Win a Dometic Outdoor Survival Kit!

Win a Dometic Outdoor Survival Kit!

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED. Congratulations to Jez & Deb Gourlay!

Another lockdown means another giveaway! This time we are locked down in Melbourne.

🔐 CLICK HERE TO ENTER OUR DOMETIC LOCKDOWN COMPETITION!

This comp is running on our Instagram page.

What’s in this kit? Awesome Dometic gear!

In the kit:
1 x 660 ml thermo bottle in Mango
1 x 600 ml thermo tumbler in Mango
1 x bottle open
1 x multi tool thing (😅)
1 x torch
1 x stubby holder

HOW TO ENTER:
✅ Like the Instagram competition post
✅ Tag your mates in the comments of that post who you love to share your outdoor adventures with!
✅ Like and follow both ADU Instagram Page and Dometic Instagram Page
✅ Comment and engage with our page for the duration of the competition (this is how we remember you when we come to pick a winner!)

 

Don’t forget that you can always use our code ADUCREW for a discount off outdoor gear on the Dometic website (yes, this includes the ridiculously comfy Firenze chairs!)🤙🏼

🗓 Competition ends 12pm on Wednesday Aug 19 (hopefully this is when Melbourne comes out of lock down!!)

🏆 We will announce the winners publicly in stories and post them here our website that afternoon. If we get no response within 7 days we will redraw the winner.

🇦🇺 Competition open to Australian residents only.

🔐 CLICK HERE TO ENTER OUR DOMETIC LOCKDOWN COMPETITION!

Healthy Pancakes

Healthy Pancakes

We we eat pancakes a lot, at least a couple of times a week. I’ve tried heaps of different recipes and while there are a few good ones, I find this to be the best! These are gluten free, dairy free, sugar free and lower in carbs than traditional pancakes, although not as ‘low carbs’ as some other of my recipes (that contain dairy).
They are fluffy and ‘flippable’ which I love … OK, I love watching Chris flip them! He’s pretty good at it, and I love his facial expressions before, during after. Lol.

RECIPE

  • 250g blanched almond flour (the lighter coloured one)
  • 250g tapioca flour (arrowroot flour)
  • 3/4 cup coconut flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 5 eggs
  • 500-700 g coconut milk (or milk of choice, or even water) Add more for thinner pancakes and less for thicker
  • Optional sweetener of choice (we don’t use one)

Method:

  1. Combine all ingredients really well (I use my thermomix and give it a really good blitz).
  2. Cook one side in a preheated pan over medium heat until bubbles form and then flip (give it a go!) to cook the other side.

 

 

Camping – What is it Really?

Camping – What is it Really?

‘Yes mum. I’ve rinsed my feet in the bucket. YES! I’ve wiped them on the towel too.’ I shook my head, laughing a little as I walked inside.

If I had $1 for every time someone said to me, ‘I don’t like camping,’ I’d be a very rich woman! In fact, I grew up with a mother who doesn’t like the feel of sand beneath her feet let alone the idea of camping near a beach, camping in the bush… or well, camping anywhere at all! My dad, on the other hand enjoys time spent in nature, so I could experience both perspectives firsthand.

I spent the first 10 years of my life in Tasmania and remember heading off with my grandparents, aunties, uncles and cousins for the school holidays; packing our beanies, jackets and gumboots, making jaffles and listening to campfire stories until we were sent off to the bunks inside the giant canvas Taj Mahal-like tent. We would swim, hike, check out the wildlife and do all the things kids love to do on family camping trips. We loved it! Mum? Not so much.

We moved to Ecuador, South America when I was 10. My parents were missionaries with an organisation known for its medical and radio work in Latin America. Initially, we went to a town right on the edge of the Amazon jungle. We spent a couple of years there and I loved it – mum, not so much! Who wouldn’t love all the exploring we did? There were a few of us, and if we weren’t swimming in waterholes and rivers, swinging off vines, riding our bikes all over, or playing with our pet dogs, we were digging holes deep in the mud while being careful not to get worms in our feet of course, and playing in the torrential downpours that happened every day around 2 pm. Check out this pic of my mum with our old Renegade!

