t was about a month ago when Mr Smaggle asked me if I wanted to go camping on New Year’s Eve with him. I immediately conjured up images of me in a bejewelled kaftan and enormous sunglasses, reclining in a crisp white teepee, designer cushions strewn about me, clutching an ice cold pinot from my portable bar fridge and eating lots of cheese and grapes. I was like ‘Sign me up motherfucker!’
He then told me that all the drive up spots were taken and we had to hike for three hours to get to our camping area. Carrying all our necessities including food, clothing and shelter. Was I up for it? Hell yes.
It was bloody spectacular kids. Honestly, the best New Year I’ve ever had. It helped that Mr Smaggle had done weeks of research to find the best camping gear and ordered it like a little Amazon wizard so it all arrived in time for our trip. Apart from a few outdoor education excursions back when I was teacher, I was totally green to the concept of camping. Here’s what I learned from my time as a merry adventurer in the Australian bush.
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Dehydrated meals rock
I still don’t know whether or not dehyrated meals are actually something real campers use or are yuppy bullshit for amateur campers like me but I ligit don’t care. They were delicious, light to carry and left the tiniest amount of rubbish afterwards. Bascially you rip open the bag, pour in hot water, seal it up for 10 minutes and it all puffs up into a delicious meal for 2. I’m considering buying a years supply and then not cooking or shopping for a whole year.
Camp toilets are gross
I was pretty worried about having to do a two-sie in a hole and I was super relieved to see camp toilets at the site. My relief was short lived… these toilets smelt like a poo that ate a poo and pooed that poo. Totally rank. There’s nothing to be done about it but I just thought you’d appreciate the warning. Shitting in a hole was looking pretty bloody good after a 3 day nose punching from the pongy camp toilets.
You can take wine
Cold drinks like beer are a no go (heavy) so we bought a bottle of red wine and decanted in to a Platypus Platy Bottle
Baby wipes are a campers best friend
So you don’t exactly shower when you’re camping but to avoid getting stinky I had a quick wipe every night with a baby wipe. I went to Daiso and bought individually wrapped ones and took one for each day – it saved us lugging around a giant package of them and made me feel at least a little bit hygienic.
Sleeping in a tent under the stars is magical
We bought a Kelty 3 Person Tent
You actually only need 2 sets of clothes no matter how long you’re going for
One set for day and a dry ‘clean’ set for night time. I just bought some thermals from Ice Breaker and they were brilliant. Super comfy and toasty.
Take hot chocolate
Because why the hell wouldn’t you? We took little Jarrah packets and I swear, a nightly hot chocolate in a tent is like camping crack.
Create a Camp Cinema
Mr Smags bought along the iPad mini and strung it up in the tent for a camping cinema. I may get judgement from hardcore campers about unnessary electronic devices defeating the purpose of camping but I just don’t care. The Camping Cinema was just about my favourite thing. All snuggled up like a little adventure burrito in my sleeping bag while watching a movie was brilliant. Haters be damned.
There are no mirrors
So you won’t even know that you look like the kid from Up… which I did for the entire trip. Check out that hat. Who has swoon for me right now?
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Have you ever been camping? Or is it something you’re wholly uninterested in?
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P.S – If you want something a bit silly, uplifting or interesting to read every day make sure you follow Smaggle around on the ol’interwebs – Facebook, Twitter, Bloglovin, Instagram, YouTube and the Smaggle weekly newsletter. Sometimes I swear though… arse pelican.
34 Comments
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Gorgeous, simple, uncluttered. Will you do it again?
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Lord yes! I’m hooked. It’s the only true way for me to properly unplug from life… we’ll be doing it at least once a month – that’s the plan!
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After an unenjoyable camping experience over 10 years ago I’m ready to give it another red hot go. i even love a good bushwalk these days- I don’t know who I am anymore but I like it!
And yes- camp toilets are bad, will never set foot in one again, ever!!-
Oh my god they’re so gross. It’s just the most unique and horrific smell in existance. I love hiking and bushwalking! Carrying lots of stuff while doing isn’t amazing but the rewards are awesome.
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Looks sublime! Even I might manage a night or two in such surrounds. We did a fair bit of camping when the kids were young. But it was not a “travel light” affair. Old landrover was loaded to the hilt. Think, “Ask the Leyland brotheeers” (anyone under 45 might have to google that – make sure you find the song too, best bit). For me, now, it’s 5 star hotel every time, please and thankyou. x
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Ha! Don’t get me wrong I also love a 5 star hotel! I’d quite like to alternate the two I think… 🙂
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V Cool
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The scerery was EPIC!
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Mr Smags is a total snag for the iPad hanging trick………………x
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Oh my god I know right? He picked the best movies too!
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Camping is so totally my jam. Like pretty much my favouritest thing on earth besides perhaps a full body massage while eating chocolate and drinking wine. After a day of snowboarding in powder.
I definitely went a bunch in Aus but my mates were less into it than I was and drive up camping with an esky of beer was more their style. I did get a few good hikes in though.
Now I’m back in BC we made a point of going at least once a month all summer and even did an overnight snowshoe adventure in the winter! But then we slept in a hut not tents. If you go kayaking instead of hiking you have more space for wine, so we did that a few times too. Yes. As you can tell, getting dirty and sleeping outdoors is basically my full-time hobby. And no the toilets never get better.
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The snow shoe one sounds awesome! We’re actually planning on doing some OS camping (probs in Canada) but I’m terrified of bears! You have to put stuff in bear cannisters! And get bear spray! Too scary. I definitely want to do a kayak camping trip. I did one when I was teacher and I saw a kangaroo swimming! Actually in a river, swimming. Or drowning… I couldn’t actually tell.
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Looks like tidal river. If so, it’s a great camping spot even though I haven’t been in years. My favourite part is the total quiet and total dark at night time. Great for star-gazing
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That part is magical! And just waking up in the morning surrounded by trees and nature. That’s why I love this tent – it’s like a mini mossie net!
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You’re a far braver woman than me, Smags. I couldn’t do it and luckily for me, Mr Styling wouldn’t do it! Still, it sounds like you guys had a wonderful time. x
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Oh you’d be surprised! It’s a bit gross but that’s only about 1% of it – the rest is spectacular!
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Fabulous. I have to say I do not think I could manage that style of camping. I just had a week camping with my family on the Murray River (you can read my blog post if you like) but we had all the luxuries with a camp oven fridge freezer and all the works. Internet reception was not that brilliant, but enough to connect if i wanted to. Relaxation of the best kind, I say. Glad you had a fabulous time. V x
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Oh wow! Camp oven fridge freezer! That’s CRAZY luxury! Oh I will read your blog post – I love reading about other people’s travel journeys.
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it is a gorgeous posi smags! and you seem to have enjoyed it! without pretending to glamp it!
no such thing I think!
i can take it or leave it! … thinking leave it for now!
we went in feb last year to coffin bay sa … all very beautiful, set up under a tree where the nankeen night herons were roosting … didn’t know until we were bombarded with encrusted bombs of poo! … they eat crabs claws and all were sticking to our tent … had to move!
and then the rain and wind set up for days on end! and our lovely tent nearly took off!
we took our kayak and didn’t even put it into the water!
what a whinger I am! … it was the worst trip we’ve ever had! … unfortunately!
ok pluses … we ate gorgeous coffin bay oysters many times throughout the week!
beautiful scenic walks and drives. mr m caught soo many fish which we cooked up in the very good camp kitchen!
it is good to be in the midst of nature for a short time though!;0 … cheers! m:)X-
There was no pretending of glam around these parts… It was pretty grubby! Coffin bay sounds gorgoues! Slightly morbid sounding but super gorgeous.
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Adventure burrito. Best!!
Love reading about your camping trip Carly.-
ADVENTURE BURRITO!!!! Thanks love!
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So funny, I had never thought about it until now, but I am the person who will ALWAYS shower when I’m camping! I will have cold showers. I will have OUTDOOR cold showers (in my togs) (is that what you call them in Aussie? You know, swimsuit!). I will bring as many changes of clothes as I can fit in my bag, and I never go anywhere without a mirror, eyeliner and eyelash curlers. I don’t give a rats about whiffy loos, though . . ????
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Don’t know where that weird gang of question marks came from! It wasn’t me, your honour!
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How do you shower when there are not showers? Like a water bottle? Also Mr Smags would NOT have let me take eyelash curlers… but I don’t use them at all so it would be kind of weird to take them camping! 🙂
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Clearly I’ve never roughed-it hard enough . . ! I think there are always showers at campgrounds by the beach because of sand and corrosive salt. There will always be a tap! (My eyelashes are RULER-straight.)
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Last year “go camping” was on my list of new year’s resolutions. I did a bit of research about camping, felt terrified and then abandoned the idea. But I’d still really like to give it a shot, particularly after reading this post. I might have to make it happen this coming year.
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Oh there’s no way I would have done it alone or with someone who didn’t know what they were doing! That would be terrifiying!
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I am kind of really scared of spending that much time in the Australian outdoors. There’s something sinister about our landscape, I would be too scared of all the snakes and spiders….and serial killers….out there to spend a night outdoors like that. I can just picture my partner and I now, lying in a tent holding each other and crying because we heard a twig snap a few meters away from our tent. Could be a possum or COULD BE an Ivan Millat type serial killer. We always have the conversation “we should go camping” and then realize that we are too wussy.
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Oh yes Ivan Millat is a scary thought! I also have Picnic at Hanging Rock issues with the Australian outback… why are we conditioned to be so terrified of it?
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I’m definitely looking up the tent (even though we now have an old caravan so probably don’t need it – but it looks great!) I still find I need a shower of some sort – even if it is swimming in freezing water and soaping off (away from the water(, or even, tipping buckets of water over me). Lately, we’ve had the luxury of a ‘shower’ – a hose hooked up above head height, with a four sided cubicle, and the water my husband has heated up for me over the campfire (he’s good to me!)
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Oh that’s a great idea! I wonder if Mr Smags will let me do that???
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Nope, no, never, not bloody likely. You can blame my school for the fact that the only stars I sleep under are the five on the hotel! A resort in Thailand however…
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Oh I love this post ! It’s so inspiring that people are going camping. I used to be the same (much like an indoor cat!), but recently I ventured our and went camping – it was amazing and now my heart yearns for it – to be outdoors and in nature – it’s just amazing!
