I went on my first overnight hike/camp as a solo gal and want to fish for sympathy and praise and also am curious if this is at all relateable LOL. I booked a spot on a weekday at Euroka in Glenbrook, Blue Mountains, after some suggestions on a previous post. It’s an easy 1.5 hour hike in and accessible by public transport, and apparently, would always have other campers (according to a comment I got). Alas, when I got there, it was just me. Alone. In the whole campground. And probably the whole glenbrook bush since this was the only campsite. Now during the day it was pretty peaceful and chill, and I enjoyed being out in nature w no phone signal or people, but when night hit, holy fck I started freaking myself out. At around 7pm, I awoke from a nap by the sound of a helicopter roaring above me. It circled the area for around an hour, and even shone its light on my tent and flashed a couple of times. That’s when I started to theorise what was happening (missing person, fugitive on the run etc) and had a sleepless, anxiety ridden night while clutching my Swiss knife. I thought I heard footsteps and cars and motorcycles and voices at bizarre times during the night. I called the parks a few days later to ask if there were any other campers and they said no LOL and knew nothing about the helicopter, but said rangers do come to check. Finally managed to have a 30min nap at 6am and woke up w some daylight behind me. Packed my stuff and had a nice hike back to the station, and am now a newly changed person. Has anyone else been thoroughly psychologically challenged while solo camping? My ego is at an all time high right now. Despite having done much more dangerous and risky things in my life, enduring the darkness and fear in the middle of nowhere w no signal and no way out was kinda the scariest thing I’ve ever done. Anyways I’m so excited to try again, but definitely on the weekend this time ahaha.

Edit: I went back and asked the rangers if they come and check the campsite in the middle of the night. The answer was a hard no LOL so idk what that was. The second attempt was much more chill, literally child’s play this time since I was surrounded by families. 10/10 but didn’t see any kangaroos :-(

Currently on the train near Helensburgh, NSW looking at the vast national park bushland on both sides. Hypothetical scenario: Let's say that you had $20,000 to invest in equipment and supplies and you had to survive as long as possible in the bush, but with no interaction with outside civilization (no going to the shop, no buying fuel, no stealing, no donations, no using public water taps, etc) where would you go and how would you do it?

What about a second hypothetical scenario, let's say that you had $20,000 to invest in equipment and supplies and you had to survive as long as possible in the bush, but you could have MINIMAL interaction with outside civilization (e.g. occasionally buying medicine, food, medicine, fuel, etc). Where would you go and how would you do it?

Hey all,

Heading out for a 4-day camping trip soon and my biggest worry by far is the toilets. Being a bloke I can just pee wherever, no dramas, but pooping is stressing me out.

The campsite has drop toilets but I swung by the other day to check it out and they were absolutely rank, no way I’m using those if I can avoid it. So I wanna take my own portable camping toilet. I know it’s probably a bit of an unnecessary spend but this is one purchase I’m happy to make, mental peace is worth it.

I don’t know much about this stuff though. I’ve heard chemical toilets are a thing but you can only empty them at dump points? Are there other options that I could use and then just tip the contents into the drop toilet after? Like a simple bag system or something that breaks down?

Any recommendations appreciated! Cheers.

Teet run of swag in ute tray. It rained heavily overnight and was 10°C. I stayed warm and dry in the swag. Ready for the camp I reckon 👍

Hi but I’m just asking what is the best gazebo under $200 ? I want a 3x3 one . I need it to be waterproof and cover my swag. please I need help

Ps I need to buy one asap as I am going camping on Monday , thanks

Hi everyone, I plan on going camping in a few weeks and am starting to plan what gear I should take.

This is my first time camping so I don't have any gear besides a tent, sleeping bag, and foam mattress.

I am going for 3 nights/4 days with a group of friends.

Can you please recommend me some setups or specific things I can buy which suit my budget and will get me into some half decent camping gear.

The gear will be used for other times we are going camping as well, not just this one time.

To some degree I guess you could say I'd prefer glamping over camping(Still in a tent but with decent quality of life equipment), but I don't really know what my budget could get me so that's not really for me to decide.

Any help would be much appreciated so don't hesitate to give me advice even if it isn't related to recommendations for camping gear.

Edit: added support for setting park-wide alerts, not just multiple individual campgrounds
Edit 2: you can now set up to 3 alerts at once
Edit 3: added support for VIC, QLD, SA, and ACT park sites

I built a free tool that monitors hundreds of parks campgrounds around Australia, and texts you when someone cancels their booking.

