes and all kinds of beautiful, shiny things! Plus if you’ve run out of any essentials, here is where you’ll find those too (I was very thankful to find an extra packet of pegs!).

Darlington Beach Caravan Park & Other Accommodation Options

From dog friendly cabins to private villas, glamping safari tents, powered and unpowered motorhome, bus and tent camping sites, to ensuite caravan sites and tent sites – NRMA Darlington Beach Holiday Resort has it all! The sites are spacious – really spacious. The feeling is a natural bush setting teaming with wildlife. Beautiful birdsong, grazing kangaroos – it’s a lovely place to stay.

We holidayed on one of Darlington Beach holiday park’s pet-friendly powered caravan sites, as we travel with our dog Sweetums. It’s the perfect way to take your pets on holiday and still have a great family holiday together.

NRMA Darlington Beach holiday park facilities

Darlington Beach facilities are modern, spotlessly clean – and there’s plenty of them for guests to use without feeling crowded.

From BBQs and a camp kitchen for all your camping needs, to multiple guest laundries and large amenities blocks with hot, strong showers. The focus is on easy, convenient options that minimise your time doing the essentials so that you can spend more time doing what you’re there for – relaxation and fun!

The park also offers multiple rubbish stations, plus dump points to empty your porta pottie or toilet cassettes.

Beach wheel chair accessibility

Beach accessibility can sometimes be an issue for disabled members of the family. Accessibility to the beach can be supported more easily at Darlington Beach with a special beach wheel chair available for hire from park reception. So now everyone can share the beach fun more easily!

The perfect Coffs Coast holiday park

Located on NSW North Coast, Darlington Beach is located only half and hour from Coffs Harbour holiday fun and attractions. Think the famous Big Banana, Dolphin Marine Conservation Park, the Coffs Harbour Jetty, shopping malls, even more great beaches…the local area is stunning.

Darlington Beach makes a great Queensland family holiday as it’s only three and a half hours drive from Brisbane. It also makes the perfect Sydney family holiday getaway, six hours drive up the Pacific Motorway.

How to book your NRMA holiday parks holiday

NRMA Darlington Beach Holiday Resort has your next Coffs Coast family holiday covered. A great location, surf beach front, local wildlife, modern facilities, pet friendly options, and lots of activities for both kids and adults. There’s everything you need to allow you to relax and unwind – or have an adventurous, high-energy family holiday so that you all have a great time together – it’s family holidays made easy!

For more of our NRMA holiday park reviews, check our NRMA Holiday Parks list

Find out more or book your accommodation for NRMA Darlington Beach Holiday Resort at the official website here.

How to get there

All information is correct as at February 2021 – please check the above website link for relevant, up to date information and accommodation prices.

The Let’s go Mum family are partnering with NRMA Holiday Parks, however all opinions remain firmly our own.

Like this blog? Pinterest pin it!

Have you ever visited the Coffs Coast? Tell us your activity ideas for families in the comments section below!

The post NRMA Darlington Beach Holiday Park review – near Coffs Harbour, NSW appeared first on Let's go Mum.

NRMA Treasure Island Holiday Resort is a beautiful holiday park in the heart of the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.

Perfectly located close to both Surfers Paradise and the big Gold Coast theme parks, Treasure Island is designed especially so that your family has a great stay. Whilst the nearby attractions are fabulous, this stunning holiday park has such a wide range of entertainment options on-site that it will have you wondering why you would even need to venture outside of it!

Arr – welcome, Pirates all!

No time to read? Watch our NRMA Treasure Island Holiday Resort Youtube video

From the moment you pull up at the entrance of NRMA Treasure Island, it’s clear you’re in for a hearty good time! A shipwreck complete with parrot hanging from its crows nest embellish the Reception building. Pirate warnings and a skull in a treasure chest sitting atop the boom gate have the kids squealing from the get-go. This is no ordinary holiday park!

This super-fun pirate theme is brilliantly incorporated right across the holiday park. From the main swimming pool with it’s ship and water cannons, to skulls and crossbones at the spas and waterparks  -and life-size pirate figures keeping a salty eye upon it all – NRMA Treasure Island Holiday Resort is a family delight.

A dog friendly Gold Coast holiday park!

As we are travelling with our fourth family member – our adorable (and a little salty herself, at times) Sweetums the Miniature Schnauzer, we needed to find a pet-friendly caravan park. I was thrilled to discover that NRMA Treasure Island welcomes dogs, cats and even birds. A game changer, this means you can still have your Queensland holiday with no need to leave your beloved pets at home (or for the added holiday expense of a boarding kennel!).

Treasure Island offers pet friendly cabins, camping, motorhome and caravan sites. Plus there’s even the luxurious option of an en-suite site, which was our choice. Holidaying with dogs never felt so good!

NRMA Treasure Island features and activities

Resort fun activities and entertainment

From several separate swimming pool areas and a water park, to the big jumping pillow and year-round kids club and outdoor activities, children will never get bored at Treasure Island!

Kids Club entertainment program

Treasure Island offers an excellent kids club program year-round with a weekly schedule. All kinds of kid-appropriate sporting fun, games, arts and crafts can be found on the entertainment program handed to you upon check in.

Many of the family activities are free of charge, with some paid activities on offer too. These can include fun options such as hair braiding, jewellery making or T-shirt painting. From the under-5s right up to teenagers, there’s something for every child at Treasure Island!

NRMA Treasure Island swimming pools

There are four swimming pools at NRMA Treasure Island. All of them have surrounding quality lounges, shade – and of course a good supply of pool noodles and pool floaties!

The first pool we visited was the Riverside Pool, which as the name suggests, is located adjacent to the lovely Biggera Creek canal – complete with houseboats! Townhouse Riverside Villas are located around one side of this quiet, picturesque swimming pool. A peaceful oasis, this is where you go for a relaxing sun lounge or swim.

Pool number two that we visited was the Lagoon Pool, complete with gorgeous palms and a cascading waterfall. This pool area also plays host to two waterfall spas! Surrounded by beautiful Lagoon Deluxe Villas, this is a gorgeous pool to lounge by to the dulcet sounds of a waterfall.

Last but not least is the beautiful resort main pool. This huge area is actually two more large heated pools in one area plus a canal snaking from a slide pool.

Nobody is overlooked at Treasure Island Resort, with an additional baby pool for the tinies too.

A fun waterslide tips its riders down a slope and into the main pool, which also has a sloped beach-style access inwards, making it especially accessible. A pirate ship juts out between the two big pools housing squirting water cannons for the kids to shoot each other with.

Whilst we visited all the swimming pools more than once, the main pool complex was our favourite, especially in the evenings when the pool is lit up a vibrant blue!