When I was about 13, we moved to Quito, a vast city up in the Andes mountains where there are way less creepy crawlies and much less oxygen! Dad was involved in what was called Medical Caravans – not anything like the caravan we have – and mum did a bit of nursing but worked mostly in publicity and radio. Those early teen years in Quito I spent doing what rebellious teenagers do. But there were a couple of times during those years, when I was about 15, that dad took me camping to the radio station’s antennae farm. It was out in the country a bit, in a town called Pifo (pic below). Dad probably thought it was the only way to get me away from all the chaos of being a teenage girl in a crazy city! It not only did that, but it also rekindled my love of getting outside and staying out for a night or two.

I moved back to Tassie when I was about 16 and eventually took up camping on my own. With a 6-man tent from KMart in the back of the car, I’d strap my young son, Sam,  into his car seat and head off with friends to the East Coast when we could. Fast forward to me being the age now that my mum was back when I remember her complaining about sand in the tent and I can honestly, and surprisingly, say that I’m following in her footsteps, although not to that extreme. Yes, I grew up with a love of camping, but that has slowly but surely developed into a love of glamping. Before I met Chris, I used to have my tent and a few camping bits and pieces that travelled with me in the back of a car. Since Chris and I met back in 2010, we have slowly worked our way through tents, rooftops, camper trailers and caravans until what we have now – our dream caravan and an Alucab roof top tent on the 4×4. We’ve also worked our way through Hilux’s!

Chris is very much a ‘go with the flow’ kinda guy who couldn’t care less if there was sand in the tent, no showers for weeks or canned food for a month so I appreciate that he has put up with my need (want) for a more ‘civilised’ approach to ‘camping’ and has indulged me along the way (not without our fair share of disagreements I might add).

We’ve come such a long way in the camping world that two years ago we invited my parents to come with us on a three-week road trip to Cairns – yes, my non-camping friendly mum! They slept in the caravan bunks and on the odd occasion, booked a cabin if we all needed a bit of space from each other. And they LOVED it! Especially my mum. So much so, that she has mentioned, occasionally, that she wouldn’t mind selling the property in Tasmania and heading off in a caravan of their own. Look closely at the pic below and you’ll see my dad giving a double thumbs up out the window. Lol. And check out the smile on mum’s face! She had a great time.

Which leads me to this… camping might not be what you think it is, it’s what you want it to be. What do you think camping is? And what would you like it to be? Let’s uncover some camping truths.

1.Camping is basic … or is it?

It can be as simple as a swag and some freeze-dried food, but it sure doesn’t have to be! If you want to glamp and you have the budget to make that happen, then go for it!  Here are 3 ways you can go from camping to glamping.

  1. Buy a top of the range caravan and a luxury 4×4 to tow it with

Expensive? Sure. Comfortable? You betcha! We recommend  Titanium Caravans from Caravans Coffs Coast if you are after one of the most well-appointed luxury vans on the market. This is our fourth off-road caravan and the absolute best by far. Why does this caravan take us from camping to glamping? Let me explain.

  • We have a full off-grid Enerdrive lithium battery system giving us access to 240 power whenever we need it. And we don’t have to be plugged in.
  • We have a washing machine, air conditioner, microwave, gas heater, smart TV all which are usable at any time thanks to our battery system.
  • I am able use all my kitchen appliances (think Thermomix, Air Fryer etc) wherever we are, whenever we want to.
  • We have a toilet, full shower and large ensuite … where I can blow dry and straighten my hair whenever I feel like it
  • We have a large club lounge that’s as comfy, if not more comfy than the couch at home
  • We have air suspension from Airbag Man that makes it super easy to level the van up – no more rolling out of bed!
  • We have a slide out kitchen with plumbed hot and cold water and triple burner gas cook top OUTSIDE the van
  • And the best part? We have so much storage and room to move that we truly feel at home when we are traveling

 2. Book a cabin at a Holiday Park

Don’t fancy spending as much money on your holidays as you would to buy a house? Then don’t! Book a cabin or glamping tent at one of the many top-quality caravan parks around the country. In fact, most of these parks aren’t even known as caravan parks anymore. Think of; Resort Camping, Holiday Park, Resort, Caravan Village… and the list goes on. Booking a weekend in a cabin will cost you far more than booking a caravan site, but if luxury is your style and you don’t want to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a set-up, then this could be the way for you.

