We were heading back to Qld after a trip to the cold southern States and decided to stop for the night at The Entrance, NSW. Our route took us via Wyong, so we ended up having to negotiate a large a number of roundabouts before coming across the bridge that took us to our destination – Dunleith Tourist Park, a member of the Top Tourist Parks group.

This is a small park located along the edge of The Entrance, making it a great place from which to enjoy the gentle sound of the water. We found ourselves with a waterfront site, which gave us a great view of the town, bridge, and the opening to the ocean.

These waterfront sites require you to enter towbar first, which proved difficult. But park employee David and his tractor can position your van for you in about two minutes.

Drop in a line

If you like fishing, then Dunleith is a place to visit. I had a great time talking to two of the park’s regulars, Herbert Baldwin and his son, Neil. Herbert and his wife, Marion, have been visiting Dunleith for two weeks every August for the past 12 years, and Neil comes along to join his dad in some fishing.

According to the Baldwins, the fishing is not as good as it has been in the past due to the effect of storms on the water and fish. But the water still provides good catches of ludrick.

Herbert loves to talk about the park and the wonderful staff and owners, particularly Laurie Littlefield, who is the second of three generations of the same family that has owned and worked the park.

A talk with Laurie provided an insight into what keeps a family at one park for so long. Laurie was happy to come for a chat and he spent a pleasant afternoon telling us about his life and the park.

According to Laurie, the land was originally granted to Edward Hargreaves, who is generally regarded as the father of the Australian Gold Rush.

His daughter gave the land to her daughter, who married Walter Dennis. In 1895, they built the Dunleith Boarding House on the land.

The whole area has been a tourist spot for many years. The land was called Dunleith because part of the Hargreaves family came from Dunleith in Scotland.

In 1956, George and Violet Littlefield bought the rundown boarding house, which came with a small camping ground. They brought their family with them, including their 14-year-old son, Laurie, and began building the park into the modern business it is today.

The family completely rebuilt the park. A new amenities block had to be established, which involved mixing all of the concrete for the floor by hand. It also meant that a new septic tank had to be dug. Laurie remembers having to climb down a ladder to get into the hole, and says each time he threw a shovel load of dirt up, a fair amount of it would fall back in.

The water supply was a problem in the early days, with the only water coming from the ground. When town water was supplied to the other side of the bridge, George ran a 2in plastic pipe under the old single lane wooden bridge to bring water into his park.

The ground water is still plentiful, though, and this means that Dunleith Tourist Park is able to water the grass.

George continued to work at the park until the end of 2006, when he died aged 91. By then Laurie and George had worked together for 50 years, and Laurie’s son, Steven, had also been working with them for many years.

Obviously, the entire family has seen enormous changes in the industry since 1956. One of those is the advent computers. Laurie’s wife, Evelyn, was the keeper of the check-in and check-out information. During the Christmas season, there would be 70 or 80 check-outs and check-ins on the same day. By the end of the day, Evelyn could tell you who was in and who wasn’t from memory.

These days, the park employs reception staff and has a bank of computers to do what Evelyn did in her head.

The variety of accommodation has also changed over the years. Originally, guests brought large canvas tents and set them up without worrying about amenities such as water, power or designated tent sites.

Now, the park accommodates tents, camper trailers, motorhomes, caravans of all shapes and sizes, and cabins of varying degrees of comfort and luxury.

In 1989, the family started putting cabins into the park to meet a growing demand for them. But Laurie still wants the park to be a traditional caravan park and able to meet the needs of all caravanners.

Sea Shells

If you like shells, then make the time to visit The Entrance Shell Museum (opened by Laurie’s Aunty Valerie) while you’re staying at Dunleith Tourist Park, which is displayed in the same building as the games room.

While you’re there you can see some of the old photographs that Laurie has displayed. They show scenes from The Entrance from the early 1900s.

It is an amazing display, but what makes it so special is that you can look at a photo and go outside to see the same view as it is today.

Dunleith Tourist Park is a great spot to spend some time winding down and relaxing, and we really enjoyed our short time at the park. We plan to stay much longer next time.

The park may be small, but the history is large, and the Littlefield family and staff are more than happy to share it with you.

Fast Facts

Dunleith Tourist Park, Hutton Road, The Entrance, NSW, (02) 4332 2172, fax: (02) 4333 3609, email: info@dunleithtouristpark.com.au

For information about The Entrance, contact NSW Tourism, 13 20 77, www.visitnsw.com.au