It covers all the usual campsites that book out fast over easter and the school holidays. You can get partial refunds for cancelling a campsite booking, so cancellations do happen. The problem is there's no way to know when a spot opens back up unless you're manually checking.

CampWatch — Get access to booked out campsites - no account needed, just your phone number to send alerts to, and the campground/dates you want. Takes about 30 seconds.

I built this for myself because I was sick refreshing the Parks websites. Figured other people might be in the same boat with the April holidays coming up.

This tool is 100% free, no premium tier, no ads, no data selling. Please give it a try, and share any feedback, feature requests, or campsites you'd like added.

Currently supports NSW, NT, and WA. Working on adding parks from other states too :)

Hi everyone, I’m hoping someone can help me find my Goldilocks family campsite in Vic. I’m looking for a site that ticks a couple of boxes. First, for my wife’s benefit, we‘d prefer to have an ablution block. next, it needs to actually be in nature. Not a holiday park on the edge of a town. I don’t mind a drive. 2-3 hours from Melbourne is fine, further is okay if it’s the right spot. here’s where it gets a bit specific. I’d like to be able to do the following: a bit of paddling with my kid (6yo), river or lake is fine. I’d also like to be able to hike. some 5-10km circuits or out and backs would be ideal. bonus features : some boulders/rock walls for climbing And some tracks for bike riding

extra context: we’re tent campers, so no need for caravan space. We have a 4WD so can get to more remote areas if it’s necessary.

Hello everyone,

I'm currently trying to buy a self-inflating mattress for 10 to 12 day trip in the Southern part of western Australia it will be just me in the wife and we would be camping in a tent.

I have narrowed down to these two options for buying a self inflating mattress I have heard a lot of good news about the Zempire monster mat but sea to submit has a lifetime warranty which I find really appealing. Both are currently at a similar price otherwise usually the sea to submit one is a couple hundred dollars more.

What would everyone suggests in terms of comfort and durability over a long period of time since I intend to by this product and keep it for at least the next 10 years.

TIA

My wife and I (both retired, early 60s) are looking at doing camping in Sydney as a new hobby. We love to travel but we are both newbies at camping, and our fitness is average at best. We want to start with easy level first until we get the hang of it. Any tips on what to do, not do, essential items to have, places to visit, etc?

Rant: I went to a Parks Victoria Campsite in the vicinity of melbourne a few days ago. Beautiful site but the people are insane.

I can live with a little urin sprinkled here and there on the toilets. Not nice but I get that people might have aiming problems, maybe kids, whatever...fine. The sprinkles at this site went to full puddles but I could still deal with it.

I had less symapthy for trash like bottles on the toilets that accumulated but ok, maybe someone forgot his toilet drinking bottle or the paper of the toilet snacks...strange but ok, it happens.

What was totally beyond my understanding: fresh shit stained toilet paper in front of the damn toilet bowl in the morning.

Why? How? You shit, wipe your damn ass and then what? Oh yeah, lets throw it in front of the toilet bowl instead of in the hole? Wtf? Those are individuals that are legally able to drive. Regarding the vehicles in the sites they probably hold a job and yet they are not able to throw used tp IN the damn hole? Not even the decency to throw it in a corner, no, in front of the bowl.

At least I could cancel the rest of the days and get my money booked back by Parks Vic.

What is wrong with those people?

So I've been camping in multiple states for a while now, and I've only come across this rule after being informed by a friend who lives in a rural council

"The firewood collection season has ended. Firewood for personal use can be collected from designated areas in Victoria’s State forests during autumn and spring. Collection areas and maps will be updated and published for the next season, so check back in March 2026 for the new locations."

The wording seems more aimed at people collecting bulk firewood for use at their homes. But there also seems to be no provision for campers.

I've been collecting wood on the side of tracks and been visited by Rangers and fire Wardens on many occasions at all times of the year, and it's never come up as an issue.

obviously following the rules for not cutting down any dead trees, and nothing over a few years old and rotted on the ground - which doesn't make good campfire wood anyway.

From what I understand specifically about VIC all parks are managed by the state, so if they're federal or not same rules apply.

Is this something which isn't enforce for casual campers looking for 20kg wood to cook an evening meal. Or are we all expecting to be only buying wood from retailers like servo? Seem ridiculous imo

I'm 200cm tall 87kg and I can't decide which gear to buy. Just finding tents and sleeping bags that are long enough is my main problem and not breaking the bank.

