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Located on Port Stephens’ waterfront at Lemon Tree Passage, Aspen Holidays Koala Shores is the ideal place to unwind. Take a paddle boat cruise on the waterway, throw a line in, spend some time kayaking on the water or enjoy the beautiful sunset over the creek. Let the kids can burn up energy on our giant jumping pillow or challenge each other to a pedal kart race. With powder sites, ensuite sites, and cabins, including the ever-famous Koala House, we can cater to all your accommodation needs, whether it is a couples getaway, a family holiday, or a once-in-a-lifetime trip with friends. Koala Shores is often referred to as a ‘birdwatcher’s paradise.’ We are sure you will spot a few to tick off your list or have a laugh with the Kookaburras; who knows, you might even spot a koala!
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Modern
Family
Location
2 Oyster Farm Rd, Lemon Tree Passage, Port Stephens, New South Wales 2319 Australia
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We stayed 8 nights in a 2 bedroom spa cabin. We were amongst a group who between us has the cabin, tent site, en-suite site and 2 x powered sites. Our cabin was great and very clean as well as being well equipped. Had a small issue with a broken drier, however management fixed this within the hour and replaced it. Staff were friendly and accommodating. Kids had a ball riding around with their friends. Friends could catch up on our large deck. Parks were good. Water access was good for paddle boarding and kayaking- however can have a strong current. Jumping pillow was great. Pool was VERY cold unfortunately- even on the warmer days. Had some planned activities for the kids including a treasure hunt. Enjoyed our stay and would be back. Close to shops.
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Date of stay: October 2019Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Let’s start. Driving into the park you have to dodge the massive pot holes on the road. When you arrive the staff is so disinterested and unhappy it makes u think the park is being sold and there just waiting to leave. You drive to your accom, in our case it was a lodge passing a sign saying aquatic area. BUT the park has no aquatic gear. They do have a wharf but it’s missing floorboards so watch your step.Arriving at our Lodge we find it extremely tired. The dining room table looks like a Vinnies reject. There is no place for your bags. The cupboards are minuscule. The couch is lumpy and apart from the dining chairs, the only place to sit. They provide the very minimum of cooking implements, so if u intend to cook whilst there bring your own. There r no locks on the windows, so very little security. The place is located between two clubs that serve great meals and whilst we stayed for a week we caught 11 bream off the wharf. So overall the place was okay but very disappointing.
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Date of stay: February 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Watch the holes in the wharf
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Koala Shores Holiday Park, Marketing at Aspen Holidays Koala Shores
Responded 2 June 2022
Hi, Thank you for your review. The weather has been very unkind to the roads around Port Stephens as we live on a massive sand bank so the continuous rains we have had have really had a negative impact on the road to the point that the locals look like they are drunk driving whilst avoiding the potholes that the Local Council cannot keep up with. I will certainly look into the comments about the disinterested and unhappy staff. We've had it really tough since everyone started coming back to visit the area as everyone was hit hard with Covid and the remaining (small) workforce worked extremely hard for me, going above and beyond (who knew that housekeepers could work the ride-on mowers, and park managers could be a housekeeper!). This area has been hit hard with the lack of workforce, we really did try our best in a very testing summer period. Unfortunately i have to agree with you. Two years of Covid lock-downs, having to stand my staff down and not use them to update the park has really left us with a park that is looking tired. But my amazing small team are working hard now that the winter season is upon us so garden beds are getting updated, we have put a lot of money and effort into the drainage in the front of the park to ensure our camping guests arent bogged in and soon we will be working through the cabins and refreshing them as much as we can given that Covid has really affected the business to date. Our cabins have the minimum of utensils, which is pretty standard in Holiday parks. If you had required more you only had to ask the staff in the office and we would have accommodated. The wharf belongs to council, not us. We have raised concerns many times with them about the state of repair. thank you for pointing this out as we will use this as an approach to try and get things rectified.
