CAMPSITE # 127 - Barn Hill Station Stay

I often wonder about people when they’re camping. I wonder where they’ve come from & where they’re headed. Wonder about their setup and if they’re comfortable. And most of all, I wonder if they’re actually enjoying themselves or if they’re just there because they feel they should be. Walking through a camping ground always is a great opportunity to get a little snippet into people’s life on the road, mainly thanks to the fact that their entire outdoor living room is on display. You’ll generally come across some real characters.

There’s Mr & Mrs Jones, the ones with the wiz bang, sparkling new caravan sporting all of the ‘essential’ technical gizmos and gadgets while their three satellite dishes are helplessly attempting to get reception and the 40L washing machine is busy whirling away, Miele of course. They have an impeccably clean and very well-laid out outdoor area which is barricaded off by chicken wire fencing to shelter their beloved Chihuahuas’ from the cruel, cruel world. 

Then there’s Bob & Barb in their 4x4 camper trailer. Who were so excited about buying the thing that they spent more time researching & viewing different setups than they actually spent towing the thing around. What you should never do is make the mistake off asking a question about their camper because you’ll be there for the next 1hr 45mins while they show you every nook and cranny of their most prized possession. We really didn’t need to see the socks & jocks drawer.

And of course, how could I possibly forget the backpackers? Aren’t they just so entertaining?! My favourite was when a group of 6 guys sprawled out of a beat up old 2 door Torana, and began erecting a very make-shift looking tent while pumping the Reggae merrily singing in their foreign language at the top of their lungs, without a care in the world.

Before this trip, Tom and I both thought that it was all about getting the right rig. If we were perfectly setup then we would be happy and we would enjoy our trip. In retrospect, we are certainly very far from being perfectly setup, there are many things that we could (or should) have done differently but we didn’t and we don’t mind at all.

At the end of the day, you just have to make sure you’re comfortable with what you’ve got. Camping really is what you make of it. It’s all just stuff, you don’t need the stuff for a good camping experience, you just need to want to be there and to stop every once in a while and soak it all in. Listen to the songs of the native birds at dusk. See the beauty of the land and all of its creatures. Feel the warmth of the campfire against your toes. Just stop and smell the... wildflowers. Forget everything else, this is why we camp.

Site : Barn Hill Station Stay

Rating : 10 / 20

Facilities : Yet another Station Stay!! We're loving them, they still have facilities but they're not a dreaded Caravan Park. This one has some very rudimentary toilet & showers that give a whole new name to open-air living. Great outlook towards the sea, providing you can snag a campsite on that side.