penrose
It's the beginning of 2022 and after having our last week of school holidays cut short thanks to the spicy cough making a visit, we were busting at the chops to escape for a night in the bush. So up the mountain we went to find some off-grid camping.
So you're probably wondering, where's the van? We are excitedly awaiting the arrival of our new Great Aussie 21'6 Tribal Xplora which we've been told is still looking like early this year, but we are very open-minded to the fact that covid is still being a massive pain in the butt so we are just kicking back until she arrives. In the meantime, we've dusted off the swag and tent and decided to trial the mod cons that Rob has added to our Amarok to add a little luxury to our camping adventures. And boy, she did not disappoint.
Rob has been wanting to camp off-grid up in the Southern Highlands for some time so we ended up finding a sweet little spot between Penrose State Forest and Penrose on Dharawal Country. Just us, the bush, black cockatoos and kangaroos. Near our campsite we noticed a scar tree where First Peoples have used the bark from the tree to create bark canoes, shelters, tools or artefacts. As we were close to a river, our boys discussed what they thought the bark was used for and came to the decision that they thought it was used to make a bark canoe and shared why it was important to respect the tree as it part of our living culture.
We cooked on the fire, fell asleep to the rain and snuggled in our When the North Wind Blows sleeping bags. The Amarok has been all wired up to run a Dometic 35 litre portable fridge/freezer and HardKorr LED lights under the awning. Rob has also installed 4WD Supacentre Titan drawers in the tub, where we keep all of our handy tools, air and electrical fittings and the all-important first aid kit. The Rhino Rack Sunseeker awning came in handy for some shelter from occasional light rain that we had, while the OzTrail 3mx3m gazebo sheltered the boys in the swag and the entrance to our tent. We also pulled out the Porta-Potti that we had for our Jayco Flamingo and still say just how stoked we were with that investment! Our trusty Darche fire-pit worked a treat as we cooked yummy hickory & brown sugar chicken tacos for dinner, marshmallows for dessert and a greasy breakkie cook up in the morning. If you do decide to camp within the state forest, campfires are permitted outside of the fire season.
We cooked on the fire, fell asleep to the rain and snuggled in our When the North Wind Blows sleeping bags. The Amarok has been all wired up to run a Dometic 35 litre portable fridge/freezer and HardKorr LED lights under the awning. Rob has also installed 4WD Supacentre Titan drawers in the tub, where we keep all of our handy tools, air and electrical fittings and the all-important first aid kit. The Rhino Rack Sunseeker awning came in handy for some shelter from occasional light rain that we had, while the OzTrail 3mx3m gazebo sheltered the boys in the swag and the entrance to our tent. We also pulled out the Porta-Potti that we had for our Jayco Flamingo and still say just how stoked we were with that investment! Our trusty Darche fire-pit worked a treat as we cooked yummy hickory & brown sugar chicken tacos for dinner, marshmallows for dessert and a greasy breakkie cook up in the morning. If you do decide to camp within the state forest, campfires are permitted outside of the fire season.
On the way home, we went driving around Penrose State Forest and then explored the little country towns of Penrose, Bundanoon, Exeter and Sutton Forest. We stopped at Moss Vale Hotel and had the most delicious pub grub for lunch at the Porterhouse Bistro! A short but sweet getaway, but just what our souls needed!
Peace + love,
Peace + love,