I like this area, and have spent a fair amount of time here. Ballina is a great spot, close enough to the bigger towns, but just far enough away so that you know you are on holiday. Once you decide that you want to escape to Ballina, and it is easy being just one hour from the Gold Coast airport, two hours from Brisbane to the north and Coffs Harbour to the south, then you need somewhere to stay.

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Ballina Lakeside Holiday Park is a real surprise. They have plenty of different styles of cabins for you to think about, from spa to studio and lakeside. As you expect from a holiday park, there are wonderful powered and unpowered sites too. If you are like me and have never been camping, and fancy trying it, but do not want to buy the gear until you are sure, then you can book into an onsite tent too. What a great idea for the camping wannabees!

Once you are on the park, there will be plenty to keep you there. The mini golf has had a facelift, the water park has more things to do than you would imagine, there is an indoor games room, kids activities during the holidays, a jumping pillow to tire them out if they have any energy left. If you think that having a holiday means that you get a break from the gym, this is not necessarily so here. If you are over 18 then the gym is open for you. When you want some time on the beach, then you are only 700m away.

I am always interested in the local markets, you get to see some really great things at some of them. I was very happy to see a market link on the park website which has the information on the Saturday and Sunday markets, where, and when.

The Macadamia Castle has something for everyone including, as you would expect, macadamias. It is not just a nutty place, there is an animal farm with interaction between you and the animals, plus a mini golf course, restaurant, and BBQs if you want to take as picnic with you. There is a rather large shop too, with heaps of gourmet foods to take away, plus gifts galore!  Entry to the Castle is free, but you do pay to go into the attractions.

What I like about the area is that I can really relax here, there are some wonderful small villages around where you can wander around, grab a fabulous ice cream and then head down to the beautiful beaches. It all seems to take the cares of the world away!

Ballina and Ballina Lakeside Holiday Park seem to have reinvented relaxation and got it right.

Ballina Lakeside Holiday Park
Fenwick Drive
Ballina, NSW 2478
Ph: 02 6686 3953
Bookings: 1800 888 268
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.ballinalakeside.com.au
Review by Alison Huth November 2010

Photographs thanks to Gerald at the park, and the tourism sites