The Dicky Beach Family Holiday Park, located on the Sunshine Coast, is a camping destination that has a lot going for it.

The Holiday Park is located north of Caloundra at Beerburrum Street, Dicky Beach. Access to Beerburrum Street is via Nicklin Way, the main thoroughfare north to Mooloolaba and Noosa. Beerburrum Street is well marked and runs to the east.

The park’s reception area is easy to find in Beerburrum Street. There is a sign on the eastern wall at the entrance, the boom gates are prominent and the main reception office and kiosk are located on the left as you enter. There is a small visitors parking area here as well.

The is a big holiday park, flanked by Cooroy Street on the west, Coochin Street on the north and the gold old Pacific Ocean on the east, with a visitors carpark on the east as well.

When staying at Dicky Beach Family Holiday Park it’s very easy to be lulled to sleep by the gentle roar of the surf which is virtually within metres of the Park’s north eastern boundary.

The camping area is nice and level with plenty of grass, and there’s a mix of open areas interspersed with shaded tree-covered places. At this time of year it makes senses to head for the shaded camping areas, but the sunny areas would be the pick during winter.

Non-campers are catered for as well, with cabins and a lodge. As you enter the park you’ll see the cabins on your right, with the quite large lodge being located at the end of the initial driveway. The camping areas – and there area a couple of hundred available – are established elsewhere.

There are three main amenity areas with laundry areas, camp kitchens and so forth set up to make visitors feel at home, The Holiday Park also has a children’s playground and tennis court, both of which were getting plenty of use during my visit.

One thing that impressed me at Dicky Beach was the friendliness of managers Clive and Dyanne, plus the fact that the visitors who were staying at the Park were very obviously enjoying themselves. Everything was well organized – the well-kept grounds a tribute to Clive’s efforts – and yet very relaxed.

While on the topic of relaxation, it’s an easy walk across to the North Caloundra Surf Lifesaving Clubhouse, on the northern end of the park, if you feel the need for some liquid refreshment or a meal. Next to the Clubhouse is the Dicky Beach surf beach, with a supervised area for swimmers.

And here’s a bit of trivia: the area is actually named after a shipwreck, the SS Dicky, which ran aground on the beach during rough seas in 1893. A sign on the beach walkway tells the story of the ill-fated ship, and the propeller of the SS Dicky is located in the park, as a monument, just south of the beach. The skeletal remains of the wreck are still visible to the north.

The beach here has an easterly aspect but wave action tends to be reduced during southerlies due to the presence of the main Caloundra headland to the south. This makes Dicky Beach a great location for swimmers and anglers alike.

Now for the fishing possibilities. Offshore is the buzz, of course, with boaties heading out from Mooloolaba to the north or through the Caloundra bar when it is workable. Broken ground and quite deep water is close by, and offshore catches turn up some terrific reef fish, pelagics such as mackerel, tuna, kingfish and the like, and even billfish for those anglers with the right equipment.

There’s also good fishing available to shore-based anglers. On the stretch of beach directly behind the caravan park, the main fish targeted would be whiting, bream, dart, flathead or tailor, with maybe jew at night.

A mate of mine caught quite a good number of mackerel here as well recently, taking his bag limit on most mornings. There is deep water not far out, and if the bait is present so too will be the predators.

While the highly sought-after mackerel aren’t common catches here, I’m betting that tailor are always a possibility even at this time of year. A good time to target them is after a southerly blow, which brings the bait in close.

There are so many options to explore in this area, with miles of beautiful golden beach at your disposal.

Personally, I’d be inclined to give the whiting a run for their money, given the sight of all those little holes and gutters along the beach at low tide. Beachworms are there for those who can catch them, too. And don’t overlook the rock outcrops for bream or tailor either, as there are headlands on both the north and south sides of the main Dicky Beach area.

The beauty of spending a holiday here is that nothing is far away. There are bait and tackle stores in Caloundra, lots of other infrastructure for holidaymakers to enjoy, and all the nightlife you could wish for. But, above all, the whole Dicky Beach area has a relaxed and laid-back atmosphere that will make you never want to leave.

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2) The walkway to the main beach area behind the park. How easy would it be to have a fish here?

3) An ideal summer campsite among the paperbarks.

4) The main Dicky Beach surfing area with the remains of the SS Dicky in the background.

1) You can’t miss the entrance to the Dicky Beach Family Holiday Park in Beerburrum Street.