Winter school holidays at Elizabeth Beach are made for slow, unplugged family days. From our villas at Shores Elizabeth Beach, six easy outings sit within about fifteen minutes: the beach out front, Blueys village, the Green Cathedral, Cape Hawke lookout, the Wallis Lake foreshore and The Recky bistro. No screens required.
Elizabeth Beach: what can families do on the beach in winter?
Distance: A 3 to 5 minute walk from our front door. Directions: Follow the path down through the dune reserve at the front of the property; the beach opens up below Charlotte Head at the southern end. Hours: Open all day, every day. Not patrolled outside summer, so winter swimming is at your own care.
Elizabeth Beach faces north, which keeps it calmer than the open surf beaches nearby and makes it the gentlest option for younger kids. In July the water is cold but the sand runs firm and wide at low tide, which is ideal for beach cricket, sandcastles and beachcombing. The rock platform under Charlotte Head holds shallow pools worth a poke around when the tide drops. Pram access is over soft sand only, so a beach-wheel pram or a carrier works best. It is free, and half a day disappears easily. Guests keep mentioning how still the mornings are here before the afternoon southerly picks up.
Blueys Beach village: the rainy-day and hot-chips fallback
Distance: About a 5 minute drive south. Directions: South on The Lakes Way, then left into Boomerang Drive; the shops line both sides. Hours: Most cafes open from around 7 to 8am; the general store and Supamart run through the day.
When the weather turns, Boomerang Drive is where the holiday resets. It is a flat, pram-friendly strip of cafes, a bakery, an ice-creamery, boutiques and the Blueys News and Supamart for buckets, bodyboards and boredom-beaters. Kembali does Indonesian-inspired brunch and Drift handles the early coffee run. It suits every age, and you can budget for a coffee and a treat rather than a big spend. Give it half an hour or a whole lazy morning. Tip: the volunteer visitor information centre on the strip is the quickest way to find out what is on that week.
The Green Cathedral: a free, quiet stop by the lake
Distance: About a 7 minute drive north. Directions: North on The Lakes Way toward Tiona; the entrance is through Tiona Holiday Park at 4451 The Lakes Way. Hours: Open daylight hours, free to visit; be mindful of any ceremony in progress.
The Green Cathedral is an open-air church built in 1922 under a canopy of cabbage-tree palms on the edge of Wallis Lake. Rough timber pews face the water, and the lawn around them gives little kids room to move while older ones skim stones at the lake edge. It is genuinely free and rarely busy on a winter weekday. Prams roll fine on the grass and path, and the age range is anyone. Twenty minutes covers it, longer if you pack a thermos. Tip: the late-afternoon light over the lake is the reason locals keep coming back.
Cape Hawke lookout: is the climb worth it with kids?
Distance: About a 12 minute drive north, then a 30 minute return walk. Directions: North on The Lakes Way, then follow the signs up Booti Hill Road to the Cape Hawke car park; the track starts at the top. Hours: Open all day; best in clear morning light.
Yes, if your kids are steady on stairs. The track climbs 500 metres through littoral rainforest and 420 steps to a viewing tower 224 metres above the sea. From the top you look over Booti Booti, Wallis Lake and, on a clear day, all the way back to Barrington Tops. July is prime whale-watching from up here, so pack binoculars. This one suits primary-age children and up; it is not pram-friendly, so carry babies in a pack. Booti Booti National Park charges an $8 per vehicle daily park fee through the Park’nPay app, and you should allow an hour with stops. Tip: there are benches at intervals for catching your breath. The national parks page has current track notes.
Wallis Lake foreshore: where can little kids paddle safely?
Distance: About a 7 minute drive. Directions: North on The Lakes Way to the Tiona and Green Point foreshore reserves on the lake side. Hours: Daylight, open and free.
The lake side of Pacific Palms is the answer for toddlers and nervous swimmers. Wallis Lake sits flat, shallow at the edges and free of surf, so the youngest ones can paddle while you watch from the grass. Several foreshore reserves have picnic tables, shade and wood or gas BBQs, which makes an easy no-cost lunch. Pram access is good across the grassed reserves. It suits all ages and toddlers especially, and it is free apart from what you cook. Set aside a couple of hours. Guests keep mentioning the calm water and the birdlife, pelicans in particular. Tip: pack your own BBQ meat, because the reserves fill up around midday.
The Recky: an easy family dinner without cooking
Distance: About a 3 minute drive. Directions: On The Lakes Way at Elizabeth Beach, a minute or two from the property. Hours: Bistro lunch 12 to 2pm daily; dinner 5.30 to 8pm, until 8.30pm Friday and Saturday.
The Pacific Palms Recreation Club, known locally as The Recky, is the low-effort answer to the last stretch of a big holiday day. The bistro does honest meals with a kids menu, there is an outdoor area, and children can be children. It is a short hop from our villas, so there is no long drive home with tired kids. All ages are welcome, pricing is mid-range and the kids meals keep it down, and an hour or so is plenty. Tip: Friday and Saturday get busy, so go early or book on 02 6554 0207.
FAQs about winter school holidays at Pacific Palms
Are the beaches at Pacific Palms patrolled in the July school holidays?
Elizabeth Beach is the calmest and most sheltered beach in Pacific Palms, which makes it the winter pick. That said, Surf Life Saving patrols run only over summer, so July swimming is unpatrolled. Keep small children to the shallows and use Wallis Lake for paddling.
What is there to do if it rains?
Plenty. Blueys Beach village keeps its cafes, bakery, ice-creamery and general store open through the day, and our villas have full kitchens and room to spread out board games and a slow lunch. A wet morning on Boomerang Drive with hot chips and coffee is a Pacific Palms tradition.
How far is everything from Shores Elizabeth Beach?
Close. The beach is a short walk from the front door, Blueys village and The Recky are about five minutes, the Green Cathedral and Wallis Lake foreshore around seven, and Cape Hawke roughly twelve. You can build a full holiday day without living in the car.
Do we need to pay for any of these?
Most are free. Elizabeth Beach, the Green Cathedral, Cape Hawke lookout and the Wallis Lake foreshore reserves cost nothing to visit. You only spend if you choose to, on a coffee in Blueys or dinner at The Recky, which keeps the winter school holidays here easy on the budget.
Is Cape Hawke suitable for young children?
It suits steady walkers from primary-school age up. The 420 steps are manageable with breaks and there are benches along the way. For babies and toddlers a carrier works better than a pram, and the whale views from the tower in July are worth the climb.
A winter school holiday at Elizabeth Beach runs on its own quiet rhythm: beach in the morning, hot chips when it rains, a lookout when the sky clears, and dinner someone else cooks. Our self-contained villas give families room to slow down between it all, with the ocean and the lake on either side. Have a look at what surrounds the property on our Barrington Coast guide, then check villa availability for the July winter school holidays.
Image credit: Destination NSW
