Go Camping Australia

W I N a L I m I t e d e d I t I o N e N g e L 4 0 L F r I d g e F r e e z e r va L u e d at $ 1 5 4 9 . 0 0

February – March 2012 Issue 77 Aus $5.95 NZ $7.95

Broome to Cairns Mackay to Longreach Canning Stock Route Kalgoorlie to Winton Top 10 Australian Drives

Dine Something FiShy

day on the road top kayak SpotS trout FiShing, nSW BeSt country puBS 4Wd mt hotham, Vic

WilDlife Watch Stop roadkill

gear to go What’s hot

need to know toWing tips

win!

hot shot $299.95 fishing reel

4wd techniques a balancing act

The first Engel with the patented Sawafuji swing motor with only one moving part, specially designed for off road use.

In 2012 Engel celebrates 50 years and still remains the leading manufacturer of portable fridge freezers in Australia. And we’re celebrating by releasing a strictly LIMITED EDITION 50th ANNIVERSARY 40 litre model.

As a offer, special fridge ld o g h the mes wit also cod edition e it m a li nd gold black a it bag! s n a tr

For your nearest stockist or to view the entire range of Engel Fridge-Freezers and accessories, call 1300 302 653 or visit www.engelaustralia.com.au

With the latest Sawafuji electronics including built in battery monitor and digital thermostat control, the Limited Edition Gold Engel fridge freezer will become a must have for anyone with an appreciation for quality.

FOR FULL SPECS AND FEATURES , SCAN CODE USING PHONE QR READER

NOTHING SLOWS DOWN THE EXO TENT.

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The new Exo range of tents by Companion have been designed without compromise to deliver unrivalled speed when pitching your tent. The unique alloy exoskeletal framework features a precision engineered auto-locking system so you can set up in minutes without the need to connect poles together and thread them through fabric sleeves. The durable alloy feet also provide maximum contact with the ground, providing unparalleled stability to ensure your Exo tent remains standing in all weather conditions.

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FEATURES

EXO CROWN MECHANISM

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All alloy frame and components 100% waterproof tent and fly Large awning area Built-in door mats Large D Doors Zip up guy rope pouches Zip up power cord inlet Wall storage pockets Carry bag

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AUTO LOCKING FRAME SYSTEM

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e n g i n e e r e d

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InStant awnInG

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Premium quality waterproof, breathable ripstop canvas

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High lift extension kit available (req. when tent sits above 1.9m)

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Retractable aluminium ladder with entrance under cover

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Mounts directly to most roof bars and racks

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Optional enclosed room available

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Optional mosquito netting available

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1000D waterproof PVC cover

Sizes available: 2.0m Long x 2.5m Out 2.5m Long x 2.0m Out

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AWNING

ROOM

295

440

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165

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1.4m Long x 2.0m Out

AWNING

SwaGS

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ROOM

285

• Single and double dome available

MOSQUITO NET

420

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• Heavy duty 320GSM ripstop canvas • Insect mesh protection • Heavy duty carry bags included • Lightweight alloy poles • 7cm high density mattress

Single

Double

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StronG arM CHaIr

Soft arM CHaIr

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Durable powder coated steel frame

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Durable powder coated steel frame

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Heavy duty steel arms

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King size, padded seat and backrest

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King size, padded seat and backrest

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79

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6 perSon pICnIC Set

QuICK folD taBle

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43 Piece set

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Strong and durable 1200D Polyester

Strong aluminium extrusion legs with locking mechanism

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Adjustable twin shoulder straps

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Insulated aluminium cooler and wine compartment

9mm Melamine coated MDF top with aluminium edging

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Integrated carry handle

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Zippered front pocket

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PVC zippered wash bag (For dirty dishes)

Adjustable feet height to level table on uneven surfaces

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Setup and folds away in seconds

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89

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Prices are RRP only, they do not include freight or fitting. Prices are subject to change without notice

VICTORIA SHOWROOM Cnr Centre & Westall Roads, Clayton, Victoria 3168 Telephone (03) 9532 1111

QUEENSLAND SHOWROOM 1 Hinkler Court, Brendale QLD. 4500 Telephone (07) 3482 9500

PERTH SHOWROOM Unit 9/511 Abernethy Rd Kewdale, WA, 6105 Telephone (08) 6254 4444

80W SOLAR KIT

SENSOR HEADLAMP

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39

• U p to 94 Lumens output from the Ultra bright white LED

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• T imer control with three settings - 15, 30 and 60mins

• U p to 48 hours fan run time on low, up to 24 hours on high

• Durable ABS housing with transparent lens

• G reen ‘slow flash’ LED indicator for locating light in the dark • C ompact and lightweight aluminium body

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• Water resistant

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46

• A ttach by using the swivel hook located in back of light • Batteries included

30L Capacity

• German Danfoss BD-35F compressor

695

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• Multi-Voltage DC 12-24 & AC 100-240V • High efficiency, low current draw

40L Capacity

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750

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• Digital control panel • Internal LED light

5 Year

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3 Year

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• Removable fridge basket

50L Capacity

• Strong carry handles / tie down points

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FRIDGE BAG SOLD SEPARATELY - $75

WIRELESS FRIDGE THERMOMETER

FRIDGE STAND

• Wireless connection

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• LCD read out • M onitors fridge & ambient temperature • M inimum & maximum temperature recording

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33

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825

• Maximum weight capacity 100kg • 2 height settings for fridges • A djustable leg height to level stand on uneven surfaces

• Digital clock

• S oft touch foam to protect fridge from scratching

• Includes 5 x AAA batteries

• Carry bag included

• 12 Month warranty

35

$

Prices are RRP only, they do not include freight or fitting. Prices are subject to change without notice

Products available from over 800 stores Australia wide For your nearest distributor call 1300 731 137

www.ironman4x4.com

contents 62 14

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4 | Go Camping Australia

10 12 14

58 18

Shout It!

Send your letters in and win the ultimate fishing reel valued at $299.95!

Update

Outdoor news from around Australia

By Kerry Heaney

Through My Eyes

Top country pubs

4WD Adventure

67

To tow or not to tow?

By Danielle Lancaster Enjoy our new photo essay showcasing the changing colours of Australia’s Outback landscape. A view of a day on the road from Longreach to Birdsville.

The great top road

By Lee Mylne Driving and camping along Australia’s longest driving route, the Savannah Way, is an adventure that is within anyone’s reach.

Remote

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Top 10 great Australian drives

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50

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Thirsty Work

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Australia’s toughest Outback trek

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Only by water

By Andrew Gregory For over 20 years I have travelled around Australia as a landscape photographer and I have used kayaks to explore the coast, gorges and rivers, going into beautiful areas accessible only by water.

A day on the road

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Explore

By Glenn Butler As the pilot lined up the charter flight on a tiny airstrip in the vast West Australian Outback, the enormity of what we were about to attempt started to hit home.

On the Road

By Lee Atkinson Hit the road for your next camping getaway on one of these classic Australian trips.

Free Camp Down the centre

By Jill Harrison The late afternoon sun cast a golden light over the spinifex heads as we pulled off the red dirt road and set up camp amongst desert oaks near Giles Creek on the western side of the Western Australian/Northern Territory border.

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Trout time at Jindabyne

By Martin Auldist Tangling with trout at Lake Jindabyne, one of the largest freshwater reservoirs in New South Wales.

By Lee Atkinson It’s wise to consider the pros and cons of towing a van or camper trailer versus driving a motorhome or campervan. Here are some tips on what to think about before you buy.

Dine

Something fishy

By Regina Jones and Julie Bishop When the hunter gatherers return without a catch, what do you do? Here are some of our favourite fish meals when the fish comes from a can rather than a dam.

4WD Techniques

A balancing act

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Roadkill and how to avoid it

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Coast to Outback

Go Fish

Need to Know

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Discover

By Nicola Dudley Expectations are high and excitement buzzes for our month long odyssey ahead as we set off in our rented motorhome to explore the trail from Mackay to Longreach.

By Lee Mylne At the end of the day, there’s often nothing better than sitting back with a cool drink on the shady verandah of a country pub.

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By Mark Allen Should you take the ‘kitchen sink’, or will that last spare part ‘break your back’ and send you to your grave?

Wildlife Watch

By Lee Mylne and Len Zell Any road trip has a high chance of resulting in roadkill.

Gear to Go Top new gear

By Kerry Heaney Designed to make camping easier and safer, these are the latest new tools and gadgets.

Photo Smart On the road

By Danielle Lancaster Top tips for travelling with your camera.

Holidays and Horror Days

Take me home, country roads

By David McGonigal Forget mobile phones, old Rock and Roll songs are the true underestimated killers on the roads – especially on road trips.

Getting Dirty

Girl’s guide to 4wD

By Kerry Heaney Get down and dirty – take the Toorak tractor out into the wilds of Mt Hotham.

Go Camping Australia | 5

PTH0325/C

Make a big load feel small.

Pathfinder Ti 550 V6 Turbo-Diesel. With a braked towing capacity of 3,500kg,170kW of power and a whopping 550Nm of torque, the Pathfinder Ti 550 V6 handles big loads effortlessly.

Visit your Nissan Dealer or go to nissan.com.au/pathfinder

The amazing portable DreamPot; enjoy brilliant thermal cooking - without the need for constant power or supervision. Cooks anywhere at anytime! Excellent for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Thermal cooking keeps your meals hot for hours and hours. Incredible!

This 6 in 1 non-electrical appliance cooks an amazing variety of healthy nutritious and delicious meals from roasts, casseroles, yoghurts, rice, bread and desserts!

Perfect for home or away. Essential for caravanning, camping and motor homing. Discover the DreamPot difference! Comprehensive recipe book included. Optional accessories available.

Publisher

go

Michael Vink

camping

Editor Kerry Heaney E: kerry@vinkpub.com

australia

Proofreader Karen Belik

Graphic Designers Matt Limmer, Richard Locke

Advertising Manager Georgina Chapman T: (07) 3334 8007 E: georgina@vinkpub.com

Contributors Mark Allen

Andrew Gregory

Danielle Lancaster

Lee Atkinson

Jill Harrison

David McGonigal

Martin Auldist

Kerry Heaney

Glenn Butler

Regina Jones and Julie Bishop

Lee Mylne and Len Zell

Nicola Dudley

Published by VINK Publishing ABN 3107 478 5676 Bi-Monthly Head Office: 38-40 Fisher St, East Brisbane Q 4169 Postal: PO Box 8369, Woolloongabba Q 4102 T: (07) 3334 8000 F: (07) 3391 5118

8 | Go Camping Australia

Go Camping Australia is distributed through newsagents and camping stores across Australia. Recommended retail price A$5.95. Annual subscription A$33 includes postage within Australia and GST. Distribution by Gordon and Gotch. Editorial and photographic contributions welcomed. Disks, transparencies and self-addressed stamped envelopes are required.

The publisher takes no responsibility for the views expressed in articles or advertisements herein. The publisher could not possibly ensure that each advertisement published in the magazine complies with the Trade Practices Act. While every endeavour has been made to ensure complete accuracy, the publisher cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions.

Print Post approval No. PP43718/00020.

Front Cover: Australia’s toughest Outback trek Peter Watkins

Now there’s an ezyway to keep everyone feeling clean and fresh.

Washing in the great outdoors is now made simple with the Ezywash range of portable washing machines from Companion. Efficient and environmentally friendly, these single or twin washers are a welcome alternative to the campground laundromat or the tedious task of hand washing. Built from tough ABS plastic and quiet enough to run inside your caravan, motor home or tent, the Ezywash range is the best way to keep your clothes clean and fresh. Take one for a spin today!

NEEIWGHT

COM1158

LIGHTWRTABLE & PO

For your nearest stockist or for more information on the full range of Companion products, call 1300 555 197 or visit www.companionleisure.com.au

Give it a whirl

Shout It!

viewpoint

Have your say and win!

Your Say

Christmas camping fun It’s easy to get very cranky with truck drivers when we are on the road, particularly on a long road trip.

They often seem greedy, noisy and generally unhelpful on the road. But we all know they have a job to do and the road has to be shared, so let’s take a moment to look at it from their side and learn what we can do to make our trip, and theirs, a little safer. Here’s a truckie’s wish list – n Don’t cut in: Leave space for our truck to pull up and never cut in front of a truck slowing for a red light. Trucks take much longer to stop than cars, so it’s important not to cut into the gap. For every 5km/h a truck travels, it needs a space equivalent to its length to stop – that’s a lot of space, particularly if a truck is doing 100km/h. n Do not overtake a turning truck. We are legally allowed to turn from the centre lane.

Don’t move into the truck’s blind spot to the left or right when it turns – if you can’t see the driver’s face in their mirrors, we can’t see you. n Overtake with care: A truck is longer than a car, so you need more road to overtake. n Maintain your speed when a truck overtakes you – don’t accelerate. n Take more care on wet roads: Leave more space between you and other vehicles, and indicate for longer when changing lanes. n Please leave space for us to negotiate roundabouts safely. Truck drivers try to anticipate traffic flow at roundabouts to avoid stopping, so the truck is not trying to race you onto the roundabout, but simply trying to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic. n Leave space behind and keep a safe distance when travelling behind our truck.

Ensure you can see our side mirrors, because that means we can also see you. n Be courteous and try to be patient. If you are inconvenienced by a truck travelling slowly up a hill, it’s not intentional.

We all have to share the road, so try to think about other road users when you are driving, including trucks.

Patience is the key here, may we all have more of it.

Be safe on the road.

Kerry Heaney Editor kerry@vinkpub.com

10 | Go Camping Australia

Christmas is a very special time for our family. Every Boxing Day we get up at 4.30am so we get the best spot! That doesn’t always happen but it doesn’t matter as we are out there and we love it. We usually go to a different place every year but always have a Christmas camping dinner that night including a Christmas pudding.

Christmas camping is great as you meet lots of different people and relax with the people you love.

Michelle Webb via email

Weed warriors I subscribe to Go Camping and was also involved as a member of last summer’s team of volunteers identifying Orange Hawkweed sites in Kosci National Park. I am also a member of the NPWS Southern Ranges Region Advisory Committee.

I read with great interest the article ‘Australia’s Most Wanted’ and your source www.weeds.org.au (Go Camping Dec/Jan 2012). A job well done to be so up-to-date. Go Camping continues to be a magazine with strong environmental messages about caring for country and our natural areas. I have made gift subscriptions to friends and family in Perth and Singapore. I live in Canberra and pass my copies onto other friends so it keeps circulating.

