A few weeks ago Rob and I spent a weekend camping at O’Reilly’s Campground in Lamington National Park with my family. It’s a campground I often visited as a child – so it definitely brought back all the nostalgic memories. It was a beautiful weekend of messy hair, good laughs and some quality time with those special people in my life – what more could I ask for?
What I packed
As I’ve mentioned on Instagram, I’m aspiring to master the art of minimal packing. Aside from the camping equipment, which is the reality of such trips, I felt like the clothes I packed was just about right. It seems I’m making some progress on this front.
It’s autumn here in Australia and although the days are relatively warm, the temperatures can drop at night – particularly in the mountains. To account for the variable temperatures I packed some lightweight tops and knits which I could layer under my puffer jacket. As we were camping I definitely packed more for practicality rather than style and I kept to those wardrobe basics – running tights, light knits, jeans and t-shirts. I realised that I packed a lot of black clothes which, for camping in summer, probably isn’t ideal because they can be quite hot. However, in autumn it was fine and hey, at least everything matched.
For or two nights/three days of camping and one night catching up with family, I took:
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- 1 pair of black pants
- 1 black light knit top
- 1 puffer jacket
- 2 T-Shirts
- 1 long sleeve running top
- 1 pair of black jeans
- 1 pair of black running tights
- 1 pair of runners
- 1 pair of white sneakers.
Day 1: On Friday, for a day visiting family and dinner out, I wore black pants, this black knit and white sneakers for a casual monochrome look.
Day 2: On Saturday we arrived at the campground around lunch time, set up camp and went on the Tree Top walk in the afternoon. During the day I wore black running tights, a long sleeve running top and white sneakers. In the evening I changed into jeans, a t-shirt and a puffer jacket when the weather became cooler.
Day 3: On Sunday, we went on a bush walk to Moran Fall’s and then just relaxed back at camp in the afternoon. I wore my black running tights, my black knit, puffer jacket and runners during the day and again, changed into jeans, a t-shirt and puffer jacket in the evening.
Day 4: For our journey home I just wore jeans, a t-shirt and my puffer jacket.
Where we stayed
O’Reilly’s Retreat and O’Reilly’s Campground is specialises in eco-tourism and is located within the rainforest of UNESCO World Heritage Lamington National Park. The campground is located close to many of the main walking tracks and features a spectacular view of the McPherson ranges. One of my favourite parts of the trip was watching the horizon change from blue to hues of deep purple and gold each evening while huddled in a blanket.
O’Reilly’s is a very comfortable campsite and it has been recently renovated. It has very new, clean bathrooms (always a luxury when camping!) and a communal building with chairs, cooking stoves, fridges and sinks – features which make camping much easier. Even if you’re not a happy camper O’Reilly’s retreat also offers luxury villas and onsite safari tents (permanent tents so that you don’t have to bring camping equipment).
What we did
Our weekend was a relaxed affair, mostly catching up with extended family. However, we did two short walks – the Tree Top Walk and Moran’s Falls which is a 4.6km return walk through the rainforest to Moran’s waterfall and back.
The Tree Top Walk, although very short, has always been a favourite of mine. It’s a board walk comprised of 9 suspension bridges set 16 metres above the forrest floor so that you are actually walking amongst the tree top canopy. Half way along the walk there is a ladder (enclosed in a cage) set into the trunk of a massive fig tree, which allows you to climb to viewing platforms nestled amongst its branches 30 metres above ground (you can see a picture of it above). This climb still fills me with the same excitement, awe and butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling as it did when I first climbed it as a child. As you can imagine, the view is spectacular, although you may disagree if you’re afraid of heights.
If you’re looking for more rest and relaxation O’Reilly’s also offers a day spa and a vineyard at the base of the mountain – featuring Alpacas!
Are you a fan of camping? What are your favourite destinations for getting out into nature?
Photos: My family and I.
Post not sponsored – just a family weekend away.
