Reflections Holidays: Wild Escapes on NSW’s Crown Land
There’s something about Reflections Holidays that makes you wonder if you’ve stumbled into another world—a secret New South Wales, unfiltered and pristine. Reflections is a Crown Land manager, meaning it’s not just running your standard holiday park. It’s working to protect and preserve some of the last, untouched corners of NSW, while giving anyone brave enough a slice of rugged paradise.
Forty locations, all on Crown land, from holiday parks to barely-there campgrounds to unique accommodations that beg you to reconsider what a “vacation” really means. You can keep the five-star fluff; Reflections offers a rough, raw beauty that’s undeniably captivating.
Reflections Holidays: Giving Back to NSW’s Wild Heartland
Reflections Holidays isn’t your typical holiday park group. It’s a social enterprise on a mission, where every dollar that flows into its 40 holiday parks and campgrounds across NSW turns around and flows right back into these places—and the 45 community reserves it cares for.
In 2024, that amounted to a staggering $126 million economic benefit for regional NSW, with Reflections offering up more than just a holiday. It’s a venture into real, sustainable tourism, stitched into the heart of the land.
When Minister for Lands and Property, Steve Kamper, acknowledged Reflections for their 2024 achievements, he wasn’t just speaking about numbers; he was recognizing a legacy of sustainable tourism that’s rare to find.
“Reflections Holidays is more than a business—it’s a steward for Crown land that boosts regional economies and gives people an affordable way to experience nature,” Kamper noted.
This isn’t just any tourism—it’s a chance for people to breathe deep in wild country, from the south coast’s Eden all the way up to Brunswick Heads and inland to the vast Keepit and Copeton dams.
Reflections’ Highlights
In 2024, Reflections did more than just open its doors to over 2.1 million guests.
It reimagined what a holiday park could be. Forty-one new roofed accommodations joined the lineup, an answer to a growing demand for spots that let visitors dig into nature without roughing it entirely.
With partnerships like those with Newcastle Knights, Surfest, and OzFish, they’ve built events that do more than entertain—they educate, focusing on sustainable fishing and bringing youth into the surfing world with the inaugural Reflections Cadet Cup.
And then there’s the partnership with Landcare Australia, working to protect the community nature reserves that are part of Reflections’ stewardship of over 25,000 acres of pristine land.
CEO Nick Baker explained, “This year, we’ve rebranded to bring new experiences and events that remind us all that life is better outside. It’s a privilege to manage these parks and reserves, and with that privilege comes responsibility—to foster a connection with nature that supports everyone’s wellbeing.”
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Investing in Communities and Sustainability
Reflections isn’t just there to accommodate; it’s part of the community, with many of its parks acting as the local post office, general store, and meeting point. Staff raised over $70,000 for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service and continued their support for local organizations, showing that their commitment to communities runs as deep as their respect for the land.
With a strong focus on minimizing their environmental impact, Reflections installed solar panels, smart meters, and formed partnerships with social enterprises like Beacon Laundry, creating job opportunities and fostering community growth.
And while life isn’t getting any cheaper, Reflections offers options to suit every budget.
You’ll find unpowered campsites and budget cabins for families feeling the pinch, right alongside chic tiny homes, glamping tents, and premium cabins for travelers looking to upgrade their experience.
For Reflections, every holiday is about something more—it’s a place where people come to unwind, recharge, and reconnect with nature. And every guest knows they’re part of something greater, leaving the land better than they found it, one campsite at a time.
Finding the Rhythm of the Road
Your journey starts the second you shrug off the need for convenience and embrace the dirt, wind, and salt air. From Coffs Harbour to the South Coast, each Reflections spot is its own version of unplugged freedom.
You’re likely to find yourself face-to-face with the land’s oldest inhabitants—sea cliffs, rolling dunes, and ancient trees swaying against an infinite sky. It’s about finding a spot, pitching a tent, rolling out a swag, or settling into a cabin, and letting nature slap you awake.
