Bright Riverside Holiday Park

We’re staying on a powered site now, and my partner and I are really impressed. Everything is impeccably clean and well maintained, from the kitchen and its many useful facilities to the bathroom amenities, the cleanest and best kept I’ve seen. The layout works perfectly, especially being so close to the river. There’s also a TV entertainment area and all the services we need, plus more. The staff have been very friendly. The cabins and villas look so inviting that we want to come back and stay in one.

I’m in Alpine Pod 15, where it’s still stifling hot inside, hotter than outside, and I can’t sleep. Reception said to set the aircon to 22, but it hasn’t helped at all. I tried going out for some relief, then found that my code wouldn’t open the boomgate. Luckily someone answered quickly when I called for help and let me out. I’d like to head back to Melbourne, but I’m worried about wildlife and am waiting until first light. The location is the best part of this place. If I came to Bright again, I’d probably book somewhere else, or stay here in autumn or winter.

Right by the river, with town only a short stroll away, the setting is peaceful while still close to everything. The grounds are lush, green and immaculate, and it’s clear people take real pride in keeping them that way. Staff made us feel welcome as soon as we arrived, and were helpful, friendly and happy to chat. Clean amenities, a lovely setting and a team that cares. We couldn’t find a thing to fault. Great for relaxing or getting out for an adventure. We loved our stay at Bright Riverside Caravan Park and will definitely be back!

Bright itself is stunning, and the river running through the property was the one redeeming part of our stay. We still made the most of the trip, but after paying over $1,000 for two nights, we left frustrated and feeling unwelcome. I wouldn’t recommend staying here based on what happened to us. We were two families in the Riverside Villa. Although it seemed designed for multiple guests, management refused to give us the code for the shared toilets on-site and insisted we use the single toilet in the villa. We found that strange, but accepted it and moved on. Quiet hours start at 10pm, while venues across the road are loud well past then. That wasn’t a major issue for us, but it’s worth knowing. We also discovered the villa price drops to nearly half when booked on arrival, so booking ahead meant we paid almost double. At checkout, we were charged an extra cleaning fee even though we’d cleaned thoroughly, taken out all the rubbish and washed the dishes that morning, leaving them in the drying rack. Management said the dishes needed to be “rew washed” and that a “dirty tablecloth” needed cleaning. The tablecloth was our own disposable one for an anniversary cake. Even after we explained, the staff member still called it “dirty” and said it needed to be thrown out, as disposable items usually are. They also claimed the pan had “burn marks on the bottom.” It’s their pan and gas stove, so perhaps they should consider better cookware instead of penalising guests. After checking Google reviews, it seems very clear to us that there’s a pattern of people from a certain racial group being targeted with these extra cleaning charges. That’s extremely concerning.