BadgeIsBack

We almost booked flights to the NSW mid coast for a holiday in January after the school hols finish - then decided we couldn't be arsed with all the sodding around.

So we decided to go camping instead - and head north. Can anyone recommend a site on the Murray, VIC?

I think camping is one of the best things you can do holiday-wise in this country - and it's great seeing the country towns and back roads too.

The last time I went camping as a kid, I hated crawling in to tents and feeling rocks under my sleeping bag and waking up wet with the inner sheet touching my face - Mum and Dad took up all the space and us kids were squashed into the eaves. Other recent experience : I got bitten to death by mossies in the Camargue, France 2001 - you think Australian flies are bad - these were the worst by a long shot.

So it has to be comfortable, any fool can rough it - and the equipment has to fit into the back of a Ford sedan, half the back seat is available too. Can anyone comment on toddlers and camping?

Over a cup of tea, my mates have given me a few nuggets of info, the most interesting one of which was - you can buy a little fan which blows up airbeds etc based on high volume, low pressure as apposed to a mini-compressor which operates on high pessure low volume.....that's how they explained it to me and it makes sense.

I need
i) tent - big enough to stand in, and vestibule
ii) sleeping bags
iii) airbeds (or equoivalent)
iv) gas stove - can anyone comment on gas canister standards and sizes? This needs to be raised away from toddler level and must not be upendable.
v) pots and pans, cutlery
vi) esky and water container
vii) lighting - 12v rechargable off car cigarette lighter
viii) little director chairs


Any ally, gucchi kitmonsters out there who can tell me what I can spend money on? It's all changed since I was a kid.

Badge

wintersgills

try big4 holiday parks we got a 6 man tent at a camping shop for $135.00 everythings quit cheep

Buzzy--Bee

Badge I'm sure you're aware of this but there's a shop called Aussie Disposals which seems to be the place to get camping gear.

I'm looking forward to setting myself up with a big family tent and all the accessories.

http://www.aussiedisposals.com.au/



Buzzy

MartinLuther

As well as Aussie Disposals, try taking some time to walk around Ray's Outdoors.

moneypenny20

I assume Mrs Badge is up for this rubbish holiday idea - in her condition.

The only way you'd get me in a tent was if I was dead already but each to his own.

Hope you have a lovely time.

iPom

Get fab camping stuff on ebay.

My only tip with a toddler... have separate bedrooms and a travel cot it can't escape from.

Jockstar

I have just been camping for Xmas. So i will add what i can.

i) Try Ebay or just goto KMART. They have stuff.
ii) KMart again. We bought a double for me and the wife for just under $80
iii)Kmart again
iv) You can get small gas stoves that run on Butane gas cans for 21bucks. Cans for refuel vary. No more than $2 each a can. But best price $1.40. Each. Can be found in cheap dollar/chinese shops. Great value and they do the job.
v) Take what you have.
vi) Cheap dollar shops are your friends
vii) Not sure. Shop around
viii) Bunnings or Kamart around $8.
Dont stress! Take a deep breath and have a beer. You will be fine.

iPom

I lied. My only other tip... pregnant woman requires airbed (all those loose ligaments need comfort otherwise it's horribly painful) and comfy sleeping bag that will cover bump. If not provided, pregnant woman could have one almighty strop and you'll never see the inside of a tent ever again.

(And I speak from experience here)

copa

Look at the National Parks websites... they usually list every organised camp site and the facilities available at each site.

Buzzy--Bee

Link is http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/resources05/05_1266.pdf



Buzzy

copa

Don't forget the first aid kit.... and the knowledge to use it.

Buzzy--Bee

I am convinced that the ranger depicted in this guide to camping on Wilsons promontary is actually Alf Garnett!!

http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/resources05/05_0603.pdf



Buzzy

DagBoy

Interestingly, we could not be arsed to go to Victoria so we are driving down to NSW to go camping

I am very disappointed in you Badge. I would have expected something along the lines of....

It has to be real camping - any fool can buy all the good kit and go camping in comfort - I want to really get back to basics. The equipment has to fit in a Bergen (and only half of Mrs Badge's Bergen will be taken up with baby stuff so she will be carrying the water). We plan to hike no more than 40 km a day and we will not bother with a tent - I learnt how to build a pretty comfortable bivouac out of twigs and leaves when I was in the army.

My main question - would it be cheating to take a few muesli bars just in case it takes me more than a day to build a fishing spear or a deer trap with my swiss army knife - I am, after all a little out of practice.


Cheers,

DagBoy

DagBoy

Serious answers

i - try K-Mart for something pretty basic. Don't go too large as they become harder to put up with only one or two of you. We just bought a large (sleeps 9) tent and would have struggled to put it up without the little DagBoys to help
ii - do you have BCF down there - they had a good range
iii BCF again, or K-Mart
iv - we bought a stove with 3/8 hose and got a COL to 3/8 adapter. I may be talking bollocks with the fittings - I only learnt about them today. The COL is what a standard BBQ has to go into gas bottle. Look in camping store and the gas bottle often come with 3/8 as standard. We will take one of our normal BBG gas bottles as we have about 7 of them already.

Any ally, gucchi kitmonsters out there who can tell me what I can spend money on? It's all changed since I was a kid.

Badge
v - either take real ones from your house, or if those are all good ones, buy the cheapest you can in target or k-mart or crazy clarkes or wherever
vi - esky - fibreglass are better but more money. Depends how long you intend to be away and how far from civilisation. Bigger better esky keeps ice longer - if campsite has ice, crappier esky and buy more ice. 2 eskys quite handy - one for the food - only gets opened once or twice a day so keeps cold in - other for beer opened every few minutes Then the beer starts to get warm so you have to drink it quick and go on a trek to bottle shop to buy more beer and ice.
vii saw a very nice flouro lamp - rechargable from 12 or 240 v - but it was $90 so we decided against it.
viii - folding chairs - try bunnings.

Cheers,

DagBoy

MrsDagboy

Pssssssst - it was POL dear, not COL .

Yadda yadda, our new tent is great - 3 rooms! One for the little dagboys, one for Dagboy after he's drunk too much beer & comes home smelling of mullet gut & mangrove mud & one for me .