Resort Water Park

Yep – this Gold Coast holiday park has it’s own water play park included! Shipwreck Shores Waterpark is pirate themed of course (aaaar!) and a whole lot of fun. The kids will love this large water feature with tons of squirty, water splashing fountains of fun!

Dodge through the fountain tunnels, get thoroughly soaked under the spouting dragon and get ready for the big skull and crossbones bucket – it’s a huge dunk that will have the kids screaming with laughter!

A jumping pillow and tennis court

In addition to all the organised free fun there are plenty more activities to do anytime during the day, such as the big, shaded bouncy pillow. My girls gave this jumping pillow a big thumbs up for both bounciness – and a view of the movie screen!

There’s a full-sized court for sports such as tennis and basketball too, which is also incorporated in to the activity program.

There’s even a ping pong table, plus a pool table inside the Bistro!

Playgrounds galore

From the dedicated toddler and pre-schooler playground located near the main pool, to playgrounds big enough for my teenagers, the park playgrounds are a lot of fun – and help burn off some of that boundless kid holiday energy!

My kid’s loved the big slide next to the jumping pillow. There’s another playground located outside of an amenities and laundry area.

The Tiny Tots playground is absolutely adorable, with tiny hedge paths revealing plastic play gyms and little slides – good luck getting your toddler out of this one!

Outdoor Gym

Don’t worry, us adults are catered for too – our playground is an outdoor gym! That’s if you’ve got any energy left from the jumping pillow (or all those margaritas by the pool!)

Movies Under The Stars

One of our favourite things to do at Treasure Island was watch Movies Under The Stars. Screening several times a week, this outdoor cinema is a real hit. All the latest family movie hits are played – we saw Scoob, Onward, Disney’s Frozen 2 and Mulan during our stay. Many families take a picnic blanket or camp chairs to settle down in the deliciously balmy Queensland weather to watch the movie. For added fun, my kids would sometimes choose to watch it whilst they were bouncing on the Jumping Pillow!

Go Kart hire and Mini Golf Course

As if that isn’t enough things for families to do together at Treasure Island, other popular paid activities include Go-Karts (helmets are provided) to peddle around the park and a 18-hole Holey Moley Mini Golf course at just $4 per person. There’s DVD and Chess hire too.

NRMA members pay half price

Many paid resort activities are discounted by 50% if you are an NRMA Blue Member! That’s a great holiday money saver for the family budget.

Bistro and bar

With the on-site licensed Galleons Bistro and bar, there’s no need to even step out of NRMA Treasure Island to go in search of a family meal! This a-la-carte menu restaurant with family favourites and daily specials is a sure holiday winner.

The elegant timber-vaulted airy design of the Bistro and its expansive outdoor dining areas offer a lovely dining atmosphere.

With the Water Park located opposite, you may have some difficulty keeping the kids at the table after their meal, though!

Accommodation Options

From pet friendly cabins to deluxe poolside villas, powered and unpowered motorhome, bus and tent camping sites, to ensuite caravan sites and tent sites – NRMA Treasure Island Holiday Resort has you covered!

Our stay was on a pet-friendly powered en-suite caravan site, as we are currently travelling with our dog, but Treasure Island also offer a huge range of accommodation alternatives to camping and caravanning – from apartments by the lagoon pool, to peaceful riverside deluxe cabins.

Different en-suite options include riverside en-suite sites, and dog-friendly en-suite sites.

Our pet-friendly ensuite site was very convenient. Treasure island ensuites are very modern and elegant. Although we have our own bathroom in our caravan, we all wanted to use the Treasure Island ensuite!

Our en-suite featured a large double-sized shower, toilet and vanity with complimentary toiletries.

When it comes time to set up your caravan, motorhome or tent, connections are a breeze with close and simple fittings.

I’d highly recommend booking a Treasure Island en-suite site for the height of caravanning and camping luxury!

Take a look around our caravan ensuite site on our video here…

NRMA Treasure Island park facilities

Every necessary and useful holiday park facility can be found at Treasure Island.

There’s a Reception, a basics shop that also sells ice creams (the ultimate holiday essential!) and a great Bistro for easy no-washing-up family meals that every mum and dad needs!

The park itself is a tropical delight with extensive gardens and connecting pathways, all kept immaculately. A cast of what seems like thousands of staff circulate to ensure everything is ship-shape (aaar, me hearties!) and in order. This is a holiday that is seamless, easy and fuss-free for holiday makers.

Two laundries on site

Tired at queueing at holiday park laundries? At Treasure Island there’s not one laundry but two! Both guest laundries feature several machines ($4 a wash, takes $1 gold coins – $4 drying cycle), washing lines, plus the Riverside Laundry has large dryers. Spending half your life waiting or watching for a washing machine on your holiday whilst your kids have fun without you isn’t an issue at this holiday park!

Camp Kitchens

There are well fitted-out Camp Kitchens with dining tables both inside and out, plus several covered BBQ areas with dining tables dotted around the park too.

There are two large communal toilet and shower amenities, and both are spacious, modern, spotlessly clean and well-maintained. Accessible amenities are also on site.

The park also offers Dump Points to empty your porta pottie, motorhome or caravan toilet cassettes.

The perfect Gold Coast holiday base

There’s no doubt about it – the NRMA Treasure Island Holiday Resort makes a fantastic Queensland holiday base, with all the big Gold Coast attractions just minutes away.

Located at Biggera Waters near Labrador in Queensland, NRMA Treasure Island is around half an hour from the NSW-Queensland border at Tweed Heads. It’s approximately 35 minutes taxi or Uber ride from the Gold Coast Airport, 9 hours drive up the Pacific Highway and M1 motorway from Sydney, and around an hour’s drive to Brisbane (slightly longer in peak-hour traffic).

This makes Treasure Island the perfect Brisbane weekend retreat or Gold Coast family holiday choice.

Local tourist attractions and Gold Coast day trips

Just 15 minute down the road from the holiday park you’ll find the world-famous Surfers Paradise, with its pristine white beaches and bustling holiday entertainment.

Gold Coast theme parks

Treasure Island is just twenty minutes drive to the theme parks Movie World, Dreamworld and Whitewater World, and fifteen minutes to Sea World.

Don’t miss the beautiful Gold Coast Hinterland too. Mount Tamborine is forty minutes drive, and Springbrook National Park – home of the amazing Natural Bridge – is just under an hour.

If you’re really motivated, you can even do a day trip up to Bindi and Bob Irwin’s home, Australia Zoo, at around 2 hours drive away (146kms)!