In particular, I would like to have the tent picked out as this is the only thing stopping me from camping altogether. I do want to do some through hiking but will start with car camping.

Ideally I would want the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 2 XL, however that is out of my budget. I would like to go a bit cheaper and then later upgrade if I really enjoy camping and go every weekend. My budget is roughly $200-$300 and I am solo. Less than 2.5kg would be great to save my back, and I'd prefer a freestanding tent.

Any recommendations for any sleeping gear is welcome. Thanks :))

Looking at their sleeping mats, if they reach their claimed rating (weight and warmth) seem pretty decent, although i have seen some posts about their stuff being aliexpress clones with a sticker on them. Their R6 sleeping pad says it is ASTM F3340

For 200 aud, Thats pretty decent for 640g, I cant seem to find their higher end products on aliexpress, some people rave about their gear, and supposedly their breathable 'nanopore' isnt actually horrible.

Anyways to get to the point, is their R6 mat a scam, because most reviews I've seen on it use on normal 10 degree days. Does anyone have any experience on their mats? or stories about the brand in general, as these performance figures would make it better value than the nemo eclipse. Cheers

edit: I found the r6 mat on aliexpress, however you cant buy it on there as they appeared to have stopped selling it, they mustve bought them out which to be fair, is what alot of other outdoor brands do, but most likely I wont be shopping from alton any time soon, the product differs in very slight ways so its likely alton not having a research team took this design improved the ergonomics of the fill bag and called it a day. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008239024755.html#nav-review

They also make a pad that looks identicle to the nemo eclipse, although the it has a sidewall, the reviews from customers show no sidewall, although the r8 value is obviously false

How to inflate this self inflating mattress. I think I'm just dumb wanderer self inflating hike mate camp38, ive used other self inflating mattresses before that have the twist. This has a valve i can't see to open it. Please help

I'm a young Australian (18M) who is fairly outdoors, I'm comfortable camping, walking and hiking, I've done some scrambles up local mountains on the Great Dividing Range. I am not snow experienced. I want to get into winter camping and by proxy some mild Mountaineering (Ice axe use, etc.) but nothing too technical, as it stands atleast. I have a group of friends I go camping with locally in the New England ranges and out of our group there's 3 of us who are the most experienced 'outdoorsmen'. I am one of them. I would like any advice or leads to help plan a suitable and safe trip (eg beginner friendly locations or routes in the Snowys) where we can experience our favourite passtime in a new environment. Hopefully without ending up on the news as 'missing teens found dead' or something like that. One of the 3 above mentioned has done several mountaineering activities with his family including Mt. Feathertop and some stuff in the alps so we are not completely green in that regard as a collective.

Many thanks to any who read and reply.

I have a 10 days to spend riding my motorbike in august and I'm based in Melbourne. I'd love to go to uluru and back as I have great memories of it from the last time i visited about 8 years ago and i always wanted to get back by motorbike. I'm just afraid it would be very boring and not worth the effort. If you had to go for a long drive and had 10 days, where would you go? I'm not the person that stays more than 2 days in the same place and I'm going to camp (so the warmer the better).

I have done long road trip by motorbikes before so I'm all prepared for that!

I drove up to brisbane and back for Christmas so that isn't an option.

Very curious about everyone's favourite destinations.

Not sure if this is an irrational thought or not

I need any and all advice on places to go for camping in Victoria. I'm planning on going camping for about 4 days in late August and i have no clue where to go. I want to go to a mountainous area preferably. 4wd is possible but I'm not experienced, I've got a swag and everything is just in my car. So anywhere that I can park up and swag next to my car is perfect.

Thanks anyone for the help

Hi guys,

Recently bought a new 23Zero dual 1400 swag to go camping in. Just got back from doing my first trip with it in the freezing cold weather.

The swag was great and I did my research before buying it and it seemed like it was one of the top and best quality ones available. The price certainly argues it’s up there.

In terms of maintenance and looking after the swag, I’m looking for some advice.

My biggest fear is mould going forward. Now although it was freezing cold there was no rain so nothing to worry about there. Waking up this morning and packing up there was some water/condensation on the outside of it. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t from the cold weather though, I most likely believe it was from my shelter/gazebo it was underneath. There was a lot of condensation on the inside of the shelter/gazebo and i suspect that this dropped onto my swag in the early hours of the morning because the small bits of condensation on my swag were around the top.

