AmyHuang
Weekend getaway on a budget - go camping!
As budget tightens but the travel bug continuously to grow, we had to resolve to camping around Sydney to satisfy the need to get out of the buzzing city life. Yet, for these weekend trips, it has to be close enough to drive to; far enough to feel like you are going away somewhere. It was a matter of opening the state map, draw a 200km radius circle around Sydney, point and go.
So we packed our newly bought tent, our sleeping bags, thongs, swim wear, beach towel and a happy spirit, we went off driving.
Camping is not a bad idea for a weekend getaway. It’s reasonably cheap and it doesn’t mean you have to do it rough.
Our first camping trip was end of January when the heat of summer was still high. Looking for somewhere with things to do as well as good food and drinks, Hunter Valley beckoned and we were knocking at its door. We chose to pitch our tents in a caravan park - where there are grass areas for us to camp along the caravans, but still have the facilities of the park to keep us sane. Yes - there was a pool and it was god-sent.
It was, of course, around 34 degrees but Hunter Valley was still pleasant. We visited wineries, art galleries and parks as well as took my little Fiesta 4 wheel driving (which resulted in two of my tires being punctured and reshaped and had to be fixed at the cost of $300) - it was all fun, and the greatest time was last afternoon going into the evening, when the heat dies down and the chill breeze of the night comes in from the mountains bringing relief and smile, we spread our blanket on the grass, munched on Coles BBQ chicken and bread rolls, and admired the dark sky littered with stars.
On the way back, we drove past Brisbane Waters National Park and it was just absolutely beautiful....
So after that weekend, we went on a frenzy to look for our next camping site, and this time, I make sure no four wheel driving need be involved. It was Umina, one hour north of Sydney on the central coast. We didn't want to be at an extremely well known tourist area and after consulting our caravan park booklet (yes, we got hooked), we decided on Umina.
The caravan park was right on the beach, and to our joy we were able to spend the entire day at the beach with the weather still reasonably warm, and not have to walk far to go 'home' - our proud tent. This caravan park exceeded our expectations by not only having a pool, but a scheduled daily activities for family holiday makers - they had tracker rides, kids movie nights, cafe/restaurant, a beauty day spa on site as well as a huge kids playground fitted with large jumping pillows.
So what if you are not sleeping on thousand dollar matresses? Sleeping under the stars can be priceless, and really, it’s a novelty activity different from everything else we could do. Most caravan and camping grounds have plenty of activities for the family, and if you choose your locations well enough, there is usually a town nearby for all your needs.
Check out: The Big 4 Holiday Parks for further details.
So we packed our newly bought tent, our sleeping bags, thongs, swim wear, beach towel and a happy spirit, we went off driving.
Camping is not a bad idea for a weekend getaway. It’s reasonably cheap and it doesn’t mean you have to do it rough.
Our first camping trip was end of January when the heat of summer was still high. Looking for somewhere with things to do as well as good food and drinks, Hunter Valley beckoned and we were knocking at its door. We chose to pitch our tents in a caravan park - where there are grass areas for us to camp along the caravans, but still have the facilities of the park to keep us sane. Yes - there was a pool and it was god-sent.
It was, of course, around 34 degrees but Hunter Valley was still pleasant. We visited wineries, art galleries and parks as well as took my little Fiesta 4 wheel driving (which resulted in two of my tires being punctured and reshaped and had to be fixed at the cost of $300) - it was all fun, and the greatest time was last afternoon going into the evening, when the heat dies down and the chill breeze of the night comes in from the mountains bringing relief and smile, we spread our blanket on the grass, munched on Coles BBQ chicken and bread rolls, and admired the dark sky littered with stars.
On the way back, we drove past Brisbane Waters National Park and it was just absolutely beautiful....
So after that weekend, we went on a frenzy to look for our next camping site, and this time, I make sure no four wheel driving need be involved. It was Umina, one hour north of Sydney on the central coast. We didn't want to be at an extremely well known tourist area and after consulting our caravan park booklet (yes, we got hooked), we decided on Umina.
Umina beach sunset
The caravan park was right on the beach, and to our joy we were able to spend the entire day at the beach with the weather still reasonably warm, and not have to walk far to go 'home' - our proud tent. This caravan park exceeded our expectations by not only having a pool, but a scheduled daily activities for family holiday makers - they had tracker rides, kids movie nights, cafe/restaurant, a beauty day spa on site as well as a huge kids playground fitted with large jumping pillows.
So what if you are not sleeping on thousand dollar matresses? Sleeping under the stars can be priceless, and really, it’s a novelty activity different from everything else we could do. Most caravan and camping grounds have plenty of activities for the family, and if you choose your locations well enough, there is usually a town nearby for all your needs.
Check out: The Big 4 Holiday Parks for further details.