Gold Coast Theme Park discount tickets

If you’re heading up to one of the Gold Coast theme parks, or other great attractions you can purchase discounted tickets at park reception, including tickets to Warner Bros Movie World, Sea World, Wet’n’Wild Gold Coast, Australian Outback Spectacular, Dreamworld , Whitewater World and Wildlife Currumbin Sanctuary.

Gold Coast shopping malls

Don’t miss out of the famous Gold Coast shopping during your visit. The Harbour Town designer outlet centre (you can even take your dog to the outside areas there) is just down the road from Treasure Island, or a two minute drive, as is Australia Fair. It’s twenty minutes to the massive Pacific Fair shopping mall and the second-largest shopping centre, the Robina Town Centre.

Book your Queensland holiday now!

NRMA Treasure Island has your next Gold Coast family holiday covered. A great location, modern facilities, pet friendly options, masses of activities for the kids and family entertainment. There’s everything you need to allow you to relax and unwind – or rev-up the family fun so that you all have a great time together – it’s family holidays made easy!

Find out more or book your accommodation for NRMA Treasure Island Holiday Resort at the official website here.

How to get there

All information is correct as at February 2021 – please check the above website link for relevant, up to date information and accommodation prices.

The Let’s go Mum family are partnering with NRMA Holiday Parks, however all opinions remain firmly our own.

Like this blog? Pinterest pin it!

Have you ever visited the Gold Coast? Tell us your activity ideas for families in the comments section below!

The post NRMA Treasure Island Holiday Park Resort, Gold Coast review appeared first on Let's go Mum.

BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park has an incredible range of features and activities to keep every family member happy, and although this holiday park also happens to be the closest one to the Gold Coast theme parks, the BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park is quite simply – a destination in itself.

The park itself is very large, and immaculately kept. Landscaped tropical gardens line paved roads. A large staff keep everything running smoothly. From a year-round family activities schedule, to prompt maintenance and excellent security, this park is beautifully managed.

Children ride their scooters along the streets whilst parents lounge in camp chairs, chatting. The atmosphere is one of relaxed family fun. BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park is a pet-friendly holiday park, so even the family pet is welcome.

Really, what’s not to love about this kid friendly Queensland holiday resort? We stayed at BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park during the Christmas/Summer school holidays and just adored it.

Koalas and Kangaroos live in and around the park!

Why go to a zoo when Australian native animals are right outside your door? Here you can actually stay where Koalas and Kangaroos live in the wild.

You only need to go for a stroll amongst the huge trees to spot the gorgeous locals – koalas are dotted around the park, kicking back in their gum trees – we even saw some with babies on their backs!

Kangaroos graze the open grass areas, or live in the surrounding bush land. It’s a beautiful way to observe these wonderful Australian animals in the wild at your leisure, and it’s truly a beautiful holiday experience.

No time to read? Watch our BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park video here…

The perfect Gold Coast holiday base

BIG4 Gold Coast is located at Helensvale, an easy 50 minute drive from Brisbane, or just 40 minutes from the NSW border at Tweed Heads and Coolangatta. (10 hours drive from the Sydney CBD). It’s the perfect base to enjoy everything the Gold Coast has to offer!

The closest holiday park to Gold Coast theme parks

The big Gold Coast theme parks are located nearby to Big4 Gold Coast. Movie World, Wet and Wild, Paradise Country and the Australian Outback Spectacular are all only one minute’s drive away. Dreamworld and Whitewater World are five minute’s drive down the motorway, and Sea World is just under half an hour’s drive away at Surfers Paradise.

Local attractions and Gold Coast day trips

Other top Queensland attractions and day trips include Mount Tamborine – 30 minutes, Surfers Paradise – 25 minutes, Springbrook National Park – 53 minutes and Australia Zoo – 1 and a half hours, (or 134km).

Gold Coast shopping centres in easy reach

All the major Gold Coast shopping centres are close by too, with the outlet stores of Harbour Town – 15 minutes, Robina Town Centre – 20 minutes,  and the huge Pacific Fair shopping mall – 25 minutes.

The biggest holiday park water park in the Southern Hemisphere!

A new feature at BIG4 Gold Coast in 2020 is an exciting new water park – and it’s HUGE!

Opened in February 2020, the BIG4 Gold Coast water park is the largest holiday park water park in the Southern Hemisphere! Complete with a huge dunking bucket, side-by-side water slides, long and short slides and water play areas to suit all ages, this super-fun water park is a holiday attraction in itself – yet it’s located right in the park for guest use – amazing!

Surrounded by elegant landscaping and numerous, luxurious guest cabanas, this will be the place to hang out and keep cool with the family on the Gold Coast – and with an incredible new attraction like this, why would you stay anywhere else?

An accessible water park means fun for all

The new water park is wheel-chair friendly too, with an accessible ramp both down into the water park cabana area, and up into the water play itself. Ramp-accessible cabins also overlook the water park.

Heated pool and water slide

Another feature of the park is a large resort-style heated pool, which is open from 7:30am in the morning until 9pm at night.

This stunning swimming pool has water falls, coloured lights at night and is surrounded with hot tubs, spas and elegant cabanas with pool-side lounges.

A fun, fast water slide operates day and night too

Pool-side café restaurant

Also to be found by the pool is Nibbles, a large cafe restaurant. Here you’ll find delicious meals for all the family.

Offerings such as fish and chips, chicken parmies – even kids’ meals options such as nuggets and chips are available. I loved dining poolside. The food was delicious the kids’ meals got a big thumbs-up from my girls!

Kids Activities and family fun

Kids’ Activity Centre – year-round activities!

You’ll be amazed at the range of events and activities on offer at BIG4 Gold Coast.

As a parent who doesn’t necessarily only travel during school holidays, it’s wonderful to know that they offer family-friendly activities and events year-round, and not just during the school holidays.

The large Activity Centre is the hub of the family activities and events. Here you’ll find a host of different craft workshops, Nintendo game sessions, family movie nights, reptile park visits, kid’s disco nights and so much more.

Games Room

A games arcade room is also available until late, equipped with everything young gamers (okay, and their parents!) could want, including several large video games and games of chance – and of course some fun machines like The Claw!

Jumping Pillow

The big jumping pillow is a lot of fun, and is fully shaded – so you can still bounce in the summer sun (or the winter sun for that matter – this is Queensland, after all!)

Pedal go-karts

Want to go for a spin with a friend – or three – all in the same kart? Hire a pedal go-kart for a super-fun few laps around the park. They’re a lot of fun, and it’s a great family activity to do together.

Bring your bikes, skate boards and scooters too

Kids and adults alike can ride around the paved roads of the park without a care, as the driving speed limit is a safe 10kms per hour. Just make sure everyone is wearing a helmet, and don’t ride after sunset.

