Reflections raises the camping bar with new look amenities at Forster Beach

Lush gardens, nature-based music and a signature scent: Reflections raises the camping bar with new-look amenities.

In a complete reimagining of the design and feel of standard camping amenity blocks, Reflections Holidays is launching the first of its new biophilic-designed amenities, which promote wellbeing by incorporating elements that connect guests to nature, in Forster.

Opening this summer, the new amenities at Reflections Forster Beach feature a large and central landscaped garden, stylish shower and toilet cubicles crafted from local timber and chic mirrors, generous natural light, indigenous art and local geographic landmarks on the walls, ‘nature inspired’ piped music and a signature Reflections scent.

Reflections CEO Nick Baker said that the standard of amenities blocks in holiday parks are very important to guests and the organisation had employed an interior designer to review guest feedback before developing a design that not only met but exceeded their expectations and encouraged wellbeing by connecting them to nature.

“Whether our guests are staying in a tent at one of our remote inland parks or treating themselves to a luxe stay in a tiny home or modern cabin in a coastal park, we know they want good quality amenities,” Mr Baker said.

“Through our guest feedback process, we listen and learn what is important to our guests. We know the standard of amenities contributes to the satisfaction of their stay, so we invested a great deal of time and effort to research what a best-in-class amenities block looks and feels like, so we could truly lift that experience in our parks.”

Interior designer Hayley Ferguson was guided by Reflections Holiday’s core belief that Life’s Better Outside when considering what features would enhance the park amenity experience for guests. "The brief for the design was to reflect the core of what Reflections is about – bringing people back to nature - and we did that by using biophilic design principles, which promote wellbeing,” Ms Ferguson said. “The central garden is at the heart of the design and really pays homage to the core of what Reflections is trying to achieve – encouraging people out into the beautiful landscapes surrounding our parks.”

The amenities’ design incorporates materials that imitated the natural world, from the movement of the grain in the timber to the textures of tiles and colourways which reflect the warmth of nature.

“Our design brief is achieved in the colour choices, textures, and our large and lush garden in the central courtyard, along with a nature-inspired playlist piped through built in speakers, and a custom Reflections scent to ignite all senses. Essentially, we are recreating the outdoors, indoors,” Ms Ferguson said.

Reflections is developing a model for a best-practice eco park to roll out across its 41 holiday parks, with features ranging from solar panels to smart-metering technology, to reduce its environmental impact.

The Reflections Forster Beach amenities have water-efficient shower heads and the building design affords an abundance of natural light and air flow.

“We have ensured that the materials chosen, locally where possible, are hardwearing and durable as we know these spaces to experience a lot of wear and tear and want to ensure a long lifespan. To improve the air quality, plants act as natural air filters – regularly circulating the air and improving air quality,” Ms Ferguson added.

Other design features include pebble-shaped door handles and robe hooks in a nod to nearby Pebbly Beach.

The new amenities at Reflections Forster Beach have been approved by Mid Coast Council, along with four new cabins at the popular park.

Reflections – a Crown Land manager which reinvests all profit back into the holiday parks and nature reserves in its care – has committed $6 million in FY25 to build new amenities or improve existing amenities at several of its holiday parks across New South Wales. The $6m is a part of a Crown Lands loans facility to improve facilities for communities in NSW.

Reflections is the only holiday park group in Australia that is a certified social enterprise, and the largest adventure holiday group in New South Wales.