Our First Family Camping Trip

We decided to use our Rudd Bux stimulus package on camping gear and finally do something outdoorsy and family-like to get us all away from our usual humdrum weekends. Pizzas, PayTV & video games are starting to get old, even for the older kids who seem to do nothing else but these days.

For our first trip we decided on Elanda Point due to its close proximity to home which would allow us to get our feet wet and work out everything we'd inevitably not thought of or considered. First up I think we're going to need a bigger car, which is something I never thought I'd say about our old land barge.

With camp set up I decided I'd check out some of the bushwalks while the kids paddled in the lake. However, I hadn't ventured more than a couple of metres into the trees when I was set upon by swarms of mozzies. The rotten blighters weren't even put off by a thick layer of aeroguard so I had to give that idea away and settle for lazing around in a fold out chair. (What a pity...)

I grew up not far from Lake Cootharaba, visiting frequently and cannot recall a mosquito problem so I'm hoping it's only temporary, perhaps caused by the recent floods in the area.

The next problem we discovered right after the sun went down. We weren't prepared at all for how cold it became. Holy crap! I only had jeans and a hoodie and had to sleep with the hood pulled over my face snuggled down into my sleeping bag which was a little too small for me to fit my shoulders into. The sleeping bag did turn out to be warm though, unlike the poor wife who basically shivered all night and got very little sleep. One of the first things we did on arriving home again Sunday night was to google Long Johns.

Another disappointment was that fires aren't allowed in the camping area, but aside from that the scenery is truly beautiful and the place packs out in summer when the prospect of hiring a canoe to paddle up the Noosa everglades might be a bit more inviting.

I didn't take the mountain bike this time but it turned out there wasn't really anywhere to ride anyway. (Too much sand and the damn mozzies).

The Neurum Creek Bush Retreat has mountain bike trails on the property and in the nearby Mt Mee State Forest. Plus they allow campfires (which are vital in my opinion for the proper camping experience) so it's looking pretty good for the next one. Just as soon as we've sorted out the long john situation...