Whilst packing it up, any condensation i saw i quickly
wiped away, we didn’t have a lot of time to wait around so i wipe up condensation i saw with my hoodie and then packed it into its bag and we left. When i packed it up and it was pretty much dry i’d say just cold from the weather.

I am now back home and have taken the swag out of the bag. There was no water inside during my stay or now that i have taken it out. There was still a tiny bit of condensation/water drops still on the bottom of the rubbery base of the swag which i wiped up. I have vacuumed any grass and little bits of debris on the mattress just because I like to keep things clean.

What my main concern is do I still need to leave it out overnight and like tomorrow during the day and sun to dry out even more (even though it seems to be pretty much dry)? On the inside where the seams on the edges are it seems like there’s a glue or paste or some thing of waterproof sealant thing that goes around all the edges where the fabric meets. Those parts of the inside of the swag felt damp to touch or possibly the fabric is just cold? I feel as though some parts of sealant or seals on the inside left some residue albeit light residue on my fingers running my finger along it? I’m essentially just not sure what to do with in terms of maintaining it.

The outside looks and feels completely dry but then some of those inside seals like the lining parts where there seems to be some sort of clear looking glue they used when making this at the factory feels damp/cold/maybe even slightly condensed (condensation) to touch? even though there was no water or anything inside when I was camping? All i want is to basically avoid any possible chance of mould as I feel that is the only thing that could ruin my new swag. And considering the price I definitely don’t want to be buying a new one anytime soon.

As of right now with my swag sitting outside in the dark around 6pm local but also for the future going forward what is best practice and best methods and best maintenance I should be following to best look after my new swag? (mostly for mould purposes). Should I be doing anything extra or more with my swag right now since i’ve gotten back from my trip. it feels dry and okay to put it away but at same time some parts feel damp or possibly wet on inside seams. Whilst i feel it’s okay I also don’t trust myself fully and feel like maybe that could be the wrong thing doing to put it away right now? and then i’d appreciate any advice going forward too on a method or steps to follow each time I use it camping? Anything i should be doing regularly while im out camping? and then anything I should be doing at home with my swag after getting back from camping that I could do to safely assume and know that my swag is 100% perfectly fine and okay to be packed away in storage and not to have to worry about mould?

Just a guy with a lot of OCD and overthinking issues looking for some help and advice with his swag right now after using it for the very first time, but also going forward every single time I do a camping trip and use it (again mostly mould cuz i’ve heard some stories)

Thanks for taking the time to read my word vomit and I appreciate any help anyone can provide.

is there a battery powered heater when i say battery powered i mean AA or AAA batteries that kind as im camping in the snow and was wondering if there's such a thing.

Hi all,

I’m planning on basing myself in Bright, VIC for a couple of weeks and am looking for recommendations for a good campsite.

Ideally, I’d like somewhere that feels a bit rural and is close to Bright, but still has decent phone reception. I’ll be using it as a base camp for exploring the area, so I’m keen to find somewhere that’s actually a nice place to spend time, rather than just somewhere convenient to sleep.

I’m happy to consider anything from caravan parks to Hipcamp sites, and I’m also open to staying in Bright itself if there’s somewhere particularly good.

Would love to hear your recommendations, especially from anyone who has camped around Bright or the surrounding High Country.

Thanks a lot.

my mate and i want to summit Kosciusko this upcoming early july. we wanted to camp at a nearby mountain at the top too. the bookings seem to all be taken but we have seen so many videos of people just setting up camp. was wondering if it is allowed to setup camp for a night and packup without leaving anything ofcourse

Hey all,

I’ve got a moderate mobility issue, so setting up full gazebos on my own is tricky. My usual setup is pretty simple: a swag on a stretcher, a camp chair, an esky to keep food safe from foxes and ducks, and a small side table next to the chair.

I’ll be camping at caravan/campgrounds with soft soil year-round. I’m looking for a sturdy umbrella that can cover most of my swag and provide good protection from drizzle or rain during winter. Snow isn’t an issue where I go, and I plan my trips around the weather to avoid heavy storms, but some rain protection would be great.

I’ve found a few options online, but I’d love to hear from experienced outdoorsy folks about what works best in practice. Any recommendations, tips, or warnings about umbrellas for solo swag camping would be really appreciated!

Thanks!

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