Di Thompson via email

Turtle time I live only 15 minutes from Mon Repos turtle rookery and have viewed this ritual on a couple of occasions (Turtle Time, Go Camping Dec/Jan 2012). This is a truly amazing and rewarding phenomenon that should be witnessed by everyone. Patience is a must as you may have to wait a while because it’s all up to the turtle but it’s something you will remember for ever. So if you are travelling about and the chance comes along to view this, do it! ‘Turtle time’ really is a great time.

Peter Stephenson, Bargara

Write in and Win the Ultimate Fishing Reel Share your camping experience and you could win a great Okuma Solterra fishing reel valued at $299.95.

Send your letter (100 words or less) to kerry@vinkpub.com by March 1.

The best letter will win the reel.

Okuma Solterra reels suit anything from light bottom bashing to heavy game fishing, offering premium performance without compromise. The machined aluminium spool and reinforced side plates provide maximum strength; a magnetic drag assist/cast control (featured on the left side plate of sizes 10 and 15 only) offers an attribute that not many other lever drag overhead reels possess allowing free spool to be adjusted and even cast if necessary.

Available with or without level wind, in single speed or two speed and one model in left hand configuration – a truly sensational value for money range of reels. Win the Okuma Solterra overhead reel (not pictured) valued at RRP $299.95. Visit www.okuma.com.au for more information.

CONGRATULATIONS! Michelle Webb has won an Outdoor Connection Weekender Tent valued at $299.

Follow the leader.

garminoutdoor.com.au

GO YOUR OWN WAY

The legendary eTrex® series just got better!

The newly redesigned Garmin eTrex lineup retains the core functionality such as rugged construction and long battery life while adding capabilities normally found in premium handhelds all at an affordable price.

The new eTrex range Rugged construction. Long battery life. Affordable price.

The eTrex 10 is great value featuring a 2.2” monochrome display and a worldwide basemap making it easier than ever to see where you are and where you have been.

The eTrex 20 and eTrex 30 add a 2.2” 65k colour sunlight readable display and internal memory plus a microSD™ card slot for additional maps including TOPO Australia and New Zealand*. eTrex 30 adds a 3-axis electronic compass that shows your heading even when the unit is not held flat, as well as a barometric altimeter that provides precise elevation readings, and wireless unit-to-unit connectivity for sharing waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches.

See the new eTrex range at garminoutdoor.com.au *Optional

eTrex 10

eTrex 20

eTrex 30

Update

outdoor

news from around Australia Words: Kerry Heaney

BarBie safe Every year BBQ leaks or explosions present a safety hazard to Australians and their families. In 2011, 30 people in NSW were treated for burns arising from gas BBQs and 73 per cent of these were men, aged between 26–45 years.

Safety equals prevention so here are some precautionary checks to ensure safe and happy BBQ entertaining this season: n Wear appropriate clothing and use the right equipment when you BBQ n Always close the lid on your BBQ after cleaning, to allow it to cool on its own n Keep flammable items clear from the BBQ including items that can heat up, such as paper and plastics, plates and glass bowls n Attach Gasfuse to your gas cylinder. Gasfuse shuts off the gas completely in an emergency, lets you do a leak test and indicates when the gas bottle needs refilling n Check the expiry date on your gas cylinder n Use your gas BBQ in a well-ventilated open air space n Learn how to prepare your food properly before you toss it on the BBQ, especially items like bacon and sausages that sizzle and spit n Make sure you fit the right sized gas bottle to your BBQ to ensure undue pressure isn’t put on your BBQ n Burn off the gunk. Crank up the heat, close the BBQ lid and leave for 15 minutes to char the food residue, making it easier to scrape off. Cooking with reheated fat is a health hazard n Regularly clean your BBQ – scrub the grates with a steel brush, remove grease from the walls of the cook box and burners with a putty knife and warm soapy water, and make sure the gas jets are not clogged n Ensure your meat is at room temperature before you throw it on the BBQ and don’t incinerate it over direct heat. Try using the hotplate rather than the grill to avoid burning meat and releasing dangerous carcinogens

Plenty to see at Margaret river A small percentage of the Margaret River region was recently affected by bushfires, however it’s all still open for business, with most of the region and its businesses unaffected.

It’s the only wine region in Australia where you can experience stunning beaches, talltimber forests, incredible surfing and beautiful caves all in one place, and it can all be discovered over three days following a threehour drive from Perth. Find out more at www.margaretriver.com

12 | Go Camping Australia

Tourism QLD

suRfaRi What if you could defy the slow march of age? Shelve all your worldly pressures, pack up the family and a few trusty surfboards and hit the open road for the Great Australian surfing road trip? Inspired by the dreams of his youth, surf writer Tim Baker embarks on the Big Lap in search of the perfect wave and domestic bliss.

It is a story for anyone who wants to know what happens when a family of four live in the confined space of a caravan for six months. The result is a lively, colourful account of trading your life for another variety, and the delights and dangers that lay in wait when you dare to chase your dreams and follow another path.

Surfari is published by Ebury Australia. RRP $34.95. www.randomhouse.com.au

plan youR Road TRip on youR iphone

Top 30 walks in The scenic Rim Cool down and escape the crowds and the city heat in the cool climes of South East Queensland’s Scenic Rim. Relax under a rainforest canopy in one of eight national parks. Swim in one of three dams or curl up under the shade of a tree in this beautiful region. If you want to see the Scenic Rim’s natural beauty, a new guide outlines 30 of the Scenic Rim’s favourite walks including information on how long each walk is and how much time it will take to complete. Find out more at www.scenicrim.qld.gov.au

Travel journalist and guide book author and Go Camping contributor Lee Atkinson has published a comprehensive, user-friendly guide to the best Australian road trips in an iPhone and iPad application called Australian Road Trips. The guide includes 25 long distance drive holiday routes around the country, plus dozens of shorter weekend and day drives.

Users can also select themed itineraries to national parks, iconic coastal routes, outback journeys, gourmet trails, spectacular mountain drives and beautiful country roads. Australian Road Trips also includes thousands of photos and more than 265 entries.

Each road trip includes driving directions and distances from wherever you start your trip, recommendations on what to see and do, where to eat, accommodation options, even where you can camp. Routes include the three famous trans-continental journeys (across the Nullarbor, Adelaide to Darwin and the Savannah Way from Cairns to Broome), as well as signature journeys such as the Mereenie Loop Road from Alice Springs to Uluru, Great Ocean Road and the Waterfall Way. It also has plenty of short weekend getaways and day drives from capital cities and favourite road trip routes such as Sydney-Brisbane and Sydney-Melbourne.

“The great thing about the app is that you can use it to plan your own unique trip according to your interests,” says Atkinson. “Using the sorting filters you can create a family-friendly road trip, a gourmet road trip, arty, 4WD, outback, coastal... whatever you want really. Or, it will just tell you the best foodie finds or great walking trails near you, if that’s all you want to know.”

Australian Road Trips is only $4.49 including free updates – a cheap and easy way to have your own personal driving guide to take with you around the country. Available for download now from iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/australian-road-trips/ id488257058?mt=8

Go Camping Australia | 13

Through my eyes

A day on the road Words and photos: Danielle Lancaster

14 | Go Camping Australia

www.ironman4x4.com

Australia’s Outback is a landscape of changing colours. Floods turn ochre tinged sand dunes into rolling hills of green while droughts disrobe the earth’s leafy garments leaving exposed a rugged yet beautiful countryside.

Here’s a view of a day on the road from Longreach to Birdsville.

Go Camping Australia | 15

Through my eyes

1 2 Main Photo: At night the stars stretch from horizon to horizon.

1: Road trains up to three trailers long are the lifeblood of the Outback, transporting stock down the long and dusty roads.

2: Big Red is Australia’s highest sand dune and easily reached by a short drive from Birdsville.

3: Beautiful lilies bloom into flower covering Outback lagoons. Lily Lagoon, just off the main Thomson River near Longreach, is no exception.

4: Afternoon creeps in over the Birdsville Hotel.

5: After a long day on the road a cool drink at the Birdsville pub greets many a travelling road train driver.

3

16 | Go Camping Australia

www.ironman4x4.com

4

5

Go Camping Australia | 17

The Great

Top Road Words and photos: Lee Mylne

18 | Go Camping Australia

1

Travel Australia’s north from Broome to Cairns.

D

riving and camping along Australia’s longest driving route, the Savannah Way, is an adventure that is within anyone’s reach.

While much of the road is unsealed and there are some challenging water courses to pass through along the way, it is a road trip that is almost incomparable in its diversity.

This 3700km touring route runs the breadth of Australia’s north, from Broome to Cairns, and was once known by drovers as ‘the great top road’. In an ideal world, it should be undertaken without any time constraints. There are lovely camping spots that beg to be lingered at, five World Heritage Areas and 15 national parks to explore, as well as many small attractions – snake handling shows, fossicking for gemstones, a ride on the Savannahlander train, and local museums to name just a few – along the way.

But without unlimited time on our side, we set out to drive the eastern half of the Savannah Way, starting in Darwin in a hired 4WD from Britz and heading to Cairns, with a few small diversions off the main touring route here and there.

We joined the Savannah Way at Katherine, 355km south of Darwin, heading east to Mataranka – where the best camping is at the oddly-named Territory Manor Caravan Park – and on to Butterfly Springs in Limmen National Park, where the campsites are adjacent to a lovely swimming hole.

The Roper River Road took us along the track of explorer Ludwig Leichhardt, past wetlands teeming with lilies and birdlife, and onto the Nathan River Road.

From here, it is another 117km to Borroloola, a good refuelling stop. Our overnight camp 100km further on is at Frank Shadforth’s Seven Emu Station. Bought

by Frank’s father in 1953, this was the first Aboriginal-owned cattle station in the Northern Territory and the bush campsites perch on a cliff-top overlooking the Robinson River. Camping is only available here during the Dry, and facilities are limited to a bush drop-toilet, the ultimate “loo with a view”, no door necessary.

Main Photo: Savannah Way watercourse.

1: Butterfly Springs National Park, NT.

Go Camping Australia | 19

4WD Adventure

1

After crossing the border into Queensland, a highlight on the road is Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park, just south of the Savannah Way. There are two options for camping near Lawn Hill Gorge: Adel’s Grove, which has tent and caravan sites as well as cabins, or the national park campground which has 20 sites with toilets and cold showers (make sure you book well in advance between Easter and October).

After a hot day on the road, the perfect antidote is to rent a kayak and slowly paddle up the gorge, between its towering red sandstone walls, to the idyllic Indari Falls. It’s the perfect spot for cooling off.

The Boodjamulla camps are good bases for visiting the Riversleigh Fossil Field, about 60km away. This World Heritage-listed mammal fossil site dates back about 25 million years. The 800 metre fossil trail takes about an hour and there is an interpretive centre to help you understand what you are seeing.

Over the next couple of hundred kilometres, there are a couple of great bush 20 | Go Camping Australia

pubs to stop off at – Gregory Downs, sitting alone on the Wills Developmental Road, and Burketown, which boasts the oldest pub in the Gulf. At the gate of the Gregory Downs Hotel, a local offers some advice on the state of the road, which is often badly corrugated.

“Be careful,” he warns. “Got two flat tyres on the next stretch in the past week.” As it turns out, we only have one puncture over the whole 3200km trip.

A 70km side trip from Normanton brings us to Karumba, Australia’s barramundi and prawn fishing capital, right on the Gulf of Carpentaria.

After setting up camp at the popular Karumba Point Sunset Caravan Park, we head across the road to watch the sun go down from the Sunset Tavern where delectable mud crabs and seafood are on the menu.

Another natural attraction that shouldn’t be missed as you head east is the hidden oasis of Cobbold Gorge, on the Terry family’s Robin Hood cattle station. Access to the gorge is by guided tour only, but this is a great overnight stop. The camping ground has good facilities including a restaurant and a Savannah Guides

station. Cruise through the gorge on electric boats, silently gliding through a landscape of ancient sandstone, while you spot birdlife and the occasional freshwater crocodile.

Undara National Park, just 320km from Cairns, is also a major attraction, offering guided tours of the world’s longest lava tube system. Undara Experience offers a range of tours, including sunset wildlife spotting (the lava tubes are home to colonies of microbats), and campsites. A restaurant and bar are part of the complex, and be sure not to miss the bush breakfast where you may need to guard your bacon from the watchful kookaburras!

The final 700km from Cairns to Normanton is sealed road, but despite that, the dust of the road seems to cling fast and as you arrive at the end of the Savannah Way you will certainly look forward to washing it away. But the memories that driving across this vast continent have created will stay with you forever.

1: Kayaking in Boodjamulla National Park.

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4WD Adventure

1

2

1: Undara lava tubes.

2: Tudor Manor camping, Mataranka, NT.

Fact File Getting there

The Savannah Way runs for 3700km from Broome to Cairns, via the towns of Derby, Fitzroy Crossing, Kununurra, Timber Creek, Katherine, Mataranka, Borroloola, Normanton, and Mareeba. Two routes can be followed. It is possible to do the stretches from Broome to Roper Bar (about 1900km) and from Normanton to Cairns (700km) on sealed road. The alternate route offers much more unsealed road, including the Gibb River Road in Western Australia. From Borroloola to Normanton (700km) the road is almost all unsealed. www.savannahway.com.au Britz rents 4WD vehicles suitable for the drive, and will also provide camping gear for an extra fee – www.britz.com.au Timber Creek

When to go

The best time to travel the Savannah Way is in the Dry (April to October). During the wet or green season some roads may be impassable so check road conditions with local visitor centres or Queensland Transport and Main Roads – Ph 131 940 www.131940.qld.gov.au

Where to camp

Territory Manor Caravan Park – Ph (08) 8975 4516 www.matarankamotel.com Butterfly Springs, Limmen National Park – www.nt.gov.au Seven Emu Station – Ph (08) 8975 9904 www.sevenemustation.com.au Cobbold Gorge – Ph (07) 4062 5470 or 1800 669 922 www.cobboldgorge.com.au Karumba Point Sunset Caravan Park – Ph (07) 4745 9277 www.sunsetcp.com.au Undara National Park – Ph (07) 4097 1900 or 1800 990 992 www.undara.com.au

More information

Tourism Queensland – www.queenslandholidays.com.au Tourism NT – www.travelnt.com Savannah Way – www.savannahway.com.au

22 | Go Camping Australia

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Australia’s

toughest Outback trek

Words: Glenn Butler Photos: Peter Watkins

24 | Go Camping Australia

1 The Australian Outback – almost untouched by man.

A

s the pilot lined up the charter flight on a tiny airstrip in the vast West Australian Outback, the enormity of what we were about to attempt started to hit home.

