One of the most shocking things and really a bit disapointment from our trip last year to the north of WA was the lack of people camping in tents or budget set ups and the lack of kids camping .
This was one of the main reasons we wanted to start this blog was to let poeple know you can do this without an expensive caravan or camper trailer .
While on our 5 week trip we camped everywhere from road side stops, national parks, caravan parks, free campsites and rural campgrounds and in that whole time we only saw 1 tent , yep just one ! .
It made us feel a bit like an outcast and that we weren't good enough for camping but when you think about it camping is the ultimate "cheap " holiday.
* Please note when I talk about camping I mean real bush, self sefficient camping not caravan parking ! ( carping as we call it! )
Campsites are cheap or free compared to hotels or even motels , you cook your own food as you would at home and there is usually a lot to do around the campsite that is free like riding a bike and going on bush walks .
So where have we gone wrong that we think we need some big fancy expensive set up to get out and see this country.
We knew when we had kids that we didn't want to change our life style. We love travelling , adventuring and seeing new places we would have to adjust our style a little .
We always loved camping and we knew we wanted to show the kids this amazing country. So wanted to get ourselves setup a bit so we could go anytime and for longer periods of time , What once fit in our car was no longer an option .
So we went to many camping shows and 4wding shops to see what was out there and as much as we loved looking at the camper trailers we really didn't really want to spend that much. So we decided we could make some to fit our needs and budget .
We started to built our "Camping Trailer". We knew we wanted it to be off road capable so started with a second hand heavey duty off road 6x4 trailer from John Papas in WA. Then we wanted to make it water and dust proof so we got a tradies trailer top, again we managed to pick up a second hand one that would work perfectly, with the help of our good friend Jeff helping us add an extra door at the back especially for Bila's paramotor .
Then we set to work on the inside and modifications to make it ready for camping . It needed to have the ability to store a lot of things and most important for me a kitchen .
We used a light weight ply wood to make the kichen bench with storage underneather for food and pots etc., a shelf for easy access to everyday items like cups and bowls and then we just kept adding until it suited us with hooks for utensils , and stretchy rope to hold things on the back wall and also a spot for the gas cooker.
We had originally thought to keep the cooker in this place when cooking but later discover this didn't work as we kept needing to get to things under it once we had started cooking, So there is an element of trial and error to making something from scratch, so we now have it on a separate stand which has also given us a bit more bench space. We added Gas bottle and Water can holders to the front ,a fold down kitchen bench , a poly block hitch , instant hot water system and korr lights .
We keep our fridge in the car on a cheap slide and in a homemade cage. So with this and our tent , camp beds , sleeping bags and chairs we are all set .
As you can see it was pretty simple to make something to do what we needed and it didn't cost the earth . We have and continue to make lots of modifications as we go along to make this set up better and better .
I am proud of what we have acieved and love camping with this camping trailer and tent. A tent is raw, original and true to camping and as you can see this really achieveable for anyone .
A tent , some chairs and somethig to cook with is all you really need to be able to set off on your adventure, So why not try it ?
Since we have headed east we have seen far far more tents and different set ups as well as lots of big groups of freinds camping together with lots of kids . So I'm not sure exactly why is seems so much more achieveable to the people of Queensland maybe its the large amount of beautiful camp friendly national parks and free campsites?