What is your most amazing travel/camping experience?

I think mine would be camped at the Shell Garage at Northhampton for 5 days while i waited for parts & rebuilt my gearbox.

I was trying to go to Broome in an old Landdrover. Ended up getting drunk in Northampton instead and then going home. Overall it was a good holiday anyway.

Alan

nothing out of the ordinary..but makes me smile every time i remember.

Camping in the middle of nowhere at warroora station below Coral Bay WA with four overseas backpackers from exmouth i'd made friends with the week before so we travelled together for a while.

using handlines off the beach to catch threadfin salmon...cooked in foil in the coals. few drinks...interesting company.

Rev

Hearing footsteps/people walking towards my bush campsite down in the southern highlands of NSW, and getting out to see between 8 - 10 guys dressed in army style fatigues surrounding my tent, all "heavily" armed ... having a light shined (shone???) in my eyes and them being told to go back to bed, as "everything is alright".

Originally I thought it was an army exercise (being ex Army). It was police.

The property (so I found out then ... ) was in the vicinity of Ivan Milat's place near Mittagong.

Never been back ....

Jack

Finally made it to Steep Point in October, and camped the night close by. Great experience and enjoyed the 4WDing. About 11 pm, a storm came up, and of course the guy lines were on the wrong side of the tent. I decided I really did not fancy getting a set of clothes wet, so went out in the waterproof birthday suit.

My wife reckons an elderly person racing around driving in pegs etc was not a pretty sight in the lightning flashes!

But - great scenery, cliffs are spectacular and the couple of days there rank as an amazing experience anyway!

Max

Melissa, without a doubt mine would be the night before my whole world was turned upside down. March 31 last year, camped at Camerons Corner between the dunes over behind the store, in QLD I believe. Paul had built a fire and he and Imogen were sitting at it. Marie and I walked to the top of the dune together in the balmy warmth of the evening, so clear you could see every star in the sky. As we walked we could hear the two kids talking, about things of the day of the week who knows but they were talking not yelling at each other as we walked up the hill. We could still hear them at the top as we stood and held hands and looked at each other and the stars. The world could not have been more close and amazingly calm to us. We were blessed that the kids were getting on after a week and not at each others throats as we thought may have been. It was a truly magical time.

Little did we know that our two older children were, at that time, no longer of this earth and that we would be forever changed by that day.

As I look back it was still a beautiful and wonderful place and time, and thanx for giving me the chance to relive it.

goodday melissa

3 memorable trips for all the wrong reasons
1( our 1st trip north ayers rock kings canyon and the alice before we left had to replace the motor in our old MQ patrol got to kings kanyon and the rear main seal started leaking badly pouring oil onto new clutch (done while motor was out )drove from kc to the alice with a badly slipping clutch motor was overheating had to drive with heater on it was 38d all fixed in the alice wallet $1200 lighter got some back when we got home and motor supplier camegood as it was there fault

2 trip out of alice in our GQ to chambers pillar set up camp in the camp ground no bloo????tent pegs said to the boss i am going to take some photos so drove from camp ground around to car park near the pillar as i pulled up i thought what was that dont remember any bumps got out and gas tank is laying on the ground still attached by a copper pipe and the gas going SSSSSSSSSSS couldnt turn tank off as the tap was jammed very hurriedly removed tool box fire extinguisher rifle 100 rounds ammo opened bonnet disconnected both batteries got under back of truck with multi grips and managed to turn off gas
managed to get the tank onto the pack rack reloaded truck (fortunately had a full tank of petrol) went back to camp and changed my jocks then went out into the scrub and cried WHY i still had half a tank of gas that had to be got rid of at that time about 60cents per litre

3 a recent trip new van almost straight from factory fridge and lights donig funny things on the trip to darwin ??? morning we are leaving to head for home fridge stops working (waeco upright in van )check wiring no power to fridge went and bought some cable to by pass vans electrics pull up about 30ks south of darwin to rewire wife says theres a burning smell in the van looked everywhere IN van could find nothing open front boot to run wire great we had had a fire in there al the battery charge wiring burnt out lucky the battery didnt exlpode etc

BUT we always make do and have a good time and these days i run a small overdraft for these type of emergencys that none of us count on nor can we often afford without screwing up a good holiday

steve
worn the tops off my 2 typing fingers doing this 1

Don’t know about my best but my worst would have been last Friday night/sat morning, in summery.

Met some work friends down south, I got in about 8:30 at night, to my surprise 2ppl where there that I was not expecting to be there, 1 I sort of know and another who was a local was a total Fwhit and new the 1st guy.

At 11:30 the local departs to go home (Thank God me and another work friend remark) the 2 young girls that had come along on their first ever-camping experience seem happy to see him leave as well, other 2 ppl there completely tanked so had no idea what was going on .

At 12:00 he returned with a dead roo sitting on the bonnet of his “MQ Patrol” that he cleaned up, front of the car and bonnet covered in blood, and stated doing burnouts and roll backs trying to get it to fall off, The 2 new girls were very shaken up now and my mates girlfriend was starting to get a little bleep off as well.

Me and my work mate tell him basically to F-off we don’t want him hear and don’t come back, Not Happy starts yelling abuse at us and takes a swing at us as well before saying he will be back in the morning to sort it all out then drives off covering us in Gravel.

By now my friend and me are really bleep off and decide it’s best if we all move to another spot for what is left of the night.

Between the 3 ppl who are still sober enough to drive my friend, his girlfriend and ME. We load up the 3 car’s and get ready to move off, person number 4 say’s he is staying the night and will deal with his Local mate in the morning, Fine we say, “were gone we don’t come camping to deal with this chit.”

20 Minuets after we left we get a call from Persion No4 saying I am hung up on a rock can you come and pull me off, Fine we say so we park the other 2 cars me and my Friend go in my car and his Girlfriend look’s after the 2 other car’s and 3ppl who had had a little to much to drink.

Driving along this gravel road getting close to where we had just left.
We come around a corner and see this bloke’s car front end almost completely written off wheels in the air, perched on the Sump, Oil water and Trannie fluid dripping out, I remark I don’t need this chit at 1:00am. I rip it off with the snatch strap, it then end’s up blocking the road (Only way out) so I just yank it back some more guiding it into the scrub drive round the front, strap on agene rip it out of the bush and tow it 500metres to a main gravel track and say this is were I am leaving it. I gave him a few options but he was adornment he wanted to stay with the car. Fine so we nicked off I really couldn’t give a chit at this point anyway.

Got back to the main group and had a little chat now at about 2:00am, I say I am just going to drive home I am bleep off and had enough, the 3 still awake agree and we head off.

Got home at 3:30am on Saturday morning, I had gotten up at 4:00AM on the Friday for work. Worst camping trip EVER!!!!!!!!

I think so far,

traveling to Ayres Rock, Tegan and Al had spent many months talking about Ayres rock and singing and listening to John Williamson's "raining on the rock" and when we got there, we drove around it many times listening to that same song as the two of them sang their hearts out....

and last year on our fabulous Gulf trip with Glenn, James and Glenn's dad Gavin, we realised we had with us one of Crazie's stubby holders, so we decided to take a series of photos of the stubby holder in various locations - often getting weird looks from people as we'd stop by the side of the road or at a tourist attraction and take a pic of someone with the stubby holder. When we got home we compiled all of the pics onto a dvd with suitable soundtracks and gave it to Crazie and Kir as a souvenir of "stubby's' trip...it was great fun.

cheers

Lyn

Hi Melissa

Good to see you are still around :o)

My whole life has been saturated with travel and it is difficult to pinpoint an event but one episode does stick in my mind

We were travelling in a Suzuki on the edge of the Namib Desert in Namibia, Southern Africa, when we were hit by a severe sandstorm. As the sand storm hit us I saw the paint disappear off the bullbar and small stone chips appear on the windscreen. Having nearly been blown over by the ferocity of the wind I saw through the dust some palm trees and what seemed to be some ruins and decided to duck in behind them to get out of danger. Once out of the wind we found a Unimog parked behind the building. I went over in the howling gale and knocked on the door of this delapidated building and an African man with asn astonished look on his face opened it. Inside was his employer, a hunter, cutting up a 500kg Oryx on the kitchen table.

We were invited in and we sat out the storm which blew for two days straight. We enjoyed the hospitality of these two people eating and drinking with them. Both nights we slept in the 'Master Bedroom' in a bed that had sand blown into it through a small crack in the window. Every hour the African man took a shovel and filled a wheelbarrow full of sand that had blown in under doorways and through cracks in the windows. Then the sand undoubtedly blew in again...lol

A unique experience!

Cheers

September 2003 - Port Arthur, quite cold, misty and drizzling;
Ghost tour;
At the Pastor's house, guide talking about how the ghost of his wife has often been seen at the corner of the garden mourning the loss of one of her children;
The ghost of the wife always appears in dressed in blue;
Very misty because of low cloud;
Guide has her back to the road up to the motel at the top of the rise;
Right on cue, as she delivers her story about the blue outfit, three people appear out of the mist all wearing blue parkas;
Everyone, and I mean everyone, jumped;
Really set the tone for the rest of the tour.
Jon W

Having a few drinks years ago with some Buffalo shooters in the NT. Some of those guys were certifiable. Don't know about you, but drink and firearms scare the heck out of me. The pub manager came out to drink with us until around 3am
because, as he later confided. they'd wreck the place if he didn't. Those guys had ink a hol in their veins and not blood.

My first solo bush trip, camped in the car on a rise on a bend so that I could spot any nasties. I had several getaway routes planned. Moonless night, wondered what the sound I could hear was. It was my heart beating. Then vehicle comes, I can hear it bashing along the corros for 20min before I see its lights. Slows down opposite me (I'm off the track a bit) and stops. Backwards and forwards. By this stage I'm sitting, packed up with my hands on the ignition key. Vehicle reverses, goes forward a few times. Has he seen me and is going to pay me a visit? Robbery and murder ?
His vehicle disappears up a nearby track. I sit and wait, breathing heavily with sweaty palms.
And then a campfire. I'd pulled up near the only lot of trees in miles.

There are many more. If you haven't seen it, take a peek at http://home.iprimus.com.au/jimshire/Yarns/minmin.html

Mel,

A bit lame in comparison to many, but one I still recall vividly, as a young fella (about 14) I was camping with the old man fishing for a few nights, both sitting side by side on the banks of a river about 10 pm at night, no moon, no brease as calm a night as you could get when we both hear a slight rumble in the distance. Thunder we both think but sounds like miles away, then with in seconds all hell seems to brake loose as a deafning roar comes from what seems merely meters above our heads and the trees go wild flailing all over the place with small branches and leaves falling to ground, then within seconds complete calm again, we found out later that it was the airforce doing low level night runs in fighter jets!

Fairdinkum the scariest few seconds I've ever had seriously though it was the end of the world!

Cheers........Browny

Lots and lots.

But one which stands out was listening to, and watching, my partner (professional musician) playing Bach on her violin as the sun set over our bush camp by the Murray in NW Victoria.

Mike Harding

Melissa,

One of the most amazing things was hearing "do you have a copy Heather" on the UHF on scan on the Merty Merty road as we headed into go up the Old Strz Track last July with the UHF on scan. It was an alluring female voice. We just knew it wasn't for us as some station hands said it was "tourists", but when we stopped ever so briefly at the corner checking out the guys drinking and no vehicles we recognised.

As I was about to drive away a dark blue Jackaroo with Crazies plates on roared to a halt beside us. Had we been thirty seconds ahead or he thirty seconds behing we would not have met. The voice was of course Kir. It was amazing indeed so they came back to camp in Innamincka to meet up with Wim and Judy as we headed that way too.

Two actually,,,,

One was getting to The Rosie..... (Rosie River),,, a 2 day drive from the Borroloola to roper Bar road towards the ocean,,,,
and getting to a fishing camp which hasnt been used for quite a while ,, we were told by the owner no-one had been there for 1 month,,,, when we got there,,, a cow was strung up to a tree about 12 feet off the ground and still bleeding along with a few pigs... very scary,,,,, that was an eyes open all night sort of experience..

