Natural Selection: Beautiful Glampsites on the Central Coast
Getting back to nature doesn’t have to mean roughing it! Take a sublime family road trip in Audi’s new Q2 SUV and explore six of the best glamping spots on the Coast.
WORDS SALLY MACMILLAN PHOTOGRAPHY JOSEF NALEVANSKY
Family road trips have come a long way over the last few years and Audi has upped the ante with the release of its new-generation Q2. This sleek ‘Urban SUV’ is compact but powerful and drives equally well on city streets, motorways and country roads. The standard model has an inline 4-cylinder petrol engine, designed for maximum performance and efficiency, and is equipped with an impressive array of features including 18-inch alloy wheels and full LED front and rear lights.
The Q2 comfortably accommodates five passengers with a well-designed rear seat configuration that adjusts for a 40:60 split. When the seats are folded down the storage space increases from 405 litres to 1,050 litres. You can add more storage space with a lockable rooftop luggage box.
So that you’re always connected, the Q2 is fitted out with innovative, intuitive infotainment technologies and, as with all Audi models, there is a wealth of options available for individual customisation. Contact the friendly team at Audi Alto Central Coast in North Gosford for more advice: call 02 4312 5617 or visit audialtocentralcoast.com.au.
A family holiday or weekend away that combines a road trip in your luxury Audi Q2 with exploring the Coast’s beaches, lakes and hinterland is hard to beat. And if you love going back to nature but aren’t so keen on hardcore camping, glamping is the perfect answer.
‘Glamorous camping’ means you can enjoy all the good things about life in the great outdoors without the hassle – all the hard work of pitching the tent, setting up beds, organising lighting and packing it up when you leave is done for you. Just BYO food and drink!
Belle Glamping is a mobile glamping business based on the Central Coast that sets up beautifully outfitted, five-metre bell tents at select sites on the Central Coast, Hunter Valley and Newcastle areas. Belle Glamping caters for everyone from romantic couples to family or friend groups, and you can choose from a range of interior décor styles. The company even organises pop-up wedding villages, a clever solution for accommodating up to 60 guests onsite at a spectacular wedding venue. See belleglamping.com.au for more information.
Here are six of our favourite glampsites, all within easy driving distance from Sydney or Newcastle.
GLENWORTH VALLEY
Set on 80 hectares of secluded riverfront, Glenworth Valley’s camping ground offers family-friendly camping in the bush, about an hour’s drive north of Sydney. This is the place for a wilderness escape – campsites are unpowered and maintained in a natural state. Glenworth Valley is a working horse farm where you can join trail rides, book riding lessons and see the 200 horses being mustered most weekends. Outdoor adventures include abseiling, kayaking and quad biking, which you need to book in advance, and there are swimming spots along Popran Creek beside the camp sites.
69 Cooks Road, Glenworth Valley, NSW 2250 | glenworth.com.au
BLUE LAGOON BEACH RESORT
You don’t get much closer to the beach than this. Blue Lagoon Resort offers cabins and powered caravan sites just steps away from Shelly Beach, while tent sites are located close to Wyrrabalong National Park. Glampers can make the most of the resort’s beachfront access and facilities such as the outdoor heated pool and spa complex, barbecue areas and amenities block, while enjoying the peace and quiet of the natural surroundings. The resort is in Bateau Bay, about 90 minutes’ drive from Sydney.
10 Bateau Bay Rd, Bateau Bay NSW 2261 | bluelagoonbeachresort.com.au
“A family holiday that combines a road trip in a luxury Audi Q2 with exploring the Coast’s beaches and hinterland is hard to beat”
NRMA OCEAN BEACH HOLIDAY RESORT UMINA
Another lovely spot for beach-lovers, Ocean Beach Holiday Resort in Umina has been popular with families for many years. Glampers have the option of staying in the onsite safari tents or ‘glamtainers’ as well as booking one of Belle Glamping’s bell tents. The resort is about 90 minutes’ drive from Sydney and is surrounded by Brisbane Water National Park with direct access to Umina Beach. There are facilities galore for family campers, including a waterpark, swimming pool complex, bikes and go-karts for hire, tennis courts and a kids’ club.
Sydney Avenue, Umina Beach NSW 2257 | nrmaparksandresorts.com.au/oceanbeach
WANGI POINT HOLIDAY PARK, LAKE MACQUARIE
Lake Macquarie is home to the largest coastal saltwater lake in the Southern Hemisphere, 30 kilometres of pristine coastline and some of the most beautiful forests in NSW. Wangi Point Holiday Park is one of four operated by Lake Macquarie Holiday Parks – the others are at Swansea, Blacksmiths and Belmont (see below). Wangi Point is set between the shores of the lake and Wangi Point Flora and Fauna Reserve, about one hour and 45 minutes’ drive from Sydney. It’s a natural haven for lovers of boating, fishing and bushwalking.
2a Watkins Road, Wangi Wangi, NSW 2267 | lakemacholidayparks.com.au
BELMONT LAKESIDE HOLIDAY PARK
The island-like setting of this holiday park on the shores of Lake Macquarie makes it the ideal getaway for fishing, swimming, sailing and windsurfing. There are boat hire facilities and launching ramps close by, while patrolled surf and swimming beaches are just around the corner. Facilities include powered sites for tents, a swimming pool, children’s playground, recreation room, campers’ kitchen and barbecues. Belmont Lakeside is pet-friendly and there’s even a dog-washing station. About one hour and 40 minutes’ drive from Sydney.
24 Paley Crescent, Belmont, NSW 2280 | lakemacholidayparks.com.au
NORAH HEAD HOLIDAY PARK
One of four parks run by the Central Coast Council (the others are at Toowoon Bay, Canton Beach and Budgewoi), the holiday park at Norah Head is within easy reach of Soldiers Point surf beach, the historic Norah Head lighthouse and Munmorah, Budgewoi and Tuggerah lakes. The area is popular with snorkellers, divers and fishing enthusiasts. Onsite camping facilities include powered and unpowered pet-friendly sites, a swimming pool, camp kitchen, playgrounds and barbecues.
22-30 Victoria Street, Norah Head, NSW 2263 | norahheadhp.com.au