Take, for instance, Seal Rocks—a place with a name that tells no lies.
Tucked into the coast with wild surf and long stretches of white sand, Seal Rocks is a spectacle.
The waves beat down on the shore as though to remind you who’s really in charge here.
Spend a night under the stars, and you’ll realize that the sky looks impossibly close, as if a stretch of your hand could brush the Milky Way. And when you’re walking back to your site, every creak of a tree, every shift in the wind, makes you feel like you’re part of something bigger, something raw and unfiltered.
Camping Isn’t Camping—It’s Living
Reflections’ campgrounds are where the real magic happens. These aren’t meticulously groomed or fabricated to mimic nature; they are nature.
You don’t just camp here; you become part of the landscape. No fences. No reservations at local hotspots. Just you, your campsite, and the echo of nature in your ears.
Places like Jimmy’s Beach at Port Stephens redefine beachfront camping.
You’re literally on the edge, with sand dunes falling away to open seas on one side and sprawling bushland on the other. The days drift lazily by, like the ocean currents.
Nights are punctuated by the sound of waves crashing and the cool, salty breeze that creeps into your tent, reminding you where you are—on land that’s not yours, never was, and never will be.
Unique Stays with a Sense of Place
Now, if you’re not into tents and the thought of battling a mozzie swarm doesn’t sound appealing, Reflections has you covered. There are cabins, a few eco-conscious structures, and even some unique stays where you can still get close to nature without sleeping on the ground.
Take their cabins at Lake Burrendong, overlooking the vast reservoir ringed with hills, where the sky becomes the evening’s main entertainment. These stays are designed to feel part of the landscape rather than an intrusion into it.
Reflections has dotted these accommodations across some of NSW’s most remarkable settings.
In Bermagui, you can roll out of bed and be at the Sapphire Coast’s heart.
Fresh seafood at a local market for breakfast, then an afternoon swim in the Blue Pool, all within a few kilometers of your doorstep.
These are the kinds of places that don’t need a guidebook; you’ll make your way just by wandering.
Finding Peace in Solitude
Reflections isn’t trying to be a brand. It’s not about serving up Instagram-perfect views and curated experiences. It’s about providing a real, unapologetic connection to New South Wales’ best land: Crown land.
This isn’t a “holiday” in the usual sense. You’re not checking in; you’re checking out, stepping back into an older rhythm. The wilderness demands you meet it on its terms, no strings attached, no over-produced experience.
So go. Unpack that tent, roll out that sleeping bag, or grab a cabin for a week. Sit down by the fire as the day burns out over the hills, listen to the whisper of waves, and feel a little of that wild place seep into you. That’s the point. There are no gimmicks here, just you, the open sky, and all the timeless beauty of Crown land that Reflections guards. This isn’t a trip you’re taking; it’s a journey back to what really matters.
Reflections Holiday Parks manages 40 unique destinations across New South Wales, offering a variety of accommodations from coastal retreats to inland escapes.
Below is a selection of these destinations, including their addresses and websites:
Byron Bay Holiday Park 1 Lighthouse Road, Byron Bay NSW 2481
Evans Head Holiday Park 18 Park Street, Evans Head NSW 2473
Hawks Nest Holiday Park Booner Street, Hawks Nest NSW 2324
Urunga Holiday Park 2 Morgo Street, Urunga NSW 2455
Scotts Head Holiday Park 12 Adin Street, Scotts Head NSW 2447
Forster Beach Holiday Park 1 Reserve Road, Forster NSW 2428
Coffs Harbour Holiday Park 123 Pacific Highway, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450
Lennox Head Holiday Park Pacific Parade, Lennox Head NSW 2478
Seal Rocks Holiday Park Kinka Road, Seal Rocks NSW 2423
Norah Head Lighthouse Quarters 40 Bush Street, Norah Head NSW 2263
For a comprehensive list of all 40 destinations, including detailed information on each park, please visit the Reflections Holiday Parks website.
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