The Camping Thread

[prydey]

Just got home from a quick 2 night stay in a new campground not long finished in Onkaparinga River National Park, which is literally about 25min from my door. Was just a quick trip making sure everything is sorted before going away at easter, considering i hadn't towed with the territory yet, and had also fitted a new mixer tap to the van, and still getting our van set up to how we like it.

just set up. as you can see the sites are pretty barren, as its only just been finished. 11 sites and a toilet block is all thats there.




walk from the campground goes to onkaparinga gorge, which was pretty impressive



a local


and a flushing toilet - perfect.

[prydey]

and...

guess who forgot to check the van tank was full



i always keep it stored full, as the general consensus is that's the best way to do it, and was 100% sure i filled it after last trip in october. My wife even commented 'have you checked the water...' only for me to give an eye roll response. imagine that phone call when i rang only a few hours later to say i had no water.... lots of laughter on her end

luckily i was only a stone's throw away and so a quick trip home and back with a couple of containers of water and crisis averted.

i had been messing about with the taps, fitting a mixer tap and changing the plumbing slightly for the 12v setup, but no way i chewed through 80L. obviously i didn't fill it after last camp, but until i ran out, i was 100% sure that i did. oh well, lesson learnt.

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Picture, looks like Fullerton Cove area.

Close - Tamworth...

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by prydey

and...

guess who forgot to check the van tank was full

image

i always keep it stored full, as the general consensus is that's the best way to do it, and was 100% sure i filled it after last trip in october. My wife even commented 'have you checked the water...' only for me to give an eye roll response. imagine that phone call when i rang only a few hours later to say i had no water.... lots of laughter on her end

luckily i was only a stone's throw away and so a quick trip home and back with a couple of containers of water and crisis averted.

i had been messing about with the taps, fitting a mixer tap and changing the plumbing slightly for the 12v setup, but no way i chewed through 80L. obviously i didn't fill it after last camp, but until i ran out, i was 100% sure that i did. oh well, lesson learnt.

Lol, easy enough to do Rob.
Im almost certain you can buy a genuine jayco monitor setup to keep an eye on water and battery levels with LED displays, not sure what they are worth though.
If you dont mind me asking, where did you get the camper from, a yard or privately?

Oh, did you decide where you're heading at easter?

[prydey]

Yeah, water level indicators are fairly readily available. I may invest in one in the future.

Van was bought privately off gumtree. I'm the third owner. It's been very well looked after.

Easter time we are heading back to mambray creek. Wasn't much choice left for sites by the time we decided but we enjoyed the campground in October so weren't really that fussed on which site. We booked site 29.

[prydey]

Rigged up a simple water level gauge

[prydey]

So, just spent Easter back at the Mambray Creek campground, where we were last october.

The campground is extremely popular, so it fills up quick and from quite a long way in advance, so we didn't have a lot of choice as we left it a bit too late. The site we booked was quite open but as it turned out, we quite enjoyed the spot as it didn't have any sites directly to the sides or opposite. Got a bit warm in the day but there was a bit of a breeze most of the time so not too bad.





We visitied Alligator Gorge while there, but i won't put any pics up as they are pretty much the same as the pics i put up back in october. Probably a couple of pages back by now.
We did do an extra bit that we didn't do back then, and this is called 'The Terraces'




On the way back we stopped off at a place called 'Hancock's Lookout', which is accessed by 7km of dirt road, and a vehicle with a bit of ground clearance is recommended, as the track is very ordinary in parts. There is a campground of sorts at the end but you must be fully self contained as there is nothing there.
Anyway, the view is pretty good. I took some panoramic shots but they haven't uploaded to my pc properly so these will have to do. This is looking out over Spencer gulf.



A very good weekend 'taking a break' as they say.

we are a bit old fashioned so entertainment (at night, or when too hot to wakl) was via book reading or playing board games, such as scrabble, game of life (old version), battleships, cleudo, bananagrams etc.

