BIG4 Strahan Holiday Retreat. The Positives Outweigh The Negatives

 I have found Big4 Strahan Holiday Retreat to be a convenient place to stay because it is walking distance to town including local tourist attractions. As a family of four, we booked a ‘Standard Park Cabin’ (1 x Queen bed and 4 x Bunk beds for six people, only because the cabins for four were already booked out) for a two-night stay.

There are no boomgates to access the site, staff are very friendly and when checking in, they will give you keys and a copy of the map so you can find your way around the park quite easily. On the reverse side of the map, you are given Wi-Fi password and a thorough explanation should you experience slow connection but how to overcome the problem with given alternatives how to find ‘hot spots’ to improve your chances (I’m guessing that there may have been a lot of complaints from prior guests, but it’s out of anyone’s control and it doesn’t help when guests are there during the holiday season (we stayed there on 3 & 4 January 2020). 

Also mentioned on the reverse side of the map are a list of ‘Places to Eat’ and suggestions of ‘Fun Things to do’ nearby – a kind gesture to help make your stay more enjoyable and take the list with you. You could also find similar information in your guest booklet available on the dining table but in more details. 

The cabin is comfortable but the layout is totally wrong. Both rooms have no doors to close for privacy for starters. The lounge is situated in front of the microwave and the tele on the other end of that same bench – if you want to watch tele, you have better viewing on the queen-sized bed. 

When you need to access the toilet, it is located in the same room of the bunk beds and to access the bathroom, you need to walk through the bunk beds room as it is situated right at the end of the cabin – like I stated, the layout is totally wrong. The shower had no shelf / racks to put your shower products – that was awkward and uncomfortable. A simple shower rack hanging from the shower head would have been adequate. However, the positives do outweigh the negatives, I did like the idea of the toilet and bathroom being separate, especially if there are more than one staying in the cabin - excellent idea (the cabins I have stayed in Tasmania so far, had the toilet in the same room as the bathroom). 

The beds come with clean linen and towels, with complimentary mini bathroom accessories (shampoo, conditioner, body wash and body lotion). A complimentary coffee and tea starter kit is provided (including 300ml milk in the fridge). Offers one free marked car park space per cabin (right beside the cabin). And there is a small outdoor section where you could eat outside and the park has all your necessary amenities. 

The main reason why we booked to stay at Big4 Strahan Holiday Retreat, was because it is within walking distance to board the ‘Gordon River Cruise’ (only ten-minute walking distance – at a fast pace). What I didn’t realise, the park is also located close to town and that there was so much to do in Strahan. Had I known, I would have extended my stay longer but I couldn’t as I already had other places and activities booked. 

We did have the chance to have dinner at ‘Hamers Bar and Grill’ the first evening and from Molly’s (dine-in or take-away) brought the food back to the cabin as it was only a two-minute walking distance and we were exhausted from our Gordon River Cruise adventures. 

The park offers plenty more… bike / kayak / sand board / golf / beach cricket hire. Or have a walk around the park and find a small museum on site ‘The Alexander Pearce Story’ (free entry) which is exclusive to the park – nice little layout, interesting read and there is even a replica of Alexander Pearce’s skull in the room. 

If the museum is not your style, explore further into the park, enjoy the nature walk, nice bush setting. There is a platypus stream that runs through the park, see if you could spot their resident platypus – we didn’t but the walk was fun regardless, although we saw a couple of blue birds (have no clue of their proper name) and wooden cut-outs of a wombat, echidna, kangaroo, platypus, kookaburra and more. 

We did get value for our money and it is quite accommodating. An impressive, neat, clean and interactive park, landscaped with native flora and fauna and easy access to town and town attractions without having the need to drive.

Bald Critic Rating