Yarrawonga Riverlands

Yarrawonga Riverlands

There is an area up on the Murray River in Victoria called the Sun Country, and it has just about everything going for it when it comes to a holiday destination. Blessed with over 300 days of sunshine a year, it is hard to beat as a holiday hub.

The beautiful town of Yarrawonga is a major part of the Sun Country and the Yarrawonga Riverlands Tourist Park is a great place to use as your base. This park is undergoing a major transformation. 

We were there in early March 2018 and joined Assistant Manager Robyn Pearce as she was making her way around the cabins that were booked for the night. Robyn explained “We always turn on the-air conditioner on hot days so that the cabin is ready for our guests when they check in. It’s just something we like to do.”

STAYING AT YARRAWONGA RIVERLANDS TOURIST PARK

Everything looks smart and well-presented. There are some new cabins on the park, made by a local Yarrawonga manufacturer, which complement the existing cabins very nicely. We also checked out some of the existing cabins, and they are looking excellent too, very clean and well kitted out. Age doesn’t matter when the cabins are very clean and the facilities are up to, or over standard.

There are some good sized powered sites, plus unpowered sites for motorhomes, vans, camper trailers, and tents of all sizes. The facilities for all the guests are excellent too. There is a play area which is set up to provide some nice entertainment for everyone. There is a swimming pool with a small playground close by. Right by the playground is a small Kangaroo Jumper. While it may not be very big, it is still big enough for the kids to get on and have a good time jumping around and being energetic.

Which do you prefer – chess or draughts? It really doesn’t matter as there is a big outside board where you can play either. Most parks will say that they have a camp kitchen, but this one is different. The camp kitchen and games room are in the same building which, in a previous life, was the on-site accommodation for park managers. As a touch of ‘who would believe it’ the park managers were Robyn and her husband, but at a different park!

Now the kitchen is the same full kitchen it always was, but without a dishwasher. Plenty of equipment and space. There is a lovely room for eating and relaxing, plus space on the generous verandah. The games room has a separate entrance from the camp kitchen, but still links to the kitchen and the two shared toilets. There is a pool table, table tennis table, Playstations and TV, with low seats – they are interesting to get up from!

The amenities have been refurbished too. This is one of the first places to start any park upgrade, as the standard here seems to set the standard for everything else.

While we were there we took the opportunity to look at the future plans for the on-going redevelopment of the park. The plans are that some display cabins will be put onto the park, each with two bedrooms and a bathroom, by two local manufacturers. These cabins are for annuals or residents to buy.

As the park is redeveloped sewerage will be put in place to replace septic tanks and settling ponds. Once this is done, then that area of the park will be home to the new cabins. It is a work in progress and will take time for all the redevelopment to be done. But it is far better to take it slowly and get it right than rush it.

The park is very pet friendly and has a pet washing area with a washing machine, dryer, and pet bath. To make it easy to stay there are some pet friendly cabins too. There is another area at the back of the park which, as part of the redevelopment, will be opened up as a dog walking area, to make sure that your pet can get as much exercise as you and your pet need.

If you want to go out and about but don’t want to take the car, the bus stop is literally right outside the park. Finding things to do on your holiday is not hard here. The park is close to the Murray River where you can enjoy all things to do with the water. Fishing is always a popular past time, so there are fish cleaning facilities on the park to deal with the catch of the day. If you have your boat with you there is a public boat ramp about three minutes drive away from the park.

TOURING YARRANWONGA

The range of attractions is huge, with the Farm Gate Trail for all things edible and drinkable. There are golf clubs, service clubs, tennis courts, farmers markets, and paddle steamers. No matter how much time you give yourself here, it will not be enough.

Yarrawonga Riverlands Tourist Park is a park well worth visiting. The changes that have been made are huge and have not stopped yet.

Wake up to the sound of kookaburras in this quiet, semi-rural area, close to Lake Mulwala, with the option of using our pool or the Murray River. Refurbished amenities and laundry block and only a short distance to large golf courses and wineries.