Cotton Tree Holiday Park

Cotton Tree Holiday Park is an urban waterside stay, not a remote beach camp. The eight-hectare park sits between the Maroochy River and Maroochydore Beach, with powered and unpowered camping, 24 powered waterfront sites, cabins and a four-bedroom beach house. It suits families, paddlers and travellers who want shops and food within walking distance. It is a mismatch for dog owners, campers seeking solitude or anyone unwilling to manage a large, busy internal road network.

The three decisions that matter#

Question	Practical answer
Will it give you the trip you want?	Choose it for river access, beach access, full amenities and walkable town convenience. Skip it for a quiet bush-camp atmosphere or a pet-friendly stay.
Which site should you choose?	Select the correct equipment category first, then choose waterfront versus shorter amenity access. Ask reception to confirm size, surface and allocation if a particular position matters.
What is arrival like?	Enter from Cotton Tree Parade, use the visitor parking if early, check in during 8am–5pm reception hours where possible and do not plan to arrive after 8pm. Internal roads are shared at 8km/h.

Choosing the right site type#

The official site map and rules shows a very large park with riverfront and ocean edges, several amenity/laundry blocks, boom gates, a separate pedestrian gate and a visitor carpark. It does not publish pitch dimensions or a current shade survey.

• Caravan plus annex: choose a powered slab category. The slab solves the annex surface, but confirm the combined van, drawbar and vehicle length before paying.
• Powered tent: book the tent-specific powered category. A powered caravan bay is not automatically suitable for pegs, and the rules prohibit pegging tarpaulins over common grass.
• Riverfront caravan experience: the operator lists 24 powered waterfront sites overlooking the Maroochy River. They maximise water outlook but may bring public-edge activity, wind and bird exposure.
• Riverfront tent experience: the operator says ten unpowered tent sites front the river at the “point”. These sell quickly and trade power for location.
• Shorter amenity route or reduced mobility: do not guess from a category name. Ask reception for a bay near an accessible amenity block and confirm the actual surface and step-free route. Two accessible villas are the firmer option when a fully accessible bathroom is essential.

The park does not promise that every booking can choose an exact number. If quiet, shade, a waterfront edge or amenity distance will make or break the stay, call 07 5459 9070 with those priorities before booking.

Booking and cost#

The park now uses a NewBook checkout; older RMS or legacy Sunshine Coast URLs are stale. Prices, minimum stays, deposits and available categories vary by date, so record the complete checkout total and cancellation terms rather than relying on an old “from” price.

The map rules say a deposit is required when booking and the balance may be required before arrival or at check-in. Cancellation notice varies by period: 60 days for Christmas and Easter peak periods, 28 days for other school holidays, public holidays, long weekends and special events, and seven days in off-peak or shoulder periods. Read the live policy because later revisions can supersede the map dated April 2025.

Arrival and the first hour#

Reception is open 8am–5pm daily and closed on Christmas Day. If you will be late, arrange entry directly in advance; arrivals after 8pm are not permitted. Early arrivals should call and wait outside if the site is not ready.

The map separates the entrance, exit, visitor carpark, boom gates and pedestrian gate. On arrival:

1. Use the Cotton Tree Parade entrance and keep the confirmation accessible.
2. Stop at reception or follow the pre-arranged after-hours instructions; do not circulate in search of an unconfirmed bay.
3. Drive at the signed 8km/h walking pace. Roads are shared with children, cyclists and pedestrians.
4. Keep the single permitted vehicle within the allocated site. Visitor cars remain outside the park.
5. Reverse a motorhome onto its site, and position a caravan with the drawbar facing the road as required by the evacuation rule.
6. Locate the nearest amenity block, pedestrian gate and evacuation assembly point before dark.

Facilities, comfort and rules#

The park provides a camp kitchen, riverside barbecues, three laundries, a dump point, four amenity buildings with baby and accessible facilities, free Wi-Fi, and LPG, ice and bait for sale. There are beach showers, but these do not replace a private wash; use the amenity showers for that.

Open fires and naked flames are prohibited; only electric or gas barbecues are allowed. Generators are prohibited, quiet hours run from 10pm to 7am, and ropes or lines must not be tied to trees. Dogs are not accepted at Cotton Tree. Secure valuables and keep food sealed: this is a permeable urban waterfront and wildlife lives in the park.

The river gives calmer-water options than the open surf, but neither is supervised by the holiday park. Check local conditions and supervise children. The Cotton Tree Aquatic Centre next door has 50m and 25m pools when a managed pool session is a better choice; verify its hours separately.

A worthwhile day without moving the vehicle#

Start with a self-contained session at the Cotton Tree Aquatic Centre next door, then return to camp for lunch and use the pedestrian gate for the river or beach. This is a low-logistics plan rather than a fixed trail: set the pool session length when booking, assess the river and surf on the day, and return through the same gate before it affects park access. For paddling, confirm a safe launch point, tide, wind and return time before putting in; the holiday-park page does not publish a universal paddle route.

What campers say#

Tripadvisor's 427 reviews provide a large but mixed sample; Anycamp and Google-review extracts surfaced through public search were checked as a second channel.

• River-and-beach location, walkability and clean amenities recur across independent reviews.
• Recent reviews disagree about crowding and management during busy periods. Expect the experience to change with occupancy rather than treating either praise or criticism as universal.
• Multiple accounts praise new fencing and gates, while isolated 2026 reports still raise security concerns. Secure gear and report incidents; neither theme proves a guaranteed safety outcome.
• A 2026 repeat guest reported persistent scrub-turkey mess around vans. Treat this as an anecdote, but avoid leaving food out and inspect overhanging roost areas before setup.
• Waterfront demand is consistently strong. Book the category you actually want and confirm allocation rather than assuming a vacant-looking bay can be substituted on arrival.

Alternatives: when another park is a better fit#

• Choose Maroochydore Beach Holiday Park for direct access to a patrolled surf beach, a smaller beachfront focus and dogs on application. It has powered sites but lacks Cotton Tree's unpowered riverfront category and broad accommodation mix.
• Choose Mudjimba Beach Holiday Park if bringing a dog is central. Confirm the pet application, chosen site and facilities there; you give up Cotton Tree's direct Maroochy River frontage and town-centre walkability.

Recheck before you pay#

Confirm the exact equipment category, site dimensions, allocation policy, full stay price and current cancellation window in NewBook. Call reception on 07 5459 9070 about late arrival, waterfront placement, shade, accessibility or a long rig. Those details are allocation-dependent and cannot be safely inferred from the general site map.