Second was somewhere in Qld we stopped to get fuel and when we went to pay the owner in his shop he asked how much fuel we put in and how much money were we giving him,,, and then asked us to retrieve our own change... He was blind,,, pretty freaky..

Hi Melissa,

A long time ago when our kids were little (they are now 23 and 21) we had just brought a new tent and decided to have an overnighter at Cunninghams Gap which isn't too far out of Brisbane.

It was a chilly night and the four of us were fast asleep when the park was inundated by a group of at least fifty bikies. Prior to their arrival there was only ourselves and a couple of other campers in the park.

By this stage it is about 1 in the morning and they began partying and wandering around the park including right next to our tent. We were thinking we were in all sorts of strife. There was one benefit however, my wife didn't need a middle of the night pitstop that night - Wonder why??

Anyhow they were rowdy all night but thankfully they packed up and left at around 6am. The kids slept through it and my wife and I didn't.

I don't mind telling you we were pleased to see them go.

Have a good one.

Two weeks paddling 120ks on the Mitchel River, three canoes and five good mates. Can't wait to get back.
Hope this works
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All these great stories have reminded me of a few things that have happened through the years. One funny incident occurred when I was a kid during one of our annual camping holiday to Goughs Bay on Eidon Wier in Vic. I'd wandered down to the kiosk to get myself an icecream which I'm standing around unwrapping when all of a sudden all these people start calling a gesturing to me. I was so taken aback that I just stood there routed to the ground and next thing I'm covered in rope and fabric. A parachuter had landed right beside me! He reckoned later it was the scariest moment of his life as it was everything he could do not to land right on top of me. Back then during summer that area was a regular practising ground for skydivers practising water landings. My dad and uncles often used their boats to run around and pluck these guys out of the drink. At the time of my near miss I was several hundred metres from the waters edge so it was fair to say my guy missed his mark well and truly!

:o) Melissa

Hi Melissa,

Many memorable moments, but there is one that really stands out. Over 25 years I was camping in Jasper National Park, Canada with my parents. Just as us 3 kids (15, 14 & 12) were going to bed in the tent while my parents were to sleep in the car, they told us "not to worry if you hear loud bangs in the night, its only the bears knocking the bins over". Just my Dad and his idea of a scary bed time story we thought.

Well at 3:00am in the morning, we were awoken by the sound of a truck size bin being overturned. Moments later we heard the snorting of a bear, it then stumbled on the guy rope of our A frame tent and then the whole roof of our tent had a grizzly bear shadow cast over it from the full moon. I can assure you from experince, when you are that scared your teeth chatter uncontrollably!!! Anyway, the ranger drove around what seemed like hours later but was probably only a few minutes and shined a spotlight around. We jumped out of the tent in a flash and the 5 of us then spent the rest of the night sleeping in the car. It was our first and last night of camping in Canada.

Cheers

Captain

Amazing experiences a plenty but I reckon on that tall is arriving at Sawpit Gorge after a two day drive along the Tanami and pulling up to camp and checking out some of the WA locals - great camping and great memories.

back in the 80's i used to cart supplies and fuel for a seismic mob i worked for,this time our camp was way down south-west of balgo mission[northern w.a.where the 2 young jackerroos were found] i had to do a run and would pull up on the side of the track and roll the swag out,one trip was when that mad german bloke was going around randomly shooting people that were camped etc. i was very wary till i heard via the radio that the cops had blown him away. cheers sparra

Back in 2000 we drove to the cape. We had to reverse our originale intended route due to teh height of the Wenlock River. To cut it short we were last to cross the Wenlock (and drifted downstream in the process). another vehicle who was on his own wanted to cross so we waited at the exit in case he got stuck and a Disco towing an Ultimate Camperheading south drove in without looking and checking. Then got stuck in the middle. 45 mins later he was out and very wet with his partner's feet on the dash to keep dry. He managed to get it started again and drove off with blinkers,lights flashing and obviously wet and confused. We did send a photo in to 4X4 mag for the parting pic and they published it. We later found out they were from overseas and completed their trip ok albeit a bit damp.

