This blog post was written by Taylah from the Breeze Holiday Parks team, following her first trip to Bargara.
I recently had the pleasure of staying on a Powered site at BIG4 Breeze Holiday Parks – Bargara. After hearing about everyone’s previous stays and seeing all the pictures and videos, I was so excited to experience it for myself. Below, I’ll share our favourite activities and highlight the best features of the park.
We drove from the Sunshine Coast, about a 4-hour trip in total with a stop for breakfast. As we approached Bargara and drove along the coastline towards to park, we were amazed at how close we were to the beach. Upon arrival, we checked in with the friendly reception team who provided helpful advice on things to do in and around Bargara. Settling into our spacious and grassy site, we wasted no time and headed straight for the beach!
After spending the afternoon at Neilson Beach, we returned to the park for an early dinner at the camp kitchen, as we were going to Mon Repos Turtle Encounter. The camp kitchen had all amenities we needed to cook up a feast! We then made our way to the education centre, where we were impressed by the abundance of informational and interactive activities available.
Excitement filled the air when the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Rangers & volunteers announced it was our turn to visit the beach. Following the boardwalk down to the beach in the dark to ensure minimal disturbance to the turtles, the rangers and volunteers did an excellent job of guiding us. We have the incredible opportunity to witness two turtles nesting and hatching their eggs before returning to the ocean. As we were leaving the beach, we were surprised to witness the release of a baby Leatherback Sea turtle into the ocean by rangers and volunteers. This truly made our experience even more remarkable!
The next morning, we woke up to a gloomy sky, but it didn’t dampen our spirits as we had a full day of activities planned in Bundaberg. We took a leisurely walk into town for breakfast at the Windmill Café. The food and drinks lived up to their great reputations, with picturesque presentations.
After breakfast, we headed to the Bundaberg Barrel for a tour and tasting. We began with a self-guided gallery tour before indulging in a tasting of all the Bundaberg Brewed drinks. We then had the opportunity to select our six favourites for a mix-it-yourself-take-home pack.
Next, we drove over to Macadamias Australia to visit the original orchard and take a self-guided tour. The complimentary tasting allowed us to sample the delicious macadamias, and we couldn’t resist purchasing some goodies from the Farmgate Shop to take home.
For lunch, with the sun making its appearance, we decided to dine at Grunske’s by the River, savouring fresh and local seafood while enjoying the riverfront view.
Following lunch, we visited the Bundaberg Rum Distillery for the Museum & Distillery Experience. Despite not being rum drinkers, this turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip! We explored the museum while waiting for our tour to begin. During the tour, we had the opportunity to visit the molasses well, formation tanks, and Grand Barrel House before concluding the experience with a sample of the rums.
After a relaxing afternoon at the park, we treated ourselves to a delicious wood-fired pizza from the food van, a regular Friday feature at the park. Don’t forget to check out our monthly event calendars on Facebook!
On our final full day, we decided to take it easy and enjoy the beach. We started the morning with a leisurely walk to Mon Repos Beach and back, followed by a refreshing coffee from the nearby Beach Mill, just a minute’s walk from the park.
Later, we took a short 20-minute drive to Elliot Heads, where we spend some time at the beach before returning to Neilson Beach for more seaside relaxation. We truly appreciated the convenience of having the beach right at our doorstep.
For our last dinner, we strolled into town and dined at Bargara Beach Hotel. The laid-back atmosphere on the deck provided the perfect setting for our evening.
The next morning, we woke up early and headed straight to the beach for a final swim and a cup of coffee from the Beach Mill before packing up, bidding farewell to the park managers Ray and Maureen, and checking out.
We absolutely loved the park’s location, and there were countless fantastic activities to enjoy in the area! We’re already planning our next trip and can’t wait to return for another unforgettable stay.
