A Mannum Getaway: Where to Eat, Sleep & Play | Review

BIG4 Mannum is the perfect base for a riverside family getaway in South Australia’s Riverland.

Review by Angelica-Hazel Toutounji

Our family absolutely loves getting away for a few nights to relax, switch off and play. We had been planning a Mannum getaway since the start of the year, and we’re so thankful we finally got to experience all that this sweet town has to offer. Located on the banks of the River Murray, Mannum is a historic town with plenty of activities, just an hour from Adelaide. If you’ve only stopped by for a few hours, this is your sign to make a stay of it! We crammed everything into an overnight stay, but ideally, two nights would allow you to go at a slower pace.

First things first, we based ourselves at BIG4 Mannum Holiday Park. This was a great choice, as the holiday park is in a great riverfront location in town, with good facilities for kids, and the cabins are incredibly well maintained. We chose a two-bedroom superior cabin, which had one room with a queen bed and another with single bunk beds plus an additional single bed. The cabin was meticulously clean, the décor was modern, and it literally had everything we could ask for, including a nice balcony for gazing at the river or viewing the playground.

As soon as we arrived, we made a beeline for the playground. It was a little older than others we’ve seen, but our kids still enjoyed it. It has two slides, swings, climbing equipment and a seesaw. It’s also right next door to a BBQ area (with a pizza oven), a basketball hoop and a tennis court. After letting our kids burn off some energy, we made our way to the riverfront to take in the view. We saw so many birds, it was beautiful.  Around us, other families were fishing, BBQing on their decks, and kids were riding around on pedal bikes. The area and holiday park really invite you to disconnect, enjoy the natural setting and get stuck into some good old-fashioned family fun. We only stayed on Friday night, but wished we’d had an extra night to enjoy this place to the fullest.

As we were staying on a Friday night, we decided to visit the very popular Pretoria Hotel & Cellars, a 100-year-old pub with a great view and a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere. There’s indoor and outdoor dining, pretty little fairy lights hung outside, and a lawn area for kids to run around on. As we were short on time, we chose an indoor booth, and the kids were given colouring paper and pens to pass the time while waiting for their food. The restaurant offers all the standard pub fare, along with a selection of kids’ meals that come with a drink. The girls picked chicken schnitzel and calamari, while the adults went for a burger and a steak. All our food was delicious, and we loved that it came with a fresh bread roll, too! We dined early and had a great experience. We could imagine it would book out quickly and get a little rowdy as the night goes on, so keep this in mind when making your booking.

As we had to pack all our activities into a short time frame, we left the restaurant and made tracks to the Dark Sky Reserve for a stargazing tour with Jugglehouse. To summarise: if you’re visiting with older kids, especially ones who are interested in space, this is a must-do Mannum activity.

The next morning, we woke up early for breakfast in our cabin, packed up, checked out and made our way to Dairy Adventures for their Feeding Frenzy morning tour. The lovely owner, Narelle, also recently won a national award as a rural woman in business. I was a little worried about getting the family up early for a 9am tour, but it was so worth it. We loved hand-feeding the calves, meeting Narelle and Joel, and how the activity was a mix of play and education. After finishing our tour, we decided to visit the bakery. It turns out this is a very popular spot with locals, so we only just managed to grab a table! It’s also the place to grab a coffee, so it’s definitely worth a stop.

Next on the agenda was a visit to the Mannum Dock Museum so the kids could complete the seek-and-find trail. We smashed out this activity and then enjoyed a nice little cruise on the oldest operating paddlewheeler in the state, the PW Mayflower. (Check out our review for special Mannum Dock Museum & PW Mayflower offers exclusive to Play & Go readers)

Before leaving Mannum, we had to call past the iconic Nourish Home & Pantry. This place is part health food shop, part whole foods destination, and a great place to grab healthier road-trip snacks and some local specialty items.

Last but not least, we couldn’t help but visit Mannum Waterfalls on our drive home. We parked at the top car park, followed the scenic walking track and found the area was brimming with birdlife, wildflowers and enough water to make this a worthwhile stop. We did the walk with a five and eight year old and found it a little challenging, only because some spots were slippery. If you’re visiting Mannum, this spot isn’t far from town and is definitely worth a visit. Just make sure you wear sensible shoes, remember to be sun smart and watch out for snakes!

Our trip was short but sweet and provided the perfect escape, close enough to home but far enough away to feel like we were worlds away, with enough activities to keep us busy. If you’re looking for something else to do during your stay, you’re so close to Murray Bridge and Monarto Safari Park, which always make for a great time. We’ll absolutely return in the future and highly recommend Mannum and BIG4 Holiday Park for a getaway that blends history, nature and family fun!

What we liked about it:

• We really loved Mannum, it is a small town with some really cool activities and the locals are so friendly
• We loved the BIG4 Mannum Holiday Park, our cabin was lovely, clean and really nice to spend time in

Things to consider:

• We just stayed on the Friday night but ideally we recommend staying Friday to Sunday so you can do all of the activities listed and not be pressed for time
• We booked through ParkBooker and managed to get a great rate and they were very easy to book through and communicate with. Would definitely keep an eye out on this site for deals
• Lots of the activities that we did were weather dependent so it pays to be flexible with your dates and try to book during the warmer months if you can

Location:

Purnong Road, Mannum

You can follow BIG4 Mannum Holiday Park on Instagram and Facebook.

For more information and all enquiries please visit the Mid Murray Council 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 (2026).

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