Why do we love to travel? Why do we love camping? Why do we escape the cities? Perhaps it reminds us of the times when we were kids and our parents took us on trips around Australia. Or maybe it is because it gives us a sense of freedom, leaving time behind us? Whatever the reason is, at some stage in our life we will make decisions on the way we camp. Our age and situation in life will be critical when we start looking at the various options of exploring.
We are a family of 5, including our furry dog Bear. And we love exploring. With this article, we’d love to share some experiences and hidden spots for your next adventure. So no matter what age you are, I am sure you will find some exciting things to take home.
Discover 3 Hidden Gems in NSW
{Tip #1 Southern Highlands}:
So in the April School Holidays, we took our little one Abba (3 years back then) camping for two nights on one of the local farm stays in Canyonleigh – Morton Park Farm. Great little spot if you want to just be by yourselves and enjoy being outdoors and experience the beautiful sky at night.
Turned out that in April it still gets pretty cold and I totally underestimated that. But it was beautiful; we had a campfire going the whole day and had sausages that we grilled over the campfire on sticks that we selected from the bush around us. No nasty creepy critters annoyed us – one advantage to travelling in the colder months.
We were so excited about our first real camping experience and immediately started planning our next one. Mind you we did get a puppy in between so this time it had to be dog-friendly for our little Bear to come with us.
A wee bit chilly but so much fun!
Let me tell you, this is a great spot to take your Motorhome or Campervan onto a farm stay. Plenty of space to choose from. The benefit for you would be to have all your amenities with you and you can park up further away from the hustle.
{Tip #2 Dubbo}:
Viral Asthma and camping? We must have been mad. But, October School Holidays here we come! One of our girls has asthma and of course, she was sick the days leading up to this trip. Hospital the day we left for camping to double-check her cough, make sure she was still ok to go and a few hours later we made the call to give it a go! No risk, no fun, right?!
Whaaaaat was I thinking? We made it to our farm stay near Dubbo, beautiful place again! Lovely people and the property Pine View Camping & Farmstay is just beautiful. The day ended with pitching tents, not in the greatest moods I must say, but we made it and finally tucked the kids into their sleeping bags, to have a well-
deserved drink with our friends.
The morning was gorgeous, the place was secluded but not out of reach. The farm owners, Sue and Matt, took the kids to feed the animals on the farm, an absolute ball for the kids. The adults properly sorted out the campsite only to find two holes at the bottom of the tent.
Could anything else go wrong??? Oh yes – the so desperately needed rain was forecast: What to do? One sick kid, forecast temperature with only 14 for the day, rain and two dogs going crazy…. My mind was running overtime. I didn’t want to be the person to call the shots; couldn’t someone else tell me what to do?!
Well, to be honest, the second night didn’t get better for us. I just felt crap but the 4 kids were looking forward to Dubbo Zoo (me too actually).
Dubbo Zoo was a pretty amazing experience, riding around on bikes with the kids and looking at all the animals was fun. But our eldest just got worse during the day and on our way back we decided to pack up. The rain was coming and we didn’t want her to get even worse besides having to cope with wet dogs and coldish temperatures the next day.
After 2 nights of what should have been 4, we packed up and left the beautiful campsite! Crying disappointed kids, exhausted adults and 5 hours to drive home. Lesson: A Motorhome would have been so much better! We would have had heating, a dry inside to warm up and play cards. This farm
stay is pretty amazing and I would say any Motorhome or Campervan will love it here.
{Tip #3 Barrington Tops}:
Wouldn’t you think we would have had enough by now? Well, guess what we aimed for? Another camping adventure! We stayed at Riverwood Downs, a dog-friendly campsite close to Barrington Tops and we had a ball! Yes we had our struggles, with setting up a tent and one child vomiting for one afternoon and the other one having a temperature for a day as well, but we stuck it out! So much fun. Playing in the little river, splashing around all day just the right thing to do in Summer!
Motorhome and Campervan lovers: This campsite is just beautiful and accommodates all types of vehicles. Amazing amenities, activities and restaurants for those with or without dogs. Off-season it is pretty relaxing and few people around.
Camping with kids is a lot of fun; all you need to be is prepared and to have the right accommodation – and if that’s a motorhome, give the guys at Open Road Motorhomes a call on 02 9832 4372 to see how they can help set you up with everything you need for a life of camping style experiences in comfort you’ll want to remember!
Have a Great Day –
Hadassa. (Travel Blogger)
