Your on-site camp kitchen is fully equipped with electric barbecues, a microwave, toaster and fridge, perfect for self-catering after a day exploring the region. Just a five-minute drive into Bright, we grabbed breakfast at Sixpence Coffee, the boutique roaster and café in a converted SES shed that serves seriously good brews alongside house-made pastries. For lunch we loved Bright Brewery, the craft brewery and restaurant on the Ovens River where bold beers are brewed with alpine water and pub-style dishes are generous and satisfying. Dinner called for Tomahawks on Camp Street, a no-bookings spot dishing up share plates and relaxed vibes, or if you're after something more refined, Pepperberry Restaurant at Hara House delivers a retro-chic, modern Australian menu showcasing native and local produce. Just opposite the park, Feathertop Winery offers cool-climate wines, a cellar door and restaurant.

On-site, the kids will burn energy on the brand-new jumping pillow, playground and solar-heated swimming pools, while the Ovens River runs right along the park boundary for riverside picnics and paddling. It's a ten-minute walk along the riverbank to Porepunkah village and the Porepunkah Pub for pub grub and local atmosphere. The park sits directly on the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail, so hire bikes from Bright Electric Bikes and cruise the flat, sealed 6km into Bright, stopping at Rail Trail Café in Porepunkah for Mexican-influenced brunch. 

Twenty-five minutes' drive takes you into Mount Buffalo National Park for the Gorge lookouts, Crystal Brook Falls tumbling 200 metres from the rim, and swimming holes at Rollason's Falls and Ladies Bath Falls. Drive to the Horn summit (1,723m) for 360-degree alpine views. 

Back in Bright, let the kids loose at the Bright Splash Park and river pool, or explore the Bright Museum in the old railway station for gold-rush stories and regional history.

Grab an inflatable tube from the office and walk five minutes upstream; the river current provides a perfectly gentle "lazy river" float that brings you right back to the park’s private beach.