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Stayed in a cabin with another family in Dec/Jan over New Year’s. We were slightly apprehensive after reading some older reviews, however it is obvious that a great deal of work has gone into upgrading and refreshing the accommodation. Although the cabin was not enormous, facilities were clean and more than adequate. The kids also really enjoyed the big air pillow, swimming pool and go-carts. The only things I would have wanted to have been different would be the long drive to the beach (not the resort’s fault!) and some recycling facilities. Otherwise, a terrific place for a family holiday.
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Date of stay: December 2021Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Koala Shores Holiday Park, Marketing at Aspen Holidays Koala Shores
Responded 2 June 2022
Hi Thank you for your comments. Under Aspen, I took over management last May, then the second round of Covid hit. Give limited resources we have tried our best to spruce up the park for the peak season, and now that we are in winter and its quiet we are planning more upgrading. hopefully we will see you back soon kind regards Lorraine
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4th time at the park and each time we experience the worst customer service from the same lady on the desk, luckily the others on the desk are friendly. This park shouldn’t be under the Big 4 umbrella. Don’t expect anything fancy. No kids club, volleyball net broken just two posts so you’ll need your own net to play! Tennis court has no lights on it so you can’t play after sun down. Pool is unbelievably freezing cold even on hot sunny days. Ducks and a crab in the pool, pretty horrible that the ducks kept pooping in the pool. Someone found a black snake in the garden and reception just them just to leave it alone!! Cabins so so so dated! Three plates for a six person cabin, dirty dishes, smell in the bathroom, extremely dirty window tracks, carpet in bedrooms needed a good vacuum, very little pots and pans. You’ll literally have to take kitchen items yourself! Putt putt was covered in leaves and pools of water couldn’t play a game. Chicken coop over grown, looks like a a danger zone for snakes and kids! Karts are fantastic but after paying for them and watching kids just take them to be used made me rather cranky! No covid cleaning anything, very disappointing to see nothing being cleaned or wiped over. No extra soap or wipes offered anywhere! Park needs a massive amount of work to keep it up to the Big 4 standard that’s set elsewhere! I’ve camped twice and stayed in two different cabins. Cabins are so over priced for what you get! I’ll be saying no next time friends ask us to go there again. Unfortunately the rude customer service, high priced cabins and poor activities for the kids will send us to a different park!
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Date of stay: September 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed in a deluxe spa cabin for 2 nights. Said kitchen facilities but no oven and very limited kitchen facilities. The cabins are so over priced for what you get! Unfortunately the rude customer service, high priced cabins and poor activities for the kids will send us to a different park! Park is pretty remote and not much around. Pool was ok kids enjoyed it but was covered in fake turf and wooden planks not very appealing. Jumping pillow very distant in park and sand around the pillow not the best looks dirty. The kids parks are dated and need updating not even a swing, aimed at bigger kids. Says water activities but saw none.. The pedal cart hire we did but need upgrading and says need helmet but none provided..
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Date of stay: February 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We were extremely disappointed with our stay at Koala Shores. So many issues...... 1: Our cabin smelt like cigarettes even the linen 2: Our fridge wasn’t working well and staff had to put a bag of ice in it to keep it cool enough for us to use. 3: Spa bath had mouldy jets. 4: The electrics in the cabin were not up to date with their safety test and tagging. Out of date by 7months. 5: Put Put golf wasn’t very appealing 6: Both kids play equipment areas were very outdated and not age appropriate for younger kids. 7: whole park had a yucky sewage smell 8: No splash park 9: Our mattress was so saggy in the middle of 10: Our curtains in the bedroom had stains all over them and didn’t close properly 11: We had a sofa bed lounge in our unit and they didn’t supply sheets for it. 12: Pool was very cold 13: The canoe and kayak hire that is advertised on the website doesn’t exist 14: The kitchen was very basic and run down. 15: Bathroom had a big skylight roof but it was so hot as the sun shined through, it was like an oven and the vanity sink area had water damage and rot at the bottom.
Please avoid this place like the plague! Total waste of money! We stay at lots of different holiday parks and this has been by far the absolute worst. Pretty sure that’s why they were kicked out of the BIG4 chain.