BMX Track

As if riding around the huge park’s paved roads weren’t enough, there’s a dedicated BMX dirt track – complete with jumps! And like the petting zoo and pet off-leash area, it’s accessible anytime during the day.

River walking track and kayaking

Take a leisurely stroll along the river walk where you can koala and kangaroo-spot. You can kayak the river too!

Accommodation options

At BIG4 Gold Coast there is a wide range of accommodation options, including an on-site motel, comfortable and modern cabins, plus numerous motorhome, RV, caravan and tent camping sites.

From check in to check out, everything is taken care of for a worry-free family holiday

From a seamless check-in to being accompanied to your cabin, tent or caravan site and settled in – guest services are remarkable. If you are nervous about backing your caravan or RV onto your site, there’s no worries at BIG4 Gold Coast. Staff will not only escort you to your site, but also expertly guide you in – or even park it for you, if you prefer! As we had a new caravan, this was reassuring back up I really appreciated.

Large caravan and camping powered and unpowered sites

Caravan and tent site sizes are generous, and come with plenty of room for your awning or annex, plus a parking spot for your car. There are both unpowered and powered sites with water, and an in-ground system for your grey water hose.

Caravan ensuite sites and tent camping ensuite sites

Take a look around our Premiere Ensuite Site in our video…

If shared facilites aren’t for you and you would prefer your own private ensuite, there are numerous caravan and tent ensuite sites available. We stayed on a site with a Premiere ensuite, and it was modern, elegant and huge in size!

A range of cabins for big and small families

There are many types of different sized deluxe cabins available to suit your holiday needs. There are even cabins where dogs are allowed to stay with you!

Essential Park Facilities

Stylish, clean Amenities

The communal amenities at BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park aren’t your average caravan park toilets and showers block. The design and facilities are first class, and quite remarkable for a holiday park.

Large & modern Camp Kitchen

The camp kitchen is well-fitted out with everything a camper could need to cook up a large family meal, with plenty of dining room. Both the camp kitchen and the amenities block are elegantly styled, and feature large, decorative aquariums.

Guest Laundry

A large guest laundry with modern, coin operated washing machines and dryers is on site.

Dump Point

For those RVs and Caravans with toilets and toilet cassettes, or porta potties there is a dump point available on site.

Park Security

It’s clear that park security is held to a very high standard at BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park. Access to the park is restricted via boom gates into and out of the park with 24 hour pin access. Staff in their golf buggies are a constant presence within and around the park – and can also give you a lift to where you need to go if accessibility is a problem.

All guest children are required to wear park wrist bands for the duration of their stay, to ensure that only official guests and their registered visitors are on site.

A pet friendly Gold Coast holiday park

Dogs are allowed – even in some pooch-friendly cabins!

Don’t worry about having to leave your dog at home either, because at BIG4 Gold Coast dogs are not just allowed, but catered for!

You can have your dogs with you on site, or in selected park cabins.

There’s also a dog wash on site, and even a dog-friendly area in the pool-side café!

Dog park off leash area

Although you are required to keep your dog on a leash, there’s a huge, fenced off-leash area for your pooch to exercise to their heart’s-content – it even has a fun exercise course!

Dog poo disposal bags and a bin are also provided there for your convenience.

On-site Doggy Daycare!

BIG4 Gold Coast offers secured kennels on-site for doggy day care.

At just $20 a day, it’s not only incredibly convenient, but around $10 a day cheaper than most Gold Coast dog minding services.

BIG4 Gold Coast is the perfect family fun holiday park on the Gold Coast. Centrally located, it’s handy to so many Gold Coast attractions, and with everything you need for a fun family holiday already within the Holiday Park itself – why would you stay anywhere else?

Find out more or book your accommodation for BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park at the official website here.

How to get there

Find out more or book your cabin accommodation, caravan or tent site or ensuite site for BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park at Helensvale, Queensland at the official website here.

All information is correct as at May 2020 – please check the above website link for relevant, up to date information and accommodation prices.

Let’s go Mum were hosted guests of BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park, however all opinions remain firmly our own.

Like this blog? Pinterest pin it!

Have you ever visited the Gold Coast? Tell us your activity ideas for families in the comments section below!

The post BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park – the perfect all-round Queensland family holiday appeared first on Let's go Mum.

Have you ever considered taking your family on a skiing holiday to Japan? We’ve just got back from a trip to Hoshino Resorts Tomamu Ski Resort in Japan. Whether you’re a family of expert skiers or have never been to the snow before, your whole family is going to love Tomamu!

Hoshino Resorts have taken the standard family ski holiday to a whole new level. Children of all ages are catered for at Tomamu – and as we all know, happy kids means happy parents! There’s plenty for parents to get excited about too. Tomamu not only offers high quality skiing for all levels, but a huge range of exciting snow-fun family activities to explore together. It’s the perfect family snow vacation!

Located on the second-largest Japanese island of Hokkaido, Tomamu Ski Resort is stunningly beautiful. Massive snowy mountains encircle the resort, and stretch for as far as the eye can see. Majestic forests thickly cover the mountain sides. Not just a skiing holiday, Tomamu is a nature-rice Japanese experience. During our stay we were to see squirrels, birds – even a beautiful fox!

Can we learn to ski or snowboard at Tomamu?

With excellent ski schools and individual instructors from all around the world, Tomamu ski resort is the perfect place for everyone in the family to learn how to ski or snowboard. 

The Gao Ski Academy offers English speaking skiing and snowboarding group and private lessons for both kids and adults. My children, Samantha, aged 11, and Brooke, 13, were only just introduced to skiing last year, so were keen to learn more.

The girl’s first morning on the slopes was spent in a private lesson with their very capable instructor Annie. She quickly assessed their skills and then spent their two-hour session building upon them. In the meantime, I took the opportunity to refresh my very rusty skiing skills! Often I would cross-paths with the girls, and it was amazing to watch their quick progress.

After their lesson, the girls passion was sparked, and they loved to get out on the slopes and improve their skiing skills whenever they could. Luckily, staying at Risonare makes popping out onto the ski slopes easy thanks to direct access to the ski trails. With the added advantage of night skiing, there’s plenty of time to get out there and have fun.

Easy ski runs and trails stretch right across the Tomamu Ski Resort, so even the most beginner skier can have a great time exploring the resort for miles. This makes Tomamu the perfect introduction to, or extension of, your skiing skills. If you’re a more experienced or thrill-seeking skier or snowboarder, you’ll love the challenging blue, or more difficult black Tomamu runs, which criss-cross all over the mountain.

Do we have to bring our own ski gear?