The Canning Stock Route is Australia’s toughest Outback trek. It was carved across three deserts in the 1900s to bring cattle from the verdant grazing lands of northern WA to feed hungry miners on the southern goldfields. It traverses 1,800km of unforgiving rock and sand between Bililuna near Halls Creek and Wiluna near Meekatharra. Summer temperatures skyrocket beyond 50ºC and seldom fall below 35ºC overnight. Winter is a little easier – low-30s during the day are bearable but at night it drops close to freezing.

There are no hotels, no supermarkets, no emergency services along its route, only a handful of burnt-out wrecks standing silent witness to the desert’s venom. The only settlement is Kunawarritji near Well 33, a tiny enclave offering temporary respite from the harsh desert – and the only showers for 850km.

Leaving Wiluna, the Little Sandy Desert quickly made its presence known. Prickly spinifex and gnarled saltbush crowded the track which narrows to a car width in the first 50km. The Canning Stock Route joins the dots made by 51 artesian wells, sunk initially

by Alfred Canning in 1906 – each a day’s walk apart for drovers and up to 800 head of cattle. Many of the wells are in ruins but some have been restored by 4WD clubs.

Main Photo: Hard work to get up here, but the view is worth it.

1: We started at Wiluna, the southern end of the Canning Stock Route.

Go Camping Australia | 25

Remote

1

2

3 4

Today the road serves no practical purpose. It is a journey and a challenge, a chance to see the Australian Outback almost untouched by man. It is traversed by less than 1,000 vehicles a year, mostly during the cooler months from April to September. Most vehicles are highly modified to handle the terrain and brimming with supplies to survive three weeks’ isolation.

We’re doing things relatively easy in a G-Class wagon borrowed from MercedesBenz, but that is the way of things in the desert. It feels effortless until something goes wrong. Then the isolation and harsh environment brings its full menace to bear.

Still, there’s a sense of calm that comes with having such a capable machine at one’s disposal.

This rugged-looking vehicle, known as ‘the Gelandewagen’ is hand-built in Austria to the strictest standards, and is popular with armed forces around the world, including the Australian Army. The current model has a frugal yet powerful turbo diesel engine. It has high-riding suspension, locking differentials 26 | Go Camping Australia

and a low range gearbox. And we’re going to need all its skills to complete this journey.

The Canning is not a ‘maintained’ track.

There is no bitumen anywhere on its length, and there are no road crews regularly bulldozing the rougher parts. In parts the surrounding foliage crowds close enough to whip wing-mirrors on both sides of the car at the same time – our convoy will lose one wing mirror and crack a few repeater lenses before the end.

On the good sections of track, 60km/h is comfortable. But the terrain can turn in a moment, forcing us to slow to walking pace to traverse rocky sections or steep, soft sand dunes. For the latter a small run-up is necessary, especially those that have been cut up by travellers dragging trailers which have the unwelcome effect of ‘bulldozing’ lumps into the sandy track. No matter how accomplished the vehicle and how welltuned its suspension, there is no way to control the bouncing other than to slow down. Slow down too much, though, and you’ll get bogged.

Lowering tyre pressures balloons the tyre to provide a wider footprint, but with all our supplies we can’t lower it too far. A well-stocked fridge and food for two weeks, camping gear, extra fuel… and maybe a case or two of beer for a well-earned drink after setting up camp each night. We may be a thousand kilometres from civilisation but we’re not barbarians!

The Little Sandy Desert gives way to the Gibson Desert near the fuel dump at Well 23.

This is not a petrol station oasis in a barren landscape. It is a roughly cleared patch of ground to which the Capricorn Roadhouse (800km to the west) can deliver 44-gallon drums of fuel ordered at least eight weeks prior.

Honesty works out here and our fuel is waiting.

Well, it would be a terrible act to steal another’s fuel when doing so could result in death.

1: Some of the track is rocky.

2: Some wells have useable water, but always boil before drinking.

3: We saw dingoes, camels, birds and lizards – and one snake – during our trip.

4: Aah, that Outback staple, bulldust!

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20

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Warrawag eringarra B ia M Wiluna Koonmarra a YaringMore Lake W Yalardy information Lake Wills rly ca Way ke La Wuakarly ra ke ar s La La kath eeke Tourism WA: 1300 361 351, www.westernaustralia.com ar Percival M Tobin Lake Curbur amelin Kunawarritji community: +61 8 9176 9040 Wonganoo ea n Pool RA Lake Ann D Telfer ba Kalli WE L Hamelin ub Yarrab Beebyn Maiden Albion Downs Mt AY Meadow LAKE MACK Tuckanarra © Commonwealth of AustraliaM (Geoscience Australia) 2012 590 ode Go t la ra ane Do ke LaO NICH O LS Bandya N RA 558 Lake Cue eerie oom w o en on rl itt n a as e B W rr M t nt e M Lake Darlot Mou 428 Lake Auld Lake Austin Nerren N Cosmo Newbery lgoo ster oy in Le Bo Mt Webb g st op rin let re ena Dow ns de Sp Tab si Fo Lake New e Lake 531 Agnew 427 28 | Go Camping Australia Blanch Sandstone toun Erlis ens Tietk Mt amyne ver Nambi tation 543 Lake Nerr i Eurardy S t ne R ie t Mag

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Topgreat10Australian drives

Tourism Victoria

Words: Lee Atkinson

30 | Go Camping Australia

H

it the road for your next camping getaway on one of these classic Australian road trips.

Tourism Victoria

Road trips for your bucket list.

Great Ocean Road.

Great Ocean Road, VIC Top of any list of great Australian drives is Great Ocean Road. Built between 1919 and 1932, the cliff-hugging road was hewn from the rock by returned World War I soldiers using picks, crowbars and shovels. This classic touring route winds its way along the rugged south-western Victorian coastline between Torquay and Warrnambool, where wild seas and unmerciful currents earned it the name of the Shipwreck Coast. Highlights include the Twelve Apostles rock formations, the Otways rainforest, surfing mecca Bells Beach, historic villages of Queenscliff, Port Fairy and Portland and seaside resort towns such as Lorne and Apollo Bay. Top spot to camp: The Wye River Foreshore Camping Reserve, 19km south of Lorne, is opposite the beach and has powered caravan sites. To book a site call (03) 5289 0412.

Sunset behind the Twelve Apostles.

Drive time: around 250km. www.greatoceanrd.org.au Go Camping Australia | 31

Lee Atkinson

Lee Atkinson

On the Road

Lee Atkinson

Boabs on the Gibb River Road.

Great Alpine Road.

Great Alpine Road, VIC The Great Alpine Road that snakes across the Victorian Alps from Wangaratta to Bairnsdale has always been one of the country’s best all-weather mountain drives climbing up into the snowfields from Bright, bend after bend twisting through forests of mountain ash and stringy bark that give way to stunning views of the valley below. Once you enter Alpine National Park the road sits atop the ridge of the mountain for about 30km, giving spectacular views on both sides of the road as you drive on, high above the snowline, winding amongst the skeletal snowgums through Hotham and Dinner Plain before descending again through rolling treeless hills towards Omeo. But now, you can loop back to where you started on the newly sealed Bogong High Plains road and Falls Creek during summer on one of Australia’s most spectacular driving routes – an alpine loop across the roof of Australia.

Top spot to camp: The campground at Anglers Rest near Omeo is a beautiful setting beside the Mitta Mitta River. Pop in for a drink at the neighbouring Blue Duck Inn. Drive time: around 300km. www.greatalpinevalleys.com.au www.victoriashighcountry.com.au 32 | Go Camping Australia

. Crossing the Pentecost River on the Gibb River Road.

Gibb River Road, WA The Gibb River Road is a road trip for those that want a true Outback adventure. It’s 4WD only; remote, rugged, hard on your vehicle and seriously out there. You’ll need to be pretty much selfsufficient, carry spares, tools and extra fuel, but it is one of the most beautiful Outback drives in the country. The track starts in Kununurra, and cuts through the heart of the Kimberleys to meet the sea at Derby. Highlights are forests of boab trees, spectacular gorges, crocodiles, cool billabongs and waterfalls. Most people continue on to Broome and then circle back to Kununurra via the bitumen Great Northern Highway and explore the Bungle Bungles on the way home. Roads are impassable November to April.

Top spot to camp: Bell Gorge, 220km from Derby, has several excellent waterfalls and swimming holes. Camp along the banks of Bell Creek under the shade of boab trees or at Silent Grove.

Drive time: around 700km, one-way. www.gibbriverroad.net

Go Camping Australia | 33

South Australia Tourism Commission

Lee Atkinson

Tourism NT

On the Road

Lee Atkinson

The road to Uluru.

Wangi Falls, Litchfield National Park.

The Nature’s Way, NT

Kings Canyon.

The Mereenie Loop Road, NT This drive will take you to all the icons of the Australian Outback in one three-day trip: Alice Springs, Kings Canyon and Uluru. From the Alice, head west through the ancient purple West MacDonnell Ranges to Hermannsburg, home of Albert Namatjira, then on to The Mereenie Loop Road. This dirt road will take you to Kings Canyon, where you can hook up with the bitumen road to Uluru. Highlights along the way include Glen Helen Gorge, the Gardner Range, Finke Gorge, Mount Connor and Palm Valley. Four-wheel drive is recommended on the Mereenie, although conventional cars have been known to survive the trip.

Top spots to camp: There are basic camping facilities at Ellery Creek Big-Hole and Redbank Gorge in the West Mac. Both have great swimming holes, if it hasn’t been too dry, but be aware they are always icy, no matter how hot the day.

Drive time: around 630km, one way. www.travelnt.com 34 | Go Camping Australia

Despite its fearsome reputation as the last frontier, the Top End, and Kakadu, is surprisingly easy to get around, even without a 4WD. The main route through Kakadu, known as the Nature’s Way, is fully sealed. It begins at the turn off to the Arnhem Highway, just south of Darwin and roughly forms two sides of a triangle, with the mining town of Jabiru at the apex, joining up with the Kakadu Highway running south to the Stuart Highway near historic Pine Creek. Include Litchfield National Park on the way back to Darwin – it’s one of the few places you can swim in the Top End without becoming a crocodile snack.

Top spots to camp: You can camp at Wangi Falls (unpowered caravan sites) in Litchfield, which has easy access to the swimming area and a kiosk. There’s a range of commercially operated camping areas in Kakadu, as well as several free camping areas in the park, which have next to no facilities and no drinking water. Be aware that there is no booking system for campsites and all sites are allocated on a first come, first served basis.

See www.environment.gov.au/parks/kakadu Drive time: around 900km. www.travelnt.com

Lee Atkinson

Tourism QLD

Lee Atkinson

Campsites front the beach at Point Sir Isaac in Coffin Bay National Park.

Captain Cook Highway.

Great Tropical Way, QLD Victoria’s Great Ocean Road might get all the glory, but every bit as stunning, and a whole lot warmer, is the Captain Cook Highway from Cairns to Port Douglas. The road hugs the coastline and the views are magnificent as the rainforest spills down the mountain side to meet the sea. Continue north through the Daintree rainforest; if you’ve a 4WD take the track through Cape Tribulation, or cut across from Mossman to the now-sealed Mulligan Highway and head to Cooktown which, unlike Port Douglas, still has a last frontier feel to it. Circle back to Mareeba and the Atherton Tablelands.

Top spot to camp: Camp at Noah Beach around 8km south of Cape Tribulation in Daintree National Park. The small sites are unsuitable for caravans or larger campervans.

Drive time: around 700km return loop from Cairns. www.greattropicaldrive.com.au

Driving in Coffin Bay National Park.

Eyre Peninsula, SA One of the best kept beach secrets in the country is the Eyre Peninsula, the triangle of land jutting into the sea between Adelaide and the Great Australian Bight. If you like empty beaches, this is the place to go. On this three-to four-day drive from Whyalla to Ceduna via Port Lincoln you’ll find beach after beach, visited only by the occasional fisherman and screeching seagulls.

Campsites are right on the edge of the sand and you’re often the only ones there. Highlights are oysters and fresh seafood, the stunning five kilometre cliff drive at Elliston, fishing from town jetties, four-wheel driving in Lincoln and Coffin Bay National Parks and swimming with sea lions at Baird Bay. Top spots to camp: Coffin Bay National Park has some great campsites. The most popular is at Yangie Bay, a sheltered bay surrounded by dense shrub. All other campsites in the park are 4WD only; a favourite is Point Sir Isaac, but much of the road there is actually on the beach, so you need to check the tide chart before you set off.

Drive time: around 670km. www.southaustralia.com/EyrePeninsula.aspx Go Camping Australia | 35

Tourism Tasmania

Anywhere in Tasmania makes for a great driving holiday, but the northern coastline is an unsung treasure. It is a place of rugged beauty, where fertile farmlands spill into the wild waters of Bass Strait. From the boulderstrewn white-sand beaches of the Bay of Fires, the main route across the top of the island travels through beautiful rainforest, some of the state’s best wine producing areas, along the spectacular coastal Bass Highway past pretty fishing villages to finally reach the wild wilderness of the west coast at the aptly named Edge of the World lookout.

Tourism Tasmania & Stuart Crossett

The Bass Coast, TAS

Lee Atkinson

Lichen-covered boulders of the Bay of Fires.

The Nut at Stanley, north-west Tasmania.

Bay of Fires Conservation Area, The Gardens.

Top spots to camp: There are six free camping areas, most overlooking the beach, in the southern section of the Bay of Fires Conservation Park. Facilities are basic and include pit toilets but no water. Because it’s a conservation park, rather than a national park, you can even bring your dog.

Drive time: 450km. www.discovertasmania.com.au 36 | Go Camping Australia

Lee Atkinson

Bill McKinnon

On the Road

Ebor Falls.

Silver City Highway.

The Waterfall Way, NSW

Corner Country, NSW

This classic touring drive starts on the mid-north NSW coast at the banana-clad beach resort town of Coffs Harbour and coils its way up through lush rainforest of the Great Divide to the New England Tablelands to finish in Armidale. Highlights include Bellingen with its strip of cafés and galleries; mountain-top Dorrigo smothered in rainforest with its spectacular skywalk that leads out over the rainforest canopy; and the high plateau gorge country. The best things about this drive is most of the attractions are free and, as the name suggests, there are plenty of waterfalls along the way, with the pick of the bunch being Dorrigo’s Dangar, Ebor and Wollomombi (one of the highest in Australia).

This drive takes you up the Silver City Highway to Tibooburra and Cameron Corner; the place where three states – New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia meet. The mostly unsealed road spears north from Broken Hill, through endless red dust plains studded with salt bush and mulga, mobs of kangaroos and emus and cackling galahs. Highlights include the deserted ghost town of Milparinka; Depot Glen where explorer Charles Sturt was forced to wait out the summer heat in 1845; Sturt National Park, with its startling jump ups, flat mesa-like mountains rising dramatically from the surrounding plains; Cameron Corner, where the states meet beside the Dingo Fence, the red dunes of the Strzelecki Desert and vast gibber plains.

Top spots to camp: Camp at Dangars Gorge or Green Gully in Oxley Wild River National Park. Both are suitable for small caravans and trailers, and both have great walks to waterfalls, which are spectacular after rain.

Top spot to camp: Camp among the desert dunes at Fort Grey in Sturt National Park, where explorer Charles Sturt built a stockade in 1845.

Drive time: around 200km. www.visitwaterfallway.com.au

Drive time: around 480km. www.outbacknsw.com.au

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Go Camping Australia | 37

Down

centre the

Words and photos: Jill Harrison

38 | Go Camping Australia

Kalgoorlie to Winton.

T

he late afternoon sun cast a golden light over the spinifex heads as we pulled off the red dirt road and set up camp amongst desert oaks near Giles Creek on the western side of the Western Australian/Northern Territory border.

Our campsite was just one of numerous possible free bush campsites to be found when travelling The Great Central Road, part of seven connecting roads that form Australia’s unofficial longest short cut known as The Outback Way. The 2750km route

runs through 10 bioregions from Laverton north of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia through the Great Victoria and Gibson Deserts via Uluru and Alice Springs to Winton in Queensland.

Our 1784km trip, from Kalgoorlie to Uluru, includes 1078km of gravel between Laverton and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), and takes about 3 to 4 days depending on how much time you have and what sight-seeing you do – or as in our case, how often you stop to take photos.

Most travellers free-camp at bush campsites.

To us bush camping means peaceful quietness and enjoying the bush without neighbours. It also means no toilets, showers or power but the reward of sitting around a campfire toasting marshmallows and looking up at the stars far outweighs any downside.

Main Photo: Sunrise at Yarla Kutjarra campsite.

Go Camping Australia | 39

Free Camp

1

The Outback Way is one of Australia’s great remote driving treks so being prepared is important. An essential reference is HEMA’s “The Outback Way” guide book which contains lots of useful information including possible campsites that aren’t necessarily signposted, as well as geological, historical and ecological information.

Loaded with supplies, fuel and water and a two-way radio to keep in contact with our son and his family who were travelling with us, we set off from Kalgoorlie early one morning in July.

Heading north our first camp is Niagara Dam, 60km east of Menzies and built in 1897 to supply water for steam locomotives and nearby goldfields. Sheltered campsites are located at the lower campground next to the wall and there are several well marked walk trails. The 1600 metre Breakaway Trail leads you to a panoramic view before descending along the usually dry creek-line back to the dam. The friendly butcher birds welcomed themselves to our campsite and would have taken our dinner if we let them!

40 | Go Camping Australia

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Just east of Laverton the bitumen ends and the gravel begins. We found the road in excellent condition but this is dependent on when it was last graded and boggy sections may be encountered during wet weather. Be aware of the blinding dust created by road trains and pull over to the edge of the road.

Outback Way markers lead to points of interest, including rocky breakaways which give you views over the surrounding countryside. At dawn and dusk you may see animals, including feral camels, at Gnamma rock holes, bores and water troughs. You can also try keeping count of the many abandoned cars left to rust in the bush just off the road.

One hundred and seven kilometres east of Laverton we camped at The Pines where there are expansive flat areas well off the road amongst a forest of black oak Casuarinas.

Here we experienced our first freezing cold desert night, highlighting the need for a good quality sleeping bag and ground sheet. It is amazing how washing up water can freeze over in a short time!

Just east of Tjukayiria Roadhouse is a stretch of bitumen – actually a registered airstrip used by the Royal Flying Doctor Service – so look out for low flying aircraft!

You are now entering the Gibson Desert characterised by distinctive red sand hills, rocky outcrops, breakaways, mulga

1: Len Beadell’s plaque is on this ghost gum – Len and his construction party surveyed 6500km of roads through Central Australia during the 1950s-60s prior to GPS. 2: Niagara Dam campsite – sheltered campsites are available below the wall of the dam.

3: Giles Creek crossing – a wide sandy river bed lined by river gums.

4: Bores and wells attract animals at dawn and dusk.

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Free Camp

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and grass plains. Breakaways and mulga woodlands, such as Desert Surf Central breakaway 121km east of Tjukayiria, provide good possible camping or picnic stops, opportunities to enjoy the views and observe wildlife. Our youngsters, tired of being in a car all day, set up a cricket game, and our camp was named the MCG – Mulga Cricket Ground.

Ninety-four kilometres east of Warburton is Yarla Kutjarra breakaway campsite where there is a water tank, shelter and toilet. We camped amongst the trees and climbed the ridge early next morning to photograph the sunrise.

If you time your visit right you can see the weather balloons that are released twice daily at 9am and 3pm at Giles Weather Station.

You now enter the dramatic Petermann and Schwerin Mural Crescent Ranges of the Central Ranges bioregion. The gorges and water holes have a rich diversity of animals and plants unique to the region and the wildflowers are spectacular after rain.

42 | Go Camping Australia

Near Giles Creek we camped in a Casuarina woodland of desert oaks. This is the first major desert oaks woodland heading east and our grandsons collected their nuts for our campfire. Camel tracks reminded us that camels were around even if we couldn’t see them.

Next morning was heavy with rain cloud when we stopped at Len Beadell’s plaque located on a giant ghost gum by the roadside.

Len and his construction party surveyed 6500km of roads through Central Australia during the 1950s-60s prior to the advent of GPS. Crossing into the Northern Territory we took the customary border crossing photo before stopping to explore Lasseter’s Cave where Harold Lasseter (of Lasseter’s lost reef fame) sheltered during 1931 (unfortunately camping is not permitted). Nearby is a large camel corral, one of only a few remaining in the Outback.

Approaching the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, the road returns to bitumen, signalling the return of vehicles, coaches and tourists.

A permit must be purchased to enter the park and there are Indigenous cultural wishes you should observe and sites where photography is not permitted.

The park also signals the end of free camping on this section of the Great Central Road. Yulara is a fully serviced community catering for Uluru and offering accommodation to suit all budgets including a campground with a very welcome hot shower and a washing machine!

The Great Central Road brought us to Australia’s heart, Uluru, and on our last evening Uluru dished up a spectacular sunset.

1: Approaching the WA-NT border. The Schwerin Mural Crescent Ranges clothed in low cloud.

2: The road east of Desert Surf Central runs straight ahead to the horizon.

Fact File Getting there

This trip starts at Kalgoorlie, 596km east of Perth; Kalgoorlie to Laverton – 658km; Laverton to Yulara – 1126km; Yulara to Alice Springs – 443km; Alice Springs to Winton – 1173km.

When to go

April to October – warm, dry, sunny days and cold nights. November to March is not recommended due to extreme temperatures, heavy rain and flooding.

Winton Alice Springs

Where to free camp

Yulara

Niagara Dam, The Pines, Desert Surf Central, Yarla Kutjarra, Giles Creek.

Laverton

Fuel & Provisions

Laverton, Tjukayiria Roadhouse, Warburton, Warakurna Roadhouse, Yulara.

Kalgoorlie

More information

The Outback Way – www.outbackway.org.au HEMA Maps The Outback Way Atlas & Guide: Camping stores Travel permits for Western Australia, Department of Indigenous Affairs – www.dia.wa.gov.au/en/Entry-Permits Travel permits for Northern Territory, Central Land Council – www.clc.org.au Yulara, Ayers Rock Resort Campground – Ph 08 8957 7001 www.voyages.com.au Central Australian Tourism Association – www.centralaustraliantourism.com

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Coast Outback to

Tourism QLD

Words: Nicola Dudley

44 | Go Camping Australia

Tourism QLD

1

Exploring the trail from Mackay to Longreach.

E

xpectations are high and excitement buzzes for our month long odyssey ahead as we set off in our rented motorhome.

Our plan is to get off the beaten track of Queensland’s coastline and explore the natural encounters and charming towns that dot the landscape between Mackay and Longreach, the heartland of Queensland history some 823km direct south west.

The first pit stop is at Cape Hillsborough National Park, located 50km north of Mackay and easily accessible via gravel road.

Here the ancient rainforest meets the turquoise waters of the sea and provides a nutrient rich habitat for plants and animals alike, including the local kangaroos that hop along the sandy beach without a care in the world as to who is watching. With more than 150 species of birds, 25 varieties of tropical butterflies, thousands of scurrying crabs and soothing tidal rock pools, anyone who wants to see nature at large should pack the macro lens for this stop.

Driving into the heart of Mackay city, the obvious landmarks include Art Deco buildings and quirky parallel streets lined with iconic Queensland palm trees. The Mackay region is an inviting blend of secluded beaches, elusive wildlife and rural communities.

After listening to friendly local guides, we decide to pull up stumps in Mackay and explore the region. An easy 80km inland, set in mist-shrouded mountains, we stumble upon Eungella National Park, home to over

860 subtropical and tropical plant species.

Much of the park is rugged wilderness dissected by vast gaping gorges and is home to the Eungella honeyeater, one of five new Australian bird species discovered during the past 50 years.

The park has more than 20km of picturesque walking tracks, scenic lookouts and rare plants and animals, enough to keep us happy for days. But the best spot has to be the viewing platform at Broken River.

Here, patient bushwalkers can be rewarded with sightings of the elusive platypus. All you need to do is stand as still as a door post – sometimes for what feels like eternity.

Luke and I are lucky enough to spot two of these duck-like creatures diving to feed. At just 20cm in length, they are much smaller than I expected and move like lightning through the water.

The guide at the Visitor Information Centre mentioned that less than 20 per cent of the Australian population has actually seen one of these iconic Aussie creatures in nature, let alone capture them on camera, so we were particularly chuffed.

The next day we venture along more tracks exploring another local hot-spot 5km south of Eungella called Finch Hatton Gorge.

This secluded pocket of rainforest features

Main Photo: Kangaroo on the beach.

1: Finch Hatton Gorge.

Go Camping Australia | 45

Discover

waterfalls and deep, clear water rock pools and is well worth the walk!

It is useful to note that Eungella boasts an Internet Access Centre perfect for catching up with friends and family before heading out of the range.

Our next stop is the modern country town of Emerald, established in 1879 as a base for building the western railway. Emerald is now the hub for the Central Highlands and the gateway to the Sapphire Gemfields, the largest, and one of the richest, sapphire fields in the southern hemisphere where visitors can get in amongst it and dig for their own jewels.

A sign tells us that in 1972 the construction of Fairbairn Dam and the Emerald Irrigation Scheme enabled the development of agriculture including cotton and large areas of citrus. The dam construction around Lake Maraboon in 1977 also helped support large-scale coal mining in the Bowen Basin and this now produces a significant proportion of Queensland’s total coal exports.

46 | Go Camping Australia

Tourism QLD

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At the recommendation of the local grocer, we head 18km out of town to Fairbairn Dam and the massive Lake Maraboon. The 15,000 hectare lake is full making it a perfect boating destination with a selection of camping and caravan spots and cabin accommodation.

The lake is stocked with eight different kinds of fish, but is most noted for the Red Claw Crayfish. I have to admit Red Claw was not my preferred meal, but the freshwater barramundi, straight out of the lake and onto the barbeque, is to die for. No wonder this waterhole is popular with the locals.

Once famous for its reputation as a major sunflower producer, the world’s biggest Van Gogh sunflower painting, balanced on an easel, takes centre stage in Emerald’s Morton Park. At an impressive 25 metres tall and made out of almost 14 tonnes of steel, this is definitely a photo opportunity.

After travelling in a south west direction, it’s time to tack due west and take the Landsborough Highway 420km along an iconic journey referred to as Reef to Outback (from the coastal town of Rockhampton to the

Outback town of Longreach). Hours stretch by as we lazily motor through the small rural towns of Jericho, Alpha and Barcaldine, the latter providing Luke and I with one of our most memorable events yet.

In front of the famous Tree of Knowledge, the birthplace for the Australian Labor Movement, local character Tom Lockie introduces himself and his goats and, in true Outback style, invites us to the local showgrounds to see one of the quirkiest races yet, the annual goat races.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” was my initial reaction, but after squishing my lanky legs into the goat drawn carriage and hurtling at speeds of 30km per hour over bumpy terrain, I have to admit that while it’s not quite Flemington, it is oddly, fun.

Of course, my goat comes dead last, and the winners consist of the local school kids who couldn’t be more than 12 years old and weigh less than 50 kilos.

A couple of hours west of Barcaldine lays Longreach, the centrepiece of Queensland’s Outback. This iconic town is the focal point of

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Drive

Trout Time at

Jindabyne Words and photos: Martin Auldist

The lake

Tangling with trout.

T

he out-of-the-way town of Jindabyne, in south-eastern New South Wales, is a long way from pretty much everywhere.

At 460km from Sydney and 580km from Melbourne, it is a good few hours’ drive for residents of Australia’s two biggest cities.

The town is best known as a jumping off point for skiers looking to test their skills on the nearby ski slopes. For camping fisherfolk who don’t mind a road trip, however, Jindabyne is also a great place to tangle with trout.

50 | Go Camping Australia

Lake Jindabyne is one of the largest freshwater reservoirs in New South Wales. It is man made and was formed when the Snowy River was dammed in 1967 (some say damned!). It is up to 40 metres deep in places, while the surface area spans some 30 square kilometres and is punctuated by a number of islands. In terms of inflow, Lake Jindabyne receives water from the Snowy, Thredbo and Eucumbene Rivers. Much of the water is then pumped into the Swampy Plains River and then into the Murray, but some is also released back into the Snowy.

The fishing

Lake Jindabyne is known as one of the best places in New South Wales to catch a trout. The main target species is rainbow trout, which occur in good numbers and are stocked into the lake. Brown trout also occur, along with Atlantic salmon.

The most popular way to fish Lake Jindabyne is from a boat, and when it comes to boat fishing the most productive technique is to troll (tow lures behind your boat). Get yourself a handful of Tassie Devils in a variety of colours, and perhaps some Rapala bibbed lures, and you’ll be right to go.

When trolling, it’s important to have some understanding of fish movements throughout the day. Under cover of darkness, trout move up into the shallows along the shoreline to forage on baitfish and yabbies, and to sip insects from the water’s surface. When the sun comes up and the day gets brighter and warmer, the trout move out into the sanctuary of the cooler, deeper water towards the centre of the lake. Then, as the sun sets, they venture back to the shallows. This pattern applies throughout the year, but is probably more marked in summer when the days are hotter.

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What this means is that first thing in the morning, before the sun comes fully up, you should concentrate your efforts in the shallows, trolling a shallow-running lure that is simply tied straight to the end of your monofilament mainline (known as flat-lining).

Try trolling parallel with the shoreline in bays and inlets, off the ends of headlands and points, or out around the islands. When you find fish, give the area a thorough working over because there will most likely be more fish holding in the same spot.

Once the sun is up, you’ll usually find the inshore action dies off, necessitating a move into deeper water to find fish. In turn, you’ll then need to find a way of getting your lures down deep to where the fish are holding.

There are several answers. The easiest – and cheapest – option is to invest in a leadline or two. As its name suggests, leadline is line

with a lead core which, due to its weight, trails much deeper in the water than normal monofilament. Most leadline has a different colour every 10 metres so that you know exactly how much line you have out, and therefore how deep your lure is. You will still need to use several metres of monofilament trace between your leadline and your lure because the leadline detracts from the action of the lure and is also highly visible to trout.

Another option is to use a plastic paravane to drag your lure into the depths, but the gold standard method is to use downriggers.

These are large balls of lead attached to a reel of rope to which the mainline is clipped before being lowered to the required depth.

Then, when the fish strikes, the mainline springs from the clip, allowing the angler to play the fish back to the boat. It works well, but requires a serious investment.

The above techniques may sound complicated, and it’s true they do require some additional equipment. They’re not so difficult that they couldn’t be deployed by the average angler with the appropriate information. My advice is, before doing any fishing of any kind, to check in at a local tackle shop and have a chat to the expert behind the desk. They will be able to let you know exactly where and when the fish are biting and explain to you the best methods for catching them.

Main Photo: Lake Jindabyne is very scenic and well worth a road trip. There are countless kilometres of shoreline for anglers to explore.

1: Fishing from a boat is popular at Lake Jindabyne.

There is a gravel boat ramp not too far from town.

2: There are some lovely campsites in the nearby Kosciuszko National Park.

Go Camping Australia | 51

Go Fish

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For launching, there is a concrete boat ramp on Kosciuszko Road, not too far out of town. Keep in mind, too, that if you don’t have a boat and you want to try trolling, there are a number of charter operators around town that would be glad to take you out. Half a day on the water with an experienced skipper is a great way of learning the ropes, and a cheap, entertaining and pleasant way of spending time with your family – plus catching a trout is pretty much guaranteed!

A shore thing Despite the popularity of boating, one of the great things about fishing at Lake Jindabyne is that you definitely don’t need a boat to catch fish – there are plenty of great spots to cast a line from shore, too. Fishing with bait is a great option for land-based anglers.

On my last trip I saw an angler and his 52 | Go Camping Australia

kids having great success on trout right next to the boat ramp using synthetic trout dough (Powerbait). Other good baits include scrubworms, yabbies and bardi grubs.

There’s no need to get too fancy when baitfishing. A standard running sinker rig will do the trick, with a small hook tied beneath a small ball sinker stopped 75cm above the hook. This is an especially good rig for the floating synthetic baits as it allows the bait to float up off the bottom, where it will be painfully obvious to any passing trout.

Both spinning and flyfishing are active and highly productive techniques for fishing from the shore at Lake Jindabyne. For a keen angler, there’s no better way to spend a few hours than walking the scenic shoreline of Lake Jindabyne with a pocketful of lures, casting into all the likely looking lies. Tassie Devils and Rapalas are as effective from the

shore as from a boat, but land-based lure casters could also try soft plastics and bladed spinners. Similarly, flyfishing using big wet flies like Woolly Buggers, Matukas and Fuzzy Wuzzies can be very effective.

For both spinning and flyfishing, fishing ‘blind’ (without spotting the fish first) will eventually produce fish, but with a careful approach you should also be able to spot cruising fish within casting range. That makes for very exciting angling as you try to get your cast just right, then watch as the fish accepts your offering – hopefully!

Keeping in mind that trout won’t often come into the shallow waters during daylight hours, shore-based anglers will maximise their chances of success by concentrating their fishing efforts around the changes of light early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

Camping

In terms of camping options there are at least two commercial camping grounds near town. The local information centre is a good place to start your search for one that suits you. In snow season it may be wise to book ahead. For those who prefer a more ‘get away from it all’ camping experience, there are a number of wonderful camping grounds inside the Kosciuszko National Park, right alongside the Thredbo River (which offers great flyfishing opportunities of its own). These sites are a little further from the lake.

There is, of course, other accommodation available in town for those looking for a break from camp life. At times Jindabyne is a bustling little holiday centre and is well set up to cater for campers’ needs. Accommodation ranges from backpacker hostels to well-appointed motels. There are shops and supermarkets for stocking up on supplies, while mechanical and medical assistance is also on hand if needed – which could come in handy given how far from home you are likely to be.

So, if you’ve a hankering for a trout dinner and you don’t mind travelling a little further afield for your next holiday, give Jindabyne some thought. You will find it a pleasant destination that offers productive fishing feel on the scenic and tranquil lake. What more could you want?

Similar techniques will also be successful in other renowned trout lakes such as Lake Eucumbene at nearby Adaminaby in New South Wales, Victorian lakes like Eildon, Dartmouth, Bullen Merri and Purrumbete, as well as in Tasmania. Check on local regulations first though.

Lake Jindabyne Fishing ReguLations In New South Wales, the size limit for all species of trout and Atlantic salmon caught in general trout dams including Jindabyne is 25cm. The bag limit is 5 per person, which represents a combined total for all species.

When fishing there is a limit of two rods per person, and you can have a maximum of 2 hooks or lures per rod. Lake Jindabyne is open for fishing all year. It is important to note that the streams surrounding the lake have different regulations: most have a closed season and bait fishing is not permitted. The fishing regulations can be difficult to understand, but the onus is on the angler to make sure they know the rules. If in doubt, check out www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries or ask at the local tackle shop.

1: Tranquil and scenic Lake Jindabyne is a trout angler’s paradise.

2: Pat Cavanagh caught this lovely rainbow trout just as the sun was going down. The change of light is the prime time to be fishing.

3: The kids will love Lake Jindabyne. Annika Cavanagh caught this Atlantic salmon late in the afternoon.

4: Rainbow trout are suckers for lures like this orange Tassie Devil.

Go Camping Australia | 53

Girl’s guide

to 4WD

Words: Kerry Heaney Photos: Graeme Coventry

54 | Go Camping Australia

Get down and dirty – take the Toorak tractor out into the wild.

I

t didn’t look like a stream I would walk through let alone drive a brand new Nissan X-Trail into, but I was doing it and I was also confident I’d come out the other side.

A steep descent into rapidly running water with rocks visible above the stream on one side and a dark spot where I couldn’t determine depth on the other, was what I faced but beside me was someone

who had done it many times before and his calming words of advice were the secret to my success.

It’s the opening of the four wheel drive season in Victoria in late October and I’m one of a few lucky people testing out one of Nissan’s X-Trails on the fresh tracks. As the highest alpine resort in Victoria, Hotham is blessed with a challenging range of 4WD tracks right on its doorstep. The tracks wind

their way through rolling high plains, river crossings and razorbacks. More than enough challenge for a novice like me.

The plan was to cover as many of Mount Hotham’s spectacular tracks as possible in one day so we found ourselves in X-Trails crossing rivers, negotiating dirt tracks and ascending mountains. Nissan Pathfinders and Patrols were called in for the more serious stuff of climbing up the steep hills on rough tracks.

Go Camping Australia | 55

Getting Dirty

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We had assembled for a briefing the night before and Dan Thompson, Managing Director and CEO Nissan filled us in with a few interesting facts. According to Dan, the Nissan X-Trail is the number one small SUV (sport utility vehicle) in Australia.

Also according to Dan, while there is a trend to downsize to compact SUVs, Nissan estimate less than 20 per cent of SUV owners take their vehicle off road. That’s a lot of cars capable of providing an off-road experience used just as a city taxi.

Four Wheel Drive Victoria’s new emphasis on female-friendly courses could help change that. Definitely not intended as four wheel driving for blondes, the course covers the same tracks as the standard course but is designed to give women the confidence to go off road.

Russell Sturzaker, Four Wheel Drive Victoria’s Chief Executive Officer, explained that they had to change their courses to match a shift in the market place and accommodate increased interest from female four wheel drivers.

Seems it’s a case of too many car proud male owners who aren’t always very good 56 | Go Camping Australia

at sharing with a bit of a ‘this is my toy’ attitude thrown in. The new demands for female only classes have come because the only way some women felt they could gain confidence in driving off road was to learn the techniques from a professional instructor. Having only women on the course provides an easy atmosphere for learning and Four Wheel Drive Victoria finds their female orientated courses fill very quickly.

“Women’s 4X4 Driver Training is for women only and specifically designed to meet the needs of novice off-highway drivers using the same agenda as our Basic Off-Road Driving Clinic,” says Russell.

“The class includes basic information about 4WD vehicles with just enough to understand what is going on, plus we cover a lot of safety and environmental concerns.

The largest part of the clinic is driving technique to get you through a variety of terrain.”

So the next day that’s exactly what we did.

The morning started with a pleasant drive along easy roads winding through a forest of

stark white trees. There was not a leaf to be seen, a legacy of the dramatic bush fires that swept the area in 2003.

Then it got a bit more serious with a few minor creek crossings that were just there to whet our appetites.

Lunch was a chance to relax in a verdant green picnic ground and learn how to use a hand winch to retrieve a 4WD that had ventured where it shouldn’t. The aim of the exercise was to prove that anyone, specifically girlie types who had never used a winch before, could do the job. And we did!

With a little confidence under our belts it was off to tackle some serious creek crossings that could maybe even described as small rivers. Well they looked pretty wide to me.

There’s a technique which involves driving close to but not over rocks, but I’ll leave it to the experts to explain.

Then it all got a bit tougher with a steep climb up a rocky slope that I wouldn’t want to have walked up. There was a lot of rocking from side to side but no squealing, from the passengers that is.

4

Fact File Where to go

Mount Hotham is about a 350km drive from Melbourne and a good 750km drive from Sydney. There are many tracks on offer but the iconic ones are Davies Plain Drive, Snowy River Drive, Mallee Drive, Wonnangatta Drive, Otways Drive and Grampians Drive. Routes spread from the Mallee to the Gippsland and right down the coast.

Visit www.dse.vic.gov.au for more information.

When to go

Nissan hosts a yearly 10-day Beyond Mount Hotham four-wheel drive adventure every April before Easter, which attracted more than 100 people last year. The event is organised by Four Wheel Drive Victoria, a 35-year-old club that boasts 14,500 members. www.fwdvictoria.org.au The event includes a comprehensive R Darnickrange of day trips, overnight trips, social events and skilled-based workshops around DUB BO Ivanhoe region. Registrations are openTulla formor the e 2012 event from Lake Mindona Moornanyah Lake all corners of the Hotham Mount Hope Wellington Peak Hill March 22 – April 1, 2012.

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Go Camping Australia | 57

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Lake Albacutya

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water Words and photos: Andrew Gregory

58 | Go Camping Australia

1

Kayaking around Australia.

F

or over twenty years I have travelled around Australia as a landscape photographer and I have used kayaks to explore the coast, gorges and rivers. With a kayak I can take more camera gear than I can with a backpack. I can go into beautiful areas accessible only by the water.

In 2007 a friend and I kayaked down the Negri and Ord rivers in the Kimberley; it was an adventure that had us up close with crocodiles and rapids. We spent weeks in stunning and remote places and I remember sitting in my kayak one still evening, as storm clouds gathered around me, feeling like I was floating in the sky.

Since then I have been visiting kayaking locations around Australia for my book, Kayaking around Australia (Explore Australia, $34.95). It lists some of my favourite places, and here are five of the best.

Yuraygir National Park, NSW

There’s no better way to explore the beautifully wild coast of Yuraygir National Park than in a kayak, with its spectacular headlands, rockpools and beaches. When paddling the park’s hushed rivers or between wonderfully remote oceanfront campsites, you never know what you’ll see. Yuraygir National Park occupies one of the longest stretches of undeveloped coastline in northern New South Wales and includes popular spots like Shelley Beach, Yamba and Brooms Head.

One of the main car-based camping areas in the northern section of Yuraygir National Park lies adjacent to the large, saltwater Lake Arragan, a few kilometres north of Brooms Head. Choose a spot on the grassy open area near the lake or set up your tent near the dramatic red cliffs beside the beautiful beach. A tap near the turn-off to the camping area is the only source of water in the area, and there are also pit toilets and fireplaces.

Camping is done on a first in, first served basis; rangers will pop around to collect the fees. For more information on the Lake Arragan camping area, contact the NSWNPWS: (02) 6641 1500; www.environment.nsw.gov.au

Main Photo: From a kayak Kangaroo Island has a dramatic, beautiful and varied coastline that is both serene and perilous.

1: There’s no better way to explore the beautifully wild coast of Yuraygir National Park than in a kayak.

Go Camping Australia | 59

Explore

1

Fraser Island and Great Sandy Strait, QLD

Fraser Island is the biggest island off Australia’s east coast and the largest sand island in the world.

Its long white beaches and coloured dunes are remarkably beautiful. Along the east coast, there are some great spots to do some fishing or whale-watching. In the summer months it’s also quite likely you will see some turtles coming ashore, or whales in the water from August to October.

There are national park and wilderness camping areas on the western side of Fraser Island.

Beach camping is permitted at signposted campsites with no facilities (many accessible by boat). Camping permits are required, available at self-registration stations, and fees apply: 13 13 04; www.epa.qld.gov.au. There is also camping available on the beach at Inskip Point; fees are collected on site by rangers. On Fraser Island there are designated campgrounds on the eastern beach at Dundubara and Waddy Point, inland at Central Station, Lake Boomanjin and Lake Allom, and on the western beach at Wathumba. Facilities include picnic tables, barbecues, toilets, showers and drinking water; visitors should bring their own fuel stove.

Kangaroo Island, SA

From a kayak Kangaroo Island has a dramatic, beautiful and varied coastline that is both serene and perilous. Towering cliffs form a stronghold against huge seas whipped up by wild squalls – secret rivers trickle out into calm coves and there are beautiful sweeps of white sand encircling bejewelled bays. Its southern shores are wild and unforgiving, with waves rising like ocean warriors, but there are also peaceful bays and sheltered coves of flat water, with beachside camping. There is an abundance of wildlife on the island, including 200 species of birds, penguins that live and breed along the coastline, Australian sea lions and New Zealand fur-seals – both native to Kangaroo Island – and an exceptional variety of marine life, making it popular with divers.

There are numerous council-run campgrounds around the island, some with camp kitchens and toilets. There is a range of national park campgrounds within Flinders Chase National Park: DEH (08) 8204 1910; FCNP Kingscote (08) 8559 7220; Kelly Hill Caves (08) 8559 7231; NPWSA Kingscote (08) 8553 2381; Rocky River Visitor Centre (08) 8559 7235; Seal Bay Visitor Centre (08) 8559 4207.

60 | Go Camping Australia

2

Geographe Bay and Leeuwin–Naturaliste, WA Geographe Bay and the Leeuwin–Naturaliste coast present a contrast of wild seas and huge sheltered blue bays. It’s a beautiful, dramatic coast and there is a huge variety of day paddles in the area. It’s part of the south-west of Western Australia, 180km south of Perth – the area West Australians affectionately call ‘down south’. The coastline begins at Busselton on the north-facing Geographe Bay, then curves around to a north-west point at Cape Naturaliste and then takes a dramatic north-south line for 100km to Cape Leeuwin. Much of the coastal area is part of the Leeuwin–Naturaliste National Park, and is famous for its surf. The kayaking highlights along this coastline include Augusta, Hamelin Bay, Margaret River to Yallingup, and Geographe Bay. Leeuwin–Naturaliste National Park has three campsites with toilets, picnic tables and barbecues – Conto, Point Road (fourwheel drive recommended) and Boranup.

Conto is the only campsite with drinking water. Camping fees apply. Park rangers are stationed at Yallingup, Cowaramup, Boranup and Augusta. Contact CALM Busselton for park information: (08) 9752 1677.

Tasman Peninsula and Fortescue Bay, TAS

3

Near Tasmania’s east coast, bands of fluted mountains rise close to the sea and rivers flow out into bays and estuaries, their entrances guarded by the tallest sea cliffs in Australia, raised like fortresses protecting the harbours from the onslaught of the Southern Ocean. One of Australia’s most feared bigwave spots is on the coast at Shipstern Bluff near Cape Raoul. If the swell is running you can do the two-hour walk from near Port Arthur to the bluff and watch in amazement as expert surfers take on the untamed force of the sea. There are so many places you can kayak in the south-east of Tasmania; you could just about follow a road anywhere and find water where you can launch your kayak.

Fortescue Bay campground (40 sites) has showers, toilets, barbecues and boat ramp.

Fees apply and bookings are recommended.

There are also designated bush camping areas in the park, such as Bivouac Bay in the north of Fortescue Bay. There is also national park camping at Cockle Creek in the southwest: www.parks.tas.gov.au

1: Fraser Island is the biggest island off Australia’s east coast and the largest sand island in the world.

2: Geographe Bay and the Leeuwin–Naturaliste is a beautiful, dramatic coast and there is a huge variety of day paddles in the area.

3: There are so many places you can kayak in the south-east of Tasmania.

Extract from Kayaking around Australia

by Andrew Gregory (Explore Australia, $34.95) www.exploreaustralia.net.au

Fulfil an experience that’s over the top!

Enjoy an exclusive journey sailing on board Australia’s last remaining passenger-carrying cargo ship

One-way trips available either north or southbound. You can sail with your vehicle and complete the journey overland in the other direction.

Freight charges apply.

FROM

$

775*

per person

return travel, including all meals Thursday Island Horn Island

Enjoy a journey of discovery as the MV Trinity Bay cruises its way through the protected waters inside the Great Barrier Reef of Far North Queensland. Viewing the wild inaccessible coastline and National Park areas with rocky headlands, rainforests and sweeping bays.

Seisia

The MV Trinity Bay departs Cairns every Friday. A round-trip takes 5 nights with the vessel calling in at Horn Island, Thursday Island and Seisia Wharf (Bamaga).

There is the opportunity to partake in optional tours to complete your experience of this remarkable and remote region.** With only 15 passenger cabins, ensuite or shared facilities, you are advised to book early to secure a place on this unique and popular voyage.

CAIRNS

For more information visit our website: www.seaswift.com.au To request an Information Booklet or make a booking call 1800 424 422 or email: bookings@seaswift.com.au *Fare based on triple share cabin, shared facilities, for travel between November 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012. Rates between April 1, 2012 and October 31, 2012 start at $1075 per person triple share. Prices include GST and are subject to change. All departures and schedules are subject to cargo and weather considerations. For Terms & Conditions, see our website or request an Information Booklet. **Optional tours are operated by outside companies. Extra charges apply and their operation is subject to weather conditions.

Go Camping Australia | 61

Top 10

country pubs Top

Words and photos: Lee Mylne

Road trips can be thirsty work.

A

t the end of the day, there’s often nothing better than sitting back with a cool drink on the shady verandah of a country pub. Remembering, of course, not to drink and drive. Here’s my guide to some of the best around Australia.

Lee Mylne is the author of Great Australian Pubs, published this month by Explore Australia. It can be bought in all good bookshops or online at www.exploreaustralia.net.au for $34.95.

The Pub in the Paddock Best known for its beer-drinking pigs, The Pub in the Paddock is literally just that, tucked away in the Pyengana Valley in north-east Tasmania, about 27km from St Helens. On arrival, you’ll spot resident pigs Priscilla and Pinky waiting contentedly in their pens knowing that someone will soon bring them a beer (don’t worry, it’s mostly water). The Pub in the Paddock is one of Tasmania’s oldest country pubs, licensed since about 1880, and is well worth a stop. It was built as a homestead for the Terry family, who had 15 children (some of the boys reputedly more interested in drinking than in farming). Their home became St Columba Falls Hotel, named for the cascading waterfall a little further down the valley. Just ask any of the locals and you’ll hear the story of how it got its current name.

Where to camp: There is free camping in the paddock for campervans.

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Grand Pacific Hotel The Grand Pacific Hotel at Lorne was the first hotel on the Great Ocean Road. By the time the road was built – between 1919 and 1932 – the hotel was already more than half a century old and wellloved by visitors to the beautiful seaside town. When the pub opened in 1875, guests came from Melbourne or Geelong by boat and landed at the Lorne Pier in front of the hotel. The facade, ornate balconies and sandstone interior walls have changed little from the hotel’s earliest days, but today the bars and restaurant areas all have large floor to ceiling windows to take in the stunning views. www.grandpacific.com.au Where to camp: The Lorne Foreshore Caravan Park has five campgrounds on beachfront and riverside locations.

Each has sites for caravans, motor homes, vans and tents. www.lornecaravanpark.com.au

Overland Corner Hotel Bushrangers, drovers, overlanders – and in modern times tourists – have all beaten a path to the Overland Corner, about 20km from Barmera in South Australia.

Driving from Waikerie, you cross the Murray River aboard a free ferry and in a few minutes are on the other side.

The Overland Corner Reserve is a 300ha nature reserve – including the hotel – which is managed by the National Trust of South Australia. Built in 1859, the Overland Corner Hotel is ‘both pub and living museum’. Just 670 metres from the Murray, it is built of fossilised limestone, the walls about a metre and a half thick, and is the oldest building in South Australia’s Riverland. It also boasts the biggest beer garden in the region, a good spot to munch on the excellent burgers and other pub grub. www.nationaltrustsa.org.au Where to camp: There are free camping sites overlooking the Murray River behind the hotel in the Heron’s Bend Reserve.

Go Camping Australia | 63

Thirsty Work

Daly Waters Pub Bras hanging above the bar, a lone parking meter out the front, the mock traffic light – ‘Australia’s most remote’ – all signal that a sense of humour is handy to have when you drop in to the Daly Waters Pub. One of Australia’s best-known Outback drinking holes, the Daly Waters Pub is 600km south of Darwin on the Stuart Highway, a good stopping off point for those taking a throughthe-centre road trip. Daly Waters’ population of nine swells in the tourist season, April to September, and you never know who you might find propped up at the bar.

A saltwater swimming pool is open from 7am to 10pm (towels available at the bar) to cool off in, and there’s also a kids’ toys and games area. www.dalywaterspub.com Where to camp: The pub’s caravan park has powered sites for $12 per adult and unpowered sites for $7 per adult (children under 16 free).

Sites for oversized rigs cost $15 per person powered and $5 per person unpowered. Bookings are not taken.

BROLGA TOURISM AWARD 2011, 2010 AHA BEST WAYSIDE INN 2011, 2010, 2007, 2006, 2005 TELSTRA SMALL BUSINESS FINALIST 2011, 2010

EST. 1930

3 NEW 2 BEDROOM DELUXE CABINS BOOK ONLINE WWW.DALYWATERSPUB.COM

64 | Go Camping Australia

P: (08) 8975 9927 F: (08) 8975 9982

www.dalywaterspub.com

Rudd’s Pub The Queensland Darling Downs village of Nobby seems an unlikely place to have produced two of Australia’s most famous fictional characters, but it has done just that – and the local pub has been turned into a shrine to them. A visit to Nobby shows just how proud the tiny hamlet is to have been called ‘home’ by author Steele Rudd and his famous creations Dad and Dave.

Drive in to Nobby – about 35km from Toowoomba – and it’s easy to find the local hotel where Davis spent hours writing his most famous works including On Our Selection. The outside is painted with scenes from the books, and the red roof of the building is emblazoned in white with the words: Rudd’s Pub. Inside is a vast collection of Rudd memorabilia. The pub, built in 1893, became ‘Rudd’s’ in 1988. www.ruddspub.com.au Where to camp: There is free camping for motor homes and caravans across the road from the pub.

Royal Hotel, Hill End More than any other town in Australia, Hill End is a living snapshot of what life was like during the 1870’s gold rush. The New South Wales Parks & Wildlife Service, which administers the town, says Hill End’s collection of historic cottages and village buildings is ‘without parallel’ in Australia. A partly unsealed road from Bathurst brings you into an avenue of trees planted by gold miner Louis Beyers in the 1870s. One of the first buildings you come to is the Royal Hotel.

One of 27 hotels built during the gold rush, it opened in 1872 but today is the only pub in town. It has a period-style dining room and a garden bar, where you might spot grazing kangaroos or other wildlife. Take a walk around the village (everything has sign-boards) or the 2km walk to the Bald Hills mining area. www.hillendnsw.com.au Where to camp: There are two camping grounds in Hill End. The Glenora Camping Area and Village Camping Area each have 40 sites, toilets, showers and free electric barbecues. The Village Area also has 12 powered sites. Fees are $10 per adult and $5 per child for powered sites; $7 adults and $4 children for unpowered.

Go Camping Australia | 65

Thirsty Work

Ora Banda Inn Pull up outside the Ora Banda Inn, about 70km north of Kalgoorlie, and it’s hard to imagine that this was once one of the most notorious crime scenes on the Western Australia goldfields. In the bar you can still see the scars of the bomb blast that ripped the hotel apart in 2000. On a moonlit October night, a bikie gang member was shot dead while sitting around a campfire outside the historic pub. Days later, two explosions blew apart the front of the hotel in a revenge attack. The saga goes on, and you can read all about it in a file of newspaper clippings kept on the bar. These incidents put tiny Ora Banda on the map and today it’s popular with travellers and families.

It’s a great bush pub, with two beer gardens. www.orabanda.com.au Where to camp: There’s a caravan park next door. Rates are $25 double per night.

A

IE M O RD FR A G ES L T O U O IN C M OR 45 IE LY R L N O O O LG

K

O

RA BANDA Historical Inn

 Hearty meals

(kitchen open until 7.30pm)

 Relaxing beer gardens  Friendly family atmosphere  Historic location

(approximately 70km from Kalgoorlie)

P: (08) 9024 2444 E: info@orabanda.com.au

www.orabanda.com.au

Open Monday to Friday 12.00 noon, Saturday and Sunday 11.00am

66 | Go Camping Australia

Jayco

Need to Know

To tow

or

not to tow?

Words: Lee Atkinson

Towing isn’t for everyone.

I

t’s wise to consider the pros and cons of towing a van or camper trailer versus driving a motorhome or campervan.

Here are some tips on what to think about before you buy.

Caravans: Today’s caravans come in a multitude of shapes and sizes, anything from three metres to more than 10 metres long and come in off-the-shelf and custom made varieties. Basically, depending on your budget, whatever you want in your van you can get – at a price! Most are self contained, with a kitchen, refrigerator, stove, sink, microwave, TV, wardrobe and storage space, shower and toilet, some even have air-conditioning. Caravans give you the option of leaving them parked while you use the tow vehicle for day trips or for chores such as a quick trip to the supermarket. Caravans are generally less expensive than motorhomes and will hold their value if looked after.

Pop Top Van: All the features of a normal caravan, but with a pop-up roof to provide full

headroom when parked. They are easier to tow than a full-size van and use less fuel, and will fit in a garage or under a carport so are easier to store at home between trips.

Camper Trailers: In their most basic format a camper trailer is really just a box trailer with a tent section that lifts out to make a sleeping space. Most include mattresses, gas cooker and sinks. Camper trailers are easier to tow than caravans, are lighter and therefore produce less wear and tear on the car and achieve greater fuel efficiency, and many are specifically made to go off-road.

The downside however, is a lack of space and comfort – most models offer space to sleep but you’ll be doing most of your living and cooking outside or under an awning and they take longer to set up and pack down than caravans or a motorhome.

Motorhomes: Built on a truck chassis they have much the same level of facilities and comfort of caravans. Motorhomes usually have access between the driver’s cabin and the body so there’s no need to leave the vehicle to camp and there is no ‘set up’ involved. Passengers can be carried within the motorhome (providing the seats have the appropriate seatbelts) and can be parked more easily than a car and caravan. Ease of parking means you can stop at lookouts and scenic places that caravans might have

trouble accessing. Apart from the need to allow for the extra height and width of the body, motorhomes are usually an easier alternative to towing a similar-sized caravan and are easier to reverse. They do require full registration and insurance rather than the cheaper caravan alternative.

Campervans: Made famous by the iconic Kombi in the 60s and 70s, campervans are essentially a smaller, much cheaper version of the motorhome, and a great option for those that love camping, with a little comfort thrown in. Most have a pop top for extra headroom, a table, seating and beds, sink, stove and refrigerator and many are great for off-road trips. Living space can be cramped though. Easy to drive and park.

Slide-On Campers: Designed to suit either flat tray utes or full-bodied utes, they come in many different sizes and configurations and have the benefit of still being able to tow a boat or trailer. The camper can usually be detached from the vehicle for storage between trips. Some have rooftop tents, but before you buy, ask yourself if you’ll love or hate having to climb the ladder in the middle of the night.

Main Photo: Caravan and motorhome holidays are becoming one of the most popular ways to holiday in Australia.

Go Camping Australia | 67

Need to Know

2

Jayco

Lee Atkinson

1

Fifth Wheelers: Like a larger caravan, but built to be towed by a ute or small truck with an extension on the front of the van section that extends over the tow vehicle, and usually mounts onto a turntable, or ‘wheel’ – hence the name ‘Fifth Wheeler’. The hitch arrangement makes towing easier by placing the trailer load in the centre of the tow vehicle instead of behind it and they generally have taller ceilings and more slide-out rooms with as many as four in some models.

Buying guide

Once you’ve made your decision of what type of on-road home-away-from-home you think is best for you, you’ll soon discover that the choice is almost endless. To help narrow down the options, ask yourself the following questions: • What is the towing capacity of your vehicle?

Check your handbook or contact the manufacturer. And remember, equipment such as water, food and camping gear will generally add another 300kg to the weight of the empty caravan. Given that you’ll be living for extended periods in your van, it may be worthwhile to choose your caravan before 68 | Go Camping Australia

you choose your car as the towing capacity of your car can limit your caravan choices.

• Do you want to go off-road?

• Do you plan to use your caravan/RV just for short summer holidays or will you be making longer trips with lots of highway driving in all seasons?

• Where will you be spending most of your time? Are you heading into the bush or national parks, or will you spend most of your time in caravan parks with bathroom and washing facilities?

• Are you travelling with pets? Or children?

• How many beds do you need? Do you want to have to make up the bed in your living space each day? How much privacy do you need?

• Do you really want an on-board toilet?

Many people answer yes to this question, only to find the hassle of cleaning and emptying the waste more effort than it’s worth and prefer to use caravan park facilities instead.

• How much cooking will you do? Do you need lots of fancy appliances or will you be

5

Trakka

4 Tourism Queensland

Jayco

3

happy to mainly cook outside on a portable barbecue or use camp kitchen facilities at caravan parks?

• How much storage room do you need? Will you be carrying specialised equipment such as fishing lines, a fishing boat, bicycles or even towing another vehicle?

• Do you want a stereo, TV, satellite and other entertainment? Can you really survive six months with your partner without the distraction of TV? • How much do you want to spend? Do you want to buy new or second hand?

1: A caravan can become your on-road homeaway-from-home.

2: Choose your caravan before you choose your car as the towing capacity of your car can limit your caravan choices.

3: Pop top vans are easier to tow than a full-size van.

4: Caravans are generally less expensive than motorhomes and will hold their value if looked after.

5: Unlike caravans, passengers can be carried within a campervan or motorhome.

Something

Fishy Words and photos: Julie Bishop and Regina Jones

When the hunter gatherers return without a catch, what do you do?

H

ere are some of our favourite fish meals when the fish comes from a can rather than a dam.

Smoked Cod & BaCon Spread Serves 4 A Bishop family favourite enjoyed as a breakfast spread on toast and also tasty as a dip with Jatz. Try the spread in vol-au-vents as a main dish or entrĂŠe. Make a double batch and freeze. Thank you to Nanny Fay for this recipe.

Smoked Cod is readily available at the local supermarket. It has a rich flavoursome taste and very few bones. We discovered that using milk to boil reduces the saltiness of cod.

Thank you to our mate Boofie for that tip.

Ingredients:

250gm smoked cod 125gm diced shortcut bacon 1 onion, diced 1 tsp butter

2 tbsp flour 2 tsp curry powder 1 cup milk

Place cod in a pan with enough water to cover and slow boil for 10 minutes. Melt butter in a large saucepan, add bacon and onion. Fry for 5 minutes. Turn heat down to low. Remove cod from pan, place in saucepan with bacon and onion. Mash cod and mix through. Add flour and curry, stir well. Turn heat up to medium, slowly pour in milk. Keep stirring until sauce thickens. Taste test for addition of curry if desired.

Handy Hint: Serve in vol-au-vent cases.

Go Camping Australia | 69

Dine

Salmon Quiche Serves 4 – 6 This is a fabulous recipe to throw together when you lack inspiration of what to cook for tea. Always have a 415gm can of red salmon in the food box.

ingredients:

415gm can of red salmon ½ cup SR flour 4 beaten eggs 250ml milk

1 tbsp butter, melted 1 onion, finely chopped ½ cup cheese, grated

Mix together flour, eggs, milk and melted butter. Add salmon, onion and cheese and stir thoroughly. Pour into a greased quiche dish or similar. Bake for 45 minutes at 180 degrees, check with a toothpick if cooked in middle. Serve with salad or vegies.

DreamPot Method: Mix ingredients together as written in recipe. Pour into greased small inner pot. Boil 2 litres of water in large inner pot. Place small inner pot over boiling water, put lid on and gently boil for 20 minutes as a double saucepan. Place into DreamPot for 45 minutes.

Tuna Salad Individual serve This recipe seems too simple, but it is what we call an inspiration rescue. A quick and easy salad group that looks great when presented in individual bowls. Use salmon if preferred.

ingredients:

4 cherry tomatoes, cut in half ¼ Lebanese cucumber, cubed Cheese, thick slice cubed 6 pitted kalamata olives

1 x Tuna Tempter in olive oil eg. Chilli tuna 1 tbsp red wine vinegar Lettuce or leafy greens, small handful

Mix all ingredients together except lettuce. Use half the olive oil from tuna as part of dressing with red wine vinegar. Place into a bowl, lettuce first, then mixed ingredients.

Serve with crusty bread.

Optional Extras: Red onion sliced, capsicum strips.

Handy Hint: Instead of red wine vinegar use the kalamata liquid from the jar.

70 | Go Camping Australia

CARAVAN SERVICES Recreational Refrigeration Services We are Queensland’s largest independent sales and service outlet for most brands of Camping, Caravan, Motor Home, 4WD, Gas and Electric and DC Portable Refrigerators, Air Conditioners and associated products.

Full installation facilities.

And guaranteed best prices.

Smoked Cod & RiCe SliCe

We service, repair, stock spare parts for these brands

Serves 6 Try this recipe at home using a large square baking dish. When camping place dish on trivet in camp oven. The cod that you buy at the supermarket deli needs to be cooked in simmering water or milk for 10 minutes.

ingredients:

1 litre hot water with 2 chicken stock cubes dissolved 2 tsp curry powder 1 cup rice 1 egg, lightly beaten 500gm cooked smoked cod Sauce ingredients: 2 eggs, lightly beaten 250ml long life cream 1 cup tasty cheese, grated 1 tsp mustard 1 tbsp dried parsley 1 tbsp dried chives In a large pot, pour in chicken stock, curry powder and rice and bring to the boil.

Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, or until rice is tender. Allow to simmer until rice has absorbed and very little liquid remains. Stir in beaten egg. Spread across the base of a greased baking dish. Break up the cooked cod into flakes and spread evenly over rice.

Combine all sauce ingredients and pour on top of slice. Bake in moderate oven at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.

Service agents for most brands

DreamPot Method: Bring cod to boil in 2 litres of hot water and ½ cup milk in large inner pot. At the same time bring rice and 800ml stock and curry powder to boil in small inner pot. Stir occasionally; boil for 1 minute with lid on. Place small pot into large pot then into DreamPot for 30 minutes. Stir beaten egg into rice. Flake cod and spread over rice. Keep hot milky water in large inner pot and reboil. Mix together sauce ingredients in jug, pour over slice. Place small inner pot over large inner pot, with lid on. Boil gently for 5 minutes. Place into DreamPot for 30 minutes.

Note: Keep an eye on milky water as it will boil over easily.

(07) 3209 5044

Find out more about A Woman’s Look at Camping & Cooking at www.wlacamping.info

info@caravanservices.com.au

www.caravanservices.com.au

4/68–72 Perrin Drive Underwood 4119

Go Camping Australia | 71

4WD Techniques

A

balancingact Words and photos: Mark Allen

Should you take the ‘kitchen sink’, or will that last spare part ‘break your back’ and send you to your grave?

I

t’s a fine line between not having enough food, water, spare parts, recovery gear or tools and taking so much gear that the weight of that gear could be just the reason you broke down. I’ve witnessed travellers hauling complete spare leaf spring kits and trailer axles just in case they needed it... and yep, they needed it because they were so overloaded.

Taking too little can also bear dire consequences. Breaking down without spare

72 | Go Camping Australia

parts, getting stuck without recovery gear, being stranded (for any reason) without adequate food and water will undoubtedly leave a sad memory to any traveller’s trip.

At best, your trip will cost you an arm and leg (dollar wise) over what you had calculated.

At worst, your rellies or mates may just have the unfortunate task of organising your funeral!

So, what should you take and what should you leave at home? While there is no absolute answer, much of it will depend on the type

of vehicle you drive, where you are travelling and how serious you are at tackling the remotest of terrain.

Driving a commoner’s 4WD (Toyota, Nissan, etc) will see parts easily purchased in most towns or scrounged from the local wrecking yards. Drive a more exotic specimen, and you may not be as lucky with over-the-counter success at the local spare parts joint. At the least, you’ll be booking into the local camping area for an expensive wait for your overpriced spares to arrive. While you never really know what may break on any model 4WD, the more common your vehicle is, the more likely someone nearby will have the replacement parts or can fix the problem.

Carrying a well-kitted tool box is paramount for remote travel. Not just spanners and a hammer, but tyre changing equipment, any specialty tool that may be required for

1

2

your model of 4WD. Please do ensure the spanners you’re carting around actually fit your vehicle – metric or imperial, there’s a huge difference!

While there are many travellers who are a far cry from being mechanical geniuses; if, at least you are carrying the required tools, sooner or later someone else will help you out... if you ask nicely enough! Be cautious though of backyard mechanics that are too willing to jump into high tech mechanical jobs to your beloved 4WD. Some jobs must be left to the experts regardless of make or model of vehicle. You’ve been warned; politely tell Back Yard Bill that you’d rather he didn’t remove the computer system that controls everything your vehicle can do. There’s more to it than knowing the red is positive and the black is earth... and on that note, some vehicles are positively earthed – go figure!

Same goes for recovery equipment. Always carry the correct gear and enough of it to get yourself out of any predicament you may get into regardless of where you are driving – sand, rocks, mud, bulldust and even snow.

Try, as much as possible, to be sufficient and fully trained at self recovery but if you really are stuck and need assistance, at least have your own gear ready to use. Most travellers are willing to lend a hand but baulk at getting their own gear out unless absolutely necessary. Why? The recovery gear usually needs to be cleaned sooner or later and can get damaged during the recovery. If you do use someone else’s gear and damage it, have the courtesy to offer payment of some sort – a cold beer goes a long way as thanks too!

Again, be sure you know what eager helpers are doing to help extricate your stuck 4WD. It’s easy to damage either the

vehicle or bystanders if the recovery is done incorrectly, so remain in control and have the nous to stop the whole process if you think it may be dangerous. The ball is in your hand here, so I’d suggest having done an accredited recovery course before driving out the driveway.

Now, this is where the balancing act comes in; too much weight and you’ll probably break down or get stuck. Not enough gear and if

Main Photo: Ensure your self-recovery skills are adequate and you actually have the gear on board to do the job safely.

1: Driving a commoner’s 4WD will mean that parts are easily purchased if something goes wrong.

2: Carrying too much weight is just asking for trouble.

Go Camping Australia | 73

4WD Techniques

1

you do happen to break down or get stuck, you could be in serious trouble. It’s a tough lesson to learn, so perhaps a few forays into less remote areas should be contemplated before the big hero trips. When you return from a short trip, unpack and sift through your gear and cull accordingly. Repeat a few times and you’ll get the hang of what really is needed.

Two ‘tools’ I can’t recommend highly enough as being top of the list are a communications device and a first aid kit. A mobile phone is fine for some trips, but do consider a Sat Phone, HF radio and UHF radio to contact the outside world should your 4WD excursion go pear shaped. A first aid kit and the knowledge of how to use it are essential even if you only ever have to remove a splinter or apply a band aid.

You’re better off being embarrassed and slightly wounded by your experience than being the one laying in a pine box while mourners shake their heads in disbelief that the trip of a lifetime could actually take a life.

1: Don’t forget a first aid kit and communication devices and ensure you know how to use them.

Remember when you used to wake up smiling?

Whatever they say.... not all self-inflating mats are the same.

Wake up smiling after a refreshing night’s sleep.

Ask for Therm-a-Rest by name and don’t settle for less.

www.spelean.com.au for stockists GO Camping Thermarest half 1

74 | Go Camping Australia

23/02/11 11:37 AM

Wildlife Watch

n Try to start your trip after 8am and finish by 4pm but still keep your eyes peeled for the day-time strays on the road, especially in the outback, where you might encounter cattle and camels. n Don’t speed, use your horn to scare animals off the road and be particularly vigilant around dusk and dawn, when animals are likely to be moving from resting areas to grazing areas.

Roadkill – and how to avoid it Words and photos: Lee Mylne and Len Zell

n All animals are unpredictable so the only way to prepare is to be ready to stop – travel more slowly when you are in areas where you may encounter them. Be extra wary if you see animals on both sides of the road – one lot will almost always run to join the others. n If you have hit a marsupial such as a kangaroo, wallaby, possum or koala, check that there is no joey in its pouch – if there is, call Parks & Wildlife or a nearby vet for advice on where to take it. If there is no hope for the animal, remove the carcass from the road; large carrion-eating birds such as eagles often become victims themselves while feasting on roadkill. n If you hit an animal or find injured wildlife on the road, call the nearest wildlife rescue organisation. In Victoria, the RACV Emergency Roadside Assistance number 13 11 11 will connect you to the appropriate emergency wildlife rescue service.

Any road trip has a high chance of resulting in roadkill.

T

he sight of wildlife as you travel Australia’s vast network of touring routes is always exciting. Kangaroos bound across paddocks, koalas doze high in the trees, and birds swoop in the air above your vehicle.

