Evans Head is a gorgeous little town about an hour drive South of Byron Bay. We had never stayed in the area before, so decided to try something completely new and leave our beloved 1971 caravan behind to stay in the beautiful architecturally designed villas at Reflections Holiday Park.

We spent two nights in villa number 30 and oh my goodness - I can definitely recommend requesting this one! It’s one of the waterfront villas with beautiful views of Evans River right from the stunning timber deck. Staying in a luxury villa is a little different from camping out in good old Sadie, the kids particularly loved the fact that we had a bathroom inside the villa as opposed to having to head to a communal area in the middle of the night!

Kids room - Plenty of room for activities, and building cubby houses.

Master Bedroom - all of the bedrooms have stunning timber details that create a warm & calming space.

Evans has a laid back coastal vibe, definitely less busy than Byron and surrounding areas - which we loved! Even though it seems sleepy there is PLENTY to do, we will have to plan a return trip because we couldn’t fit it all in! On the weekend we stayed it was overcast and quite rainy, which never stops us - as long as we’ve packed the raincoats we are keen for any adventure.

On the afternoon that we arrived we drove up to Razorback Lookout, which has stunning 180-degree views of the ocean, coast and hinterland. It also has a cool old anchor circa 1900 that the kids loved to climb all over. We then drove on to Chinaman’s Beach to explore the rocky coastline and let the kids stretch their legs.

The next morning we woke up to the sound of rain, we decided to have a lazy morning until the rain eased and the kids enjoyed building a cubby in their room, Jon slept and I enjoyed a caffeine hit from the Nespresso coffee machine - HECK YES! Once the sun was out we hopped on our SUP and paddled around the river, which is crystal clear and also a great depth for toddlers. If you’re going to come stay in this park I would definitely recommend bringing a SUP, canoes or even some boogie boards for the kids - you could spend hours just paddling around the river. We cooked up a late breakfast on the deck, which has a sink, BBQ and dining area, and watched the tide go out.

A birds eye view of our villa and Evans River

Taking full advantage of the outdoor kitchen!

Our next port of call was just around the corner at Shark Bay, which has gorgeous cliffs and some pretty hectic surf on the day! The kids loved watching the surfers head out into the massive swell & we all explored the rocky area.

One of my personal favourites of the trip wasn’t planned at all; I had just noticed a little sandy footpath and wanted to find out where it led. We started on the path and found out it was called Dirawong Reserve. It’s a beautiful reserve that has six walking tracks - we made it to Half Tide Rock and Joggly Point and then the kids started to complain that they were thirsty. Which is probably the only down side to spontaneously going hiking in a reserve haha! So I’ve made the mistake for you - pack water and snacks if you’ve got kids and let me know how the other 4 walking tracks are!

All in all we had a lovely, relaxing getaway- I know it sounds like we packed a lot in but the weather helped us to slow down and relax in the mornings. The villas are absolutely amazing and we will definitely be back - it’s the perfect (luxe) little break from van life. We cooked quite a bit in the villa, because you really don’t want to leave! But we did stop in to JapXican for some delish calamari tacos, Muzza’s Milkbar for some retro milkshakes and the local pub for a steak on our last night - all of these spots were absolute winners!

Hopefully this gives you a little insight into this beautiful part of the world, Northern NSW would have to be one of our most favourite destinations. Evans Head is laid back, family friendly and is surrounded by beautiful National Parks and beaches - you really can’t go wrong with a family holiday here - especially if it’s in these villas - click HERE to check them out for yourself !

Happy Travels! Mia x