BIG4 North Star Holiday Resort at Hastings Point is now Australia’s best and they have the trophy to prove it.
The Tweed Coast park took out ‘Best Tourist and Caravan Park’ at the Australian Tourism Awards in Cairns late last week.
The popular family holiday resort beat six other State finalists from around the country, remarkably, all BIG4 Holiday Parks, including the Middleton Beach Holiday Park in Western Australia, McDonnell Range Holiday Park in the Northern Territory, Adventure Whitsundays Resort in North Queensland.
North Star owner Ian Beadel said they had an anxious moment when event host Steve Liebmann announced that the winner was “Big Four……North Star”.
After getting over the anticipation, Mr Beadel said it was all very exciting.
The honour of being named best in Australia caps off an amazing run for proud owners, Ian and Diana Beadel, who last year celebrated 30 years in the business. It is not their first Australian Award, with the park taking out the “Budget Accomodation, Caravan and Tourist Parks” division in 1993.
In 1996 BIG4 North Star became the first caravan park in New South Wales to earn a five-star rating, due to the high standard of accommodation offered, including luxury villas and cabins and an innovative range of family-focused facilities.
From there, awards and accolades have continued, reflecting the ongoing commitment and efforts of the hard-working duo.
In 2011 alone, the park won the NSW Tourism Award for Best Tourist and Caravan Park, the Caravan and Camping Industry Australia (CCIA) award for Best 4 ½ to 5 star Holiday Park greater than 100 sites, the 2011 Award for Excellence in Environmental Innovation, and was officially recognised as the ‘Best of the Best’ at the CCIA Awards for Excellence.
Ian said he couldn’t be prouder of his team of 40 staff, many of whom have been employed by BIG4 North Star for more than 10 years.
“They are all celebrating this award and deservedly so. Without their commitment and passion, we wouldn’t be winning awards of this calibre. It’s always been a team effort and every one of them has contributed to the success,” he said.
Ian said that over the years, they had striven to maintain their competitive edge by ensuring the park’s facilities remained “a cut above the competitors’”. The recent installation of a $1.3 million kids’ water playground – Sammy’s Adventure Lagoon – has seen occupancy rates skyrocket, despite tough times for tourism in Northern New South Wales.
“Many kids liken their stay at BIG4 North Star to a holiday in the middle of a theme park,” Ian said. “It’s non-stop entertainment for the kids and the best part is that it’s all included.”
“At the moment, that’s what families want: an affordable family holiday that’s easy on the wallet but big on fun.”
Ian believes that the key to the success of BIG4 North Star has been their willingness to adapt to the changing face of the caravan and holiday parks and the expectations of their visitors.
“For over 30 years, we’ve watched our industry evolve dramatically to a point where visitors demand better facilities and a wider range of accommodation than ever before.
“They’re not just looking for campsites or somewhere to park the van; they want all the trimmings and perks of a luxury five star resort,” Ian said.
Another family friendly feature of BIG4 North Star is Neptune’s Kids Club, which is fully supervised on weekends and school holidays.
The Beadels also built a parents’ retreat called Seascape Leisure Centre, to ensure every member of the family had a special place in their park. The new age, adults-only centre offers massage or beauty treatments, hairdressing, heated spa and lap pool and fully equipped gymnasium.
The popular holiday park brings over 100,000 bed nights to the Tweed and Northern Rivers region each year. There are 129 tourist sites including holiday apartments and cabins and 199 long term sites.