From waterproof ski clothing to skis, snowboards and helmets – everything you need to ski or play in the snow can be hired directly from your Hoshino Resorts Tomamu hotel. There are Tomamu ski hire shops located in both the Risonare and The Towers. Right down to your gloves, hats and goggles, you’re totally covered. Of course if you’re already outfitted, you can bring your own ski gear with you. There are ski locker rooms located on the ground floor of your hotel to save you lugging ski gear up to your room.

The Tomamu Ski Resort – how to get around

The Tomamu Ski Resort is made up of several areas and attractions, all accessible by walking, skiing, or catching the free shuttle bus. Shuttle buses run every fifteen minutes, and each location is only a five-to-ten minute shuttle bus ride apart, making the service a very convenient way to get around the resort.

Tomamu Family Fun Activities

Tomamu isn’t just a brilliant ski resort – there are a whole range of fun family activities on offer to keep the kids entertained, from the tiniest toddler right up to the most hard-to-please teenager! Your holiday can be as relaxed or adventurous as you choose. Here are some of the family-friendly activities we tried during our stay – and we loved each and every one of them!

Visit the Ice Village

World-famous and incredibly unique, for an experience like no other make sure you visit the Tomamu Ice Village. This beautiful village is constructed almost entirely of ice, and is open to view during winter. Not just a display, there are working shops, cafes, a bar, a hotel room, the Chapel On The Water church…all made from solid ice. Outside there is even a charming ice rink for most of the winter months, plus fun sliding chutes for the kids. Gentle classical music plays, and the ice is lit to a brilliant white or soft pastel colours. Topped off with a fireworks display every night, the Ice Village an unforgettable experience for the whole family.

Watch our walk-through video of the Tomamu Ice Village…

Take the Unkai Gondola up the mountain

The Tomamu Unkai Gondola offers stunning views as it climbs 1088 metres up the mountain. At the top you can visit the Unkai Terrace – famous for it’s cloud views. Also at the top is the Terrace of Frost Tree, where the mountain tree’s delicate branches magically transform to snow-white frost in cold conditions. There’s a small café to purchase snacks, including the famed cloud-drink topped with fairy floss. Here too you can toast big marshmallows over an open fireplace.

To get back down the mountain, it’s choose your own fun! You can ski, snowboard or hire a snow sled (at the base of the gondola before you go up) to  descend via the easy or more difficult runs to the bottom. Alternatively, you can simply catch the Gondola back down. The Unkai Gondola is a Tomamu must-do experience!

Watch our sled ride down the Unkai Gondola run…

The Gao Outdoor Center

Where else can your child drive a snow mobile, or the whole family ride aboard a flat-out inflatable snow-banana? It’s the Gao Outdoor Center! From snowball makers and sled-hire to racing along on a snow mobile, “The Gao” has all the equipment for a snowy-fun time with the kids. We spent half a day at The Gao, and had so much fun! We did a drive-yourself snow mobile tour, took a thrilling inflatable banana ride and went for a back-country snow buggy tour. Everything is safely run and guided and there’s plenty of photo opportunities along the way. We even saw a beautiful Japanese Red Fox in the wild!  The Gao Center is a real Tomamu highlight for kids and their parents alike.

For a closer look at the Gao Outdoor Center activities, read our blog here.

Mina Mina Beach indoor wave pool

Just because it’s freezing outside, doesn’t mean you can’t swim! Mina Mina beach is an indoor wave pool and swimming complex located right in the middle of the Tomamu Ski Resort. It’s cathedral-like glass and steel structure means you can have fun in the pool while surrounded by an amazing snowy view.  Inside the complex the temperature is nice and cosy, and the water in the pool is beautifully warm too. There are beach chairs to lounge on by the pool, plus huge floaties such as flamingos and dragons available to hire. Surrounding the main wave pool you’ll find several spa pools, plus a toddler pool full of coloured balls to play with. Every half hour sets of waves roll in and tumble on the “beach”. For a great family fun experience, don’t miss out on Mina Mina beach.

Where to stay in Tomamu

Accommodation choices at Hoshino Resorts Tomamu are of a very high standard. Whilst in Tomamu, we stayed at the wonderful Hoshino Resorts Risonare.

Take a look around our beautiful Hoshino Resorts Risonare, Tomamu suite…

Hoshino Resorts Risonare is the place to stay in Tomamu. This elegant twin tower suite hotel is nestled within beautiful Japanese forest.

A ski in/ski out hotel, the Risonare is conveniently located on a hillside, next to an easy ski run leading directly down to the chair lifts. Enclosed glass walkways connect the Risonare to the restaurant district and The Tower complex below. 

There are only four suites on each floor. Each suite is large and beautifully furnished, and also have a sauna and spa bath. Our suite featured panoramic mountain views.

The hotel itself has a selection of excellent on-site services, including beautiful restaurants, a souvenir shop and ski hire. 

The Risonare is luxury family accommodation you won’t want to leave at the end of your holiday! 

For a closer look at the Hoshino Resorts Risonare, you can read our Risonare blog here

Where to eat – restaurants in Tomamu

Not just delicious Japanese dishes, but all types of cuisine are available at Tomamu. Restaurants and eateries are located in your hotel, plus all over the Tomamu Ski Resort – even up on the mountain!  Don’t worry about your fussy-eater children either, as the two main buffet restaurants are a great family meal choice. They offer plenty of Aussie kid-favourites such as macaroni cheese, spaghetti, noodles, chicken nuggets and chips – and of course, there’s lots of veggies and fruit!

Then there is the fabulous Hotalu Street restaurant district, with some delicious specialist restaurants to try, too.

No matter where you eat during your stay, don’t miss out on the opportunity to try something new – Tomamu restaurant’s Japanese dishes are an absolute foodies delight!

For more information on where your family can eat in Tomamu, you can read our Best Family Restaurants in Tomamu blog here

Australia to Japan – how to get to Tomamu

Getting to Tomamu is a very easy trip from Australia, and jet-lag free thanks to the majority of flying taking place overnight.

Our Qantas flight from Sydney, Australia included dinner and breakfast, and took just nine hours to Haneda airport in Tokyo. From Haneda’s International Terminal we stepped straight onto a bus for the quick transit trip to the domestic terminal. There we caught our JAL one and a half hour domestic flight to New Chitose Airport at Hokkaido.

It takes less than two hours coach ride from New Chitose Airport – or just 70 minutes by train – to get to Tomamu. You’ll be on the ski slopes in no time!

Take the family to Tomamu for an amazing family vacation

Hoshino Resorts Tomamu is quite simply a superb family holiday, from start to finish. With so much to see and do, excellent skiing and luxurious accommodation, it ticks every family vacation box.

We made family memories to last a lifetime at Tomamu, and can’t wait to return to make even more.

Plan your own Hoshino Resorts Tomamu adventure now – find out more at the official website here.

