Son’s guilt trip worked: glamping is now our go-to holiday

1 month ago 15

Australian summers are synonymous with beaches: an unbreakable part of our national psyche, a gathering place we hold dear. A place that belongs to everyone, to holiday, celebrate, rejuvenate and heal. In this summer series, we asked local identities and journalists to tell us about their favourite spot.

Harry came along a little bit later than his sisters. Juliet is 21 and Matilda 18, but he’s only 11.

So when the girls were being dragged camping annually with my brother and his family, Harry either wasn’t around or he was too little and stayed home with my wife Lizzy.

When he was about eight, he lamented to me, one day, that he’d “never been camping”.

He even went further. “You always said we’d go camping but we never have.”

I felt terrible because it was true. He’d missed out. A couple of attempts had been called off because of stupid COVID, and other trips didn’t happen simply because we didn’t make them happen.

With all our camping gear under my brother’s house in Brisbane, the thought of heading up there, getting a four-wheel-drive and getting the barge over to Stradbroke or Moreton Island in south-east Queensland, like the good old days, was too much.

Sunset at Short Point Beach in Merimbula.

So I suggested to Harry we go “glamping”.

After a lot of Googling, I came across NRMA Parks and Resorts, which offered glamping-style tents, cabins and basic sites. I’d never been one for caravan parks or the like as my wider family was into the more hardcore option of wild beach camping, complete with no toilets or showers.

After much looking around, we found availability for a tent for a few days in January last year at the NRMA Merimbula Beach Holiday Resort, perched high on the hill to the south-east of the town centre.

On the left, just a short stroll away, is Short Point Beach, just to the right is Middle Point Beach, and further south on the other side of the headland, across the mouth of Merimbula Lakes, are Bar Beach and Merimbula Beach.

Merimbula is now Neil and Harry Breen’s new favourite holiday spot.

Within hours of arriving, we fell in love with Short Point Beach. In fact, we fell in love with the camp park first, then the beach.

The tent had an open-plan studio feel with a queen bed under a mosquito net (so summer!), a kids’ bed in its own little built-in cubby house, a good bathroom, kitchenette and even a TV, on which we played the Australian Open non-stop. Oh, yes – and its own air-conditioning, which came in handy in January.

Merimbula is famous for its oysters and seafood, so we stocked up and overindulged daily. The shared barbecue cooking area also had a wood-fired pizza oven, which Harry thought was the best thing since sliced bread.

Staff set up the oven daily with fire starters and wood. All you had to do was light it, wait 45 minutes or so, and then slide your pizza in. Deluxe. Harry bounced away on the jumping castle while I had a freezing cold beer, watching him and the pizza at the same time.

Even the pool at the resort was great, and Harry enjoyed being taught how to play pinball and Pac-Man in the games room. It was so much fun. The pinball was the best – it was a “Kiss” machine, as in the band, and I had mastered it as a 12-year-old in 1980, much to the disgust of my father, who said I’d become a dole bludger if I wasted all my time playing pinball.

The view east and north from the headland above Short Point Beach is spectacular, as are the many walks you can do.

The beach itself is as good as they come. The south end can be a bit like the south end of Bondi – hazardous for the inexperienced – but the lifesavers are too smart for that and the flags are set up a bit further to the north.

Our beach plan was exactly how I like to do it. Rather than spend hours there, we strolled down about five times a day for a dip and then straight back to the comfort of the tent. And the tennis.

Short Point Beach will now be our regular summer go-to.

Before we left, we booked the tent again for this January. And doubled the time. I hope that pinball machine is still in good working order. If my late father were still around, he wouldn’t be happy about the pinball, but he’d be delighted about the “glamping”.

Neil Breen is the national sports editor.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.