An Irishwoman’s Diary on camping under the stars in Australia

‘There’s no place for envy when I can offer you a cup of coffee.” A casual remark filled with philosophical undertones. Our fellow camper in Kalbarri, Western Australia, had been living so long on the campsite that he had his own locked fridge in the shared kitchen. The reference to a cup of coffee stemmed from my idle comment that I was envious of his espresso pot, as we were sorry we hadn’t brought one along on this five-day camping trip.

The bearded fortysomething told us of how he had spent long hours writing, walking and travelling on his motorbike to the incredible river gorges that drew us to this beautiful isolated spot at the estuary of the Murchison river, about halfway up Western Australia’s Indian Ocean coastline.

Within an hour’s drive north of Perth, you already have the feeling of leaving urban civilisation behind. You have to go beyond Geraldton to really feel like you are in the bush, with long straight stretches of road where you rarely meet another vehicle. The low-lying eucalyptus and grass trees cover only some of the red earth – a tough terrain which is at its most beautiful in the yellow dusk.

Our destination on this 2,000km round trip is Shark’s Bay, a narrow peninsula of world heritage status – partly due to the presence of stromatolites, living fossils built by some of the world’s oldest bacteria. It is deemed to be one of the planet’s most important wilderness regions and so is a perfect place to get that true outback feeling. It was also the place where the first European explorers reached the Australian shores.

Camping is part of the Australian psyche. The long hours on the road between campsites require careful planning, as does the incredible amount of camping gear that Australians bring with them.

Why would you stay in a motel when you can go camping? That is the basic tenet that has spawned a nation of campers who bring everything – absolutely everything – they might need on a camping trip. Roll-out mattresses might seem good enough but the Australians bring camp stretchers so that you don’t have to sleep on the ground. Another camper at Kalbarri didn’t flinch when my daughter accidently used her gas ignition stick to stir our couscous – because she had brought along another one in case the first one didn’t work.

Novice campers

We quickly realised that not only were we novice campers (who had borrowed most of our gear for this trip) but we were also dipping into a continental tradition that saw many older people abandon their homes and travel up to 12,000km around Australia between May and September each year.

These so-called grey nomads usually travel in camper vans or caravans. They have a methodical way about them and life experience which has led to a frugal travelling style and a measured appreciation of the strikingly beautiful landscape that requires hours and hours of travelling along dull, almost empty roads to reach.

These hardy travellers also have strict routines – most are up and about before 7am and on the road shortly after that if they are moving on.

Travelling in dusk or under the cover of darkness is only for the foolhardy – you won’t want a kangaroo leaping in front of you on one of those endless stretches of road. By 7pm each night, they are all sitting out on the veranda of their campers, enjoying a beer and the food cooked on the communal barbecue.

Campsites across Australia can be hundreds of kilometres apart. So many hardier campers also opt for bush camping. Here, the essential piece of equipment is the swag – a warm duvet enfolded into a mattress with toughened canvas on the exterior for a comfortable night’s sleep under the stars.

The closest we came to interruptions from native species was when an emu wandered past our tent. The campsite managers discourage people from feeding them and they simply wander back out of the site again.

Camping is one of life’s great levellers and while you could spend silly time comparing camper vans and four-wheel drive vehicles, you really are advised to settle down to enjoying the wind in the palm trees and the early-morning birdsong.

Australian campers are friendly but not curious. They tend to take you at face value, go about their own business and only get involved if you need help. It’s all part of the live and let live part of camping in Australia. You might have just arrived here or you might have been here all your life — nobody really cares either way if you’re easy to get along with and don’t make noise after dark.

There are a few iconic elements to Australian camping. The camp fire is one of them; although outdoor temperatures reach an average 25 degrees on a winter’s day (and 50 degrees in the summer), some campers still like to have a small camp fire in the evening.

The billycan is another camping essential.

Shaped like a large tin can with a spout, handle and lid, it can be used for everything from boiling water to making porridge – although it doesn’t quite stretch to espresso coffee.