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Posted: 1/10/2008 2:59:35 AM | lol@the goanna.
I can remember constantly "nagging the kids" to keep their tents zipped up because of goannas and snakes.
We used to go to Charlie Morelands near Kenilworth (SE QLD every christmas) and their are heaps of goannas there.
Sure enough, one day, a goanna went into their tent. We didnt do anything, we just waited for it to decide to leave as who is gonna corner a goannaŹ
 Needless to say, they never left their tent unzipped again | |
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Posted: 1/10/2008 4:09:33 AM | Yeah we had roo's in our tent at Carnarvon Gorge....ripped into the food.
My daughter was quite young and I remember seeing her sitting on a log eating a sandwich when a wallaby came up and tried to take her sandwich from her....Without flinching she swung a left hook into him that would have knocked out a sailor....then continued to eat her sandwich...It was quite a funny site after I got over the shock.
Eungella range is another place that was nice. There was a bike rally there every year(Cane toad rally) around Easter from memory, and a group of us camped there.
At the bottom of the range is a pub and at the top is a chalet, so the ritual was to have a beer at the pub, ride up the range for a beer at the chalet and then ride back down to the camping site...It had been raining for what seemed like forever and we had to cross a swollen creek crossing to get there but back then that was half the fun. There was a nice spot in the river where you could relax in the water drinking wine from one of those leather bladders....Life was definately easy and laid back then. | |
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Posted: 1/10/2008 4:14:04 AM | ~ ~ Carnarvon Gorge is one of my favourite places!!! You have to walk to see everything but I love bushwalking. I will go back there again one day for sure!!
Eungella is the only National Park I have been to with an "ice creamery".. the mango home made icecream was awesome. | |
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Posted: 1/10/2008 4:15:24 AM | | Hmmm..I don't think the ice creamery was there back in 1986....lol.... | |
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Posted: 1/11/2008 12:36:12 AM | ~ ~ ~ you will have to go back there brizguy, is worth the drive for the icecream  | |
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Posted: 1/11/2008 3:49:56 AM | essentials when camping could be....
tent, with veranda
doonah and air matteress
inflatable arm chair
light
fishing rod, and .22 rifle (to catch food if no road kill can be found)
jar of curry paste, (Curied is the only way to cook road kill)
wok
shovel (just shovel if short on wok space you can curry road kill on a wok and use it to dig the dunny afterwards when you need it suddenly)
fresh water, and good port (purification tablets)
spit roaster
compass, (or knowing the stars)
waterproof bags for most things things
all in one repair tool
machete, knife , or tomahawk
cigarette lighter
Err Gypsy
I know hundreds of guys who have cornered goannas but they are all large ugly bikers. Only their respect for protected species has prevented stewed goanna. That respect does not extend to snakes. | |
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Posted: 1/11/2008 4:09:54 AM | I'll never forget going camping with my wife back in1990....She had never really travelled far on a motorbike before(maybe an hour to the Gold Coast) and hadn't really done any camping.
So packed around, inside, in front of, behind, on the tank, strapped to the front forks and in bags we had the following " essentials":
large tent
tarpaulin
4 extendable posts for tarpualin
ropes
Double blow up mattress
matress pump
2 pillows
2 doonahs
fold up camping chair
lantern
clothes for a week on the road
toiletries
wet weather gear
other assorted needs
I don't think I could ever again pack that much sh1t on a bike if I tried....
Not only that, but it was her first long ride and we rode from Brisbane QLD to Philip Island Victoria for the Motorcycle Grand prix.....Camped at Back beach camping ground.
It was a far cry from my single days where all the camping gear you needed for a weekend at a bike rally was a big bottle of bourbon.....and maybe a couple of bottles of Green Ginger Wine for the winter ones.... | |
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Posted: 1/11/2008 4:33:05 AM | Err Briz guy.
The island's full of holiady homes which are available for rent for the big w end.
And why didn't you just pack all the essentials into a trailer and tow that behind the bike?? | |
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Posted: 1/11/2008 4:35:39 AM | Brizguy, I dont know how you packed that much sh** on a bike, I remember when I first got married, we only had bike.... I carried pizzas which was always cold by the time we got home, the grocery shopping, even a canary (my first pet when married... lol) on a bike
My grandparents had only a motor bike and side cart, my grandmother was a huge lady and how she fit in the side cart, I have no idea.. they used to travel Australia showing their Australian Terrior dogs.. I dont know how she and the dogs with the gear all fitted in the side cart but they did and they had heaps of trophies and ribbons. God Bless their Soul.... when my grandmother died, after the passing of my grandfather, the family found potato bags full of ribbons they had won from dog shows.
When my grandfather turned 80, he decided he was "getting on in age" so he went for his car driving license... the local cop took him around the river of the small town he was born in and lived in all his life and gave him his car license.... lol.. the memories.... they were characters and I loved them dearly! | |
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Posted: 1/11/2008 4:50:11 AM | my camping gear is ....
a self inflating and very comfy mattress... cost money but was a great investment along with my sub zero sleeping bag as I feel the cold easily.
a touring tent (which I just sold as 10 oz canvas is too heavy for me to manage but I have already decided on a lighter model when back in Qld at the end of next week)
wood for the fire for cooking, comfort and atmosphere
a torch
my nescafe expresso coffee as I cannot function till I have my 2 cups of a morn !!!
my camping chair, wine glass and chardie
If more than 2 days away I need my camp shower as I am used to bush camping with no facilities and still like to be hygenic (dont know if I spelt that word correctly)
my gas bottle and camp kettle which is blacker than black for the caffeine fix first thing in the morn, before the fire is going.
my BBQ plate to put over the campfire for cooking
my mascara, eyeliner and a little mirror as well as deodorant, soap and shampoo
had an engel fridge with solar for power with the ex but will be buying a super duper eskie when I get back to Qld next week which keeps ice for up to 5 days
A tarp for shade and weather protection
swiss army knife as they have all the little handy gadgets
hammer to put the tent pegs in
food, glorious food
maps and even with them, I still get lost (insert frown)
tropical strength rid and a first aid kit | |
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Posted: 1/11/2008 4:52:11 AM | My last camping effort was a romantic one. The only time it didn't rain.