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Date of stay: April 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from John Ramos, Revenue Management at Aspen Holidays Koala Shores
Responded 2 June 2021
Thank you for your review, we take on board all comments and will endeavour to correct the issues within the Park. I have taken over as Manager in the last couple of weeks and have printed this list out to demonstrate to the team what we have to improve upon. Kind regards Lorraine Fellows Park Manager
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Arrived for a three night stay in an ensuite site was very hard to get into the site small turning area and gutters on each side of the road, limited room to park your car. Ensuite are very dated our toilet broke an had to use another one which then wasn't technically an ensuite had to go across the road and for the money you paid with no compensation just said sorry. Not recommended
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Date of stay: September 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My wife and I had planned our usual 10 week caravan trip to Qld and N.S.W. from S.A. Starting in August. Because of the heavy caravan traffic at that time of year on the east coast we had booked and paid deposits at all the parks we intended to stay at for a week or longer. As Delta hit the states we had to cancel our trip and all the caravan parks refunded our monies IN FULL, EXCEPT Koala Shores at Lemon Tree Passage who retained $25 as a company policy cancellation fee. As we have stayed there several times in the past, it wasn’t the money but the principle and shows just how out of touch they are so naturally be warned everyone,and we will not be going there in future.
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Date of stay: August 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Koala Shores Holiday Park, Marketing at Aspen Holidays Koala Shores
Responded 30 Sept 2021
Thank you for your feedback. Last year when Covid hit we did provide a full refund for those concerned. Ongoing, for those that booked during the lockdown we have had to implement the Admin fee however most of our returning guests have taken up the opportunity to keep all their money on their client account which they can use at any time with no loss.
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I stayed here with my husband and 2 kids. Overall it wasn't a bad place to stay, but were just disappointed with a fee small things. We stayed in a cabin which was enough for us. We had a portacot for my 1 year old which we (just) fit into our room, and our almost 4 year old slept in the bunks. Very basic kitchen and utensils but was enough for us. Room has a nice big fridge and the shower was nice and hot with a good amount of pressure.
There were a few things that could've been fixed to make me give it a 4 or 5 star rating. The shower was quite dirty, the screen door into the cabin was broken, not even on the rail and quite hard to open to get in to the glass door. The blind cord in the room was not attached to the windowsill which is dangerous with young kids. There was also a broken floorboard on the deck that was broken, and the lounge had a huge lump in one of the pillows so it wasn't able to be sat on.
Apart from that, it was relatively clean, has a TV and WiFi included. The pool is amazing, and the kids loved the jumping castle. There's 2 small playgrounds which are probably better suited to older kids and are a little old. There is a communication kitchen with a couple of vending machines and claw games in it. We didn't use the tennis court or mini golf but those are available and free for guests.
Overall we enjoyed our stay, it was just a shame about the couple of issues with the cabin.
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Koala Shores Holiday Park, Marketing at Aspen Holidays Koala Shores
Responded 24 Sept 2022
Hi, Thank you for your comments. I am pleased you enjoyed your stay and i am sorry about the issues with your Cabin. We are working extremely hard with limited staff to improve the Cabins for our guests. The issues that you have listed above we will be addressing immediately once we can ascertain which cabin you were in. we would love to welcome you back so you can see that we are working our way through all the Cabins in the park to replenish the furniture and refresh the internals and externals. Kind regards Lorraine Property Manager
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Nice place our cabin although small was very clean. The kids just loved it the pool the jumping pillow and generally riding arount the park on their bikes. Staff were very obliging and helpful. I think the shop could be better stocked.
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Date of stay: October 2020
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The clubs for the golf are free no deposits required. You can purchase balls for $1 at reception.
Tennis rackets are free with security deposit, fully refunded on return of items
There are more places to choose from in the Lemon Tree Passage area.
PRICE RANGE
AU$204 - AU$257 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Discovery Holiday Parks Port Stephens
LOCATION
AustraliaNew South WalesGreater NewcastlePort StephensLemon Tree Passage
NUMBER OF ROOMS
30
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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