Consider the portable
canvas option for your next road trip.
After Mum and Dad told
me their camping stories from the ‘50s, pitching a tent somewhere in the great
Aussie outback was about the last thing I ever wanted to. But on a 4WD trip to Cape York recently, I rediscovered the primal joys of
sleeping under canvas miles from the nearest streetlight or flush toilet.
As you flick through
the pages of your favourite travel magazine (yes, this one!) gazing longingly
at the golden, palm lined beaches and the lush forest destinations, you might
be thinking these exotic locations are the exclusive realm of the rich and
famous. Maybe, not! Camping has long been a favourite Australian pastime and an
accepted means of visiting places a long way from home without running up
exorbitant hotel and resort bills.
I’ll confess that on
our tour to the “tip”, we mixed and matched our digs. From the glamour of swish
Bloomfield Lodge, to a humpy on the beach at Munbah we truly experienced the
extremes of accommodation options. Yet, it was the camping experience that
defined our journey.
Sure, camping isn’t
for everyone, but you might find it makes an enriching and cost effective
alternative for that dreamed-of road trip across the country. By alternating
tent, cabin, motel and resort, you can spoil yourself occasionally while
keeping a lid on expenses.
My mum, now well into
her seventies, rediscovered the joys of camping when she and a friend spent two
years exploring the far corners of the continent in a station wagon packed with
camping gear.
“Well, darling,” Mum
recalls, “we really enjoyed ourselves. It was a relaxing, fun holiday. But we
didn’t go without our comforts.”
In those two years,
Mum covered the length and breadth of the country, ticking off favourite
locations like Charters Towers, Alice Springs, Hughenden, Arkaroola and Kings Canyon.
“We only pitched the
tents when we intended to stay more than a couple of nights. It’s a bit of a
pest putting them up and down every day, so we’d get a cabin if we were just
passing through.”
“Come on Mum,” I
implored, “there must have been something you didn’t like.”
“Not really love. We
were pretty well prepared and we chose our locations and weather very
carefully.”
Knowing your
destination and its climate is a key to enjoyable camping. Do your homework and
visit locations during their most agreeable weather. For example, the Outback
is gorgeous mid-year when the weather is mild and rainfall at its lowest.
Mum rattled off her
list of camping must-haves and I compared it with mine.
Tent (one per person);
fully-floored with insect netting. Blow-up mattresses. Doona, sheets and pillow
(I took a sleeping bag and camp stretcher). Long extension cord, power board
with appliances; Jug, toaster, electric skillet, hot plate (or gas primus),
portable telly, fan heater. Other useful inclusions; Cut down occasional table
for inside tent, hair dryer, reading lamp and/or torch.
Exterior accessories
were kept to a minimum, but included folding chairs and table, kitchenware and
washing up kit.
Take your pick with
food. Alternate eating out at pubs and cafés with cooking yourself. Fresh meat,
fish and vegetables where available and tins of soup and stew for the remote
spots.
“What about, you know,
ones and twos?” I delicately enquired.
“Well we had that
sorted too. Let’s just say we had the modern equivalent of a chamber pot when I
didn’t feel like going outside.”
Around the country
there are serviced campgrounds (showers, electricity, pool, cabins etc) and
caravan parks or, for the more adventurous, unserviced grounds deep within
National Parks and Reserves with perhaps a “long drop” and a rainwater tank.
Some parks create an
instant community, complete with social nights, sausage sizzles and happy hours
while others are simply quiet retreats. Or choose somewhere on your own and
enjoy the solace and seclusion of a night under the stars with just the sound
of a breeze in the trees and birds as your alarm clock.
“After my experiences
in the ‘50s, I never thought I’d camp again, but the gear is just so much
better now and the caravan parks and campgrounds are almost like resorts now
with restaurants, games rooms and activities,” says Mum, “Boy, we did it rough
back then!”
A road trip doesn’t
mean a remake of “The Long Long Trailer”, instead travel light and lean and
consider the camping option to extend your trip and keep costs down.
