Learning to appreciate the outdoors
Small trips can sometimes be enough. Breanna, a content creator living on the Gold Coast, Australia, had a childhood full of road trips and adventures with her dad. But, like plenty of us, she didn't always appreciate those long days outside when she was young.
“My dad was always dragging me along on huge hikes and road trips, which I definitely complained about at the time… Now that hiking has become one of my favourite hobbies, I really appreciate how lucky I was to grow up doing all those adventures.”
Less than an hour from the Gold Coast, Breanna knows a great place to disconnect. So for someone needing to unplug for the weekend, a quick trip to North Stradbroke Island is a welcome adventure.
“For me, it’s really about getting away from the constant stimulation of everyday life. Being somewhere quiet, having no real plans, seeing somewhere new and spending proper quality time with my people.”
Letting the island set the pace
With no big plans to chase, Breanna found herself noticing the smaller things. Rolling off the ferry in a fully equipped 4x4, a weight lifts from her shoulders almost immediately with the city now out of sight. Her first park up at Amity Point Campground sets the tone for a chilled weekend ahead.
“Being on the east coast of Australia, you don't usually get sunset over the water, so it felt pretty special watching the sun go down over the ocean from my camp!”
North Stradbroke offers some excellent walking tracks, which Breanna chose to allocate most of Saturday for. The North Gorge coastal walk is a highlight on the island. The mellow route offers incredible sights the entire time, with so much wildlife to be seen as well as the massive ocean views. She spotted whales, turtles and birds all from the shoreline. And back at camp, kangaroos with baby joeys hopped around in the afternoon light.
“One of my favourite things about North Straddie is how laid back everything feels. Driving around with absolutely no traffic lights was weirdly one of my favourite parts too!”
With less demanding her attention, Breanna noticed more. It’s the collection of these little things that get remembered from a trip like this, rather than one big epic moment.
Making simple things feel special
Once back at camp, attention turned towards dinner. The Dometic 2 Cook Turbo (opens in new tab) cooker was easily set up before a quickie laksa got cooking. Manageable with both limited space and time, it was the sort of meal needed after a day spent outside.
“It was really simple to make at camp and honestly not something I would usually cook at home … but it was so good that I've added it to my home meal rotation now.”
After a day outside, evenings were for doing as little as possible. The Dometic Pico FTC 2x2 (opens in new tab) swag was set up within moments, thanks to the inflatable feature for both the frame, and built-in mattress. Camp comforts, where needed.
“I genuinely had a great sleep both nights, which I wasn't expecting from a swag. It made the whole camping setup feel really simple, less time setting everything up and more time actually enjoying being there.”
Good camping equipment doesn’t make the outdoors less authentic, rather, it removes the friction that sometimes can get in the way. While you can tip a container of water over to wash hands or fill a pot with water, a piece of gear that improves camp life greatly is the Dometic Recon 360 Faucet (opens in new tab).
“We used it for everything from washing vegetables at camp to brushing our teeth and filling up water bottles. It's one of those things you don't realise you need until you have it, and then you're like, how did I ever camp without this?”
The moments you remember
After a relaxed morning enjoying warm pancakes and lounging at camp, it was time for Breanna to pack up and spend another day exploring Straddie. It’s the collection of small moments that make up an enjoyable weekend away from home, with just enough gear to make living outdoors hassle free.
And this is all that is needed to get back to what is really important. