 If it’s been a big year and you and the kids need a big holiday, then my big tip is to head to Coffs Harbour, drive past the Big Banana and pull in at the biggest holiday park in Australia – Darlington Beach.
Managed by NRMA Holiday Parks, this sprawling seaside resort on the NSW north coast is as close as you can get to a fun-filled cruise ship vacation without leaving shore.
Spread over 45 hectares (or 100 acres) of palm-studded, subtropical bushland and fronting a pristine 6km stretch of sun-kissed beach, Darlington Beach is an idyllic and affordable holiday destination where that common cry – ‘I’m bored’- is never heard.
Nestled beside the emerald waters of the Pacific 25 minutes north of Coffs Harbour, Darlington – or ‘Darlo’ as everyone staying there affectionately calls it - has more attractions and activities than you can possibly fit in a week’s holiday.
How could you get bored when you can enjoy three resort pools, a giant heated spa, two waterslides, the park’s own nine-hole golf course by the beach, floodlit bowling green, archery range, two tennis courts, sports field, huge jumping pillow, go carts, giant screen TV, games room, restaurant and cocktail bar, picnic area, camp kitchen and bushwalks in the beautiful state forest which surrounds the park. The park even boasts a worm farm!
 There are kids activities from morning to night, including surfing lessons, dance classes, sand crafting, hay rides, kids discos, trivia nights, karaoke contests, water sports, ball games, fancy dress parties, beach volleyball, bowling competitions, ‘Gladiator’ tussles on the giant bouncing pillow, possum prowls and guided walks.
And you can hire everything from golf, tennis and bowling equipment to boogie boards, bikes, board games and even petanque balls.
And in holiday periods, there are special BBQ parties at night for the whole family. During our stay, we gathered around the campfire and enjoyed a concert by a local didgeridoo player.
And while you and the tribe indulge in all that, you may have missed all the kangaroos, possums, peacocks, ducks and cockatoos that roam around as if they live there. Oh I’m sorry, I think they do.
And if you haven’t noticed it yet, there’s an unspoilt beach right in front of the park for swimming, fishing, surfing and long leisurely walks to start and end the day.
The mistake my wife, two kids and I made was to arrive at this Mother of all holiday parks for just a two night stay. No wonder everyone was staring at us strangely, or maybe that was because we arrived by helicopter from Coffs Harbour Airport.
 Stunning is an understatement for the short flight we enjoyed along the sweeping beaches of the Coffs Coast. Pilot, ‘Chopper Chick’ Tracey, treated us to heart-pounding circling manoeuvres above pods of dolphins frolicking in the shallows below. We landed all too soon on Darlington Beach Park’s own golf course where Precision Helicopters often providess joy flights in holiday periods from around $70 a person. If your kids have never ridden in a helicopter, it’s a treat they will always remember.
Accommodation at Darlington Beach Holiday Park ranges from shady camping sites, including the largest powered sites in Australia – some even come with private bathrooms - to spacious three bedroom family villas.
One of the advantages of staying in a holiday park is the ability to cook your own meals but if you want a break from the stove, the park’s own Spinifex Restaurant offers mouth-watering dishes, a take-away menu and special Sunday morning breakfasts. You can also order bountiful picnic hampers.
‘Darlo’ ticks all the boxes for a great family holiday – value for money, lots for the kids to do, time and space for parents to do relax, a great beach location and a relaxed holiday ambience but for us what shone the most was the friendliness of the hard-working but ever-smiling staff. Every guest, from toddlers to grandparents, is treated like family. And this is what draws so many people back to Darlo year after year. If you thought Sydney was a happy place during the recent World Youth Day celebrations, you should see the big smiles at Darlo!
There’s so much to do at Darlington Beach and it’s so self-contained, that you have to think twice about wandering away for some sightseeing but it would be a shame to miss some of the beautiful attractions of the Coffs Coast.
Our favourite drawcard is Coffs Harbour’s famous Pet Porpoise Pool. Billed as the world’s most interactive marine park, the Pet Porpoise Pool was voted last year as the best tourism attraction in NSW and it’s easy to see why. It’s certainly no Sea World but included  in the entry fee is the special opportunity for everyone to touch the seals and dolphins and be kissed by them, which is such a treat. I almost fell in love with the dolphin that puckered up on my cheek! The intimacy you enjoy with the animals here really sets the Pet Porpoise Pool apart.
The spectacular show the lovable, leaping, dancing, ball-surfing, rugby-playing dolphins put on is also great fun, especially as I was selected to be in it, standing aloft on a long plank suspended over the pool as a dolphin leapt for the fish I was holding. A star of this engaging show is cheeky Cindy, the seal that stars in the Lotto TV ad where she wins the cash and opens a marine park for humans!
The Pet Porpoise Pool is very popular so a good tip is to get to the morning show to get a better view of the show and longer, sloppier kisses from the seals and dolphins.
 Of course, it’s the Big Banana which put Coffs on the holiday map more than 40 years ago. It was Australia’s first big thing and during our recent visit, we peeled off the Pacific Hwy to pay homage to this great Australian icon. While there, we had a whole ‘bunch’ of fun screeching down through the banana plantation on the toboggans, with my wife shrieking louder than all the kids at the park put together!
Before heading home, we enjoyed a scenic drive to the hippy-herbal town of Bellingen, 30 minutes from Coffs Harbour. The pace here is considerably slower than the Big Banana’s toboggan track, with old-style emporiums, cosy cafes and idyllic vistas across the valley beckoning us to linger awhile.
Our two nights at ‘Darlo’ may have been a little holiday but the big hearts and big things we encountered during our stay inspired us to plan a much bigger break there soon.
· NRMA Holiday Parks’ Darlington Beach Holiday Park is 25 minutes north of Coffs Harbour, which is 530km north of Sydney and 430km south of Brisbane. You can also fly to Coffs Harbour or catch the train.
Tariffs at Darlington Beach Holiday Park start at $115 per night for two people in a villa, with kids costing $15 each per night. The park’s top-of-the-range Gumnut Villas are $160 per night for two people and $15 extra for each child per night. Powered sites are $35 a night and unpowered sites $25 a night, for two people, with each child $11 extra per night.
NRMA members receive a 10% discount (conditions apply).
Stay two or more nights before August 31, 2008, and receive a $50 fuel voucher.
Call Darlington Beach Holiday Park on 02 6640 7488 or visit www.darlingtonbeach.com.au
Precision Helicopters – for joy flights, visit www.precisionhelicopters.com.au
Pet Porpoise Pool, Coffs Harbour – Family entry (2 adults and two children) is $75. Visit www.petporpoisepool.com
Big Banana – www.bigbanana.com
General information on the Coffs Coast – www.coffscoast.com.au | 
