Trish - I'd love to read the blog, if that's okay! That books sounds like an invaluable tool as well. Sounds like you had a fantastic time. Love your av!!!
So as I mentioned last time, we're going to elope and go camping for a week very soon after our baby girl is born (which will hopefully be in the next few days). We were going to go to Minnie Waters but I've just spoken to someone who has been there recently and the addition of lots of goanna's and a couple of dingoes and snakes has ruled it out for us, also there was no running water which I will need as I will have just had a baby and therefore hygeine will be pretty important.
So I'm wondering if any of you can suggest somewhere South you've been or heard of that would be suitable? We are happy to go about 6-7 hours South of Brisbane and would like to be near a good fishing spot. I don't mind if there's not full on showers and toilets as long as there is a tap so we can have fresh water to wash with.
Thanks so much girls. Also if anyone can recommend any good sites to get info??
Ella - sorry, didn't get a notification for this, didn't realise anyone had posted. I think Big 4's are pretty popular, maybe one of the QLD girls will know of a great spot for you. Hope you've had your gorgeous newborn cuddles by now!
Trish - I keep taking sneek peaks at your blog, but I get so jealous! I want to go now!!
We're off next weekend, trying to rack my brains for anything we'll need for DD to make life easier...I know we'll forget something!
Well even with the torrential rain, the electrical storm and mud mud mud, we had a BLAST!!!!
We went to the Best Friend Holiday Retreat in Yarram. If you haven't been, seriously, go. The people that run it are lovely. The site is set up specifically for dogs, each site is fenced and there are large dog pens where you can let your dogs run around. It's the third time we've been and probably love it even more with each visit. Because of the pens, we didn't have to worry about DD wandering away, and she was so content and happy, she loved every minute of it. She played with our dogs, splashed in the mud, ran around the pens. Our beagle took a sprint down the hill at one point and bowled her over, and all she could do was laugh. If you need to go somewhere without dogs, you can board them in the onsite kennel until you get back (daytime only)
Friday was really steamy, we went for a walk which I really struggled with in the heat. We cooked up spag bol on our stoves and washed up in our camp kitchen much to the amusement of my stepfather. I don't think he believed we were actually doing it, but even he couldn't deny the food was great! Saturday we went hunting for a good fishing spot, found one at Port Albert, returned to the camp site where my brother, SIL and niece had arrived. We went back to the spot with all of us, and the boys went out on the pier and then the rain came down. I stayed in the car with mum, SIL and kids and all we could do was laugh. They were on the freaking pier in an electrical storm!! They gave up one by one, and were all back in the car within 10 minutes. Got back to the site, DH and brother decided to try their luck at the river opposite the camp ground (holds trout, eel and crayfish) as the rain had eased to a light shower, so off they went....and my brother fell into the river He snapped my fishing rod too!! Saturday night we had a bbq. The rain during the night was just so unbelievable! 50mm!! But thankfully, our tent didn't leak, but we did have a visit from a baby lobster!! Sunday was DH's actual birthday so we had lunch in the local pub and then said goodbye to my brother, SIL and niece. We did a chicken with fruit Morroccon style casserole (Tagine) with rice for dinner and then sat around our campfire eating marshmellows. Off to bed. I woke up at around 4am and realised the fire had reignited, so DH got up to hose that out. A few minutes later, just as he got comfy again, there was this grunting scratching noise. We were both like "Did you hear that?" "What the hell is that?" DH got back up, grabbed the lantern, and peered out the tent. He stands at the door for a minute and then says "Oh my god, its a freaking koala!" I bolted out of bed, DD slept through. We had a covered site, so sort of like a car port that went over, and climbing up the pole of that next to our tent was this beautiful fat koala. Took a few photos as it climbed back down the pole, walked behind the tent, around the car and then up and over the gate, back into the darkness.
So that was our trip! We had an absolute ball. If you get the chance to go down there, they have a website if you google them.
Oh wow PRMG! That sounds like a fantastic trip! Your camping food sounds amazing, the best we usually manage are some sausages on the bbq and some salad bits and pieces! Wow about the koala, how beautiful! Very lucky Our first trip with DD we had a possum break into our tent (ripped itself a nice hole) and stole our breadrolls i was saving to make egg and bacon rolls for breakfast. DD thought it was hilarious and still asks to play camping and someone has to be the possum and steal the breadrolls. Its a shame your DD slept through the Koala!
Glad you had a great time despite the weather PRMG! I giggled at your visit from a baby lobster, can't say I've ever had that happen LOL! That place you went to sounds great, I'll have to check out the website .
