Are you looking for a coastal getaway that is close to Sydney, has a kid-friendly holiday park and loads of free things to do with small people?

My friends, I give you Kiama.

I visited for a two night stay to review a Camplify Real Campers van and my love of Kiama – already forming from previous visits – burst into full bloom.

Here are the things I loved.

Big 4 Easts Kiama
This place is a child’s paradise. There are tribes of happy kids pootling around the park on scooters and bikes, shooting digital dinosaurs in the Games Room and mysteriously evading pneumonia in the splash park where they spend many hours, even on an overcast day.

And then there’s the eels. We were camping next to an unassuming little estuary and this is where I found a bed (the collective noun!) of surprisingly handsome eels that would swerve out of the shadows for a quick cameo. I felt like David Attenborough!

OH MY GOD, I thought, sensing a significant scientific discovery.

It wasn’t until later that I realised that the eels are as undiscovered as the Kardashians. Night and day. Day and night. The crowds come and go, ogling my eels. Shining torches at them, trying to catch them, throwing bread at them.

Beyond the majestic eels, there is a perfectly proportioned beach that forms part of the Kiama Coastal Walk, a cafe that sells fatty favourites at 1992 prices and all the things that make a Holiday Park so great: a jumping pillow, an adult pool, a giant playground, clean and well-maintained amenities and a creek for toddlers to paddle in.

Cafe Kiama and Scoops Icecreamery
I think part of the reason I like holidays so much is that I have a free-for-all mentality regarding ice cream and gelato. I eat it every day; sometimes twice. Scoops give generous serves in myriad creamy flavours. You could spend a month working your way through them. Maybe I will?

Minnamurra Rainforest Walk
I love bushwalks but let’s face it: I am a lazy slag. I love the bush and I love being near it but I do not enjoy any form of suffering. That is why this bushwalk is ideal for me. It’s all on raised non-slip boardwalk, there are fun Jumanji suspension bridges and there is a a general sense of tinkly, day spa tranquility. While we did end up having to carry the giant toddler, a normal toddler – one that does not have two devoted adult sherpas – could easily complete the Rainforest Loop on their own squishy legs.

The Collective Beat
OK, so this is less a family activity and more of a mummy activity. This shop is the freakin’ shizznizz. Local makers have gathered together under one roof to sell their handmade and unique wares in a ‘market bazaar’ style atmosphere. Come for the quirky earrings, stay for the designer dog harnesses.

The foreshore playgrounds
People who don’t have small children won’t understand the allure of a playground with a view but if you have to push a toddler on a swing for an indeterminate amount of time, it’s always handy if it’s near a decent cafe and it overlooks one of the prettiest harbours on the South Coast of NSW.

What do you love about Kiama? Share your tips here!