Is Big4 Port Fairy Holiday Park worth a visit?

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A pretty Big4 Holiday Park in a pretty village…

After a spontaneous decision to take a road trip from Adelaide to the Great Ocean Road (and back) over 48 hours, Big4 Port Fairy Holiday Park was an ideal overnighter for us during this road trip.

Port Fairy is a beautiful fishing village, taking pride in its historical port character at the end (or start if coming from Adelaide) of the Great Ocean Road. It feels as though it has been frozen in time. Even though it’s not officially on the Great Ocean Road, it’s a popular holiday resort for those taking this famous road trip.

As the winter weather forecast suggested rain during our trip, we decided to book accommodation instead of getting wet with all the camping gear. If we’d allowed more time to plan, we would have looked at alternatives, but as there was a Big4 Holiday Park nearby, we decided to stay here whilst we had a look around.

It was literally just a bed for the night, so we booked a budget cabin. The one-bedroom cottages called ‘Gull’. They call them ‘cottages’, but they look more like cabins to me! The surprising thing was that when making a quick price comparison, Booking.com still came out cheaper than using our Big4 Loyalty Card! So guess who we booked with!

We arrived around 9 pm, grabbing details from the late check-in area. It took 5 minutes to work out the boom gate needed a # pressed after the code! We must have been tired after that drive!

Location of Big4 Port Fairy

The Big4 Port Fairy Holiday Park is on the west coast of the state of Victoria. It is clearly visible and signposted from the Princes Highway at the Eastern end of the village. From Melbourne, it is just over 3 and a half hours drive, or 6 hours drive if you are travelling the scenic Great Ocean Road. From Adelaide, it is a 6 hours drive. 

At the park, you are just a 3-minute drive from the park to the centre of Port Fairy. The beach is just 2km. It is a gorgeous place to spend the day relaxing and enjoying the stunning views of the coastline.

Accommodation options

The cabin at this Port Fairy Caravan Park was an ideal size for what we needed. Any more than 2 nights though, and I think we may have struggled. Unfortunately, because it had been raining and the car was parked on the grass, with no internal doormat, we soon got the floor inside pretty wet and dirty. The queen size bed was in the living area part of the cabin, so walking through this for the rest of the night wasn’t overly pleasant.

The kitchen had everything you would want. A 4 gas stove burner, microwave, kettle, toaster, fridge and all the utensils and kitchenware necessary were available.

The bedroom was made up of 2 bunk beds, both of which were unmade ($15 each for linen to be hired). It was light and airy, with a couple of small wardrobes and would have been good for kids.

The bathroom was small, but again, fine for a quick shower before we hit the road in the morning. The only thing we did notice, which isn’t at all bad considering the cabin’s age, is that the corners in places were starting to build up with excess dirt.

The decor looked like a blast from the ’70s! Wooden panelling is definitely a feature in many of the cabins on-site, with floral patterns to go with it. If you are looking for something a bit more modern, check out their Albatross or Kingfisher 2 bedroom cottages or the studio apartment in the Shearwater building that all look like they’ve had a modern refurbishment.

The air con unit worked well for some heat; it wasn’t long before we warmed up. Although we didn’t use the bunk bed bedroom, this may have been difficult to heat up with only 1 heater in the main part of the cabin.

We went for a wander around the park and found an electric heater in the camp kitchen. It took a while to warm up. However, the ambience of the flames meant we stayed there for an hour or so, chatting about our adventures for the next couple of days.

Back in the cabin, the queen size bed was hard but comfortable. It gave us a good night’s rest after a long drive. It was a little close to the wall, so it was interesting getting out – half-face against the window whilst trying not to fall backwards onto the bed!

The park

With the sun coming out, we went exploring more around the park. It is very well equipped for kids. A little on the smaller side, especially for a Big4, but a good size for a village of this size.

There are plenty of cabins around the parameter of the park, with several shaded powered sites, including ensuite powered sites. There are no unpowered sites within this caravan park.

The camp kitchen is large and could easily fit a few families at the same time. There was also a large fridge, freezer, TV, and book swap shelf with bench-style seating. It was a clean and tidy area that was well looked after.

There was a smaller outdoor BBQ area to the side of the swimming pool. It was clean, but considering there are no pets allowed on site, it baffled us as to why there was dog poo lying around this area. Not a pleasant thing you want to see, and it was a shame it had been left there.

The amenities areas were clean and well maintained, with laundry facilities available (charges apply).

As it was the middle of winter and schools had just gone back, the park was quiet, with only a handful of others staying at the time.

Playtime!

If we’d had more time (and bought stuff to swim in!), the pool looked very inviting to go for a dunk.  It was so cold outside, there was steam coming off the water! It was a good size for playing or swimming in, with a toddler pool just to the side.

The pool area was clean, and there were changing facilities just outside. Sara had to relax my screwed up face when I saw what looked like a cleaning filter hanging from the ceiling! I was told it was a filter to catch leaves from the rainwater pipe falling into the pool. I’d never seen one before!

The outdoor mini-golf course looked fun, but we were fighting time to hit the road again. There is also a giant jumping pillow, tennis court, basketball rings, a pump track (like a skateboard ramp), a games room and a TV room.

The TV room is located in the Shearwater Room but was locked when we had a look, despite it being within the opening hours.

If I were 20 years younger, I would have jumped straight into the outdoor playground area! The Monkey & Mermaids Indoor Playland would have kept me entertained for hours (if I was under 6 years old, which is the age restriction!).

We couldn’t work out why there were signs for bikes, pedal go-karts, etc. when there were none around. Until we realised they were all inside the reception area! There were several different ones to choose from to hire.

In the reception, there was also a range of everyday essentials to buy. A few snacks, a DVD library to borrow from (DVD players in each cabin, charges apply to borrow) and lots of information about the local area.

Check out

The reception team were friendly and wanted to know how our stay was. The check out process was quick and easy as we’d already paid online. We just needed to hand the key back. We didn’t really come into contact with anyone else in the park, so difficult for us to comment on the overall service. The cute bag of lollies to take away was a thoughtful touch before we hit the road again.

Overall review of Big4 Port Fairy

Out of 10, we would score this park a 7/10. It looks a little tired. But a new, shiny, modern campground would probably look out of place in such a pretty, historic village. There are a number of caravan parks in Port Fairy, all with varying standards and appeal.

This Port Fairy Caravan Park park has excellent reviews, especially from those travelling with kids. It is also popular for couples travelling, so it is a park that suits many needs. Although, not having unpowered sites and a no pet policy will naturally deter a few travellers from staying here.

Just be careful of minimum stays during peak periods. If you want to stay, these could alter your travelling plans, and double-check any additional costs you may incur.

We would recommend this park to anyone travelling through, especially whilst on their Great Ocean Road adventure! It’s good value for money, with a range of suitable accommodation for all budgets and an excellent location for exploring Port Fairy.

Follow this link to get the best rates for Big4 Port Fairy Holiday Park with Booking.com.

Have you seen our Port Fairy Destination Guide yet? Find out here what to do in Port Fairy and the best way to get out on the water!

Stayed here before? Have you previously visited the beautiful Port Fairy? Lets us know in the comments below!