The Camping Thread

[Lulu]

Alexandra is lovely. The Taggerty Caravan park is good too, it has the river right through it, pool, bbq facilities. I'm moreof a cabin camper though

Has anyone done a HUGE trip of Oz? I'm broadly planning one for 6-12 months, in about 2 years circumstances permitting.
I really like the converted buses (Partridge Family style!) but not sure how practical it would be.

[~Hestia~]

Lulu we're hoping to do this in a few years time, when DH has long service leave. Can't wait!

[Lulu]

What will you go in? Caravan, car/camper trailer?

For some reason I don't like the idea of towing a caravan, and camper trailers seem too much trouble for me (I have friends with AWESOME set ups though).

Maybe I just got sucked in by the motorhomes I looked at a few years ago.....They be COOL.

[~Hestia~]

lol a motorhome would be ace! DH is really into camper trailers, though we don't have one yet I'm sure we will by then! They can be quite fiddly to pack up but I think hard floors are meant to be a lot easier. Better than our ol' faithful canvas tent!

[kawazuki]

this is a great idea
we are big campers.
looking into geting a camper trailer soon.

we did a 5000km camping trip, set up camp pull down drive 800km repeat next day.
was great

[Lulu]

Scuuuuse me Kawazuki, you can't just leave it at that!

Where did you go, how long did you stay at each place, how long did 5000k take?

[~Hestia~]

We went pretty close to 5000kms a few years back. Went from Geelong all the way to Ayers Rock and Alice Springs. Drove along the old Ghan railway track that is no longer there but there were heaps of ruins!

[Mother Goose]

DH did around Australia when he was about 5. His parents are serious caravaners (always have been) and took a 4x4 and caravan. They actually wrote one off at the very very very tip of Australia (on the Cape) once but I don't think it was on this trip.

I'd love to go camping with DD - I went a lot as a kid and want her to experience this wonderful kind of experience as well!

[kawazuki]

Scuuuuse me Kawazuki, you can't just leave it at that!

Where did you go, how long did you stay at each place, how long did 5000k take?

ok now i dont have a screamin child i will elaborate

our aim was to get to Mackay for a Job interview.

so we left our house 3 days late due to Miss M being in hospital with tonsillitis.
the trip was meant to be about 6000km but due to leaving late we had to re write the plans.

so first stop was orange, we didnt camp this night as we had driven 800km after leaving hospital at 11am so didn't get in till really late.

next stop was lightning ridge, set up camp went opal mining for an hour or so then cooked, and bed..

from lightning ridge, we went to roma, which wasn't as nice but still decent.

then on to emerald. stayed 2 nights there from memory, it was beautiful, lovely caravan park.

then we did some dirt roads and through farms and ended up at the back of some massive mine, wow those machines are HUGE..

then got into mackay, we stayed at a lovely beach on the north side in the smallest caravan park ever.. lol we opened out tent door and walked maybe 20 paces and we were on the beach, then it was a 2km walk to water( low tide) lol

we stayed here 2 nights, as our original plan was to go further north to bowen for a night, but we were a bit exhausted and just fell in love with this beach.
when i dont have baby brain or sleep deprivation i will get the names, they were awesome.

then we moved to a cabin on the south side as al had his interview so we wouldn't be able to pack tent and get him to interview by 8am.
then that afternoon we headed back down the coast to come home.
we stopped as a discovery caravan park on the highway south of rockhampton at lake maraboon
ohh this was nice had a huge jumping pillow and excellent facilities
we basically chose a spot and set up camp..

then we headed south again and got to Big4 at forest glen.
we camped again, set up at 5pm and made dinner watched a movie had a swim, played put out then
we headed south again to port mac, where we stayed for a couple of days for my pops 90th

so all up it was 4699km and 10 days.
from southern highlands in nsw to north qld and back..

we will be doing the one way trip soon as we loved mackay so much we are moving there...

we only had the 4wd and roof racks.
we took a 12 man tent, 2 camp beds, a blow up queen bed, a ports cot,
3 gas bottles, 2 portable stoves, a cooking attachment for the gas bottles, out 90l fridge freezer, enough food for 2 weeks, clothes for 2 weeks, 3 kids, 2 adults and the computer.
table and chairs, everything but the kitchen sink..