Also, i do shiftwork, and due to my roster, it allowed my to book from thursday night, as wed night was my last night shift. I thought we'd be on our way by mid morning, but events transpired to curtail that plan. my wife ended up having to attend a funeral and along with everything else, we didn't end up getting away until 4:30pm which put us right in the middle of peak hour heading out. long story short, we got to experience setting up camp in the dark. kind of glad we had a wind up camper. once levelled we were set up in about 15mins. i worried about the awnings etc in the morning when it was light.

Hope everyone else had a great easter!

[Trevor 57]

I haven't got any pictures to share but we spent easter up the Buckland Valley again, the weather was fantastic, only issue was the speed of cars on the road, idiots obviously think there is never going to be anyone else on it, we nearly got taken out by a ****er in a Jeep, he came over a crest on the wrong side of the road

We also had some idiots in the spot next to us showing Transformer movies with a data projector on some big white sheet with all the sound effects at full noise, then when the movies finished played **** from Nickleback until 2:00 am, interestingly on Sunday the Police rode (on motorbikes) into their camp and spoke to them then an hour later they were all gone

[prydey]

didn't have too much trouble with traffic. the road from adelaide to port augusta is dual carraigeway for the first 100km or so, then the next 200km has overtaking lanes about every 5-10km . it is the main road out to Perth, so it is a reasonable road. you still get the odd clown though.

as for the inconsiderate campers, glad that got sorted. nothing worse than trying to get away for some peace and quiet only to have it ruined by an inconsiderate so and so.

the mambray ck campground is booked mainly by families with young kids, so during the day there is scooters and bikes and kids everywhere, but not long after dark, its like there's no one there

[mcflux]

Looks like 2018 is my year for getting back to camping / hiking.

My wife & I have recently taken up overnight hiking, & went for a 21km hike to Sealers Cove at Wilsons Prom just before Easter to test out our equipment/our fitness.

You can only get here on foot or by boat, and there's a river crossing which needs to be timed for low tide. Carry out what you carry in, no fires or rubbish left behind. Pit toilets & springwater on site.

There's a much much larger loop you can do that takes you around to various coves & a lighthouse (~60+kms to do), but that will be something for us to tackle later in the year or next year.

We'll be back to the Prom in May for another overnight hike/camp if the weather is OK, this time with a group of friends.

[prydey]

great pics. looks like an awesome spot.

[mcflux]

Thanks! If you're ever looking to camp in Vic DEFINITELY try to get in at Wilsons Prom. The campsites at Tidal River are very pricey, and are drawn by ballot in peak periods, but it is an amazing place to stay. Alternatively to ensure a site & to save $$$ camp at Yanakie (a town on the edge of Wilsons Prom) and drive in (30 mins) for day trips.

Wilsons Prom details: http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/pa...do/tidal-river

Wilsons Prom is probably my favourite place in the world, and I say that after having done this day-hike in UnZud last month (Hooker Valley Track, point-&-shoot pic taken by yours truly):

[kinksta]

How have I not seen this thread?!

[kinksta]

Just got back from 3 nights at Rawnsley Park Station in the Flinders (birthday surprise).

After camping across the US (living out of a Cadillac XTS/tent) and some bits and pieces around Aus, I definately want to get into the self sufficient side of camping more.

We pushed the limits of the G6ET and even got me wondering if a lift kit and some fat Cooper tyres were a possibility! Haha

[prydey]

Never been to Rawnsley Park but lots of friends have. How was the weather. Summer seems to be hanging around a bit longer this year and it can get pretty warm in the Flinders with that sun beating down.

With a wife and 2 daughters, our tent days are long gone. Since moving to a camper van, there is no going back...

[prydey]

Well, being school holidays, and me being on night shift (meaning i don't get to see the kids much), i took the opportunity to get out for the couple of nights i had off over the weekend.
About an hour south of us is this caravan park, called Wirrina Cove holiday park. It's a great park for a quick getaway with the kids. They have the normal caravan park style sites (all lined up side by side) but also have larger sites amongst some trees, and also some 'bush camp' style sites, with power, just over a small creek (that wasn't running).

This is us just leaving the park after a great weekend

This is the 'bush camp' area. Really enjoyed it. Away from the crowds and plenty of space.


Right next to the goats, which the daughter loved.

They also had horses, 4 clydesdales, 3 'normal' horses, a young horse and a shetland pony, all of which you could feed. This was a real highlight for my daughter.



