The best holiday and caravan parks in Canberra

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If you’re unsure of how to spend your holidays with your family, a few-day stay in a holiday or caravan park can be a great way to visit the city and spend quality time with your loved ones. And whether you’re looking for a traditional, budget-friendly park or something with resort style facilities, Canberra has it all.

While an excellent choice for a weekend trip, there are plenty of factors to consider when browsing for a top-quality caravan park. Proper amenities, location, power and Wi-Fi access can really make or break your trip – so how can you know for sure that you’re choosing the perfect site for your needs?

In this article, we’ll break down some of the most important things to look for in a holiday and caravan park, as well as a helpful guide to some of Canberra’s top-rated parks.

What makes a great holiday and caravan park?

When looking for a holiday and caravan park for your trip, make sure to keep the following traits in mind so you can find the perfect place to stay:

  • Accessibility. Before you can even begin to think about whether or not the sites are powered or have Wi-Fi, you need to be sure you can get your vehicle into the park in the first place, and that there’s plenty of room for it on your site.
  • Amenities. Just because you’re not staying in a 5-star hotel doesn’t mean you have to forfeit all creature comforts – access to power, clean water, cooking and dining facilities and showers will make your stay a thousand times more comfortable.
  • Location. The purpose of the trip is to see everything that Canberra has to offer, so you don’t want to be staying too far out of town. Look for a park with a central location and nearby public transport so that you can be in the city centre within minutes.
  • Activities. A great holiday and caravan park should provide more than just convenient accommodation. It should be enjoyable to stay there! Top-quality parks include sports facilities, swimming pools, events and family-activities, so that your stay with them is memorable and fun for everyone.

The best holiday and caravan parks in Canberra

RiotACT’s editorial team has combed through 20 years of on-site comments to compile a list of the most recommended businesses according to you.

To be listed in our Best of Canberra series, each business needs to have consistently received positive feedback on RiotACT and maintain a minimum average of 4/5 stars on both Google and Facebook reviews.

To help you start dreaming about your next relaxing holiday, we’ve put together a list of Canberra’s best caravan parks. Put your feet up and read on.

Exhibition Park in Canberra

Home to some of Canberra’s most prestigious events and displays, and conveniently located less than 10 minutes away from the town centre, Exhibition Park in Canberra is a great place to set up camp when visiting the capital. The park offers full amenities including showers, toilets and laundry facilities, and is also pet friendly, so feel free to bring your furry friends along for the trip! And be sure to keep an eye out for the weekly farmers market hosted in the park itself for a fantastic array of fresh produce.

As Julie Lawson writes in their Google review, Great facility for those wanting basic accommodation that is clean and functional. The staff are very helpful, friendly and professional. (…) Happy to give this facility 5 stars for value for money, cleanliness, helpful staff and great practical amenities.”

Alivio Tourist Park

Alivio Tourist Park offers a variety of accommodation including cabins, villas, motel rooms and caravan sites. Located only 4km from the city yet nestled in a gorgeous bush setting, Alivio has plenty of great facilities, including a swimming pool, table tennis, tennis court, basketball court, playground, foosball, mountain bike trails and bushwalking. And, to help make your stay stress-free, make use of the BBQ, shop, camp kitchen and laundry.

As Ditty Francis writes in their Google review, “Nice stay and friendly staff. Lot more of ways to spend quality time. Loved it.”

Crestview Tourist Park

Crestview’s accommodation options include spacious cabins with king size beds, villas, studios, log cabins and caravan sites. The park is conveniently located 10km from the centre of Canberra in beautifully landscaped gardens. Enjoy the solar heated pool, kids playground and BBQ facilities. When planning your sightseeing, Crestview is there to lend a hand with free tour bookings.

Recent guest Teguh Khaerudin wrote about their experience at Crestview in their Google review, Very comfortable yet affordable hostel just 15 mins drive from the downtown Canberra. It makes a perfect stop point when travelling to Snowy Mt.”

Canberra Ave Villas

A unique offering in Canberra, the Canberra Ave Villas are a quaint set of 19 cabins located in the centre of Queanbeyan. While you enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the villas, only 10 to 15 minutes from the centre of Canberra. All villas have been fitted with new kitchens and inclusions and are fully self-contained and air-conditioned. The complex offers outdoor areas, BBQ facilities, laundry and ample parking for boats and trailers.

See what Warren Strutt had to say about their stay at Canberra Ave Villas, Great place to stay, clean and tidy and the staff were very friendly.”

Canberra Park

Located a mere 6km away from the town centre, Canberra Park provide easily accessible, convenient and spacious sites featuring modern facilities for the whole family to enjoy. With purpose-built group accommodation, contemporary rooms with ensuite bathrooms, dining facilities offering food at all mealtimes throughout the day, and coach services to make traveling around town easier, Canberra Park is an excellent choice for your next trip to Canberra.

