This was to be the last hurrah after a long quiet Christmas holiday break. We had pretty much stayed home all holidays, so a weekend at Ebden, just shy of the New South Wales border was a welcome distraction from the looming return to school.
It's a three-hour drive from Melbourne but in a surprisingly divine location. We arrived late at night, so woke up to find the park much more than I'd expected. The park was dark at night and very large so it took a while to locate to our particular cabin. Ask for directions when you book.
Not one for camping, I was pleased to find the renovated cabins looked more like a modern (albeit small) apartment than a caravan. We had a large balcony and view over the children's playground, which was handy. The children really enjoyed the jumping pillow and we could supervise from the balcony while sipping on a cuppa.
Another surprise was the pool area complete with palm trees which could have been a luxury resort pool anywhere in the world. It has an amazing view of the lake. Other facilities include a large barbecue area, trampolines, playgrounds, kids club in the school holidays, movies, TV room and extensive grounds to roam. Take time to enjoy the flora and fauna.
The Boathaven holiday resort is on the Hume which holds about six times the volume of water of the Sydney harbour. The lake is stocked with carp, trout, golden perch and Murray cod. Apart from fishing, the water is used for many water sports such as waterskiing, jet skiing and boating.
This trip could have been a disaster as I forgot two very important things. One was all the medications and the other was my undies. When I discovered this and told my mother she most embarrassingly pulled out her big cream Nana undies right in front of everyone and offered them to me! There's nothing like an extended family holiday is there?
Aspen Parks is one of Australia's largest resort park operators in the industry and you can tell. The main reception area is well staffed to answer the long list of queries of weary travellers.
This is not a cheap resort in peak times but prices vary over the year and the facilities are clean, modern and extensive. Be sure to let the park know if you are arriving late as you will need a security access number. To give you an idea of the cost of extra activities - the spa hire is $8 per half an hour, volleyball and basketball $10 deposit, games room bats $10 deposit and tennis $11 per hour.
Apart from what Boathaven has to offer, there are many other attractions in the area. For example, the Albury Wodonga community market is held every Sunday between 9-1. The Murray farmers market is held every second Saturday of the month.
I should comment on the exclusive and trendy cafes spottered all the way along the main road of Albury. They are not all open late though but they would rival many of the up market cafes in Melbourne… and charge accordingly.
Glamping, camping, Hume weir, water sports, family holiday, up market Cabin holiday, camping, fishing, resorts in Victoria.
Beechworth gold mining town has much to offer. Apart from the bakery, they sell a range of beautiful antiques, have alfresco cafes and plenty of other shopping. Chiltern and Yackandandah is also close by as is Schmidt's strawberry winery. If you're a skier this is close to Bright, Falls Creek, Mount Hotham, Falls Creek and Rutherglen. The latter is well known as one of the popular wineries in the area.
For a little bit of holiday paradise on the border, the Boathaven resort is sure to thrill you and your little ones. Happy holiday.
