Hiking is one of Australia’s most popular pastimes, and it’s no wonder considering the island continent’s wealth of natural beauty and amazing wilderness destinations! You can experience rugged mountains, remote coastlines, vast deserts, and every habitat in between, just choose your destination! You get to experience nature in a very up close and personal way when you set out on the hiking trail, it is an adventure of the mind, body, and soul.
One of the most important things you will need to do when you are kilometres away from civilization is to pick a great campsite to light the cookfire and set up your swag for the night. The following are some tips to help you choose just the right spot!
It’s best to start looking for your campsite around 3:00 pm. It’s early enough that you will have ample energy left to set up camp and be able to get it all done before nightfall. While you can do it in the dark by torchlight, it’s a hassle you would do well to avoid if at all possible!
Look around for a campsite that is as flat as possible, at least for your tent. If you have no choice but to sleep on a slope then keep your head uphill, it’s still better than trying to sleep in an airplane seat! You may have to do a bit of clean up if the best campsite you can find has a lot of sharp rocks and forest debris where you want to set up your tent, even the best sleeping bag won’t protect you from the annoying jab of an ill-placed, jagged stone. You should make as few changes to the natural environment as possible, but nature moved those rocks there, so you can move them away, by next year they will be back! Look for a campsite that is naturally clear, or has been used recently by other hikers.
Another campsite choice criterion is how protected from the elements it is. if there are strong prevailing winds, look for a spot that provides some shelter from them. Although the scenic panoramas may be fantastic, don’t tempt fate by camping on the very top of a bare hill or mountain, sudden squalls can blow in and you will be an easy target for a deadly lightning strike! Camp a short distance downhill from the summit in a sheltered area, and just stroll up to the top to catch the views and enjoy the sunset or sunrise.
While not always possible during a busy holiday weekend, it’s nice to find a campsite that is as secluded as possible. Everybody likes to think they are alone in the wilderness, so it’s worthwhile to carefully venture off the beaten track a little to find a spot that is away from the madding crowd and unlikely to attract more neighbours after you have set up your camp. And, if people do end up choosing a spot near you, be nice and offer them some hot cocoa, we are all friends in the wild country!
Enjoy your hike and have a great campout!