It’s a wonderful thing to see when you are travelling – as long as your encounters are not too close for comfort. The simple fact is that any road trip has a high chance of being the cause of roadkill.

With about one million kilometres of road in Australia, anyone travelling on them is, sadly, very likely to see or cause roadkill – anything from birds to lizards, snakes, frogs, koalas, wombats, emus and kangaroos.

Collisions with vehicles can have a devastating effect on some of our most endangered species. Tasmanian Devils are one example, with data from a research project by the Save the Tasmanian Devil program showing that nearly 900 devils have been roadkill victims since 2001.

In Victoria, RACV Insurance has reported more than 10,500 claims in three years from animal-related incidents. Of that number, 7,383 incidents related to kangaroos, an average of six a day. The damage repair costs from wildlife and other animal-related accidents over the three years exceeded $35 million, with an average claim in 2009-10 costing more than $3500.

RACV Insurance General Manager Paul Northey says drought conditions and bushfire damage to habitat in recent years had forced wildlife in some areas to search for food by the roadside or close to urban areas, increasing the risk of accidents.

“Constant awareness of the possibility of animals moving unexpectedly on roads is a vital element of accident prevention, particularly in twilight or night-driving conditions,” he says.

An emu or big kangaroo going through your windscreen is almost certain to cause serious injury – and in some cases, death – to those in the front seats.

Echidnas are another native animal that you should avoid hitting; apart from the obvious reason that you do not want to kill one, even if the echidna has already been a victim of traffic, do not run it over – its spikes can do severe damage to your tyres.

Avoid damaging your car and risking your life by following a few easy rules while road-tripping.

Other services are: n Wildlife Information & Rescue Service (WIRES) in NSW (1300 094 737) n Wildlife Victoria (1300 094 535) n Wildcare Australia in Queensland (07 5527 2444) n RSPCA Wildlife in the ACT (02 6287 8100 or 0413 495 031) n Wildcare in Western Australia (08 9474 9055) n Fauna Rescue of SA (08 8289 0896) n Wildlife Incidents in Tasmania (03 6233 6556) n In the Northern Territory, call Wildlife Rescue in Darwin (0409 090 840) or in Katherine (0412 955 336), or Wildcare in Alice Springs (0419 221 128).

Lee Mylne is the online editor for Wild Discovery Guides, which contains news and travel features about Australia’s wildlife, environment and destinations.

Len Zell is the author of Wild Discovery Guides Australian Wildlife Roadkill. www.wilddiscoveryguides.com

Go Camping Australia | 75

Gear to Go

top

new gear

Designed to make camping easier and safer, these are the latest new tools and gadgets.

Words: Kerry Heaney

In touch

Monitor emergency alert systems and other radio transmissions while you are hiking or camping with Uniden’s Bearcat UBCD396XT digital scanner. It offers access to over 25,000 channels and a range of high-tech features including TrunkTracker IV, APCO 25 digital capability, GPS support and Close Call RF Capture.

RRP $499.95. More details available at www.uniden.com.au

Hold it down So quick

Rely on Jetboil Zip to provide hot food and drinks quickly and conveniently when you want them the most. Distilled from the flagship Jetboil PCS design, Zip provides the essential functions and features you expect from Jetboil. Zip is so compact and light-weight, you’ll keep it on hand for day trips close to home and overnight adventures alike. $129.95. www.seatosummit.com.au

With 10 times the holding force of standard tent pegs, Toughstake Tent Pegs are the ultimate in keeping your tent or awning secure when setting up camp on sand or snow. Forged from 6061 T6 aircraft aluminium and featuring the patented Deep Anchor Tension System Technology, Toughstakes use the lowest possible anchor point to maximise holding force and keep your shelter secure in all conditions.

Available in small, medium and large.

RRP $29.95 – $37.95. More information at www.primusaustralia.com.au

Animal fun

A winner for the little kids from the big kid in all of us! Who wouldn’t want a thumping big OZtrail lion chair! Be the king of the camping jungle.

Unfortunately, these ones are just for the kids, so at least you get to let the kids have the fun.

RRP $19.95. www.oztrail.com.au

76 | Go Camping Australia

Easy beer batter

Turn your latest catch into a delicious meal with the Fogdog Easy Beer Batter.

Available in three mouth-watering flavours – original, mild cajun and lemon pepper – Fogdog have created a just add beer recipe to make cooking up your fish, mussels, oysters, scallops or squid, after a long day out on the boat, quick and easy. Simply empty the beer batter into a bowl, mix in the beer to form a thick batter, coat the seafood and start cooking, no flouring is required. Each sachet makes enough to feed three hungry adults or a family of four.

RRP $8.95. Find it at www.bcf.com.au

Mini kayak

Easy cooking

Update your camp kitchen with a practical and versatile Companion Portable Gas Oven and Cooktop. The oven features a temperature resistant porcelain interior which can be heated to 250°C while the tempered glass door panel and thermometer display help you keep a close eye on your cooking. The Cooktop operates just like a stand-alone two burner stove, with individual burner controls and an easy start Piezo ignition housed in a tough stainless steel exterior. RRP $299. Find out more at www.companionleisure.com.au

The Malibu Mini X is a great kayak for beginners or even for the serious fisher needing a kayak to get into tight, shallow creeks and streams. It measures 2.8 metres and weighs in at 21kg making it light enough to be easily lifted on and off the roof of a car by a single adult. The carrying capacity is 147kg which means you can pack the kayak full of all your goodies.

Featuring two rod holders, a large centre hatch with removable canvas bag, self-draining trays, a cup holder, two side handles with paddle holders and sturdy handles on the front and back of the kayak, the Malibu Mini X is a great yak for beginners and experts alike. RRP $699.

Stocked at www.bcf.com.au

Tough camcorder

Splash into summer with the DV1 waterproof and shockproof camcorder from GE Cameras.

The tough GE DV1 can be plunged to depths of 5 metres and withstands bumps from 1.5 metres. No larger than a mobile phone, this pocket-sized sharp-shooter is perfectly suited for outdoor and actionpacked lifestyles. Whether riding the waves, dipping into a pool party or dancing in a music festival crowd, the GE DV1 soaks up its surroundings with more than just snapshots. Priced at $179. Stockist information at www.gecameras.com.au

Problem solved

Keeping you cool

N-rit has launched the Cool X Scarf made with a scientific cooling fabric that converts sweat into refrigerant, with the use of advanced polymer crystal cooling technology that absorbs water quickly. The N-rit Cool X Scarf is activated by soaking it in cold, fresh water for a few minutes, then gently remove any excess from the surface before tying it around the neck, wrist or forehead. The scarf can be turned over occasionally to stay refreshed and can also be placed in the freezer for half an hour for greater cooling effect. It is reusable up to 30 times by reactivating with water again.

Hand wash after use with fresh water and dry in shade. RRP $9.95. Stockists: Go to www.osabrands.com

Opena Case, the world’s first iPhone 4/4S case and bottle opener in one, was developed by two buddies in Australia who needed a bottle opener but only had their phone with them.

The Opena solves this common problem while providing protection for your device with a durable polycarbonate hard case and an integrated slide out stainless steel bottle opener. Available at www.openacase.com for $39.95.

Portable sound

Edifier’s Audio Candy Plus combines an mp3 player with an FM radio and is equipped with an LED screen allowing users to navigate between the FM radio tuner, SD card input and auxiliary input with ease. Combining functionality and bold colour with full portability, the Edifier Audio Candy Plus is the perfect audio companion for any location or occasion.

RRP $49.95. Stocked at Harvey Norman or call (02) 9527 0042 for further stockists.

Go Camping Australia | 77

Photo Smart

On the road Words and photos: Danielle Lancaster

O

ver the past few months I’ve been out there with my camera in some horrible conditions and I have to say one of the most annoying and hardest to fix things that can so easily happen while on the road is dust on your sensor.

At first it’s hard to see and then one day you look at that image and there’s ugly black, brown, rusty spots, some can even look like you’ve captured flies flying past. And when you are away from a major centre where ‘proper’ camera cleaning is offered it can be a hassle and more than a little annoying.

Yes, you can spend hours cleaning it up in almost any photography editing software package on the market at the moment, but that means time at the computer and less time back on the road capturing stunning images.

Dust enters our cameras and finds its way to the sensor when we change lenses. Try not to change your lenses in dusty or salty conditions. If you need to change to another lens do it in the car, tent, caravan, even under your jumper or inside your jacket or simply turn your back to the wind.

Turn your camera off. It’s an electronic device and the electro-magnetic fields created by battery-powered digital cameras are inclined to attract airborne particles. It’s also worthwhile to quickly brush around the lens you are changing while it is still mounted on the camera.

Always have the lens you want to put on ready before you take the other one off. And hold your camera either straight on or tilted

This is a lot of dust on a sensor!

face (lens side) down when changing your lens: dust falls down.

If you have a zoom lens with a push-pull action to change the focal length, try and zoom slowly as some of these can suck in dust.

The easiest way to check for dust on your sensor is to take an image of something white and bring it up on your computer screen.

Zoom in and look for the tell tale signs: spots in differing colours and tones.

If your camera has a built-in sensor cleaning function, turn it on. Basically what this does is vibrate the sensor hoping loose dust particles will fall down. It’s a case of every little bit helps.

I personally do not clean my sensor – I leave that to the experts and don’t have to worry about damaging my sensor or voiding camera warranty. However one thing I will do, and this is a very handy tip

w w w. k e l l y s ca m p i n g. c o m . a u

to know, is lock up the mirror and give the sensor a good blow with my puffer. It does not work all the time but on many, many occasions this has moved the dust off the sensor and my images are spot free again.

Thank you!

Time to dust off and head off – back on the road till next time.

Danielle Lancaster is a professional photographer who loves sharing her passion with others. Her company Bluedog Photography shoots a range of imagery for corporate and private clients and runs Bluedog Photography Courses, Retreats and Tours.

P: (07) 5545 4777 www.blue-dog.com.au

AUSTRALIA WIDE DELIVERY

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Holidays and Horror Days

Take Me Home,

Country Roads Words and photos: David McGonigal

F

orget mobile phones, old Rock and Roll songs are the true underestimated killers on the roads – especially on road trips. In so many ways, Meatloaf is the elephant in the room – an anythingbut-silent-instigator of an Hour of Driving Dangerously: like a Bat Out Of Hell, in fact.

I defy anyone to be alone in a car with “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” booming out and for the foot not to go down and the speedo indicator to creep up.

Mr Loaf, as Barry Humphries suggested he should be called on formal occasions, once personally intruded when I was driving around Ireland. By chance I saw him perform in a church hall in a tiny Kerry village. This was two decades ago and Meat’s singing was superb, a far cry from when I next heard him at the 2011 AFL Grand Final. I don’t expect you to believe me but, in the flesh back then, he had a strong resemblance to Harrison Ford.

While power rock (Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart”, Golden Earring’s “Radar Love” anyone?) dominates my road trip playlist, there are other options. One favourite who sings in the bat-favouring upper end of the register is the late, and permanentlyuncool, John Denver. Like Susan Boyle there was a superb voice resonating from a nerd body. And he has a great repertoire of travelling songs – “Country Roads”, “Leaving on a Jet Plane”, “Goodbye Again” and “Back Home Again”.

80 | Go Camping Australia

As Denver elucidates, there’s nothing sadder than a long distance solo car trip, despite the opportunity it provides to sing loudly and badly – and with time left over to reconfigure your life. All you need is a dog as a travelling companion and you’re well on your way to your own country CD. The best way to declare that you chose to travel alone, rather than the less-palatable option that no one will travel with you, is to take to the road on a motorcycle. And, in a helmet, no one can hear you sing. At least that’s true for a full-face helmet: open-face helmets seem designed to direct every neighbourhood bug into your mouth just as you reach the final chorus of Willie’s “On the Road Again”.

I’ve spent seven years of my life riding motorcycles around the world, from Africa and the Arctic to Antarctica (where the bug problem is reduced but there’s a problem with penguins in the car parks). And I’ve sung a lot along a million kilometres of roads, tracks and trails. Some days I’ll just pick an artist and sing my way through their repertoire. But when I confided this to a motorcycling mate he said he never sings, even on the most inspirational rides. “Why not?” I asked. “Well,” he replied, “the only song I can ever think of is ‘Hit the Road, Jack’”. Boom tish.

While the material might be old, the modern development of iTunes and the playlist is a boon in road trip preparations.

There’s nothing worse than the music

morphing straight from Dwight’s “1000 Miles from Nowhere” to “It Only Hurts when I Cry”, unless it’s “Rocky Mountain High” into “Grandma’s Feather Bed”. Now I can put Dylan’s “Dirt Road Blues” in with Beccy Cole’s “Don’t this Road Look Rough and Rocky” and The Boss’ “Thunder Road”.

Play on.

Of course, not all songs are suitable.

Ironically, my wife once ran into the car in front while bopping to the Pet Shop Boys singing “I Will Survive”. And, long ago on a campervan trip around Europe with my parents, my mother complained that I always played that song about “this will be the day that I die” whenever we hit a tricky road. The cassette of Don McLean’s “American Pie” was dumped. I’d been playing it too much anyway. That’s always the risk when you combine a long drive and a compulsive personality.

Here’s a cautionary tale. In a US store I found a CD of Del Shannon singing Hank Williams. I didn’t love it (“Your Cheatin’ Heart” with yodels is an acquired taste) so posted it to a Hank-loving friend. I saw him a year later and asked if he’d played it. “Since it arrived it’s never been out of the car CD player,” he confided. And he’s still married.

Solutions Pick your playlist and travel solo or negotiate a mutually-appreciated song selection. And engage cruise control before that two-minute long open riff of “Bat Out Of Hell” takes hold.

CONNECTION

Quality gear for the best of times Weekender Dome Tent

(Shown with optional side walls)

The Weekender Tent finished with the highest score in the “What to buy” section of CHOICE Tent Comparison.

This innovative tent features Outdoor Connection’s Hornet Pole Design which gives excellent internal space and headroom with near vertical side walls. Ventraflow panels and large windows and doors guarantee excellent ventilation for hot summer weather. The unique optional awning side walls help make a truly usable awning area.

The Weekender is the one room tent in Outdoor Connection’s Resort Range which all share the Hornet Pole Design, large windows and doors and many other features.

Tents in Resort Range:-

Weekender 1 Room

Heron 2 Room

Brampton 3 Room

www.outdoorconnection.com.au

Bedarra Deluxe 2 Room