 3. Take your ‘basic’ set up and head to a caravan park/resort

You don’t need all the fancy gear to enjoy the luxuries of a Holiday Park. If you have a tent, bedding, some camp chairs and an ESKI – you’re all set! Almost all parks have amenities with showers and toilets (it pays to check and read reviews first). Most parks have camp kitchens with fridges to store your food, BBQ’s and microwaves to cook, and sinks for washing up. And, if you don’t want to do any of that, many have their own restaurants and cafes plus food vans that stop by on weekends. Generally, the more you pay, the nicer the amenities. If you have kids, many of the larger parks have jumping pillows, playgrounds and swimming pools.

2. Camping means long drives in the car … or does it?

This is generally the case for us as we love to get out and explore new and unknown areas, but it most definitely doesn’t have to be this way. We have a few local haunts that we head off to when we need to get away from home but don’t have the time or the inclination to spend hours in the car.

Do some research on Google, Wikicamps, YouCamp or even just the BIG4 websites and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what is close to where you are now or where you want to be. We love the Gold Coast Holiday Park in Helensvale, which is just an 18-minute drive from where we live, and close to where we like to surf.

Check out these parks close to Australia’s capital cities.

Brisbane –  https://www.big4.com.au/caravan-parks/qld/greater-brisbane/sandstone-point-holiday-resort

Melbourne – https://www.melbournebig4.com.au/

Adelaide – https://www.aspenholidayparks.com.au/our-parks/adelaide-caravan-park/

Perth – https://www.midlandtouristpark.com.au/

Canberra – https://www.big4.com.au/caravan-parks/nsw/capital-country/governors-hill-carapark

Hobart – https://www.big4.com.au/caravan-parks/tas/hobart-surrounds/hobart-airport-tourist-park

Darwin – https://big4howardsprings.com.au/

Sydney –  https://www.big4.com.au/caravan-parks/nsw/greater-sydney/ingenia-holidays-nepean-river

3. Camping is just for outdoor lovers, or is it?

I hear this so much when I tell people what we do! If only they knew what really goes on when people go camping across the country.

If you take the time to wander around the campsite, you will see people talking, laughing, drinking, eating and relaxing, and then sleeping and doing it all again! You might throw in a dip in the pool, beach, or whatever body of water is close, or stroll through the local township, if there is one, or nearby park. And of course, there’s always plenty of time to put your feet up and read a book or have a snooze. We find we are the odd ones out with our mountain bikes, zest for adventure and love for the great outdoors! 

If you are staying in a resort/holiday villa you can spend as much time indoors or outdoors as you like. You can indulge yourself by lounging by the pool, eating in the restaurant, having a cocktail at the bar, or reading a book in the guest lounge.

4. Camping is just for young families and caravanning is for Grey Nomads!

Camping is for everybody and if you don’t believe me, open up Instagram and see for yourself! Newsfeeds are filled with photos and videos of young families, teenage friends, young lovers, middle-aged couples, older couples, grandparents with grandkids. You might see entire generations sharing their adventures as they get out and enjoy camping together! And the exact same can be said for caravanning.

While its generally true that the younger families can’t afford the fancy van and the expensive 4×4 that the retirees can afford, we are seeing a huge shift in who’s towing a caravan along for the holiday break. More and more young families and couples are investing in a lifestyle that they know will bring more fun and less stress to their way of life. We are one of these middle-aged couples! We have our dream van and 4×4 and we are only in our 40’s, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

5. Camping = constant cooking

While I do agree with this to some extent, I firmly believe that you only cook as much as you want to. We have friends that don’t like cooking much and generally eat takeout the entire time we are away! If you love cooking (like I do) then this won’t be a problem. I have a variety of appliances that I take with us depending on where we are headed.

  • My thermal cooker usually gets loaded up before we leave home, so our dinner is ready and waiting that evening. This gives us time to set up and relax without having to meal prep at all.
  • I have a Thermomix that whips up a mean curry in half an hour, instant desserts and all sorts of easy mealtime deliciousness. I also take the air fryer so we can bake cakes, quiches, bikkies, nachos and even cook the snags if we want to in half the time it takes to preheat and use the oven!
  • Other times I make double meals the week before we head off and freeze them so all we have to do is defrost and enjoy when we’re away.
  • Sometimes, if we know we will be with lots of friends and they’ll be eating out, we only take a few meals worth of food with us and buy food from the restaurant.
  • Caravan parks have camp kitchens so even if you don’t have a BBQ, you can take your meat down and cook it on theirs.
  • If you want to keep it cheap and basic, buy a large pack of sausages or premade hamburgers and some packets of salads and you’re set!

It does all depend on how much you eat and how much you want to cook as to how much time you will be spending cooking. But I do find that no matter what you intend to do while away, a rough meal plan and grocery list makes all the difference.

6. It’s too hard packing and unpacking … or is it?

It most certainly doesn’t have to be! But again, this comes down to how much time and money you are willing, and able, to invest into your setup and of course, how much ‘stuff’ you want to take with you. When we had tents and gazebos and all that jazz it would take hours to pack the car at home and even longer to set up once we arrived. When we graduated to the camper trailer, it took less time at home and slightly less time to set up and pack up.

But nothing can compare to the simplicity of having a van large enough to store everything inside that you will need… permanently. We are the stage now where all we need to do is pack our food and clothes and head off. We have everything else we need in the van ready to go. We even have enough food in the pantry to last a few days if we don’t pack anything before we leave.

We have taken this one step further and have the same with our 4×4. Kitchen ware, toiletries, cleaning products, sunscreen, insect repellent, camp chairs, and everything we need lives permanently in the canopy so all we need to pack are clothes, towels and extra food. We have a pantry drawer fully stocked with staples and snacks all the time.

The main thing to remember is to only take what you need! Don’t take all the ‘just in case’ items. And yes, I know that Chris would be shaking his head at me and laughing if he read this (he doesn’t read anything, so I think I’m OK! Lol). It’s taken me a looong time to learn that I don’t need as much as I think I do, and I take less and less with me each trip that we take.

While I understand not everyone is able to leave the setup mostly ready all of the time, it’s what we have worked our way up to and are so glad that we did!

If you really can’t be bothered with all the ‘stuff,’ pack a swag, or tent and bedding, your basics, camp chairs, and an ESKI with your food in it, and book in at one of the luxury resorts and use all of their ‘stuff’! They have plenty of it ready and waiting.

So, there you have it. What ‘camping’ is and what it can be! From a swag under the stars to a luxurious caravan plugged into power and water at a 5 Star holiday resort, there are options for everybody whether a lover of camping yet or not. All I ask is that you give it a go and not let your ‘lack of adventure’ ruin the adventures you can experience … and if you don’t like it the first time, make changes until you do. If my mother can become a lover of camping (glamping), I’m sure almost anyone can. Check out the pic below … I’m very happy with her change of heart!

Bigriggen by Aylah

Bigriggen by Aylah

Saturday 3/3/18

I woke up and felt really excited.   Today we are going to Bigriggen. After I got dressed I went out into the kitchen to eat my açai bowl . The açai bowl was absolutely delicious. After I packed a bag with all fun stuff to do. We got in the car but Miriam was taking forever.

Listening to my awesome music!

By the time she got to the car I was a grandma. We finally started driving but dad had to stop at Shorties to get a coffee. While we were waiting Miriam, Cooper, Charli and I all took selfies.

Once dad had got back in the car we started driving again. After like 20 minutes Charli, Cooper and I were bored so I got my head phones out and turned them on and music came on and I was so happy. After, we stopped again so dad could get another coffee at rathdowney.  We finely got to Bigriggen ??.

We all went to the creek and Cooper, Charli and I went in the rapids . It was awesome ? but the bad bit was that I kept jabbing my left big toe and it hurt ?. Now we are all back at the caravan and we have just finished playing with our frisbee’s on the grass oval. After that we went back to the creek and swam for a little bit but then it was getting cold so we got out. Soon after some friends came. We all talked a bit and then me and Sarah (their daughter) came in the caravan to play Bounce Off, it was fun. Then dad took the plate off the barbecue and the kids roasted marshmallows it was fun and YUMMY ?

 

Frisbeee!

