Travel: Western Australia's national parks

By Doug McIvor

March is the ideal time to visit WA’s south coast – the wind drops, the temperature is mild and the kids have all gone back to school. This works well with easterners planning on travelling around Australia in a clockwise direction.

Arriving in WA from the east, most caravanners will stop over in Esperance for a few days before heading to picturesque Albany, which is steeped in history thanks to its magnificent harbour that has always offered protection from the wild Southern Ocean.

It was the drop-off point for many a hopeful prospector heading to the Kalgoorlie goldfields in search of the precious metal, a staging post for World War I and II troops headed overseas, and it was home to Australia’s last whaling station. The latter, which closed in 1978, has been turned into a superb tourist attraction – Whale World in Frenchman Bay. The complex offers a unique insight into whaling, highlighted by the opportunity for visitors to climb aboard a whaler chaser, the Cheynes IV, which once plied the ocean in search of the great mammals.

From Albany, travellers are spoiled for choice as far as routes go, with a web of roads cutting through the south-west with its tall timber, wineries and ocean vistas on the way to Busselton, a popular holiday destination 55km south of Bunbury.

Visitors should allow at least a month to get from the WA border to Perth. If another month is spent in and around the State’s capital, sun-chasers would be heading north in autumn to the rugged Pilbara and Kimberley regions before heading east across the Top End. My wife Denise and I enjoyed a few weeks down south in late February/early March, staying at several caravan parks.

Middleton Beach
Typically while staying in coastal accommodation you can be woken by any number of things: the cranking of diesel-powered 4WDs as early risers take off on fishing trips at the crack of dawn; screeching caravan stabiliser legs being wound up as guests prepare to hit the road; high-spirited, out-of-school children ready to start another day of fun and fights.

Once you’ve woken to the sound of silence, you will realise that Middleton Beach Holiday Park is no ordinary caravan venue. Everything was tranquil, with conditions ideal for a sleep-in – that was until Denise got up and set off the smoke alarm by burning the toast!

We had been invited to Albany by caravan dealer Michael Cameron and were guests of Middleton Beach Park owners Simon and Trish Shuttleworth, who put us up in one of their spa villas.

After experiencing some light drizzle coming into town, the weather turned out near-perfect, with none of the strong, wet, winds the south coast is noted for.

While this immaculate Big 4 park is already highly rated, winning awards for its gardens, rock water feature and cleverly designed buildings, a stunning new recreation centre costing in excess of $500,000 will raise the bar even further.

The Shuttleworths have owned the 4.5-star-rated park for almost nine years and in that time have turned it into an industry showpiece. There are 72 powered sites, 11 with individual ensuites, and 28 accommodation units all a matter of metres from the beach.

Middleton Beach Holiday Park: 28 Flinders Parade, Albany (3km from the town centre). Ph: (08) 9841 3593 or 1800 644 674. Website: www.holidayalbany.com.au.

Emu Beach
Colour is the key to Emu Beach Holiday Park in Albany. From the floral splendour of its gardens to the bold decor of the chalets and painted panelling of the barbecue/entertainment area, owners Ross and Rita Stewart haven’t missed a chance to brighten up their surroundings. Taking their love of colour a step further, Emu Beach staff greet visitors in brilliant Hawaiian shirts.

Like its Middleton Beach neighbours, Emu Beach has won awards for its gardens – right from the entry statement, guests know they are in for a horticultural treat. With 170 powered sites set over 4.6 hectares, the Stewarts have plenty of land on which to utilise their green thumbs. A sunken garden, gazebos, mini-golf course and dramatic entertainment centre are highlights among expanses of greenery and pockets of flowerbeds.

As a member of Top Tourist Parks, Ross and Rita offer the complete holiday experience, catering for all budgets from tents to upmarket chalets.