My wife and eldest daughter had other commitments so it was just Me and my youngest. She loves going out with just her dad. Had a really good weekend, just relaxing with the animals.

[kinksta]

Originally Posted by prydey

Never been to Rawnsley Park but lots of friends have. How was the weather. Summer seems to be hanging around a bit longer this year and it can get pretty warm in the Flinders with that sun beating down.

The weather was definately warm but we made sure we did all our hikes early morning. Then lots of relaxing. Our site was shaded through out the day so that was ideal. Don't forget icy drinks of the amber colour help with the heat haha.

Overnight we left the fly off and enjoyed the stars and saw a few huge meteors.

I want to return soon but I think it will be more enjoyed with a 4wd. Rawnsley Park is massive and the better the 4wd the further you can get away from people etc. Our closest neighbours were 400m away out of site.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by prydey

Never been to Rawnsley Park but lots of friends have. How was the weather. Summer seems to be hanging around a bit longer this year and it can get pretty warm in the Flinders with that sun beating down.

You're not wrong there, 2 weeks ago i'd booked 3 nights at Mambray for the weekend just gone but when i checked the weather report earlier in the week and it said 32 for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and 34 for Monday i thought stuff that and headed for Lake Bonney..lol

Was still warm in Barmera but less likely to encounter Jake the snake and the opportunity to walk out of the camper and into the water was too much to resist.
Weather was perfect, 30* every day and sub 10kn winds, water was like glass.
Cool enough in the evening for a fire too.

We've certainly been blessed with the fine conditions we've had this year.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

You're not wrong there, 2 weeks ago i'd booked 3 nights at Mambray for the weekend just gone but when i checked the weather report earlier in the week and it said 32 for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and 34 for Monday i thought stuff that

a guy at work went there the weekend after easter as the leader of a scout group. They hiked to hidden gorge and back on the Saturday, which was in the low 30's he said, but sunday was 36 and they pulled the pin and left, stopping in at Port Germaine on the way home for a dip off the jetty.

Definitely a cooler weather destination, given the main pastime is walking.

Kinksta - Flinders is largely 4wd territory. most of the camping areas are set up for the 4wd crowd.

[kinksta]

Originally Posted by prydey

Kinksta - Flinders is largely 4wd territory. most of the camping areas are set up for the 4wd crowd.

Yeah we were aware, but I can't sell the G6ET haha

[kinksta]

By the way for those who didn't know, there is no 98 up around that area, so had to sip on 95.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by kinksta

Yeah we were aware, but I can't sell the G6ET haha

i don't get the whole 4wd thing, but each to their own.

[kinksta]

Originally Posted by prydey

i don't get the whole 4wd thing, but each to their own.

Well I'm not looking for something to do any serious offroading, but something with clearance and tough tyres to deal with sharp rocks.

I guess it's like anything, some like power to go fast, some like lift kits to climb rocks haha.

[sgt_doofey]

We just got back from a week in Halls Gap. Looks like this is going to become an annual trip by the talks we've had with the people we went with!

Stayed at the Lakeside Tourist Park this time which is a great facility. We had a powered site which backed on to a dry creek bed on the side of the park so gave us lots of room to spread out.
The site itself was large and fit our tent, 6x3m gazebo and the car all on it.
They allow fires on site but it's in one of their drums which cost $10 to hire, so not too bad. They even deliver firewood to your site too. Bags of wood for $17 and it all burned really well.
They are very strict on the fires having to be out by 11pm though which is probably a good thing, you dont get people drinking on through the night around the campfire being noisy. (We got told off the first night for exactly this at 11pm)

We managed to get out and see a few more things this time due to staying a bit longer. Baroka and Reed lookouts, the Balconies and McKenzie Falls too. Walked to another waterfall from the back of the sports club at the oval but it was dry due to lack of rain.
If you go here and walk down to the base of McKenzie Falls, then take the time to walk along the river too. We had no idea it was there last year and saw it this time. Was a great little walk with the boys and great scenery too. Well worth the walk.