The previous attempt was more typical and went like this:
Prepare clothes, food and a tent, and a tarp for good measure and load the lot onto/into the 4x4 ute.
Drive though torrential rain to the campsite
Help others set up tents in the drizzle and find a way to make a fire.
String up tarp between trees beside campfire or cooking area.
Eat drink and be merry
Back ute under tarp just as it starts howling and pouring rain
Roll out sleeping gear on back of ute, with large ute-box as a wind break.
Wake up, taste the air (and it was good) to find others with tents half collapsed, gear soaked and inhabitants weary and shivering.
Hook in to a big breakfast and lead the pack to 'Undarra' Lava Tube country near Mt Surprise for something different. With wet sleeping gear the mob had a choice of dongas with bunk beds, rail carriage rooms or go pitch a wet tent again. There is a restaurant (in case you've run out of food) the bar is stocked, it never rains and the Kookaburras steal the food off your plate. Oh yeah, and the lava tube visits are well worth a look.
Edit: I ride a bike and I can't think of anything more sapping-to-the-spirit than having to tow a trailer. If you can't carry it then don't bring it. | |
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Posted: 1/11/2008 4:52:26 AM |  dont eat goannas and snakes, cant even eat lamb after raising them | |
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Posted: 1/11/2008 5:02:24 AM | likes_a_laugh ~ ~ ~ its all part of the fun... Life wasnt meant to be boring.... lol
I remember one time camping at Charlie Morelands near Kenilworth (SE Qld), there was a storm and everyone was asleep , I was up and keeping an "eye" on everything as it was a good storm, I was sitting back in my camp chair, under the tarp and keeping check that nothing was blowing away ect...
After a while, I stood up, the whole 5ft 2 in of me, and bumped my head on the tarp. The rain had weighted the tarp down that much .... I cut some drainage holes in the tarp to give the water some drainage before the whole tarp collapsed over the camping area... needless to say when my ex woke up the next morn... he was not happy as the tarp had holes in it!!!! LOL.. I didnt know what else to do. | |
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Posted: 1/14/2008 12:32:52 AM | I must admit I love camping and to pick one spot imposable I have camped all around Australia .. One place that sticks out is a place called Davies creek Far North Queensland We had to go through a farmers property and up a telegraph road but when you arrive it is paradise crystal clear creek , rain forest , wildlife and plant life ...Put off MOZZIES and SANDFLIES ... Another great spot was a place called Euromo camped down by the river and watched the platypus play Put off none ...   | |
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Posted: 1/14/2008 1:16:52 AM | he was not happy as the tarp had holes in it!!!! LOL.. I didnt know what else to do.
Reminds me of an error I made that put holes in the tarp as well.
Bike rallies were normally quite a rowdy affair....camping, games, bands on semi trailer flat beds....Strippers on same semi's later in the night....and lots of alcohol consumption.
Anyway, I took a liking to the "flamethrowers", where you'd place a bottle filled with petrol on the campfire, and it would eventually shoot this huge fireball into the nightsky....straight up or where ever you pointed the bottle....However, I didn't realise that the trick was to put the lid on very loosely.....SO I screwed it on tight and effectively made a really cool bomb, that went off and threw glass into anything within 50 feet.......
I learnt quickly to put the lid on loosely.... | |
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Posted: 1/14/2008 1:46:45 AM | I was thinking of some funny camping stories......I remember when I was about 14, a mate and I would always go camping on the weekend.....But always got in trouble.
It went something like this.
We'd go to his place Friday afternoon and tell his mum we were going camping. She'd ask where we were going and he'd say a name of a property that was normally one of the places his dad used to go shooting on.
So his mum would ask if his Dad knew about it and he'd say yes he organised it for us.....Then she'd pack us up and off we'd go...we'd have our camping gear, rabbit traps, hunting bows(she wasn't stupid enough to let us take guns...but almost) and everything we needed.
So we'd camp and hunt and fish all weekend until Sunday when his dad would come to pick us up and he would spit the dummy at us for going onto one of his properties without permission. We'd get in trouble and then he'd take us home....
Next weekend, we'd tell his mum we were going camping, and she'd ask if his dad knew we were going and he'd say yes dad organised it and off we'd go again.....LOL
One time we actualy did get permission....lol...we got his mum to drop us off on this dirt road and we met the guy who lived there who was an artist....He said we were fine. But it rained like crazy and his dad came out that night to pick us up and really hit the roof as he didn't even know who's property it was....We told him everything was OK as we asked the artist if we could...His reply was "the only artists in this area are you two bullsh1t artists".......and he didn't speak to us the rest of the way home.....I had to get my dad to take us out the next day so we could pick up our traps and the tent etc...LOL
You have so much fun and adventure when you're a kid..... | |
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