Sustainability

Here at the BIG4 Ballarat Windmill Holiday Park we are dedicated to continuously maintaining and improving our sustainability practices. We’re always on the lookout for the latest additions to reduce our carbon footprint, water usage and waste generation. We’ve compiled a list of our current sustainability practices and would love to hear your ideas on making our park eco-friendlier!

• We actively promote water conservation measures. This includes using low-flow fixtures and daily checking of our water usage statistics to identify any leaks or areas to improve.
• Bore water in use throughout the park for watering and when possible.
• Tank water used for pools, collected by our purpose-designed slanted roof
• An 80KW solar power system that powers the park and contributes to the heating of the pool.
• Recycling bins are strategically placed, and we encourage guests to participate in recycling efforts. Our aim is to minimize landfill waste and reduce our ecological footprint.
• We encourage our guests to save their compost scraps to feed to our chickens, who get a wonderfully varied diet as a result.
• We have retained many our old-growth gum trees, which store carbon and provide essential habitat to the local wildlife.
• When completing park improvements or repairs, we follow the ‘use what you have’ philosophy to avoid purchasing new materials and always make sure to salvage anything reusable.
• Our cleaning chemicals are all eco-friendly and responsibly sourced where possible.
• We are transitioning away from single-use items toiletry items (soaps, hair products) and are in the process of replacing them with reusable products.
• We are installing an EVC port in our carpark to encourage the use of electric vehicles.

Accessibility

Everyone is welcome to enjoy our park regardless of race, gender, religion, age, ability or background.  Read on to learn about our park’s diversity practices.

Facility Accessibility

We are equipped with a walker friendly cabin with a ramp which can be booked on request. We are in the process of installing two new fully accessible cabins and renovating two existing cabins to be accessible. All other cabins are equipped with small sets of stairs with rails leading to the cabin, most of these are photographed on our website for your reference. Our showers/bathrooms are all walk-in, either level with the floor or a 10-15cm step.

We have an All Gender and Accessible Family Bathroom facility, complete with bath, baby bath, walk-in shower and toilet located in the main toilet block.

The railings in our Indoor Heated Pool and Spa Complex provide easy access down the steps.

We’ve included a double-seater go-kart in our fleet to allow a rider to carry a passenger.

All cabins have internet access, although we recommend connecting at/close to reception before walking back to your cabin for the most effective connection. Most cabins include TVs that are compatible with DVDs and smart TV devices, such as Apple TV and Chromecast (devices not supplied).

Sensory

Most of our crowds and noise tend to be focused around our play areas and recreation activities. For the highest chance at a low-stimulation environment we recommend visiting these in the middle of the day, when guests are visiting town, or during the first and last hour of opening. However, we always ask guests to behave in a quiet and respectful manner and aim to provide a pleasant experience for all attendees at any time of day.

Animals

Our BIG PAWS Pet Friendly area is quite popular and likely to always have lots of furry friends in it. This area is located in the back section of the park so visitors who are cautious of animals or sensitive to barking can experience all that our Holiday Park has to offer without needing to go to this area.

We ask all visitors to keep their dogs on leash when outside of their pet-friendly cabin or site. If you have a particular fondness for pets, then we encourage you to say hello to the owners and ask if you can have a pat. Most of our guests are happy to introduce people to their animals, but please respect any answer or instructions the owner may give you.

Feedback and improvements

We’re always interested in ways we can improve our park, so if you have any feedback, ideas or suggestions on making our park a better experience for all travellers, we’d love to hear them! We aim to be as conscious as we can towards the experience of our guests and our impact on the environment, and we hope to continue improving the experience for everyone.