10 tech-free family holidays
It is time to disconnect and reconnect, with a camping trip that will get the whole family off their devices.
Busy family lives are seeing us spend more time online than ever before, with kids bunkering down indoors and the whole family experiencing digital overload.
Recent research shows that Australians are spending approximately 19 hours on the internet each week and that children are not getting enough exercise or time outdoors. In fact, less than one in five Australian children aged between five and 17 years are meeting the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity each day.
So it is time for a family digital detox and hit the camping grounds for adventure and fun in nature’s backyard.
“A ‘device free’ camping trip in NSW is the perfect chance to get the family talking to each other, and spending quality time together in the great outdoors. NSW offers an exceptional range of caravan and camping parks across the State that provide the perfect backdrop for a digital detox holiday,” said Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer Sandra Chipchase.
“The simplicity of a caravan and camping holiday is that it gives you the freedom to enjoy the very best of NSW, with our holiday parks located in stunning natural surroundings by the beach, in the bush, on a lake or by a river. No one will want to ‘log on’ when there are so many fun family adventures to experience together.”
Here are ten camp grounds in NSW where you can enjoy a ‘device free’ caravan and camping holiday:
1. Pebbly Beach campground in the Murramarang National Park on the South Coast is the quiet getaway you’ve been looking for. Couple that with an unpowered campground and you have a tech-free oasis.
You may even be lucky enough to meet a resident kangaroo or two.
2. Head to the Central Coast for some downtime at Frazer Campground in the Munmorah State Conversation Area.
With only six campsites, you’ll find plenty to do at this secluded location – swimming at Frazer beach or in the lagoon, fishing, scuba diving, surfing and walking to name just a few.
3. Swap your laptop for your fishing rod at Inland Waters Holiday Parkes Lake Keepit, located on the banks of Keepit Dam, near Tamworth.
Renowned for its fishing and water activities, you’ll enjoy their rustic bush campsites complete with open fires.
4. Situated along the popular Light to Light walk, the Bittangabee campground at the Ben Boyd National Park near Eden is bush camping at its best.
You’ll while away your days fishing, swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving.
5. Seal Rocks is a secluded camping gem in the Great Lakes area.
Set up camp at North Coast Holiday Parks Seal Rocks to enjoy all this charming coastal village has to offer.
6. For a Central NSW experience right on the foreshores of Burrendong Dam, Cudgegong River Park offers a camping reserve and inland caravan park with direct water access.
Located just 35 minutes from Mudgee, this secluded bushland retreat is great for bushwalking, fishing, and bird watching.
7. Get back to nature at Port Stephens Treescape, an eight-hectare bushland holiday park on the edge of Tomaree National Park offering powered and unpowered sites, studios and suites.
Located next to the popular One Mile Beach and the Samurai Beach sand dunes, the park is in a wildlife corridor so campers get to enjoy native bird and animal life including many a koala.
8. Barrington Tops National Park in the Upper Hunter has nine bush campgrounds to choose from.
From the remote sub-alpine wilderness of Black Swamp campground, to the Gloucester River campground great for swimming, walking and picnicking, Barrington Tops is perfect for active families wanting to bushwalk, mountain bike, fish, canoe and star gaze.
9. Nestled within the lush rainforest of the Byron Bay Hinterland, Rummery Park Campground in Whian Whian State Conservation Area offers plenty of outdoor activities for the whole family – bushwalking, mountain biking, horse riding trail and swimming in nearby Minyon Falls.
10. Take the family fishing, water skiing and boating on the waters of Lake Eucumbene in the NSW Snowy Mountains.
Buckendeera Holiday Village is set on 100 acres of bushland, with eight kilometres of pristine lake shoreline to camp, fish and swim along.
Image source: DestinationNSW
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