We spent our Easter holidays camping with dear friends in a site along the stunning beaches of the South Coast. The four days of living in a semi-powered site stripped off the luxuries of city life that we usually take for granted, bringing forth new perspectives and realisations. The quality time that we spent with each other as a group, and with our individual families are simply priceless! We made memories yet again that will be cherished for a very long time.
When our family moved to this wonderful country 6 years ago, we have been captivated by its beauty and magnificent landscape. We embraced the lifestyle in no time, as it very much suited our personalities and preferences. Australia is the great outdoors, indeed it is, and to truly enjoy what the outdoors has to offer, we grabbed the first opportunity that we got to go camping. I will never forget our very first family camping trip in the beautiful Glenworth Valley, just an hour drive north of Sydney. It was winter then (yes, we were a bunch of crazy, brave souls!!)! It was not the best season to be outdoors, that’s for sure, but it turned out to be a great bonding activity that we will remember forever. No distractions of gadgets and technology – we had the kids all to ourselves and they had our full attention. We went kayaking as we explored the serene surroundings, where the only sounds
that we heard were the chirping of the birds, the gentle sway of the branches and the leaves as they surrendered to the soft breeze of the wind, the gentle rush of water as we paddled on, and the inquisitive voices of our 2 boys, wanting to find answers to every why and how. We only had a tent, a queen-sized inflatable bed, sleeping bags, beanies and thick jackets. Our young boys still didn’t mind sleeping with us then, all crammed tight, snuggled around each other, trying to keep warm to survive the cold night. 
We gazed into the sky that starry night as we enjoyed our hot drinks and s’mores around the campfire. I still remember waking up to different animal noises and the rays of the morning sun that sifted through our tent. I looked around me, and the sight of Orly and our boys, still soundly asleep, made me want to freeze that moment. The weekend away from the busyness of our days and the worries of tomorrow spelled freedom to me and I never wanted it to end.
That first was followed by a few more camping trips with just the four of us, and each one is special. When my parents visited us for the first time, we wanted them to experience the joys of being one with nature. We brought them to Wollondily River Station, a very remote site in the South West. We were glad that they had fun despite the very crude atmosphere. We went home with a bucketful of carp!! It was such a fishing haven!
Four years ago, we encouraged some of our closest friends to join us in our camping adventures, and we were just grateful that they welcomed the idea, said yes, and so we went on our first group camp with four other families. They loved the experience and since then, camping has been a yearly or twice a year activity that we all look forward to. We were later on joined by 2 other families, and our camping family has grown bigger and stronger.
Preparing for a camp for such a big group is quite a daunting task, but kudos to the mums and dads, we are getting better and better at it! I still remember how stressed the first-timer dads were, figuring out how to fit all their stuff into their cars, making sure they ticked every item on their checklist.
We also had heaps of left-over food during the first couple of trips because of the mums’ greatest fear of having hungry kids in the middle of nowhere. We realised too that cooking rice which is a staple in every Filipino meal is a challenge without the convenience of an electric rice cooker.
During our last 2 trips, I must say that we definitely have gone a long way! It is either the dads have become experts in fitting a growing number of camping gears into the same car or their cars have expanded over time! The mums are doing a great job with preparing just enough food, with almost zero left-overs. The rice has been cooked better now or did we just get lucky the last time?! 🙂
One of my greatest fears when we moved away from home was not being able to establish new friendships, but we are so grateful to have been blessed with new friends in our lives whom we consider as our family here. I can imagine us growing old with these lovely couples, still exploring this great land, camping in bushlands near the waters, doing what we love doing – eating, fishing, laughing, singing and dancing around the campfire until our brittle knees give in and our backs hurt. We’ll still be sharing stories about everything under the sun, with our kids, all young adults by then, continue to be the centre of our universe and conversations.
Our children’s ages range from 7 – 23, but they all get along very well and adore each other as brothers and sisters. Watching them grow with each other, building traditions year after year, camp after camp, is such a delight! We keep them busy with a lot of activities, and their energy level when they are together is at the highest.
We introduce them to the games that we grew up with back home, and we hope they pass them on to the next generation. One thing remains constant on the kids’ agenda and will remain to be the favourite – scary stories!!
I always associate camping with our experience migrating. When we moved, the preparations were exhausting, physically and emotionally. We did our research but we only had the information that Mr. Google provided us with. We had to experience first-hand what our new ‘home’ had to offer. Every experience is different and every adventure offers an opportunity to explore new boundaries. With the right mindset and attitude, you’ll surely get the most out of it and you will be amazed to discover so much more!
Next weekend, my husband invited me to a camping date. It will be our first without our boys, and I am sure they’ll hate us for not tagging them along. I am not sure what to expect as he is doing all the planning. Well, I really don’t mind being surprised every once in a while, but there are two things that I am certain of at this point – that I will miss my boys terribly and that it will be something worthwhile. xx
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