Glamping Bell Tents at Woodhouse Adventure Park | Review

For many Adelaidians, Woodhouse Adventure Park sparks memories of school camps and its legendary obstacle course. These days, it’s also home to spacious bell tents – perfect for family-friendly, affordable glamping.

Review by Lisa Bachmayer

Owned by Scouts SA and open year-round, Woodhouse sits on 54 hectares of native bushland in Piccadilly, just 25 minutes from the Adelaide CBD and 10 minutes from the freeway.

Along with nature-based adventure activities, it offers bunk-style accommodation for groups, as well as chalets, non-powered camping fields and glamping-style bell tents for families.

Now, this is not ‘fancy glamping’ with four-poster beds and throw cushions – nor does it pretend to be. This is affordable glamping; all the magic of traditional camping without the hassle, and plenty of adventure thrown in.

Our family of four – two adults and two girls aged 3 and 7 –  recently spent a weekend in a bell tent at Woodhouse.

There was a lot riding on this trip; if all went well, it could spark a lifelong love for the outdoors. If it didn’t, well, it could be our first and last time camping.

From the moment we arrived at our campsite – welcomed by a warbling magpie and kookaburras laughing in the trees – we were hooked.

“This is going to be the best night ever!” our 3-year-old declared.

“I can’t believe I’ve never been here,” my husband said.

Many years on from my last visit as a teenager, it was time to create new memories with my own family.

Bell Tent Hire

There are three bell tents on the property – two at St George campground and one near the Tube Slide, where we stayed.

Bell tent hire has a minimum two-night stay (three on long weekends) and includes:

• Accommodation in a 5-metre bell tent for four people (sleeping up to six)
• Four camp chairs and a folding table
• Four single mattresses (the Tube Slide tent has a double bed frame plus two singles)
• Private barbecue with hood
• Lantern, whistling kettle, tongs and BBQ spatula
• Private fire drum outside bushfire danger season
• Shared access to toilets, hot showers, undercover dining, sinks and power points at nearby basecamps (about 100m away)
• Access to adventure activities throughout your stay
• 3pm checkout on weekends

As first-time campers, the biggest advantage was not having to invest in expensive equipment before knowing if we’d enjoy camping. Plus, fitting a tent and all the gear into our car would have been a challenge.

Even for experienced campers, not having to set up a tent or hunt for missing pegs is a major win.

We were pleasantly surprised by how spacious the tent was, with plenty of room for luggage and food.

While camping with young kids did mean a few extra walks to the toilets (including a hill for the Tube Slide site), it also brought some memorable moments – spotting possums by torchlight and wandering through misty bushland in the morning.

Shared facilities – including toilets, showers, sinks and undercover dining areas – are in large Basecamps about 100m away from each bell tent site.

Sitting down to breakfast on our final day, surrounded by an orchestra of kookaburras, we realised the simple comforts our bell tent stay provided removed the stress of camping while still delivering the magic.

Adventure Activities

Beyond the beautiful bushland setting, one of the biggest drawcards of staying at Woodhouse is the range of included adventure activities.

With the two girls, aged three and seven, we tackled the labyrinth, the Tube Slide, and Challenge Hill Obstacle Course – all highlights of our stay. A park map provided at check-in gives a helpful overview of activities and time estimates.

We explored the labyrinth at dusk, with almost no one else around – just a koala enjoying dinner in the gum trees above. The split-level maze includes a tunnel slide, stairs and a fireman’s pole, with riddles to solve along the way. A smaller tunnel maze nearby was also a hit, especially with headlamps.

Challenge Hill features 30 obstacles set along a well-marked loop. Our 7-year-old enthusiastically tackled almost every challenge, while our 3-year-old happily joined in where she could – particularly enjoying the smaller tunnels and maze-style obstacles.

Both kids loved the double zip line towards the end, while a nearby area – featuring a slide, sand and climbing structures was perfect for our youngest adventurer.

The parents joined in the fun (and exercise) too!

The Tube Slide, open on weekends and most public holidays, was such a hit that we went back twice. Riding down on large inflatable tubes, you can choose between a fast, straight slide or a curvier option. Younger children can ride the straight slide with an adult, as our 3-year-old girl did.

Be prepared for the uphill walk carrying the surprisingly heavy tubes – but the ride down is well worth it.

Other included activities include orienteering, disc golf, hiking trails, a multi-dimensional climbing structure and an indoor recreation centre with small climbing walls.

We didn’t leave the park all weekend – and didn’t need to bring toys. The kids (and adults) were busy from morning to night.

Our Verdict

Travelling with kids and all the extra “stuff” required is hard enough, let alone camping. The Woodhouse bell tent experience, with a tent, BBQ, table and chairs provided, along with amenities and activities, made this an easy, enjoyable and memorable introduction to camping.

This is the kind of trip that has you planning the next one on the drive home – and we rarely repeat holidays. Not only did we bond as a family and create special memories, but we also discovered that we can – and want to – be a camping family.

Set among the beautiful gums of the Adelaide Hills, this is a trip the whole family will enjoy.

What we loved:

• The spacious bell tent and included setup (mattresses, BBQ, table and chairs) saved space and hassle; perfect for first-time campers.
• The beautiful natural bushland setting
• 3pm checkout on weekends, with park access until 5pm on departure day
• Clean, well-equipped basecamps with toilets, hot showers, sinks and covered dining areas
• Wildlife spotting, including koalas, possums, magpies and kookaburras
• On-site support available if needed.
• A private fire drum is provided outside bushfire danger season.
• Included adventure activities suitable for a wide range of ages.
• Close proximity (under 10 minutes) to nearby towns for supplies.

Things to consider:

• Take your own linen (or hire for an additional fee). We took sleeping bags, blankets, towels and pillows.
• Woodhouse provides a helpful online packing list
• No fridges are available – take an esky. Frozen plastic water bottles worked well as ice packs.
• For charging devices, take a battery pack or use power points at basecamps.
• The bell tent site near the Tube Slide is more exposed than those at the St George campground, where the bell tents are under trees. You may like to bring a shade, though there are trees around the edges so we just moved the tables and chairs with the shade.
• Closed-in shoes (not Crocs) are required for activities, including Challenge Hill and the Tube Slide.
• The Tube Slide is only open weekends and most public holidays.
• Temperatures in the Hills can vary – pack for warm days and cool nights.
• A small backpack is useful for carrying water and snacks during activities.
• With so much to do, toys aren’t necessary – simple options like card games and sketchbooks are more than enough.
• Our eldest girl loved drawing pictures of the wildlife we spotted.
• No campfires during fire danger season (roughly November to April).

Woodhouse Adventure Park also hosts drop & go school holiday programs – more info here

CLICK HERE TO BOOK ACCOMMODATION ONLINE

Location:

37 Spring Gully Rd, Piccadilly SA 5151

For more information and all enquiries please visit the Woodhouse Adventure Park website.

At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.

As per all our Play & Go reviews, this is not a sponsored post and our review is done completely independently. All photos are by Play & Go (unless specified).

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