Parenting editor Kasey Simpson shares her latest column in The Joyful Chaos series.
We camp now. Mostly because it is the only holiday we can afford these days but also because it is tremendously fun with kids. We recently ventured down to Jervis Bay to go camping at Green Patch in Booderee National Park and I can't recommend it enough.
You can choose between standard and large spots – we chose a standard size but really should have gone bigger for a family of five. The fantastic thing was the spaces are marked with greenery so you do have some privacy. The facilities were perfect. In the centre of the campsite, they had multiple wood fires (with supplied wood), tables and barbecues. Plus, we had running water right next to us and toilets with hot showers. Really the ideal set-up for parents with young kids.
My biggest concern when camping with kids is that they will wake everyone up. For some the late night chats keep everyone up, but our early starts definitely act as the morning alarm. So it is important that we can have a quick getaway activity. Each morning we'd watch the sunrise over Green Patch or take a little walk across the rock pools to Bristol Beach.
We camped for two nights there in perfect weather in October. Usually that area can be very crowded but we found ourselves quite isolated in the shoulder months.
Our days were spent swimming at Murrays Beach and Hyams Beach, enjoying fish and chips at Huskisson. Even though that area is a bay, we had ideal conditions for small waves and the kids stood up on their surfboards for the first time.
On the way home, we also stopped by the famous Jim Wild's Oysters at Greenwell Point for delicious (and cheap!) oysters.
It was the perfect weekend getaway for the family.