“Our guests don’t only get a site or an accommodation unit, they have access to the full range of facilities while being a stroll away from the beach,” Ross said. Adds Rita, “Even then they have the choice of two beaches: a protected one for young children and a surf beach for teenagers.”
Perhaps the best measure of the park’s popularity is the fact that even Albany locals book their holidays at Emu Beach, with Dad taking a short break before returning to work while Mum and the kids enjoy themselves.

Emu Beach Holiday Park: 8 Medcalf Parade, Albany. Ph: (08) 9844 1147 or 1800 984 411. Website: www.emubeach.com.au.

Beachlands
A focus on the family has taken Beachlands Holiday Park into the big-time, and this is appropriate because the Busselton facility is a Big 4 member.

Earlier this year, Beachlands represented WA at the Australian tourism awards in Alice Springs, after being judged the State’s best in the category of Tourist and Caravan Parks. National honours went to Brisbane Holiday Village in Qld. An invitation to visit Busselton by staff member Alison Bell, on behalf of owners Gavin and Lou Farrell, turned into an eight-day stay.

If you’re expecting manicured lawns with trimmed edges and modern amenity blocks decked out in the latest tiles and trimmings, you’ll be disappointed. A relatively small park, with 52 powered sites and 19 accommodation units forming a close-knit holiday community, what Beachlands lacks in physical niceties it makes up for in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

“Our State award was judged on our tourism service merits, not for having the best grounds and flashiest facilities,” Gavin explains. “On arrival, visitors are given a booklet outlining features of the park, the town and the region. Staff will take guests to their site or chalet, offering local knowledge on such things as tourist attractions, restaurants, mechancial services for their car or van and book tours through the office.”

Beachlands certainly lives up to its name as a holiday park – once settled, you hardly have to leave. A giant air pillow has proved a big hit as entertainment for youngsters (thankfully it deflates at dusk so it can’t be used at night), the pool is heated and a spa is available to soothe weary travellers.

The camp kitchen has been such a success that rival park owners used it as a model for their own designs. It features a kitchen with full facilities plus a cappuccino machine, two barbecues and a widescreen TV for film showings and AFL telecasts.

The deck with cafe-style blinds provides a dining area and meeting place for guests, especially on Thursday nights when Gavin and Lou host a free sausage sizzle. Only 100m from the beach and 3km from the town centre, Beachlands combines location with a laid-back attitude worthy of an award.

Beachlands Holiday Park: 10 Earnshaw Road, Busselton. Ph: (08) 9752 2107
or 1800 622 107. Website: www.beachlands.net.

Peppermint Park
In an era when caravan parks are being closed to make way for property developments because of their prime locations, it’s pleasing to note the opening of a new facility in Busselton, 225km south of Perth.

After serving as a holiday venue with 20 chalets for hire on Caves Road, halfway to Dunsborough, the Robins family of Perth closed the business in mid-2004 to initiate a major refurbishment. The 8ha site was extensively landscaped: 103 powered caravan sites were set on wide expanses of lawn; bitumen roads and curbing were laid; and two new ablutions plus a cafe-style campers kitchen and games room were also built. A further 16 new cabins were added to the existing accommodation and the pool area was enhanced. The site was then renamed Peppermint Park Eco Village and managers ‘Pud’ and Vicki Jenkins were employed to oversee any final touches in the lead-up to the Easter long weekend.

The ‘eco’ in the title relates to the Locke Nature Reserve next door, with work done through CALM (Conservation and Land Management) to enable the local western ringtail possum to thrive. A plentiful supply of peppermint trees were retained as the possums’ favourite habitat and food source, with the bonus of providing ample shade for guests.

Nearby is the Buayanup River (in fact, it’s more like a creek) where guests can fish for brim, whiting and crabs in season. A secure storage area for vans and boats means visitors, especially 4WD owners, can go camping in some of the region’s national parks and forests without the worry of having something in tow. Although in its infancy, Peppermint Park has all the ingredients needed to become a leading caravan facility in one of WA’s favourite holiday destinations.

Peppermint Park Eco Village: 86 Caves Road, Busselton. Ph: (08) 9755 4241. Web: www.peppermintpark.com.au.