Discovery Parks - Whyalla

A warning if you’re booking a cabin: Booking.com is a much better option than booking direct with Discovery Parks because it offers free cancellation. Discovery Parks says in the small print that you “can request a Booking Credit equal to the amount paid for your existing booking to use at one of their parks for up to 12 months.” But this particular park will reject your request on principle, leaving you out of pocket if you have to cancel.

The weather was rough for most of our week, changing from windy and cold to windy and 48 degrees. Seaweed gathered around the van, but that’s not the park’s fault, it is what it is. We stayed at the park in our caravan for more than a week without any problems. The sites are big. We were one row back from the beach, so there was no shade, and we had the annex out with the car next to it. The facilities block is dated but functional, which is pretty normal for older parks, and I was happy to use it. You hear rumours of thefts, and the park sends text updates about security and the weather. We didn’t have any issues, though we’re always security conscious. Just a thought, Whyalla council could do a summer weed harvest from the foreshore beach, which might bring in more visitors.

It’s a cheap place to stop over, with dirty sites and a regimented feel. The sullage goes straight onto the ground, and it’s pretty much on the beach too. This isn’t a manicured park. It’s noisy and bustling, not somewhere you’d come to relax.

The oceanside view was great, and most sites are level, though we had to raise the front end quite a bit. It’s not suitable for really massive rigs. Ask at the office for the crab rakes. We didn’t get to use them because we ran out of time and the tides weren’t optimal, but we wanted to!