Was wondering what the noise was at around 4.00am while on Wilsons Promontory so got out of the tent to check it out.
Couldn't see anything around the site, but then heard a noise from the back of the Troopy - looked in to see a wombat, perched up on the drawers, munching on a loaf of bread.
Not being sure what the signs that stated 'Wombats dangerous' etc meant, was hesitant but tapped it on the back. Nothing happened, so tried again a bit harder. This got his attention, as he turned around and hurtled out the back and dropped to the ground, while I hurriedly backed off!
How he got up there with his short legs I don't know but glad I found him before more of our food was eaten.

Banjo (WA)

So many good times, but nothing really amazing - well not to anyone else but me I'd think... ;-)

Something that comes to mind and has me smiling right now... ... camped behind the dunes at Fraser somwhere between Maheno and Cathedral with my closest friends. Alternating between sitting on the dunes with the sun setting behind us and checking on the best lamb roast I've ever eaten in the camp oven. Later that evening, just sitting around the fire having a drink and sharing a tall story or two I pulled out my guitar and played a song. After the song finished we all just sat there. It was like in that moment we were all just there and nowhere else if you get what I mean - further than you can imagine from anything that remotely resembled a care in the world and we were together. It was a moment in life that was truely spent.

Everynow and then when we're camping my mates ask me to play the song again but I can't. I reckon it's not the same.

I like things simple and I guess you don't get simpler than that and if I can get even more cornball I reckon I worked out right then, what my life was all about...

Thanks for reading!

Scoey.

G'day Melissa
Thanks for your post - the replies are really interesting and some quite amazing. What a change from the usual things we read on here!
I think one of my most memorable was when I was woken at about 11.00 pm by what I thought was an unusually bright moon only to find that our tent was in the centre of the local roo shooters spottie. Once I realised what was happening I was releived as I figured he'd be professional enough to remember where we were and not shoot towards the tent.
Another was rescuing a semi-trailer in the Little Desert. He'd jack-knifed on the muddy track and had been camped beside his rig for a few days (with his dog)waiting for help. Apparently another 4WD went through (by driving through the scrub) and had promised to send help. I figured I'd might as well have a go and, much to my surprise, I got him back on the road as easy as. He offered me some cash as a reward but I turned it down and said "buy me a beer if we ever meet again". Never did. Then that night we were camped further down the track and this almighy engine noise comes up the road. Lights appear, they see our camp lights and come in. I'm wondering what the hell is happening when this bloody big 4WD tractor pulls up. It was the rescue crew for the truck. They still had hours of travel to get to where he would have been and were mighty glad of the news that we'd already rescued him.
Once again - a great post Melissa. Brought back heaps of other great memories for me (and no doubt many others).
Cheers from the Moose.

1: Headed up the Cape many years back in a Hilux & as you can never say you've really driven to Cape York if you took the ferry (for girls & Subaru's) we decided to try the Jardine river crossing. I walked the river first which was up to my chest (I'm 6'2) as we had to make sure we didn't drive on the old corduroy planks on the other side.
Let the tyres down to 10 psi & off we went all going well until the middle when the soft sand caught me out. A passing boat offered me a tow which in hindsight would have got me out & made a great photo. 5 minutes later with 60 metres of cable out I was restarted but as the microphone fell in the water I had no radio. (300mm deep inside the car) Unbenown to me the towing vehicle stopped on the other side out of room but I kept going through the deepest section (water splashing over roof as it floated) then up the other side with 20 metres of tow cable wrapped around the front axle.
No real damage although the dash lights kept flashing for a few days.
So since then I aways said you have never really been bogged until a boat offers you a tow :-))

2: Back a few years ago we took a boat trip 400 kilometres return down the Warburton river to Lake Ayre in 30 hp tinnies. At the start they were so overloaded with fuel we were barely able to get up on the plane. It was almost surreal cruising down the river (not unlike the Murray in places) only to hop up on the bank & look at the endless sand dunes of the Simpson Desert. In Rex Ellis's book on the area he says more people have stood on top of Mt Everest than stood at the mouth of the Warburton river making this my greatest destination ever.
We broke 3 propellers & bent one leg as the water dropped 150mm on the return trip.
Cheers Craig.................

