AUSTRALIA
We certainly live in a spectacular country.
From incredible mountain ranges, with breathtaking views, flowing windy rivers, surrounded by native unique animals, and sparse deserts.
Many if not all of these outdoor spaces contain many amazing sights when it comes to the night sky.
It’s nothing short of incredible.
So how could we not want to be out there enjoying it?
UNDER AN ARRAY OF STARS
The first trip to set the ball rolling for Explore Down Under was a small trip I had planned with a few mates out to Warrumbungle National Park in July of 2019.
Warrumbungle National Park sits about 30 minutes west of Coonabarabran.
Some of them had actually never been camping before, so I was super keen to have them come along.
Being the middle of Winter and in country New South Wales, the weather was cold.
Especially at night.
Each morning, we were greeted with a nice cold layer of ice on our tents.
But this was easily fixed by a nice warm fire each night under an array of stars.
NOT ALWAYS SMOOTH SAILING
Although, a camping trip ain’t a camping trip without a couple of things going a little south.
On the way back home I ran into some cooling issues with my Patrol, ‘Ziggy’, about half an hour out of Mudgee.
Luckily, I always pack some coolant when I go away in case this sort of thing happens.
So once we got to Mudgee I filled her up and we were off again.
But it wasn’t quite smooth sailing all the way home, and we ran into another problem.
In North Richmond, the bolts holding the hitch on my neighbour’s trailer had rattled loose and the hitch had fallen off!
Fortunately, my girlfriend has a close family friend not too far from where we had stopped who were able to help us out and give us some new bolts.
All in all, it was a really awesome trip and I can’t wait to go out there again!
EXPLORE DOWN UNDER WAS BORN
As soon as I got back, I started looking on social media for more places to go camping.
But there was one problem I kept running into.
A lot of the awesome pictures people were taking didn’t include a location.
Which got me thinking, why not start my own social page and camping group?
Not too long after, the idea of Explore Down Under was born.
Since then, Explore Down Under has done a few trips both north and south of Sydney.
I love it when new people come along, because I often find that I learn new things which I can then use and try out.
And it’s also awesome to see familiar faces from previous trips come out again!
We hope we can see you on an upcoming trip soon!
P.S: Don’t forget to pack in your essential North Storm bags!
Daniel MacKay
Explore Down Under
WHERE TO FIND DAN
Follow him on the official Explore Down Under Facebook group.
Simply click the following link to check it out and join!