North Star Holiday Resort | Family Friendly Camping THE REVIEW

Camping in Hastings Point

North Star Holiday Resort is rated a 5 star holiday park – and we would have to agree. We left home on Friday morning, caravan packed, toddlers loaded in, all set for our long weekend in Hastings Point. We’d been trying to get to this caravan park for a while, so we were really looking forward to the weekend.

It took about two hours to get to Hastings Point from our house on the far north side of Brisbane, or one and a half hours from the top of the Gateway Bridge. The park is really easy to find. There’s not too much in Hastings Point, and the park is right as you enter town, on the right hand side. You can’t miss the big sign out the front.

On arrival, the ladies at reception gave me:

• Our cable to get FREE FOXTEL – very exciting for my hubby, who doesn’t get Foxtel at home
• Our two complimentary espresso coffee vouchers (for use at Ripples cafe – onsite)
• Our wrist bands, that have to be worn by everyone over 3 years old, and allow access to areas like Sammy’s Lagoon and Neptune’s Castle
• Our pin code, to allow access to areas within the park, such as Sammy’s Lagoon, the toilets/showers and the front gate

After getting all the information from the office, we headed off to our site – number 78. The park does offer complimentary van positioning service, if you need it. We set up camp and watched as lots of other campers started to pull in for the weekend. By the end of the afternoon, most of the sites were taken.

We headed off to Sammy’s Lagoon for our first try of the pools and slides. The toddler pool and swimming pool are both heated, and the toddler pool has a shade-sail. The splash zone area is not heated or shaded. Word of warning from our four year old: the slides into the main swimming pool are SUPER FAST and you have to protect your head, or it gets banged on the side. That didn’t stop her having many more turns though. There are also toilets in the pool area, which is a bonus for a mum with two toddlers. While there didn’t seem to be a lifeguard in the pool area on Friday, on Sunday and Monday there was.  We were not sure if this relates to the start of the Christmas holiday period or not?

Around 4.30pm, lots of mummies could be heard saying, ‘we have to go back and get dressed now, Kids’ Club starts at 5pm’. We did the same. 5pm hit and hubby took the kids off to the start of the Xmas holiday kids’ club program. Lots of ‘happy dancing’ parents walked back to their tents and caravans around 5.05pm.

Kids’ Club is held in Neptune’s castle, an indoor play centre onsite. They break the Kids Club into two sessions—3 to 6 year olds and 7 to 12 year olds. Each session runs for 90 minutes, morning and afternoon. Saturday night also had a family movie for everyone.

While the kids are having fun at Kids’ Club, the parents can have some fun in the adults only Seascape Leisure Centre. The centre contains a 25 metre lap pool, three spas (cold, warm and hot – bubbles cost $2 for 10 minutes) and a sauna. There are also full day spa facilities including massages and facials, a hairdressing salon and beauty room.

The weather on Saturday was terrible. It poured all day. Kids’ Club comes in handy on days like that. The kids got to have a run around in the play centre, do some craft, and give us some peace and quiet. In the afternoon we headed off for a drive around the area, heading to Kingscliff for a bit of a look. Upon returning to the park, the rain had eased, so the kids headed off to test drive the playground. The playground is shaded, fenced and has bark for the base.

Sunday saw a lot more playing in Sammy’s Lagoon and playing with the kids in the camper next door. After dinner, we headed over the road and up the path through the dunes, to the beach. It was after 6pm, and we were the only people on the beach. It’s very rare to have a whole beach all to yourself. We wrote in the sand, taught the kids how to make the sand squeak with their feet, raced each other along the beach and collected shells… From what we could see, this beach doesn’t seem to have a lifeguard station, but it’s a gorgeous beach, with lots of sand for building sandcastles.

Facilities at North Star Holiday Resort

• Accommodation choices at North Star –
  • 10 berth, 2 storey, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom Tuscany Villas
  • 6 berth, 2 bathroom Grande Villas
  • 6 berth, 2 bedroom Luxury Villas
  • 6 berth, 2 bedroom Classique Villa
  • 6 berth, 2 bedroom Jubilee Lodges
  • 5 berth, 2 bedroom Palm Villas
  • 5 berth, 2 bedroom Star Villa & Bella Villa
  • 5 berth, 2 bedroom Holiday Lodges
  • 4 berth, 2 bedroom Chalets
  • 12 berth Bunkhouse Cabins
  • Powered Ensuite Sites for tents or caravans
  • Powered Sites for tents or caravans
  • Motorhome Sites

• Seascape Leisure Centre & Day Spa, featuring –
  • 3 Temperature controlled spas
  • 25m Lap Pool
  • Sauna
  • Gym
  • Massage Room
  • Hairdressing Salon

• Amenities Block, featuring  –
  • Heated floor tiles
  • Communal toilets and showers
  • Laundry (washing machines and dryers cost $4 per load)
  • Disabled facilities
  • Private Bathrooms available for guests with powered sites

• Outdoor BBQ Area, featuring –
  • Shaded picnic bench seating for up to 100+ people
  • Kitchenette with preparation workbenches
  • Refrigerator and washing up facilities

• Games Room, featuring –
  • Pool Tables
  • Table Tennis
  • Pinball Machines
  • Modern Arcade Games
  • Library
  • Television
  • Watch the kids from the comfort of your van or room, via the Games Room TV channel

• Camp Kitchen, featuring –
  • BBQ’s
  • Cooktop
  • Wall Oven
  • Large Fridge
  • Washing up facilities
  • Television
  • Tables, chairs and baby high chairs

• Sammy’s Adventure Lagoon, featuring –
  • Over 66 fully interactive features including water slides and water canons
  • Heated pool and toddler pool
  • Pool features two water slides
  • Shaded toddler pool
  • Deck chairs and seating
  • Two toilets in pool area

• Neptune’s Castle and Kids Club, featuring –
  • Indoor play centre – children must wear socks
  • Available to children aged 3 – 12 years
  • Fully supervised FREE Kids Club, available every weekend and daily during school holidays

• Movie nights in Cinema Room
• On Site Convenience Store & Service Station
• Ripples Licensed Café, open 7 days for breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Outdoor shaded, fully fenced playground
• Tennis court

Activities to enjoy at North Star

• Directly across the road and along the 100 metre path through the dunes and you’ll come to a beautiful stretch of sandy beach.  Cannot confirm if the water is guarded during the days, as we didn’t see any lifeguards when we were there, but it was around 7pm at that stage.
• 10kms of safe Bike/Walkway separate to the main road, from Casuarina (5kms north of the resort) to Pottsville Waters (5kms south of the resort).
• 5 minute walk to the estuary for fishing or kayaking.

How to make the most of your stay at North Star Holiday Resort

• This resort really has it all. The kids were entertained for the entire weekend, even in the rain.  Just remember to pack some socks for the kids, so they can play in Neptune’s Castle.
• Remember to take the kids bikes or scooters, as both are allowed to be used inside the park, during daylight hours.
• Ripples cafe is onsite. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and is fully licensed.  It has indoor and outdoor seating, and while we didn’t eat there, I did check the menu and it was very reasonably priced, with daily specials also available. It also has a coffee and cake special available all the time.

North Star Holiday Resort is located at 1 Tweed Coast Road in Hastings Point, New South Wales.

Please visit their website for more information – www.northstar.com.au

Thanks to Amanda Old for this camp site review!

Take a look at the Brisbane Kids list of Your Favourite Camping Spots for lots more recommended family camp locations to explore, like Girraween National Park in Girraween. We will have many more campsite reviews coming in the very near future.