Relax with Nature on Your Doorstep
Where the hell is Wooli? So inquired many of our acquaintances whose idea of a break away is to sit beside a sparkling pool reading an E. L. James novel while being attended by waiters in starched white shirts bearing exotic cocktails.
Well, two out of three ain't bad, which Solitary Islands Marine Park Resort scores, plus much more. There are many free activities to appeal to all family members – a heated swimming pool with spa, mini golf, jumping pillow, and kayaks equipped with paddles and life jackets. Free wifi is also available, and plans to expand its coverage of the park are well in hand. It is truly a family friendly park.
This holiday park has two of the most important attributes of an environmental vacation site. All facilities are immaculate, and it is situated on one of New South Wales' cleanest rivers, the Wooli Wooli.
The staff go out of their way to be friendly and helpful, with nothing being too much trouble.
They have collated a comprehensive information collection to assist you in making the most of your time in the area. All in all, this is a great holiday package.
The Resort has accommodation to suit all budgets, from campsites to self-contained bungalows.
We were most comfortably situated on a campsite with a clean, roomy and modern ensuite. Each campsite is separated from its neighbours by a mix of palms and lillypillies, which gives a degree of privacy not usual in camping grounds. In the seventeen years, Richard, the hard—working owner, has managed the park, he has hand-planted over 2000 trees from three inch pots. The grass on worn sites was in the process of being refurbished with new turf as a cared for appearance is most important to management. Concrete pads for vans are gradually being replaced with artificial grass, a tip other parks could take to heart as it softens the outlook as well as being more comfortable underfoot.
The camp kitchen is adjacent to Fletcher's Café. We used its facilities most meals and it was well resourced and always clean.
If you don't feel like cooking, you can avail yourself of the delicious café snacks followed by an espresso coffee.
Upstairs is the Top Deck Bar which offers a selection of drinks, comfortable and tasteful furnishings, cool breezes, and a beautiful view of the river. In the near future the café will become a full-time restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Ever been forced to drink other beverages whilst camping because you can't stand the taste of the aqua vita? No worries here. Your drinking water at Wooli has its source in the underground reserves of the Glasshouse Mountains. It filters through Yuraygir National Park to Lake Hiawatha which is 500-600 metres deep in places. As you learned in your chemistry lessons, water is a colourless odourless liquid, truly Adam's Ale. So it is at Wooli. No excuses to indulge in other beverages now.
Like to wet a line? Surf or river fishing? The choice is yours, and you need have no fear about the quality of your catch given the pristine condition of these waters.
At low tide there is a plethora of yabby holes just waiting to be pumped. Don't forget to purchase your fishing licence at the nearby garage.
If your luck is out, you can purchase seafood at the local co-op, again without fear of "getting a bad oyster". During our stay, we sampled the prawns and oysters and found them fresh and sweet.
Although a small village, Wooli offers sufficient facilities to make journeys to the nearby towns of Grafton and Yamba unnecessary. There is a Post Office, fish coop, bowling club, service station with supermarket, and a Chinese restaurant.
As it is situated adjacent to Yuraygir National Park, there are a number of environmental treasures in store for you as you take the interesting walks through the bush or along the beach. It is a bird watcher's paradise, with a huge variety of bush and seabirds.
We were fortunate to spot the endangered coastal emu, not just one, but nine of them grazing on a fallow cane paddock off Byron's Lane. Reports of their presence are welcomed by National Parks. Please take care when driving all roads on the area as a number of the birds often fall prey to unwary motorists.
Of course, many of God's creatures can't distinguish between national parks and camping parks, We were entertained by a passing parade of bird and animal life both day and night including colourful parrots, the migratory koel, possums and a river turtle.
We found Solitary Islands Marine Park Resort just the ideal place to relax, chill out, and escape from the rat race.