Sunday 4/3/18

Today we are going on a walk ( 3 hours) I really don’t want to but the parents want us to come ?, before we go we went to the creek .

The Creek

I was so happy? because our friend’s came with a air mattress so we could go down the rapids with it ? . After that we went back to the caravan and played with the netball. It was fun❤️. Then we all went to go on some walks.

While we were going up in the car to the walk, dad’s drive shaft snapped –  it took so long to fix but they did it. Then we all drove back to the caravan and left to go home. This car trip I actually got good music to listen to.

Once we got home ? all of us ran to the house to see Sprocket – he was so happy ? then we unpacked the caravan and rested.

Me and cooper stayed the night again and in the morning we went back to Mum’s.

Thanks for reading

AYLAH’S ANTICS
❤️

 

Bigriggen by Charli

Bigriggen by Charli

Okay so mum said that I had to start blogging so here I go…(don’t judge me, this is my first time)?

Mum woke me up this morning at 6:00 (way too early). She didn’t wake me up like a normal mother would; she sat beside me on my bed and shook her wet hair all in my face and whispered “Time to wake up”! over and over again. I looked at her and laughed and then cuddled up in my blankets wishing I could sleep in for once. I eventually dragged myself out of bed and got dressed, ate breakfast blah, blah, blah all that stuff.

After all that, we all got in the car and started towing the caravan the hour and a half to Bigriggen Bush Retreat.

Reading my book

But before we were even 10 minutes away from the house, of course dad had to stop and get a coffee ☕️ We all read our books most of the way and Aylah listened to her music (pretty loudly too!)

Once we finally got to Bigriggen, we found our spot and set up the caravan. The kids laid the mat down and set up the table and chairs and mum and dad did the usual setup stuff.  Once everything was all ready, Cooper, Aylah and I got on our bikes and rode off to check out the place. It’s huge! It was so muddy and all the mud and grass was flicking up all over my legs, and as I was turning around on my bike, I hit the tree and fell over, right on my butt in the mud ? Mum tried to get it on video but she failed (thank goodness).

We came back to the van and changed into our swimmers and walked down to the water hole – it was beautiful and the water was really cold. It was lovely and calm, apart from the rapids. The rapids were really strong and they pulled me down the river and over the rocks. I kept tumbling down and tried to stop myself from going any further – it was almost impossible! When I tried walking back up against the rapids, I kept falling back down. Once, I finally got up and Aylah fell over and knocked Cooper over which made me fall and get dragged all the way back down again! ???‍♀️

We went back to the van and played some board games and then we got the frisbee’s out. Dad got the drone out, and mum joined in with us.

Mum and dad’s friends came that night with their daughter. We all had dinner and sat around talking, We toasted marshmallows on the weber as we had no camp fire and it started raining. There was quite a lot of lightning too.

Going down the rapids on the mattress

Everyone woke up the next morning at about 7:00 apart from me, I slept into like 7:30. I’m usually the last one awake! We all got up, had breakfast, and went back to the water hole. This time we had an inflatable mattress to go down on! It was so much fun.

Then we dried off and got ready to leave for a 3 hour hiking trip to a water hole.

Before we could start hiking we had to go up a steep 4WD track. Dad went up some really rocky, steep hills, and it was really fun until we heard a big bang from under the car. The front drive shaft broke. We had no tools or anything to fix it so dad and Vaughn had to go back to Boonah where there were shops so they could buy tools.

Waiting for them to buy tools to fix the car

Obviously we couldn’t go anywhere with our car so luckily Vaughn was with us and they could take his car. We waited, lying on towels on the steep hill, talking and mucking around for TWO HOURS until they came back with the tools. It took them another half hour to fix the car. They had to take the wheel all the way off!

So long story short, we didn’t end up going on the walk to the water hole, we just sat in the middle of a hill on a rocky road.

We drove back to the caravan to pack everything up and drive the hour and a half back home.

I guess you could say we had an exiting yet interesting weekend. The important thing is we had fun even when we were stuck in the middle of nowhere or getting dragged down some rapids!

I really liked Bigriggen and would like to go back again. I would like to have a camp fire next time, and we will take more inflatable things to go down the rapid on!

Playing 5 Second Rule