The worst????????

Our first "family" camping trip when we first bought our tent and gear, our boys were about 7 and 4 and we wandered down to Pottsville for a Saturday nighter.... the littlest was NOT impressed and kept whining that he wanted to go home. My short fuse kept burning shorter till finally I "blew" at 9am Sunday! We packed up and were home by Midday!!!

We have since "educated" the boys about camping, they are now 15 and 12 and both love camping with us. So I am eternally glad we stuck at it!

The Funniest????

January 2004, Fraser Island Clean up weekend. Sat night after the party had broke up, about midnight a huge storm blew in, apparently had knocked out lots of power in BrisVegas and was still trying to do damage. My bride and I woke up, the tarps let go outside and then the tent started to lift..... we got out of the tent, SWMBO held the tent down while I dropped the tarps to the ground and then ran in to help her. Our "neighbour" tied his tent to the bull bar of his truck and asks if we're ok... we reply, "Yeah, sure thing!" so he says" G'night!!!!" and goes back to bed!!!! The rain was horizontal, the wind, the thunder and the lightning were going crazy and
we were drenched trying to stop the tent from blowing away! Amazingly the kids slept through the whole thing!!!!!!!!!!

The Best??????

All of our trips, even the "Worst" and the "Funniest" above!!!!!

It's all good!!!!!!!
;-)

Hi Melissa,
Funniest for me was a good 20 years ago on Cape York, friends and I still laugh about it to this day.
We where camped on the Pennefather River north of Weipa. Our first trip to the cape, in our early 20's, 10 foot tall and bullet proof.
We're going to catch a tiger shark!! At low tide we walked out a float, 500lb wire game fishing trace, hook the size of an anchor, heap of fish frames for bait, 20 metres of 10mm wire rope for line, backed by a snatch strap. Serious fishing gear, all attached to the biggest tree we can find!!
All set, tide rises, float rises, bait wet and good to go.
We all go to bed no problems, no tiger shark.
About 2 in the morning my mates then girlfriend, now wife comes and shakes the daylights out of me, "come quick Geoff, we've caught a crocodile"
At best I'm a bugger to wake up, eventually she gets me out of bed and onto the beach. I pull the wire rope, "yep, we've caught something, get it off in the mornig" I turn and head for bed.
"No No say's Janine, get it off" I mumble something and start to pull the wire rope in. This thing gets into about 2 feet of water and starts to thrash it to foam.
Suddenly I wake up, here I am on a beach on Cape York, pitch black night holding a wire rope with a supposed hooked crocodile at the other end. Fully armed in a pair of underpants, not looking good!!!!
Eventually I call Janine back out of the tree her and the torch had climbed. Focus the torch on the water and pull the rope again.
In it comes.
Shallower and shallower, more foam.
Eventually a mouth about as round as a garbage tin lid appears.
I say, "a bloody big cod"

Out of the darkness come the heroes, "coming to see what they've caught"

A few photo's and roll the cod back. The way we figured it, if your smart enough to reach that size in these waters you deserve to die of old age!!

Geoff.

Melissa,

The year 2000, the place, some where in the Simpson Desert.
We stop for the night and Eliza asked me if we have to put the tent up to-night? So after a campfire with the other people on the trip, we laid out a tarp air mattress and sleeping bag next to the slowing dying fire. Everyone has gone to bed, it is just Eliza the camp fire and myself on a full moon night
Eliza asked to hold my hand and we both lay there watching the night sky together and talking.
I cannot remember what about but just being there with my 7year old daughter watching falling stars is one night that I will always remember.

Wayne.

camping at phillip is;and for the races....seeing an old couple get away from all the other tents next to a concrete slab...then seeing their faces the next day....no sleep - they had camped next to the burnout pad!!!
Laura B

HAPPY INSIDE WHEN IM OUTSIDE

Hi Melissa, great post.

Have a funny one about a regular to this forum,
Something about cleaning your teeth after dark with baby bum cream???
ROACHIE now has teeth as smooth as a baby's bum !!!
Hahahahaha

Cheers Pesty