Tomamu Fast Facts

Do people speak English in Japan?

They certainly do all over the airports and Tomamu. The Japanese people are wonderfully welcoming, and always go beyond to help or communicate. 

Where is Tomamu?

Hoshino Resorts Tomamu is located at Naka-Tomamu Shimukappu Yufutsu Hokkaido JAPAN 079-2204 (Scroll down to see our Google Map)

What airlines fly from Australia to Japan?

Qantas and JAL (Japan Airlines). Qantas link flights operate via JAL domestic in Japan,

How will I charge my phone/the kid’s devices in Japan?

You will need to purchase a Australian-to-Japanese power converter before you leave, readily available at the airport. (If you ever forget a power plug converter anywhere in the world, you can often plug your phone charger straight into your hotel room TV usb outlet)

Will my mobile/cell phone work in Japan?

We use Telstra, which worked perfectly everywhere.

Do I need to take Japanese currency?

Currency – Japanese Yen  (Currently the exchange rate is 77.85 JPY = $1 AUD as at March 2019). You don’t need to take Japanese cash (we actually didn’t), however it is useful for vending machines or random cafes, etc. Credit cards inc. Visa are accepted almost everywhere.

Where do I find out more about Hoshino Resorts Tomamu?

Find out more or book your accommodation for Hoshino Resorts Tomamu at the official website here.

Where in the world is Tomamu, Japan?

*All information and prices are correct as at March 2019 – please check the official website link above for relevant, up to date information and accommodation prices.

Let’s go Mum were hosted guests of Hoshino Resorts Tomamu, however all opinions remain firmly our own.

Have you ever visited Japan? Tell us how much you loved it in the comments below…

The post Hoshino Resorts Tomamu – where to holiday in Japan with kids! appeared first on Let's go Mum.

It’s clear from the moment you enter Big4 Yarra Valley Park Lane, that you are entering a nature-paradise.

Nestled at the base of a tree-covered hill, wombats, kangaroos and many other native animals live all around the park. Parrots of many colours flutter through the trees and are so quiet they will even fly down to perch on you arm to eat out of your hand.

A park in the true sense of the word, accommodation options are set within a forest of established trees.

Staying at Yarra Valley Holiday Park can be as relaxing and peaceful as you’d like – or high-energy family adventure and fun – the choice is yours!

Family fun is everywhere

There’s certainly no shortage of fun things to do at Yarra Valley Holiday Park.

A huge supervised inflatable water park is a stand-out feature to keep kids (and adults!) entertained. Floating on a lake surrounded by majestic gum trees, this is an activity you won’t find at your average holiday park. There is a massive inflatable tower to climb and jump off, slides, monkey bars suspended over a water-pit and a whole lot more.

Next to the lake is a set of tennis courts, and just over the hill is a recreation room with games tables and lounge/play area.

In the centre of the park you’ll find a beautiful lagoon pool and a heated outdoor spa, both naturally shaded by towering gums. With a smaller baby pool at one end, this is the perfect place for the younger family members to have a paddle, whilst the older kids can swim and play in the big pool. It’s also a lovely spot to settle down on a lounge with a book, or for mum and dad to cool off in the pool with the kids, too!

At the lower end of the park are large open lawn areas for the children to run and play. There’s a large playground (in addition to the other playground on the hilltop area of the park), jump pad, giant jumping pillow and  a huge koala to pose in for family photos!

Family accommodation options

There’s a large range of accommodation options to choose from at BIG4 Yarra Valley. They range from pitching your own tent or bringing your own caravan or motorhome (there are several drive-through sites), to numerous on-site cabins, condos, villas and studios. Then there are their famous Pods and glamping tents.

Family Glamping Bell Tents

No time to read? Watch our Family Glamping Belle Tent video tour here

These gorgeous Bohemian styled tents aren’t just for couples anymore, with Big4 Yarra Valley offering families a glamping tent experience too!

Sleeping four, this clever family accommodation option consists of two Belle tents linked via a personal lounging deck. Each glamping tent has its own personal ensuite just a few paces away.

All of the glamping tents are individually themed. Ours was “Eclectic Belle”, and eclectic and glamorous it was, with drapes, throw rungs and pillows. Our largest tent was furnished with a king-sized bed, lounge, dining table, flat-screen TV, bar fridge and climate control.

Inside the kid’s tent were two single beds and luxury lounge chairs. My little glampers thought this was all very exciting!

Our mornings were greeted with bird-song – in particular, the parrots eating bird seed on our private deck. Just magic.

Our 2-bedroom Hilltop Cabin

No time to read? Watch our Hill Top Cabin video tour here

Next, we stayed in a beautiful Hilltop Cabin. With scenic views over the creek and bushland hills opposite, this is another great family accommodation option.

Our ultra-modern two-bedroom cabin was fully furnished and fitted out, and could accommodate families of up to six people.

There was a master bedroom and a bunk bedroom sleeping up to four people – great for the kids.  A bathroom with shower and separate toilet were located on opposite sides of the hallway. All linen, blankets and towels were supplied.

A climate-controlled open-plan kitchen-dining-lounge area makes for the perfect family space. There’s all you need for holiday cooking in the kitchen, with pots and pans, crockery and cutlery all supplied. Kitchen appliances included a gas stove top cooker, microwave, full-sized fridge electric kettle and toaster. All we needed to bring to cook our own meals, was the food!

In the cabin’s roomy lounge area there was lots of room for the family to spread-out. There was a comfy corner lounge suite, a large flat-screen TV and DVD player, plus a dining table area.

This size cabin accommodates from small to medium sized families very comfortably. That said, we spent much of our time out on the balcony, taking in the view and feeding the local parrots and ducks. What a beautiful place it was to stay.

Pods – the perfect Melbourne weekender for two – or three!

Pods are scattered across the park, with several located down by the creek, partially secluded in the woods. These tiny timber cabins feature an elegantly arched roof, and have their own balcony.  They are the perfect accommodation for couples, single parent families or parent/child combinations of up to three people.

Pod-dwellers in the creek area also receive a Pod Mobile for their own use in the park during their stay. These little all-terrain electric cars are a lot of fun to drive around, and can even go around the Park’s mountain walking track.

BYO tent, caravan, camping trailer or motor home

With plenty of tree-lined sites for tents, caravans and RVs, these are fantastic family holiday options.

Camp-cooking is covered with a separate BBQ area and a simply huge camp kitchen with everything you’ll need to whip up a family meal. There’s also a large flat screen TV and lounges to relax on.

Nearby is the stylish shared amenities and laundry, with super-fast dryers or washing lines take care of the family laundry needs.

Further Park facilities

There is a licensed kiosk on site, and very friendly, helpful staff with lots of local information and day-trip ideas.