[kawazuki]

if your going to do caravan parks you cant go past a big4 or discovery, have great facilities and always very clean, if you become a memeber you get discounts and special rate

there s lots in reach from brissy
look at the national parks website.. sooo many nice places up there..

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

Ohhh LOVE this thread.

As kids we used to go camping ATLEAST 2 major trips a year.
1 was always easter, 3 families went (dad & his best mates who's oldest kids are my age), it was generally 3 men and 6 kids OR 6 adults and 6 kids (dependant on our mums feeling like going or not).
As LO's we slept in our parents tent but once we got a little older we had a dedicated 'kids' tent, we had a food/wet weather tent and our parents either had small 2 man tents or slept in the back of utes etc.
We took motorbikes, lots of esky's fishing gear, enough food for the whole trip. We went 4WD, motor bike riding, fishing and swimming and it was the GREATEST fun growing up.

TIPS:
Have a 'camp box' buy bits and pieces you will need and store all your camping stuff in 1 spot.
Buy things like noodles, tinned soups, etc with long used by dates and keep them in the box sealed well, plastic knives & forks sets, cups, mugs, keep old pots & pans to use for 'camp'.
spare batteries, a torch etc.

At the moment we go to the caravan we have set it up so that when we get there everything is basically ready to go, we can unpack the caravan and DD's can nap straight away etc if they need to, we leave batteries and everything in their own little places and we know what needs to come out and what can stay until the next day.

I love camping, i tell DP the caravan is NOT camping, even though we cook on an open fire, have no running water etc.... i love the old school, pitch a tent and rug up camping... ahh the good old days.
Can't wait to get my girls their first tent.. camp outs in the backyard.. hehe

[Early Kids]

ooo I LOVE camping!

We just bought a camper trailer!

[Cherished]

YAY a camping thread, can't believe I missed this... I must have been off on my babymoon DH and i looove camping! I posted our fav spots in another thread last week I think when someone was asking for spots in QLD. DH and I go camping a few times a year and manged to go when I was about 24 weeks pregnant and thought it would be our last trip for a while. Funnily enough when my parents visited us when DS was 1 week old and they told us that they went camping when they had their 1st baby (my older sister) when she was 9 days old we were like OMG there's no way we would have the brain power to do that let alone feel physically up to it! Granted they were young as most people were having babies back then, she was 19 or 20 or something and my sister was born in early January and that was when they always went camping so yeah they still went and didn't have any problems. We continued to go camping at the same spot every year after christmas and I have such wonderful memories of that place!

[~Phoenix~]

Pac - Congrats on the camper, that's one thing on our wish list....ahhh one day Enjoy your trip over this way, think we've put on some nice weather for you and March is a fun time in Adelaide with the fringe festival and a few other things on to do.

Can't believe Easter is only a few weeks away, getting excited about our 6 night adventure. Time gets away so quickly I better start getting myself organsied.

[Beach Mama]

Off to Inverloch in the Eagle this long weekend! Whooo! Weather is looking cool and wet but there is an indoor pool and have packed loads of Lego and games if we get stuck inside!!

Anyone else off this weekend!!???

ETA: MG you posted AGES ago about Buchan Caves - we camped there quite a few years ago for Easter - it was cold but brilliant! Loved the campsite all set in the valley and as claustrophobic as I am the caves were pretty amazing too!

[Fleur]

I did but I was only about 18 months old, lol. I always thought that was very unfair of mum & dad.

I have friends who converted an old army bus (one of the huuuuge ones) and went in that, as far as I know all went well & they still have it, use it for guests