Before coming to Australia, I had only been camping once and that was for the Duke of Edinburgh Award when I was 15. It was in the UK and it was cold and damp. I think I was put off camping for life.
However, so far on this trip to Perth, I have now been camping 3 times and the last time it was at the beach, in Yanchep. Yanchep is a small suburb, just north of Perth. It is a popular tourist destination due to its beaches, caravan parks and the Yanchep National Park. We didn’t make it to the park, but if you do, there are guided tours of the Crystal cave, there are bush walks and there is also a lake called Loch McNess.
We camped right by the beach, it was great. We went for a drive along the dunes (which was permitted), went for a swim in the ocean, set up our tents and then prepared dinner. We made our own fire and cooked our bbq over it. Sunset around 6:45 which was quite early due to lack of daylight saving, but we still had some light from the fire. It was a good trip to the beach, I have taken a lot of photos.
There were a few things we did forget in our rush to get up to Yanchep.
1) Water – We did not bring enough water, always bring at least twice as much water as you think you need.
2) Flashlights – We bought the batteries but forgot the most important thing – the torches. It is really dark on the beach so these are needed.
3) Insect repellent – A must especially in the summer and if you do not want to get bitten
4) Meat – We brought chicken which takes a very long time to cook over a fire. Instead, take sausages and beef burgers or even lamb, something that is easy to cook.
5) Marshmallows – Not an essential, but it is fun to have when you have an open fire, roast marshmallows are delicious.
Next time I go camping I will be really prepared. I will be going down south to Margaret River, I can’t wait.
