From our campsite on Phillip Island,
we literally had to only walk about 20 steps to reach the chilly sea.
The
location was perfect for our first “glamping” experience! As we approached our
tent, soft, relaxing music filled our ears. Nearby, children on holiday break
played on the beach. The sun was shining and everything seemed alright with the
world.
Up until this trip, I had never ever been
glamping, but hubby and I had been camping several times when we lived in the D.C.
area and separately as children. I had read about this trend of “glamourous
camping” before (particularly popular in Africa), but I had no idea what to
expect when we decided to take a break from Melbourne
and spend a weekend glamping near the beach.
What we loved best (besides the fab beachside location)
was that the tent was outfitted with the comforts of home – fringed rugs, a comfy
queen-size mattress with sheets, pillows and a blanket, magazines to read, real
plates and cutlery, a radio, an electric tea kettle and heater, a butane
gas-burner stovetop, a lounge chair and even a cute dining set for two located
outside our tent. We could even stand up in our tent!
The local couple behind this new enterprise is Serena
and Alejandro Cabello, who started Phillip Island
Glamping in July. Prior to our arrival, I had been in touch with Serena
several times about how glamping worked, whether dates were available and at what
location. I selected the Cowes Caravan Park because of its beachside location.
(Two sites also are available near the town of San Remo.) Next, I reserved and
paid 40aud for site 179b via the campground and paid Serena 140 aud to set up the
tent and all its fixings. Our total cost was 180aud (about $125) which was cheaper than boutique hotel rooms on the island.
The whole booking process was so simple!
We spent a sunny afternoon strolling along the vast beach in
front of our campsite, heading 2km away toward the Red Rocks Beach, which is aptly
named after its gigantic red-colored boulders near the sea. I couldn’t believe
how natural this stretch of beach was – totally unharmed from development!
Before
sunset, we headed to Phillip Island’s main attraction – the Penguin
Parade. At dusk, hundreds of Fairy Penguins waddle in from the sea
after spending the day fishing for food for their young. We plopped our butts down
on the damp sand for a near-front row experience. The penguins look so adorable
as they scrutinize their surroundings, deciding which way to go and how to avoid
the annoying seagulls so they can reach their burrows again.
During
the Penguin Parade, you aren’t allowed to take ANY photos so you don’t scare
the penguins. However, you can see some cute
penguin photos here, and the chicks look like they are waving at you.
 |
| A few penguin shots. Bottom right, you can see the furry outlines of two new chicks in their burrow. |
Our
campsite was cloaked in darkness and peacefulness by the time we reached it.
Hubby and I nibbled on some local cheese while we cooked a simple dinner of
Italian sausages with baked beans. Not our finest meal, but it was doable
considering one of us had to hold the flashlight (or torch) while the other
cooked and plated. But we had wine and the black sky twinkled with thousands of
stars. We rarely see stars in the city! What a beautiful sight!
 |
| Cooking at night at our glamping site on Phillip Island. Classy stuff! |
In
the morning after our sunrise hike to The
Pinnacles, we cooked up bacon and over easy eggs which we enjoyed with
some leftover lentil salad and local cheese. If you’re craving coffee, just pop
into Cowes and grab a take away coffee from one of the many cafés.
For
us, glamping was the perfect way of getting our outdoor fix without compromising
on comfort, especially as the temperatures dipped down at night and we turned
on the electric heater. We enjoyed our first Australian glamping experience so
much that I’m already looking for other locations around the country!
Have you been glamping before or
would you like to try it?
 |
| Wine + glamping = a winning combination! |
 |
| This cute fairy wren visited our campsite in the morning. |
11 comments:
We used to go camping all the time in the UK and have done a little bit of camping in Turkey - but prefer the little wooden bungalows and tree houses around the coast, these days. ;) Glampimg certainly looks comfortable enough though and that price seems really reasonable. :)
glamping is a big thing around here these days too. i think it is a bit rougher than i like!
What a great location and a fun way to do it! F has been talking about organizing some camping trip for Miss H. I may even go...if I can convince him that it should glamping instead ;)
This looks like my kind of camping. The first time I slept in a tent, I had to scrape squashed slugs off the ground sheet afterwards. There wasn't a second time.
Looks wonderful. Lovely photos.
We'd love to do more real camping if we had our supplies or even glamping if the price remains like this. Unfortunately, some of the Aussie ones get pretty fancy quickly. Then I have to wonder what's the point vs. A hotel room? ;)
@Joyce, well glamping certainly isn't a hotel room but we really enjoyed our first experience! It would be interesting to try back in the US too! :)
Good luck w the fancy camping argument with hubby! :)
@annie, well that doesn't sound like fun! I guess I grew up w a bit of camping as a kid so I don't mind.
Thx so much Linda!
This is really an interesting mode of holiday for those who simply love the outdoors but do not want to sacrifice on comfort especially when they have young children or old folks in tow. The price also seems reasonable with all those ready amenities prepared for the guests. I just thought there should have been a special storage space for personal or sensitive belongings though.
Post a Comment