One other thing we did that the kids loved was hire the e-bikes from in town and rode them around. It was $50 for an hour an a half. We rode from town out to Lake Belfield and then dropped the kids off at the park as we were literally at the back of our camp site. Then rode back through town and out again to the road to Ararat and back again with a stop at the pub for a beer on the way back. Was a good ride.
All riding is to be done on the bike tracks. Kids as young as 7 can ride these too so a good activity for the family.

Only drama we had was coming home when about an hour from home, one of the trailer tyres that are really old decided it no longer wanted to be round. (Tread searation?)
Then, in the 20 mins it took to change the trailer tyre at dusk, the car battery went flat so had to wait for the RAA to come out and give us a jump.

Wife and kids loved the trip. Definitely worth doing if you've got a young family like we do. (2 boys aged 3 and almost 6)

Photos: on the McKenzie river walk, view out the back of the camp site, camp site itself.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

[kinksta]

Nice. Big fan of Halls Gap. Last time I went I was happily surprised by the Halls Gap zoo. I am pretty anti-zoos but I smiled and enjoyed it.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by sgt_doofey

We just got back from a week in Halls Gap. Looks like this is going to become an annual trip

awesome.

when we went to halls gap, we made the same comments, but unfortunately we haven't been able to find time to go back. Given the distance, its not somewhere we would go just for a few nights. Would have to be 4 night minimum I feel, for us.

we were booked in to lakeside originally a couple of years back, but had to cancel due to health reasons. we've since been to halls gap, and checked it out while we were there, and it is certainly very popular. we thought if we stayed there we would try to get a site up the end next to the big vacant grass area adjacent the park. mind you, now that we have a van we don't tend to need as much space, although I still prefer not to be jammed in amongst everyone. a perimeter site, like yours would always be preferred.

price wise its a bit on the dear side, but i'm yet to read a bad review of the park. the owner said they do tend to get a very high % of repeat business, and many of them book their next stay before they leave the current stay.

pics look good. we loved Mackenzie falls (although the mrs didn't love all the steps) and Boroka lookout was sensational. we noticed the walk at the bottom of Mackenzie falls, and walked a short distance down it, but we hadn't allowed time for any walking so that's as far as we got. good to know for next time.

thanks for sharing. it really is a great place, halls gap.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by kinksta

Nice. Big fan of Halls Gap. Last time I went I was happily surprised by the Halls Gap zoo. I am pretty anti-zoos but I smiled and enjoyed it.

my kids love animals, as do I, so halls gap zoo was a must do and likewise, we were really surprised by the size of the zoo for such a small town (in the scheme of things).

[sgt_doofey]

We talked about going to the zoo but the admission price put us off it. Everyone that I've spoken to about it says it's great though.
We're members of the Adelaide Zoo and our friends from Melbourne were members of the Healsville sanctuary over there so we can go there as often as we like.

We were lucky though as the zoo did a visit to the park and the kids got to pat a dingo and snake.

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[sgt_doofey]

Rob, your comment on the price of Lakeside, I didn't think it was too expensive. All up, we stayed from Saturday to Friday and it was $270 for our family. (One kid under 5 so he was free; makes it a bit cheaper!)
Yes, it's quite busy there too. I asked about booking for next year as there is an overlap of VIC and SA school holidays so it would have been perfect for us. Turns out that week is Easter week and they're fully booked out already! We're going to look to go the week after Easter now instead.

As for McKenzie's, last year we basically had to carry the kids down and back up again. This year it was only back up for the youngest. The eldest walked both ways and the youngest walked down. It's a bloody tough workout walking back up those steps with 15-20kgs on your shoulders/back!
Get the kids to count the steps. I reckon that's how we managed to get the eldest to walk back up on his own

Facebook told me this morning that there is now camping at the Para Wirra conservation park: https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/pa...servation-park
Might be one for a quick getaway Rob!

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by sgt_doofey

Facebook told me this morning that there is now camping at the Para Wirra conservation park: https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/pa...servation-park
Might be one for a quick getaway Rob!

Thats great to know, its only a 20 minute drive from home for me.
Sites look well setup, just need hot showers and perfect for a quick weekend getaway spot.
Some nice hikes around there and in the greater Mt Crawford area.

Looks like they become available from 1st of June