Family fun around the park

There's a whole heap of family fun to be had in and around Scamander Sanctuary Holiday Park. 

Playgrounds

We have not one but TWO playgrounds for children to explore. One big whopper for children of all ages and another smaller one more suitable for toddlers. Feel free to ask for a camp site near the playground and you'll be able to supervise with your feet up from your site! 

Beach walks 

Steele beach is a short sand dune adventure away and it's great for family walks. Sea shell spotting, rock pool exploration, writing names in the sand, all the good things that the beaches of Tassies's East Coast offer up to families. 

Wildlife watching

Our park gets visited by lots of furry friends and native wildlife. Possums, wallabies and kookaburras are regular visitors and if you're really lucky you might see a sea eagle or a pod of dolphins.

Fishing 

There are heaps of great spots to fish near the park. Surf fishing is great off Steele Beach and the Scamander River is fantastic for breem, flatties and other fishes year round. You can even venture out further and hope to catch a cray! 

Marshmallows around the campfire 

Roasting marshmallows on sticks while camping never gets old. The melting, oozy, sticky sweetness inside that charred burnt deliciousness is a past time that families enjoy again and again and our fire pit is perfect!

Bush walks 

Our park is right alongside a nature reserve so as soon as you get to the end of the park you're on a walk! There are many tracks to explore for little discoverers as well as more seasoned walkers.

This post is care of the Scamander Sanctuary Holiday Park on the stunning East Coast of Tasmania. A caravan park and camping ground in Scamander, Scamander Sanctuary Holiday Park offers family friendly camping and in a beautiful natural setting right next to the beach and a nature reserve. Scamander is the perfect location to explore the Bay of Fires, St Helens and Bicheno. Camp or park your caravan or campervan at an unpowered or powered campsite or book a safari style self contained cabin if you prefer to camp in style with all the conveniences of home. Find out more or call us on (03) 6372 5311 to book.

What to pack if you're staying in a safari tent?

Ok so you might need more than a shirt, a watch and some Hennessey but if you're wondering what you need to bring if you're staying in one of our safari style cabins you need not wonder any longer! Here's a list of everything you'll find you have at your fingertips so you don't have to overpack...

Heating / cooling

• reverse cycle air conditioning

• Electric blankets on every bed

Bedding

• Sheets

• Doonas and covers (additional blankets available if required)

• Pillows and covers

• Bath Towels (1 per person)

Kitchen & Living

• Television with DVD player

• Private pod coffee machine (4 complimentary pods per cabin, extras $1 each from the office)

• Kitchenette with sink

• Mini Fridge

• Microwave

• Kettle

• Toaster

• Microwave

• Cooking utensils

• Chopping boards

• Saucepans

• Frypan

• Glasses

• Wine glasses

• Mugs

• Crockery

• Cutlery

• Serving dishes

Bathroom

• Shower, sink, toiletries cupboard

• Toilet (with free toilet paper!)

Outdoor

• Table and chairs

• arm chairs (couples safari tents only)

• Undercover private decking area

• Portable electric twin cooktop on custom made

• Private BBQ’s on each deck

• Fire pot for each safari tent

Laundry

A communal park laundry features large commercial sized coin-operated washing machines and dryers as well as two washing lines outdoors. BYO washing powder or purchase some from the office for $2 a load.  And please BYO washing line if you require undercover use at your safari cabin.  

Cleaning

• Dishwashing liquid

• 1 x chux or washing cloth

• 1 x steel wool

• 1 x teatowel

• Hand soap in bathroom at sink

• Broom

• Dustpan and brush

• Toilet brush

Scamander Sanctuary Holiday Park offers camping and accommodation on the East Coast of Tasmania at its best. Situated at the gateway to Bay of Fires, St. Helens and Binalong Bay, it's a great accommodation base to explore the East Coast of Tasmania. Either camp on an unpowered or powered camp site or stay in a safari style self-contained cabin or a luxury bell tent. The Park has private access to the beach and is right next to a nature reserve creating a wonderfully peaceful atmosphere for guests. Book now or contact us for more details or to plan your stay with us. 

What is a safari tent?

What's it like to stay in a permanent safari tent?

Young family camping at it's best!

What on earth is a safari tent? Well, having stayed in one myself I can tell you it’s a comfortable, camping experience. All the conveniences of self-contained cabins but with the feeling of sleeping under the stars. Apparently glamorous camping or “glamping” is taking the world by storm and now I know why. I stayed at Scamander Sanctuary Holiday Park in one of their permanent safari tents with my husband and two very young daughters who were just 1 and 2 and a half at the time over the New Year period. We had had a huge Christmas, a nasty gastro bug and my daughters first birthday to get through so I was desperate to get to the park and settle in. Only it never goes smoothly with young children, does it? We arrived, worn out by cranky cries and grizzles from the back seat from our youngest who likes her cot at night and our overtired toddler. Because my husband had been knocked over by the bug I had to pack up all of us in the space of one morning and as usual the car had taken longer than expected to pack. The park Managers Graham and Sandy were extremely understanding and welcoming even though I’m pretty sure we looked like we’d all been dragged from a creek somewhere by the time we arrived. And it was raining.

As soon as we walked in our eldest daughters eyes lit up. We’d been telling her about our impending camping trip for weeks and she was finally in our “tent/castle” and she promptly got to climbing onto the top bunk. We inspected the tent and were amazed at how comfortable and clean everything was. The decking out the front looked out towards bushland and there was plenty of room. We hadn’t even unpacked and I never wanted to leave. We unpacked the car and settled in, finding at every turn that everything we needed was there; portable stove top, towels, washing up liquid, kettle, toaster, fridge, comfortable beds. We even found out that we could have rented a portacot and left ours at home. Next time.

Some things that stood out for me about the safari tent were that it was easy to clean over and over (food, children, yada), it was warm when raining and cool when sunny and hot (we got to experience both luckily). Actually it was surprisingly cosy and romantic in the rain and we didn’t have to cancel the trip due to inclement weather at the front half of the planned stay. And with cranky kids and arriving later in the day we didn’t even have to put up a tent (or take one down when we wanted to get on our way fast). But it was hearing the sound of the waves and feeling like you were outdoors only separated from the outdoors by canvas rather than walls that will always stay with me.

We did a range of things with our girls in the days we stayed. Swam in the river mouth at Binalong Bay, visited a beautiful little cove in Bay of Fires, had fish and chips on a fish punt in St Helens, enjoyed a messy ice-cream session with the girls, went for long walks on the wild and beautiful Steele beach we had private access to, and even managed a beer and some oysters overlooking Binalong Bay (with some chips of course). On the way home we took the girls to the wildlife park in Bicheno and they loved it, even feeding a kangaroo with a joey in its pouch. And the car ride back to Hobart was peaceful because they were tuckered out after all the excitement.

The safari tent experience is a unique one and one I highly recommend (especially to those with small children)! You can be in touch with nature and the surroundings but still enjoy the comforts and conveniences of home.

This article is on Scamander Sanctuary Holiday Park’s blog. The Park offers many different styles of accommodation; Permanent, self-contained cabin style safari tents for families, couple and groups for those after a comfortable outdoor camping experience, Luxurious bell tents for couples and families with shared amenities and kitchen facilities, and traditional powered and unpowered camp sites and caravan sites. The Park has private access to Steele beach and is at the gateway to Bay of Fires, St. Helens and Binalong Bay, making it the best accommodation base to explore the East Coast of Tasmania.