One of my all-time favourite places to park the van for a while is at Normanville on the western side of the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia. The Jetty Caravan Park is situated as close to the beach as you can get, with it being only a short stroll to the jetty, foreshore, boat ramp and beach.

I love this beach in off peak times for the freedom of letting your dog have a good run on the long stretch of sand. There are always shells and interesting finds along the beach too. I have picked up quite a few heart shaped rocks on this beach so keep your eyes peeled.

This has to be one of the best beaches for swimming, kayaking and stand up paddle boarding. Its sheltered position never seems to whip up big waves even in winter and the warmer weather brings out all sorts of water craft. If you’re staying in summer you have the added bonus of being able to carry supplies to the beach easily from the caravan park. You can stroll out to the beach and find a patch of sand to set up the beach shade and park yourself for the day. The water is clean and safe to swim in with the Normanville Life Saving Club situated right next to the jetty.

Staying at Normanville has something to offer everyone in the family and you can find plenty to do at all times throughout the year, but it really swings into party mode on New Year’s Eve. Normanville has a street pageant on New Year’s Eve which is a hoot and gets everyone in the spirit. The pageant ends at the foreshore and is followed by everyone gathering to enjoy various food stalls and rides for the kids. The culmination of this fun night is a fireworks show on the beach that is really quite impressive in the time it goes for and the colourful display.

Caravan Park patrons have the added bonus of being able to party away with accommodation very handy nearby. This is a fabulous way for the whole family to be able to spend New Year’s Eve all together in a fun and safe way. For more on this winner of a spot to holiday see the July / August edition of On The Road magazine.