Why North Star Holiday Resort is the best holiday park on the Tweed Coast

North Star Holiday Resort in Hastings Point has everything you need to reset and recharge, writes Rebel Wylie.

Boasting a 28 degree heated pool, free kids club, massive water park and two epic 8.2-metre water slides. Plus outdoor movie nights and tennis courts, this holiday resort is a hit with all ages. North Star Holiday Resort also has a games room, outdoor playground, free Wi-Fi and camp kitchen and BBQ area. The resorts wide sealed roads are perfect for bikes or scooters. Beyond the resort, it is just a stroll to surf beaches and a tidal estuary.

In our annual holiday park awards, North Star Holiday Resort was voted 3rd best in NSW and best on the Tweed Coast.

Sammy’s Adventure Lagoon

Kids can’t get enough of North Star Holiday Resort’s adventure park, Sammy’s Adventure Lagoon. It is surrounded by tropical gardens and has a fresh ocean breeze. The aqua playground, lagoon pool, wading pool and two giant ‘super slides’ here are the stuff of lifelong memory making.

As I stake my claim at one of the shaded cabanas, I survey Sammy’s to find my tribe. My freshly zinced youngest has joined his sister in the two-storey water playground. They both are ready to new friends from one of the water cannons; his sister stands underneath the ‘Big Dripper’. She is eagerly awaiting the 600-litre bucket to tip and drench her with its cascade.

I don’t even need to look for my eldest – I know he’s climbed to the platform for another go on one of two eight-metre-high tubular water slides. They spiral 64 metres through a rainbow of technicolour light features, before splashing into the pool’s landing strip.

Accommodation options

North Star Holiday Resort not only offers endless entertainment options but also accommodation to suit all budgets and tastes. Guests can choose to experience the leafy campsites and caravan spots, or opt for well-equipped, practical holiday cabins, or even spacious villas with all the luxuries you would expect to find in a five-star hotel.

The Tuscany Villa is awesome with three bedrooms and three bathrooms set across two levels, with a spa bath adjoining the King suite.

I’m happy to find the villas have full kitchen facilities and a washer and dryer. The villa has stacks of space. It could easily accommodate two families or grandparents who can be convinced to join in and help with babysitting duties.

Most of the camping sites also have leafy palm trees to offer shade and privacy from neighbours.

Ensuite sites mean trips with a dodgy torch to the loo at night can be avoided. The communal cooking area offers plenty of undercover seating so campers can keep an eye on roaming kids.

Keep reading:

• 63 things to do on the Gold Coast with kids
• New South Wales’ Best Holiday Parks

Neptune’s Castle Kids’ Club

Children are in for hours of fun at Neptune’s Castle. It has a three-level spiral slide, ball pit, mirror maze and fully supervised and free kids’ club available every weekend and during school holidays.

There are two separate age groups: one for those aged from three to six, and another for seven- to 12-year-olds.

The kids make amazing friends at the Kid’s Club during our stay. They don’t need to be asked twice if they’re keen to head to Neptune’s Castle for the second Kids’ Club session of the day.

Kids aged up to three years can play in the Little Treasures play corner.

Seascape adults retreat

Next door to the kid’s club is the luxurious Seascape Leisure Centre. It’s perfect for a little parental pampering. There’s a day spa, hairdresser, 25-metre heated lap pool, gym, jacuzzi and sauna. Bliss!

Kid-free for 90 minutes, we settle into the hot tub and take a breath to reflect on the fact that right now, our kids are happy – and so are we.

Ripples Licensed Cafe

If you want a night off barbecue duties, outsource dinner to the on-site Ripples Licensed Cafe.

The poolside cafe is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner serving cafe classics. The kids’ menu is cheap and cheerful, with ice-cream included. Keep an eye out for events like their mothers day lunch and live music during the school holidays.

Ripples Licensed Cafe has timed its happy hour to coincide with Kids’ Club diversions. Cheers to that!

Marine Discovery Centre at North Star Holiday Resort

The estuary and rockpools on North Star’s doorstep are home to a kaleidoscope of local fauna for families to discover. And thanks to the resort’s very own Marine Discovery Centre, you’ll learn exactly what you should be looking for when you explore. Our family signs up for the 10am tour, which takes place just above the resort’s Seascape adults-only retreat.

In the recently refurbished centre, the kids are encouraged to explore and make the most of the state-of-the-art light and sound technology, plus the interactive digital terminals, as they look up in wonder at the realistic displays of life under the sea.

Exploring Tweed Heads

North Star Holiday Resort boasts prime position, nestled beside Maggie’s Beach and the tidal estuary at Hasting’s Point.

The holiday park is right at the heart of everything on offer for families in the glorious Tweed region – think modern conveniences paired with village living, and dining experiences that give the region its fast-growing reputation as an essential stop on any foodie trail. A day can happily be spent a day exploring by bike, cycling the safe, wide paths to the nearby estuary.

Within 15 minutes of Hastings Points you can be catching a movie or perusing some 140 specialty shops at the recently revamped Tweed City Shopping Centre, complete with an al fresco entertainment precinct.

However, it’s the kid-friendly activities on offer that are a major drawcard. There’s farm fun at Tropical Fruit World, plus surf schools and adventure-sports equipment hire at every local beach to get you started. Kids can also try their hand at clay throwing and pottery at Kingscliff’s Stone Studio, or head off on a crab-catching adventure with Tweed Eco Cruises.

Treat yourself to lunch out in Cabarita, a funky little spot five minutes drive away. It has essential shops such as a supermarket and chemist, as well as boutique craft shops and eateries. The Cabarita Beach Hotel has beautiful ocean views.

For those keen to travel 50 minutes north into Queensland, you’ll be at Dreamworld, Sea World or Burleigh Beach. Or you can head south to Bryon Bay or The Crystal Castle in Mullumbimby without the kids having a chance to ask, “Are we there yet?”. If bushwalks and waterfalls are more your thing, you can head inland an hour or so to Mount Warning, a mountain in the Tweed Range formed from a volcanic plug of the now-gone Tweed Volcano.

Where to find North Star Holiday Resort

Located in Hastings Point on the beautiful Tweed Coast, North Star Holiday Resort is just 30 minutes south of Gold Coast Airport and 30 minutes north of Byron Bay.

From uncrowded beaches with world-renowned surf breaks to crystal-clear estuaries that weave their way right through beachside communities before joining back up with the Pacific Ocean, the far North Coast of New South Wales is an idyllic family destination.

This article originally appeared in Holidays with Kids magazine. Subscribe to the latest issue here.

Keep reading:

• The best holiday parks in Australia
• Feeling lucky? Check out our latest competitions