May 2017
We take the road less travelled
BIRDSVILLE HOTELÂ THE ICONIC OUTBACK PUB
FRESHWATER
CAMPING AREA DISCOVERED
WAVE HILL STATION
FARMSTAY & CAMPING
A word or two from
MATT Wow, I can’t believe another month has gone by and it’s time for another edition of Live2Camp Australia Magazine. Every month, Lize and I get great pleasure putting this free online magazine together for you guys to enjoy and this month was no exception. Bumper full of great camping stories, this month has a great story about one of my favourite privately owned campgrounds, Wave Hill Station. Make sure you check that story out as well as all the other great stories. In even more exciting news, I am writing this editorial in between packing our camping gear into the camper. We’re hitting the road again.
This month we are travelling down the coast of NSW beyond Sydney and then tracking back North through the Blue Mountains, filming as many campsites for you as we can on the way back. We can’t wait to go and I cannot wait to get back and load up all the new videos to our evergrowing website for you guys to enjoy. But don’t worry, we will back in time to get next month edition of Live2Camp Australia Magazine out so you can get your monthly fix of camping. So remember, if you don’t want to miss out, make sure you jump on our website and subscribe for FREE!
THE MAGAZINE TEAM Editorial Matt Bloomfield Lize Bloomfield
Design Jack McCappin Lize Bloomfield
Photography Lize Bloomfield
Editorial & Advertising Enquiries info@live2camp.com.au
Authors Matt Bloomfield Josh Ford James Guerin Lize Bloomfield
Contents
May 2017
2
MATT'S EDITORIAL A word or two from Matt
4
FRESHWATER CAMPING Camping meets history
7
WAVE HILL STATION On the mighty 'Clarence'
9
GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE Try something different
12
A WOMAN'S PERSPECTIVE Going without showers
13
CAMPING NEWS The camping exhibitions and shows for June 2017
14
BIRDSVILLE HOTEL est. 1844 This weeks country pub.
4
9
14
7
Freshwater Camping Area
Words & Images by Josh Ford
H
eading to a new and unseen campsite can be a bit of a headache and getting there after the sun sets can amplify your anxieties 10-fold. Freshwater Camping Area on the Freshwater Track between Teewah Beach and Rainbow Beach is one of those campgrounds, that it doesn’t matter when you arrive, or even if you have never seen it, it will always deliver a great surprise and feeling of relaxation. Nestled in the sand dunes about 300m from the beach itself, it’s adorned with toilets, showers and fire-pits as well as
well marked campsites with plenty of shade to keep you out of the sun. Teewah Beach, just a short stroll away, offers great fishing, especially in Tailor season when the fish are as thick as you could imagine, while there is also the usual assortment of beach regulars such as Whiting, Dart and Flathead. Alternatively, head around to Rainbow Beach which is popular area for slide-baiting for Jewfish, Sharks and even Mackerel and Tuna. A word of advice, steer clear of holidays and weekends.
The place becomes a highway of undesirables flying along the beach at Mach-10, endangering everyone and littering the beach and dunes with rubbish. Go when its quiet, take piece of rubbish for you, three for the beach and leave the place better than how you found it. It’s a wonderful spot for the family, or if you just want to escape and throw in a line. Keep it clean and help keep these marvelous places open!
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Gordon & Barbara Campbell
Wave Hill Station and Farm Stay Camping
It’s not often I return to the same campground twice. In fact I prefer not to. I don’t really see the point when there are so many campgrounds on offer in this great country. I want to see them all. However, Wave Hill Station is one campground I have returned to more than once and I'm planning on returning there again very soon. What makes it so special I hear you ask? Well, as far as bush camping goes, Wave Hill Station has it all. First of all, its location. Just a short drive from the beautiful country town of Grafton in Northern NSW it is located on the banks of the majestic Clarence River.
If you haven’t camped on the banks of the Clarence River then you need to get there and get there soon! You will not be disappointed. On arrival at Wave Hill Station not only will you be welcomed by beautiful bush surrounds but you will also be humbled by the wonderful country hospitality from Steve the owner.
You won’t hang around long though as Steve will hand you a mud map leading you through the 5000 hectare historic cattle farm to the only two campgrounds available. Both campgrounds are located on the Clarence River, with one at the Upper Clarence Gorge and the other at the lower end of the gorge, and when you book the campground you want, it’s all yours, no one else can stay there. I think that is camping isolation at its best. It’s even an adventure to get to the campsites with the 9 kilometre drive taking about an hour an a half, as you challenge yourself and your 4WD through some pretty tough terrain. It’s fair to say this campground is not for your 2WD, SUV or caravan owner, especially when wet.
