Packing for Camping in Australia
It’s no secret that we love a camping trip. There is something pretty special about time spent with loved ones in the great outdoors, enjoying everything that Mother Nature has to offer. To ensure your trip goes off without a hitch, it’s important to get prepared, start planning and not leave everything to the last minute.
We’re not just talking about picking a date and booking your site, it’s just as important to put a bit of effort into your packing too. It only takes a few simple steps to ensure you’ve packed everything you need for an absolutely incredible trip. And when you’re stocked up with the right gear? You’ll be able to truly sink into holiday mode and make the most of your time away.
To help you get your packing started, we’ve put together a handy packing guide that will ensure you’ve got everything you need – without having to carry too much gear that you’ll probably never use.
Planning your Camping Trip to South East Queensland
Before you start packing, it’s super important that you have picked your camping destination and the route you’re going to take to get there. That’s because every trip will require something slightly different. Say you’re heading bush camping in regional South East Queensland in the peak of summer? It’s pretty likely that campfires will not be allowed due to the hot and dry conditions, so there is no point packing firewood or fire starters. You will also need plenty of water with backups as it can get pretty hot during some parts of the Summer. This means when it comes to clothing and bedding you can pack pretty light as you know it will be quite hot even during the night.
Or if you’re heading somewhere that you’re planning to do some 4WDing, have you considered the recovery gear that you might need to bring with you? You want to make sure you do thorough research if you are new to 4WDing in Australia. It will save you a lot of heart aches and make your stay in Australia much better if you are backpacking here on international stay. Backpacking camping around Queensland is very economical and will require you to have a tightnit itineray with campsites researched ahead of time to ensure they have all the access and requirements for your vehicle access. Some campsites may be 4WDs access only and some campsites will allow for 2WD access only, many will also accommodate for RVs and camper trailers these days.
Plan Ahead and Research your Campsite
It’s also essential to consider the camp site that you’ll be staying at and how long you’re planning on being away for. The length and location of your trip will influence the number of supplies you’ll need to bring with you. Another point to consider is the group that you’re heading away with. If you’re planning a trip with just your partner or immediate family, you’re going to need to bring everything that you’ll possibly need for yourself. The beauty of heading away with a bigger group is that you can share the load between everyone, as there are plenty of items that you may be able to share.
The Camping Checklist
Once you’ve established the basic details of your camping trip, the next step is to make a checklist. By breaking down your checklist into key categories, it’s much easier plan everything out and ensure you haven’t forgotten anything. While you can get by with just a small tent and sleeping bag, there’s nothing wrong with going all out to have a more comfortably camping experience. We’ve broken down some of the key items that we suggest our campers pack when they’re planning a trip out to Murphy’s Creek Escape.
Shelter and Furniture
While you may love camping as it allows you to get in touch with nature, it’s important to have somewhere to retreat after a long day of exploring the surrounding area – or when the weather isn’t playing along nicely. When it comes to shelter necessities, a tent should be at the top of that list! We recommend invest in a good quality pop up tent that can be set up in literally seconds, so that you don’t spend all your time getting the camp site ready and can dive straight into all the fun.
Whether you’re heading off with 3 or 30 people, a gazebo is super handy. This can convert into your living area and kitchen while you’re away and is a great place for you to hang out if you ever need a bit of a break from the sun!
Our last furniture must-have is definitely the camping chairs and table – you’d be surprised how many people forget to pack these! The size and number is a personal thing, but we would recommend having a large table to eat around and potentially a second table for preparing food.
Bedding
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of planning your daytime activities that you forget to think about the afterhours essentials, like your sleeping arrangements. Unless you really want to get the full nature experience, we suggest bringing an air mattress to sleep-on. If you bring an air mattress, you’ll also need to remember an air pump too! These pumps often come for rechargeable batteries, which makes it super easy to set up and pack down.
The additional bedding items that you’ll need depend on the season of your trip. Sleeping bags are a must for any winter or cool climate trips, but you can often get away with a sheet or light blanket during the warmer months. Don’t forget to pack a pillow too! That one is pretty self-explanatory!
Lighting
There are so many camping lights on the market that it can be a little tricky to know where to start! Booking yourself into a powered site will give you even more options in the lighting department too. Forgetting to pack lighting or not packing enough lights can be pretty annoying when the sun goes down, so it’s worth investing in some good quality ones that will last for all your future trips. We suggest packing a mixture of headlamps, torches and standing lights, so that you’re covered for all situations.
Camp Lighting Options:
Gas Lights
Generally these are attached to a small 10kg gas bottle for ease of use and manuverability. Very reliable and safe for when there is no power available. Can recommend if you are going camping where you are exposed to hard weather conditions.
Led Headband Torch Lights
These are one of the best things ever for a camping trip, they attach to the top of your head with adjustable bands. So when you are fishing and camping where you may be short for hands or pockets, it’s just on your head. They are light weight and extremely bright and most are quite affordable these days. They are usually battery operated so make sure bring some spare batteries. Will last the night easily and are bright enough for any location in Australia.
Handheld Torch
A medium to large size torch with a good battery life is always recommended when it comes to choosing the best torch for camping. You want something that can handle the Australian elements and that is durable. You are more then likely to drop your torch and get it covered in a lot of dirt and what not. So consider that a torch needs to be sturdy. You can pick up a cheap torch these days from any camping store.
Car Battery External Attaching Lights
You can get lights that have connections that allow you to use your car batteries to generate your light power. You may have solar pannels on your 4WD, RV or Camper Trailer that you have an external spare battery already wired up. This will save your battery power also and is a better setup when using external lights as your car battery won’t be drained then. If you are going on long travels around Australia these are always a trusty reliable light source you can count on.
Kitchen and Cooking
We have some excellent facilities at Murphy’s Creek Escape, so it’s totally up to you what you would like to bring on a camping trip for cooking. Some of our campers prefer to be completely self-sufficient, and we must admit that there is something pretty fun about cooking up a storm on a camping trip with the entire gang. Some campers like to bring the whole house when camping and some like to pack very light. If you don’t mind the unpacking and packing up then packing heavy isn’t going to be a problem, however if you aren’t camping for extended periods of time then think less is more. It is about the experience of getting back to nature and embracing your natural surroundings.
Cooking items to consider when camping:
- Esky or portable fridge
- Portable BBQ
- Stove
- Gas cylinder
- Lighter or matches
- Saucepan
- Water jug
- Kettle
- Plates and bowls
- Mugs
- Glasses
- Cutlery
- Serving bowls, plates and trays
- Chopping block
- Cooking utensils
- Reusable containers
- Glad wrap
- Paper towel
- Condiments
- Tea and coffee.