Camping Transformed our Lives
Grampians National Park Victoria 
Cape Patterson Victoria 
Barmah State Forest Victoria 
Eden New South Wales
In 2012, we decided to purchase a family caravan and from that moment my life changed for the better. Without a doubt my favourite thing to do is sit by a campfire with a wine and my family at one of our favourite spots. It doesn’t have to be caravanning. There are so many options, camping, Airbnb, cabins at caravan parks, motels, bed and breakfasts. Just find something that works for you and your budget. The caravan for us is perfect. It’s an affordable for a family of 5 with most sites costing $35 a night, less if you don’t need electricity (which we don’t as we have solar). The affordability means we can go away more often. We love an open fire, so we only choose camping sites or caravan parks where they allow a fire. We also no longer have weekend sport as our kids do mid-week activities. This is by design.
How do I get away?
You need to plan ahead, and you need to prioritise your weekends away, if you don’t, it is too easy for other things to get in the way. For example, we are off to Porepunkah, near Bright this weekend, but I also have an invitation to a close friends Halloween party on Saturday night. I have said no to the party, choosing my weekend away. We also booked our weekend away ages ago to secure a site.
Hot tips
- Plan and book your year of trips early to avoid disappointment.
- Use your long weekends in your favour by taking advantage of dayseither side eg Cup Weekend, take the Monday as annual leave and you get 4 days off in a row.
- Say no to other social engagements that fall on your weekends away, prioritise your holiday, and in turn ‘YOU’.
Organisation and Preparation
As much as I like the idea of jumping in the car and hitting the road to start the weekend away, a bit of forward planning takes the pressure off. We work out ahead of time what we are going to eat for at least the first 2 days, and shop before we go. This way you can just arrive and set up, without having to worry about there being a shop nearby. We also pre-pack the caravan. It already set up its own set of towels, bathroom accessories, coats etc. All we need to do is pack some clothes straight into the caravan and some food in the fridge.