You don’t need to go into town to find a decent coffee either – delicious coffee and hot chocolates are available from the park’s own café – perfect!

Things to do nearby – Yarra Valley family fun

There’s no shortage of family fun in the Yarra Valley, and Yarra Valley Park Lane is the perfect base to visit them.

No time to read? Watch the video here

The Healsville Sanctuary is only minutes away, and is a great family day out. There are many different native animals to see, including a fantastic free bird flight show.

The Big Bouquet Alpaca Café is just a couple of minutes drive away, and features a huge greenhouse full of beautiful Gerberas and quiet Alpacas to feed.

The Hedgend English Hedge Maze is just five minutes drive away, and features a traditional English Maze to get lost in, plus lots of other family activities included.

Ten minutes drive away you will find the charming Yarra Valley Railway with its heritage tourist train ride at Healesville.

45 minutes drive away is the Yarra Ranges National Park and the Instagram-famous, majestic Warburton Redwood forest.

In the other direction, a picturesque 45 minute drive away you’ll find the popular Yarra Valley Chocolaterie with a chocolate café and many scrumptious treats for sale.

Of course a visit to the Yarra Valley wouldn’t be complete without stopping in at a winery or two – the Yarra Valley plays host to some of Australia’s best wines.

 Family money saver – discount Healesville Sanctuary tickets

Guest benefits – when you stay at BIG4 Yarra Valley, not only are you in the Healesville Sanctuary neighbourhood, but you also get a 10% discount off tickets. Just buy your tickets on the day you go from BIG4 Yarra Valley reception.

Nearby services

Just over five minutes drive down the road is the bustlingly charming town of Healesville. Healesville has a Coles supermarket, numerous shops, service stations, an RSL club and many small restaurants, take-away food, wine and café options.

Big4 Yarra Valley is the perfect place for Melbourne families to get away from it all and have a great time together. It’s the beautiful location to have fun, explore the Yarra Valley, relax and reconnect with the family. If you’re heading to the Yarra Valley with the family, this is the place to stay!

Find out more or book your accommodation for BIG4 Yarra Valley Park Lane Holiday Park at the official website here.

How to get there

All information is correct as at March 2019 – please check the above website link for relevant, up to date information and accommodation prices. Let’s go Mum were hosted guests of BIG4 Yarra Valley Park Lane Holiday Park, however all opinions remain firmly our own.

Have you ever visited the Yarra Valley, or do you plan to go one day? Tell us in the comments below..

The post BIG4 Yarra Valley Park Lane Holiday Park – Melbourne family holidays appeared first on Let's go Mum.

Located on the NSW South Coast at the Dapto Showground, this exciting new attraction is just a a few minutes drive from Wollongong, and a couple of hours drive from both Canberra and Sydney.

The water park is made up of several themed pools and slides. They range from a baby pool (no big kids allowed!), right up to a super-fast giant Polar slide!

Some of the other fun pools on  offer  include a dinosaur pool, an Ice Age fun park pool and an African themed pool. All have different fun features, and are generous in size. There’s plenty of room for everyone at this super-fun family attraction.

Laid out in a lovely shady setting, there are plenty of picnic areas surrounding the swimming pools. Bring your own picnic along with you, or you can purchase meals, snacks and coffee from the on-site cafe.

The water park caters to all ages – from babies and toddlers, to school aged children, teenagers and adults. This is a great summer school holiday activity for the whole family to enjoy together!

Check out the fun – watch our Wollongong inflatable water park video

Play the video below to see what the Dapto inflatable water park is like…

Safety first!

Trained life guards and attendants are on duty at all times to make sure children and adults are using the equipment safely, but as always, parents do need to supervise their children.

Where to get tickets

Sessions run for two or four hours depending on the day you go, and online discounts do apply. So be sure to book online before you go for the best ticket price.

A four hour ticket (in the form of a wrist band on the day) is $23.80 for children (aged 4 and up) or adults.

Children 3 and under are free, but must be accompanied by a paying adult.

Spectators receive free entry.

You can book or find out more information about the Waliscags Water Worx inflatable water park at their official website here.

All prices are correct at December 2017. Check supplied website links for any price and availability changes.
Let’s go Mum were hosted guests of the Waliscags Water Worx. All opinions remain firmly our own.
Swimwear – Speedo Australia – Let’s go Mum are proud ambassadors for Speedo Australia.

Have you ever been to an inflatable fun park? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Inflatable water park fun – Wollongong’s newest school holidays attraction! appeared first on Let's go Mum.

The Discovery Parks Big 4 Dubbo Parklands has a lot going for it. Located just around the corner from the Taronga Western Plains Zoo, this immaculate holiday park offers quality accommodation, family fun facilities and all the services you could need on your family holiday or weekend away.

After checking in with the welcoming staff at reception, we were supplied with a map of the park and code to the security entry. We drove in and easily found our cabin – complete with its own parking spot for our car next to it, which made unpacking a breeze.

Our Dubbo Parklands deluxe two-bedroom cabin

Even though we were there during a heatwave, the whole cabin was kept beautifully cool with a powerful reverse-cycle air conditioner – it was a relief to have a cool haven to take refuge in from the 40 degree heat.

Family water-play area and swimming pool

Play ground and jumping pillow

Recreation Lounge

General Park features and Guest facilities

 Dubbo Discovery Parks Big 4 useful info

We stayed in a two-bedroom deluxe cabin

Price: *$179 per night, per cabin (sleeps 4)(10% discount for Big 4 members)

*All prices are correct as at March 2017

Address: 154 Whylandra Street
Dubbo New South Wales 2830
Australia

Phone: 1800 033 072
International: +61 2 6884 8633

You’ll find more information and the most up-to-date prices and booking system at the official Discovery Park Dubbo website here

Getting there

To Dubbo from Sydney by road – approximately 400km/5 hours drive. Go to Google Maps for rote options here.
To Dubbo from Sydney by train – approximately 7 hours. Go to XPT service for more information.
To Dubbo by bus – from Sydney – no direct route available. From Newcastle – 5 hourse Sid Foggs Coachlines (Newcastle).
To Dubbo from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Newcastle by air – one hour flight to Dubbo City Airport (7kms from town centre) Go to Qantas, REX airlines (Sydney), Jetgo (Melbourne and Brisbane) and FlyPelican (Canberra and Newcastle) for schedules/prices.

The Let’s Go Mum family stayed as invited guests of Discovery Parks Big 4 Dubbo Parklands. As always, all opinions are my own.

Have you ever visited Dubbo on a family holiday? Or perhaps just passed through? What did you enjoy about Dubbo? Tell us in the comments below…

The post Dubbo Discovery Park family accommodation – close to the Zoo appeared first on Let's go Mum.

