That's right folks for the first time we packed up the Explorer and headed off to the coast for a family camping trip. The place we chose was Pebbly Beach, a beautiful place just north of Bateman's Bay.
And wouldn't you know, I couldn't find the camera anywhere before we left. So there are no pics in this post.
Nope, no pics of the beautiful king parrots, rosellas and lorekeets that came to eat from our hands and heads (which the kids LOVED, I on the other hand could have lived without the birds)
No pics of the kangaroos that came near our towels for a snack whilst we were playing in the water.
No pics of the kids playing in the water.
No pics of the crabs we found in the sand.
No pics of the hours of fun spent exploring rock pools.
No pics of the kids sound asleep in the car after an exhausting and fun weekend camping.
But, hopefully that poetic description just painted a mental picture for you!
When I invited some friends from playgroup to come down with their families, one friend (who is a seasoned camper) asked if there were amenities at the site.
"Absolutely!" I replied, vowing to get back online to check that out before we left.
"Ah, so it's cushy camping then," she said.
When we got there (three families, including 7 kids) we discovered that my adamant reply was indeed based in wishful thinking and not checkable fact.
There were toilets alright. But that's all.
No nice manicured lawns leading up the beach.
No kiosk.
No showers (besides the cold water one as you come back from the beach).
Not so cushy after all. Actually, I'd call it rustic. Earthy. Natural.
But you know what? We all had a ball anyway. The beach was beautiful, even if the water was a little rough. I still went in for a swim! I know! Talk about daring. But I was hot, and I figured we've come all this way, may as well! The water was cold but after my breath was knocked out of me after the first wave or two I found it ok. I just didn't want to go out too far.
Like I said, the kids had a great time exploring the rock pools and there were other families with kids there.
The kids were pretty wiped at the end of the day, but I think that the toasted marshmallows gave them a last sugar high before bed that getting to sleep was a little harder than usual. But I suppose that's to be expected with an 18 month old, a three year old, and two adults crammed into the one tent!
Overall, an excellent first camping experience. We will definitely be going again now that the weather is warming up. Actually I was quite surprised how warm it stayed in our tent.
If you're thinking of taking the kids camping I'd definitely recommend it - just so long as you know that it's not the time to be precious. Treading in roo poo with bare feet, bush wees, makeshift wipe downs at the end of the day are all part of the fun.
So, here are the details:
Where: Pebbly Beach, smooshed between Bateman's Bay and Ulladulla
Why: Why, for camping of course!!
How: definitely need a big car, as camping requires a surprising amount of stuff!! Our poor Explorer nearly carked it getting back up Clyde Mountain, needless to say it's in the shop this week getting fixed!!!
How much: $10 per night, per adult, kids under 5 free, kids 5-15 $5 a night, plus $7 national park daily fee.
More info please: http://www.pebblybeach.com.au
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