Click here for Wave Hill Station video
We usually let our kelpie dog Peppa out and she happily runs along besides us as we amble along at 10km an hour to get to our to our campsite. Yep, that’s right. You can take your dog, you can have fires, you can kayak and fish on the river and you can even go horse riding. All the while having the entire place to yourself. Bush camping doesn’t get any better than that!
Get Out of Your
Comfort Zone
Let me just preface this article by saying that I have absolutely nothing against caravan parks. They have their place in the camping world and they are a great place to take your family camping. However, what I do want to say is. Next time you are organising your yearly camping trip, perhaps look beyond the caravan park. There is a world of options out there. During the recent Easter long weekend, I went with a friend of mine to help him set up a caravan he had rented out to a family in a caravan park. As we drove into the park, we could see that it was
packed to the rafters. Row after row of caravan jammed into a site the size of a postage stamp with people everywhere! As we drove past these sites, my mate said to me, ‘A year ago this was me but not any more’! My mate had seen the light. He started camping by going to caravan parks with his family, as I had years ago as well with my family. We trusted them. It felt safe to take the family there with all their facilities. Showers, toilets and power. However, I had recently managed to get him and his wife to step out of their comfort zone and camp at a beach camping ground. They have a camper trailer all set up for remote camping so why not use it. It’ s fair to say they have never looked back and will never camp in a caravan park again.
These days’ caravans and camper trailers come with all the bells and whistles. Solar panels, batteries and huge water tanks all mean you don’t need to be hooked up anymore to go camping. I know I can run my camper trailer for at least seven days without needing any power or water. So if your van has these capabilities, why wouldn’t you explore some more remote camping areas? I can tell you right now you can’t beat having an entire bush or beach camping area all to yourself for a couple of days. You will come back a very relaxed person, I guarantee it.
So when you are planning your next camping trip, all I ask is that you look a little bit beyond the caravan park. Look at what else is out there. You just might be surprised with the kind of camping you are able to do. Happy Camping.
Words by Matt Bloomfield
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CAMPING
Words by Lize Bloomfield
A woman's perspective
When camping, it can be a little hard to keep yourself clean. Obviously most caravan parks have showers and toilets but Matt and I don’t very often go to caravan parks these days now that our children are older. Most of the time we end up in areas that sometimes have drop toilets, but it’s highly unlikely that they’ll have showers and this is is not a problem for us. We have a 12v shower head and after boiling a pot of water it’s easy enough to have a quick shower.
When we go further a-field though, and we need to watch our water intake, we can't use even our own shower because water is so precious out in the bush that keeping clean just isn't that important. I think men generally don't have any issues going without being clean for days on end but I know us girls definately do! What I do when I know we’ll be without showers for a while is buy a big packet of babywipes. I use them for cleaning hands and the rest of my body each day much like a sponge bath. Let’s face it, if it’s good enough for babies, then why not us? You feel and smell clean and can go for days and days without water. My limit is about 5 days though, and at that point the hair HAS to be washed!
CAMPING EVENTSÂ June Mildura Great Outdoor Expo Dates: June 23-25, 2017 Venue: Mildura Racecourse, Cowra Ave, Mildura Website: www.greatoutdoorexpos.com.au 2017 DARWIN 4WD, BOATING & CAMPING EXPO Dates: 24th - 25th June 2017 Venue: Darwin Showgrounds, 1 Tate Pl, Winnellie Website: www.darwin4wdcampingexpo.com.au Queensland Caravan, Camping & Touring Supershow Dates: 7th - 12th June 2017 Venue: Brisbane Showgrounds, 600 Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills Website: www.caravanqld.com.au Macarthur Caravan, 4WD, Fish & Boat Show Dates: 21st -23rd June, 2017 Venue: Tabcorp Park, Menangle Website: www.campertrailers.org
The Birdsville Hotel EST. 1868
Iconic. That is probably the best way to describe the Birdsville Pub. Located in the remote outback Queensland town of Birdsville, this pub is by far the most quintessential outback pub you will ever visit. Built in 1884, the pub has stood the test of time in one of the harshest climates Australia has to offer. The building itself is a beautiful single storey building with verandas all round and from the moment you step through the doors you will feel right at
Big Red - 40km from Birdsville
home, especially after conquering the epic Simpson Desert. Pull up a bar stool and soak up all the history of Birdsville that is hanging on the walls and from the roof of the public bar. If it’s just a beer your after, then the front bar or the beer garden is perfect or if you are after some great country cooking then head into the dining room. But the thing I loved most about the pub on my last visit was definitely the 'no mobile phones' rule in the front bar! That’s right, you actually have to talk to others, and you never know who you just might meet!
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