BIG4 Ballarat Windmill Holiday Park — Local services in Cardigan

So rather than write this review while still angry I decided to hold off and see how I felt after some time to think. As a regular traveler across Australia both for business and holiday so I have stayed in dozens and dozens of caravan parks and holiday park from the budget end of town to the more expensive so I feel I am well positioned to comment. Let’s start with the check in, greeted by a very happy friendly young person with their pronouns he/him proudly displayed on their top, respectfully I obliged when speaking to them, however in the same conversation I was referred to as “mate”. No real drama but I think you get my point. Continuing on I was asked if I had any pets I said “yes a small dog who stays inside the van or is with us on lead at all times . I was then advised the site would be $65 (a bit rich I thought for the back blocks of Ballarat with no view or aspect and the opposite end of the park from the facilities.) I was handed a page long waiver to sign of all the things our dog could or couldn’t do , vaccinations it had to have etc which I dutifully signed. The site, a fenced, caged ?? area large enough for our motorhome partly covered in fake grass the rest a muddy /stony area with a sliding gate and personal gate.Ok I see where the $65 comes from but totally unnecessary. The pen next to us had another van parked in it but appeared to be empty and two or three days worth of dog’s droppings sitting near the fence. Whilst driving in the the site a fox terrier was running around the camp with no one in particular in charge of the dog but it did appear to belong to one of the workers or owners, the very same dog who as I was driving out the gate wandered into a garden bed next to a cabin and dropped its business with a worker in a golf cart shrugging his shoulders and driving on. Our night started out with an unattended dog in a cabin barking non stop for a couple of hours from about 4pm until about 6 when the owners returned and it was silent immediately, a little later in the evening the dog started barking again and after around another 2 hours of non stop barking I rang the 1800 number offered to me at check in however this was only an answering machine to leave a message until business hours or go through to an emergency number. I didn’t consider it an emergency so I chose initially to just see if the dog stopped, sadly it didn’t so I rang back to the emergency number and a gentleman agreed to come out and check and to contact the owners to return to the cabin. Turns out the dog wasn’t supposed to be in the cabin for starters and the occupants were gone by morning. Now to the facilities, According to my wife the main shower block at the opposite end of the park were excellent however two toilets offered for us to use close to our camp and part of the camp kitchen were absolutely disgusting. Caked on urine that had clearly been there for days all over the underside of the toilet seat, stale urine in the bowl etc. So to sum up $65 to stay in a pen we didn’t need , rules about our dogs behaviour not only being ignored by staff for their own dog and to have a dog bark for 4 hours 2 of which daytime staff were on duty but seemingly oblivious to was all a bit rich , we won’t be back and certainly won’t be suggesting it as a...

Edit added 2 years later: we were back in Ballarat and true to my word we came and stayed here again. There's been a few changes since last time. Last time there were 2 fenced dog sites. Now there's heaps as well as THE MOST AMAZING dog play area with a pool. We brought our pup along this time (didn't own him 2 years ago) and despite the freezing cold weather, he took a brief dip and absolutely LOVED the dog play area. He had a few plays with some other little dogs also staying at the park. This is such an amazing asset for your park. As was the case last time, all staff were amazing, facilities clean and my kids enjoyed the indoor pool, bouncy pillow and games room. I don't recall if the swings were there last time, but either way they were also enjoyed. I'd love to return in hotter weather (today was 9° feels like 3°😬😬😬) so Gary can make full use of the dog pool! See you next time!!

This is the best caravan park we've ever stayed at! We had an ensuite powered site which was fantastic. The ensuite was far more spacious than I'd expected with a double sink and small bath. We don't have a dog but we were really impressed with the dog friendly sites that were individually fully fenced so dogs could enjoy their holiday without being tied up. We met many lovely pups during our stay. There were many things that made this park superior to others. Steel wool was actually provided so one was able to effectively clean the bbq. Most places seem to ask you to clean it but give you nothing to do this with. Camp kitchen was well appointed and always clean. A time was actually given for kids movies each night instead of an ambiguous time such as dusk etc. There was also an announcement over the loud speaker with a 10 minute warning the movie was going to start which was appreciated as people on holidays don't always keep track of the time. My kids loved that they got free popcorn and didn't have to bug me to buy it for them. Every single staff member I came into contact with was cheery and friendly. Many parks we've been to, the staff seem like they should have left the job 5 years ago and would rather you'd stayed home than come and bothered them at work. At this big 4 park it was a delight to come across a staff member and have a chat. I learnt a fair bit about Ballarat from one guy while he was cleaning the camp kitchen. The indoor pool was amazing and really the main reason we initially chose this park. What a fantastic asset! We were in there every day. Usually i can't get in the water at caravan parks because they're freezing even when they claim to be heated. We had so much fun in your pool. Thank you. My kids loved the PlayStations (a couple need new controllers) , pool table, table tennis, all the outdoor play areas. I'm a crazy chicken lady and it was lovely to see some hens at the park but i think their yard and coop needs a spruce up. I am scraping the barrel though as it's hard to find anything wrong with this place. There was even a huge grass area where we could pay frisbee without fear of losing the thing. If we come back to Ballarat, we'll be...

Great holiday park if you are looking for a place that the kids can enjoy and you can relax.

The park is large enough for the kids to enjoy and find new things to do each day. The pool ha a spa for those who don’t want to swim. Both the pool and spa are heated. In cold days adults will find it difficult to get in the pool if you start in the spa, so go to the heated pool first.

Splash pad on the pool deck for the little ones but be warned they can wander right over the edge when running away from the splashing water, straight into the pool.

We did a couple nights camping, but plenty of caravans around. If you camp, I recommend the back areas away from the middle of the park as the lights are very bright at night, (good for safety) unfortunately not great for some tents that aren’t “blackout”.

Camp kitchens are just bbq grill tops , microwaves, and stovetops with ovens. Bring your own pots and pans. Nothing was readily accessible for use. Both kitchens have seating available but the kitchen near the front is connected to the “club house” game area where kids might have a tougher time focusing.

Stayed in one of the cabins as well and enjoy the simple setting for 6. 2 bunks (4 beds) and one queen/double size bed separated into two rooms. The small kitchen had all you needed. Bunks don’t include bedding.

The staff go along way to help you enjoy your stay from arrival to departure. The staff escorted everyone to their camp site, ensuring they knew where each hookup was located and the limits of their area.

Kids club met during the school holidays around 4pm and there was usually a movie later in the evening with free popcorn for those that showed up early or on time. Unfortunately it was always to loud in the movie area for the kids to hear the movie so they left uninterested in both attempts.

Playground, jumping pillow, pool, indoor sandbox for those raining days. Shade is available but a lot of sites will have more sunny area then shade.

Coffee van was there with small ways and coffee twice daily (sometimes more) which was a hit for those that needed their caffeine.

Huge shopping center across the street about 1km away. We took our bicycles into town (5km) for fishing and also site seeing. Lots to see and do in the area for those that aren’t afraid to look.

Overall it was a great getaway. Not always quiet but better than most caravan parks during the holidays. It was kid friendly and mine were adventurous and always on the go. Felt comfortable that they were safe and didn’t have to worry about speeding cars...