We're off camping at Wilson's Prom this weekend. It's one of our most favourite camping spots. It is so beautiful and the kids love it. The wombats come out when the sun starts to set, very exciting for the kids! The weather looks dicey this weekend, but we're going regardless!
Appletree - Yeah, I guess our food wasn't normal camping food, but we only used two pots and a frypan, so we stretched our imagination. Plus DH wanted the tagine-style dinner for his birthday, but we were thrilled at the way it came up. We did have the use of a fridge down there as my parents stayed in a cabin, but we cooked outside. That must've been a fair hole the possum ripped in your tent, they can be fat little things!! The next trip is still in the "unknown" zone. We want to go to Adelaide and we want to go to Tassie, but I'm not sure when or which one we'll do first.
Trish - Yarram isn't far from Wilson's Prom. Hope you have a wonderful time. The lobster freaked me out! We'd just come back to the tent, it was dark and I put my hand down to unzip the tent and felt it, I squealed and DH got the torch and we saw what it was. It was only the size of the palm of your hand, but we had a laugh once my heart finished pounding!!
We've retired our tent for now. We're picking up the camper either this week or next, I think. And we've decided to paint a phrase across the back saying "You're not camping right if you go home without a story". So if you see it in your travels, give us a wave!
Well we got a big suprise! We have just bought a caravan! Saw it the day I went to hospital to have the baby and thought it was cute, got out of hospital and got told we'd bought it!! It's a 1978 Millard that is old but has been owned by the same couple since it was brand new. They were so cute, more concerned about the new baby than selling the van lol. Absolute bargain though, $900 for the van and everything you could want to go with it. They gave us the massive annex which is bigger than the caravan itself! Also got- 2 spare tyres, 2 fans, carpets, and a wipper snipper lol.
So... we're leaving this morning to go on holidays! Going to go to Evans Head which is South of Ballina in NSW. Wish us luck! Taking 7 day old bubba and 2 year old so should be an adventure!
Holy cow, what a bargain Ella! Congratulations on buying a caravan!!! You will have years of fun and adventure for sure . I'm so jealous of you going to Evans Head, such a beautiful area . DH & I have camped and surfed along the NSW coast a couple of times (pre-kids) and absolutely love it. The north coast is definitely my favourite part. Have fun!!!
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!
PRMG - Woohoo on getting your camper!! When and where is your first trip?
Cherished1 - Do you tent it or do you have a caravan? I stopped camping at about 22 weeks when pg with DD, our caravan mattress isn't that comfy and I'd end up crippled with my dodgy unstable pelvis in the morning LOL! Wow @ camping with a 9 day old bub! Your parents must have been super-keen!
Trish they really are super keen lol apparently before we were all born they really roughed it camping too, like only took the bare essentials. Growing up we were always going on holidays, not just camping/caravaning ones but resort ones too and I guess the bug has gotten on me too. As a child we went around Australia too and mum and dad now spend 4 months of the year in WA, 4 months in SA and 4 months in Vic so they are still at it. We have a tent at this stage which dh bought for my 30th birthday a few years back. He got all the camping gear, mattress, chairs etc and surprised me with a camping trip and we've never looked back Maybe years down the track we'll get a caravan but we would have nowhere to keep it in this house. besides I think younger kids like the tent thing cause it's like a cubby house especially when they are old enough to be in a tent on their own I was pretty sore when we went camping at 24 weeks pg, thankfully dh did everything so I didn't have to worry too much. Our mattress is also pretty comfy and we take one of those egg shell overlays too... yeah we go in comfort cause I'm too precious to wake up sore lol
2014 BellyBelly RAK Recipient.
He snapped my fishing rod too!! Saturday night we had a bbq. The rain during the night was just so unbelievable! 50mm!! But thankfully, our tent didn't leak, but we did have a visit from a baby lobster!! Sunday was DH's actual birthday so we had lunch in the local pub and then said goodbye to my brother, SIL and niece. We did a chicken with fruit Morroccon style casserole (Tagine) with rice for dinner and then sat around our campfire eating marshmellows. Off to bed. I woke up at around 4am and realised the fire had reignited, so DH got up to hose that out. A few minutes later, just as he got comfy again, there was this grunting scratching noise. We were both like "Did you hear that?" "What the hell is that?" DH got back up, grabbed the lantern, and peered out the tent. He stands at the door for a minute and then says "Oh my god, its a freaking koala!" I bolted out of bed, DD slept through. We had a covered site, so sort of like a car port that went over, and climbing up the pole of that next to our tent was this beautiful fat koala. Took a few photos as it climbed back down the pole, walked behind the tent, around the car and then up and over the gate, back into the darkness.
. I'm so jealous of you going to Evans Head, such a beautiful area
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!
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