Our first trip is done and dusted. This trip was to test out our gear to make sure it all works for us, figure what else we need for when we go off the grid as well as what we didn’t really need. But most importantly have a little down time with our pup. This is why we chose camping at Wisemans Ferry for our first camping trip together.
We were looking for somewhere dog friendly, far enough away from the Central Coast that it counts as a holiday. It also needed it to be close enough to a town in case we get stuck or something doesn’t work.
We ended up staying at NSW Ski Gardens which was only a km or 2 from the town centre so it worked perfectly for everything we needed in this trip. The location was perfect. We were one of the few people there (thank god peak season was over) and by the end of the trip we had the place to ourselves. And look I’ll be honest it was pretty great having the place to ourselves. Where we camped had a private beach on the river where we could swim, so naturally we spent the days there and the nights by the fire.
The equipment
Now time for the nitty gritty, did everything work for us? No. We had issues with our battery. We haven’t figured out what the issue is yet. But it’s not holding charge for as long as it should and the solar panel isn’t charging the battery either.
We have a 90L Fridge/Freezer from Kings so we can fit our food in it for a week or two without worrying. Whilst on a quick 3 night holiday the battery and fridge didn’t become an issue and we didn’t loose power. However on a longer trip it will definitely become an issue. We are unsure whether its a connection issue, the battery they swore till they were blue in the face would be enough for us isn’t big enough. Or if it was just too hot and the fridge had to work a lot harder than expected or maybe an issue with the solar blanket. Regardless it’s definitely something that needs to be looked into before some big trips.
We also took the Oztent Eyre 2.0. This tent, is honestly fantastic. Nicole can put it up by herself no issues at all in a few minutes. You can’t beat that (this way I can crack a beer and start on the fire). It’s been worth every cent and we cannot recommend it enough. There’s also more than enough room in the tent for the two of us, plus the dog, our clothes and whatever else we wanted to put in the room with us. We also turned the other room into a veranda so we could have some shaded area to put the rest of our supplies in.
Any changes?
In case you were wondering we also forgot our pillows so that’s definitely something that we will be making a special effort to remember next time. Although we have said this before… Luckily our sleeping bags are summer and winter bags so we could take the liner out and use that as a pillow. This is definitely a space saving hack we’ll use in the future. It was surprisingly comfy.
All in all the trip was great, although we didn’t do the things most people go to Wisemans Ferry for, the hiking, the boating and skiing. It was great to switch off for a few days and give all our equipment a real crack before our next trip to the Blue Mountains, the Warrumbungles and Mungo National Park where we will without a doubt be needing to be organised and confident in everything we have and need.
With all that being said. Camping at Wisemans Ferry was a great way for us to recharge and try out everything to see if will genuinely work for us before we head off the grid.