Canberra has a public swimming pool in every town centre – but which are the best? How expensive are they? What extra family features do they offer? And perhaps most importantly – can mum or dad get a coffee there?!

We’ve just test-run all of the major Canberra swimming pool centres to help you compare them and work out which ones are the best to take your children to – and keep them (and you!) occupied and entertained!

So, without further ado, here are the Let’s Go Mum! top 5 Canberra swimming pools picks for families!

1. Big Splash Water Park, Macquarie

The Big Splash Water Park is located at Macquarie, and is a great fun water slide pool and park. It offers a full size 50 metre swimming pool plus a good-sized baby and toddler pool adjoining. In addition to these pools, there is also a fun water-play toddler pool area, and a entertaining bigger-kid pool – Splash Island – with small water slides and more water-play features.

But the real big guns here are the six major water slides of varying speeds and difficulty, from the very slow to the super-fast. To ride the water slides there is extra cost to the standard entry fee.

As if the water slides aren’t enough to keep everyone busy, they also have an inflatable floating bouncy castle which they did actually have up on the day we visited, on the main pool (unlike all of the other Canberra swimming pools on the days we visited!), which they packed away at 3pm.

This centre is suited to picnics – there is a nice grassy shaded area located in the centre of the pools, plus there is a large food canteen, and good change and shower rooms available.

This centre is a great choice for families of babies and toddlers, as under 2yos are free, and the toddler pool is lots of fun and included in the general admission price. Families with older children will also love this water park, however as it does cost extra for the water slides it can get quite expensive if you are visiting regularly – therefore, this pool may work out better just for special occasions.

Big Splash Admission Prices

All-inclusive slides and swimming pools: Adult (over 12yo)  $27, Child (over 1100mm height) $27
Splash Island (see our photos above) – Children (over 2yrs and under 1100mm height) $12
Pool admission only – Adult $8, Child $7
Under 2yo free

More info and all current prices can be found at the Big Splash Water Park website here

Google Map location – Click here for directions to Big Splash Water Park

2. Civic Swimming Pool

Run by the YMCA, this old favourite city-centre public swimming pool, or Canberra Olympic Pool as it is officially known, is located right in the Civic city centre and has a 50 metre indoor pool and very deep 25 metre outdoor pool with a twist – it has diving boards! There is a high-diving platform with three levels (the top level is closed), plus two pool-level spring diving boards at the other end of the pool – all which kids and adults can access (there are some age limits for safety for different dive heights). This is something different and fun-fun-fun for older kids who can swim.

For those littlies that can’t swim, they also offer a large, completely shaded outdoor little-kids pool (not heated). This family pool is suitable for babies, toddlers and children.

A small canteen is on site for ice cream, and there are (rather dated but serviceable) change and shower rooms. There are expansive lawns surrounding the pools too, great for picnics – but watch out for bindies!

This pool offers great value for lots of fun for families.

Admission Prices:
$6 Standard, $4.40 Concession
Family – 2 adults and 2 children – $17.00
Family – 2 adults and 3 children – $20.00

More info and all current prices can be found at the Canberra Olympic Pool website here

Google Map location – Click here for directions to Canberra Olympic Pool

3. Gungahlin Leisure Centre

Run by the YMCA, the Gungahlin Leisure Centre is an indoor structure which offers a full-size 50 metre swimming pool, two heated, good sized-family pools plus a heated fun water play area with sprinklers, water-guns and dumping buckets. They do apparently offer an inflatable fun climbing pool float, but it wasn’t up when we were there. The Gungahlin Leisure Centre is a fairly new structure so everything, including the change and shower rooms, are modern and new. This centre also boasts a proper café with a coffee machine – tick!

Admission Prices:
$6 Standard, $4.40 Concession
Family – 2 adults and 2 children – $17.00
Family – 2 adults and 3 children – $20.00

More info and all current prices can be found at the Gungahlin Leisure Centre website here

Google Map location – Click here for directions to Gungahlin Leisure Centre

4. CISAC, Belconnen

The Canberra International Sports and Aquatic Centre (CISAC) is a large indoor complex located in Belconnen town centre. There is a full size 50 metre swimming pool, 25 metre heated swimming pool and large heated family pool – perfect for babies and toddlers. Adjoining the family pool is another slightly deeper, round pool with a mushroom water fountain – good fun for small children.

This swimming pool centre is a fun option for families – that is, when all their play equipment is available. CISAC has a fun, heated indoor water slide suitable for all ages. There is an inflatable bouncy float on site, however it wasn’t up the day we visited, due to staff shortages. CISAC also has a permanent outdoor bouncy pillow, which was deflated on the day of our visit.

There is a nice poolside café with coffee machine and hot food, and a dive and swim shop. When everything is in service, this is a really great family pool – however the day we visited was not that day.

Admission prices: $6 Standard, $4.90 Concession, $4.50 Child – extra charges apply for the indoor slide and bouncy on-pool float – the bouncy pillow is free.

More info and all current prices can be found at the CISAC Belconnen website here

Google Map location – Click here for directions to CISAC Belconnen

5. Lakeside Leisure Centre, Tuggeranong

The Lakeside Leisure Centre is run by the YMCA and is located in the Tuggeranong Town Centre. This is a large and modern indoor structure offering a full-sized 50 metre swimming pool with a half-way divider, plus good-sized family pools next to it. They apparently have a fun bouncy pool float available (which wasn’t up when we were there) to provide extra holiday fun for the kids who can swim.

There is a canteen, and change room facilities are large and modern. This swimming centre is a good option for south-side families on a hot summers day.

Admission Prices:
$6 Standard, $4.40 Concession
Family – 2 adults and 2 children – $17.00
Family – 2 adults and 3 children – $20.00

More info and all current prices can be found at the Lakeside Leisure Centre website here

Google Map location – Click here for directions to the Lakeside Leisure Centre

Of course there are other great local swimming pools around the ACT, such as the outdoor Dickson Pool (honourable mention), and there are many beautiful natural swimming holes too, however we have chosen the largest swimming pool centres in this review to keep the comparison simple.

We hope our Canberra Swimming Pool guide helps you to choose the swimming pool option which entertains your family the best – and that won’t break the family budget! Have fun cooling off in Canberra!

Have you visited any of these Canberra swimming pools? Perhaps you have another family favourite swimming spot elsewhere in the ACT/Queanbeyan region? We’d love to know! Tell us about it in the comments below…

This post is not sponsored and all opinions are our own. All prices are correct as at January 2017, but check supplied website links for any price changes.

The post The Top 5 Canberra Swimming Pools for Families appeared first on Let's go Mum.