As Rao Zeeshan writes about their stay at Canberra Park in this Google review, “Quite near to the city, neat and clean spots available for camping with charging points, very safe and fenced park with all amenities in the kitchen and bathrooms!”

Check out our article on the best school holiday programs and activities for more information on how your kids can pass the holidays!

Your experience with holiday and caravan parks in Canberra

Thanks to our commenters who have provided insightful feedback, if you believe we have got it wrong, please let us know.

No matter where you decide to stay on your next holiday, the most important advantage of a caravan park holiday is that it brings families together, strengthens bonds, and creates irreplaceable memories. So pack up the car and head out today, you won’t regret it.

Have you stayed in a caravan park in Canberra? We’d love to hear about your experiences, let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do caravan parks allow pets?

Some do, yes. That being said, if a park is pet-friendly, the welcome usually extends only to dogs. Make sure you double check ahead of time before bringing your furry friend on the adventure!

Do caravan parks also have cabins?

Most do, yes. If you don't own a caravan, cabins can be a great alternative, as they will include power, heating and cooling, and bathroom facilities.

Can I bring a large group to stay at a caravan park?

Depends on the park! That being said, caravan and holiday parks are usually your best bet for large group accommodation and may offer special deals and packages for larger groups, so call ahead and see what they have on offer for you.

Is it cheaper to stay in a caravan park than a hotel?

Caravan and holiday parks are a great choice for affordable accommodation. Caravan parks tend to average at $25-$30 per night minimum, while hotels average at about $100 per night. However, these prices depend heavily on the kinds of amenities the park might offer, location of the park, and any additional packages that you might be interested in.

How long can I stay in a caravan park for?

Different parks have different policies for length of stay, but most caravan parks recognise that their guests are often looking to stay for extended periods of time. If you're planning on an extended stay of more than a week, it's a good idea to contact the park ahead of time and see what their policy is.

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IrishPete said :

Riverside in Queanbeyan doesn’t cope we’ll with rain. Though it doesn’t flood very often it much more frequently stinks of sewage after rain. I don’t know why, but I certainly wouldn’t want to be staying there when it happens – it’s bad enough just driving past.

IP

That’d be the sewerage sub station over the road. Used to be just some pipes, but they tarted it up a while back and it seems to smell a lot less. It’s the faintly industrial-looking installation on the corner.

Riverside in Queanbeyan doesn’t cope we’ll with rain. Though it doesn’t flood very often it much more frequently stinks of sewage after rain. I don’t know why, but I certainly wouldn’t want to be staying there when it happens – it’s bad enough just driving past.

IP

TheBusDriver said :

The others I have not stayed at. I head the Car-o-tel is cheap, but keep an eye on your valubles.

If TripAdvisor is any indication, you’d be better off grabbing a sleeping bag, prying your way into an abandoned shop at Downer Village and spending the night.

gentoopenguin9:14 pm 06 May 13

There’s always the Carotel in Watson. It’s well located to Civic and the Highway. We have it all here…

TheBusDriver9:07 pm 06 May 13

I’ve stayed at both caravan parks in Queanbeyan. Both are pretty reasonable in terms of amenaties. Riverside is very close to the center of Queanbeyan, but that tends to mean you get the occasional idiot wander in and cause trouble. I recall some bloke in a 5th wheeler close to the entrance woke up one night to find some locals stealing stuff out of his cargo lockers.
Crestview is nice, quiet, but the management are… not nice. The sites are rather nice but there are not many of them, and they are pricy. You will need to book ahead.
I have also stayed out of town at The Cotter camp site and I like it. It is in either a national park or state firest and is about 15-20 minutes out of town. It is quiet, cheap and has reasonable facillities.
Canberra South tends to be popular as it is kind of central, easy to find, has reasonable public transport going past it. You need to book ahead. In the old days it had a pub in the middle and the residents, mostly working people would drink till they fell over or got knocked out in bar fights. I have heard it still has the pub but has cleaned up its image some what.
The others I have not stayed at. I head the Car-o-tel is cheap, but keep an eye on your valubles.

There is a free one near old Parliament House with limited facilities. It helps if you support a particular political agenda.

I think there’s also an option to caravan (excuse my verbing) in the northern part of EPIC

Here are a few more:
http://www.csmp.net.au (In Fyshwick)
http://www.canberravillage.com.au (In O’Connor)
http://www.carotel.com.au (In Watson)

I’ve stayed at Canberra South Motor Park and Crestview about 6 years ago when I was moving to Canberra and looking for permanent accommodation, both seemed fine from a facilities perspective, even though I pretty much was just there to sleep. Both were fairly quiet the weeks I was there.

aidan said :

Carvan in Canberra in July!? Are they mad?

My advice is DON’T!

Exactly, come to Qbn instead. The Riverside caravan park is right next to the cbd.

Carvan in Canberra in July!? Are they mad?

My advice is DON’T!

Have a look at this website and ipad app… we’ve been using it, and it’s pretty good!

http://www.wikicamps.com.au/

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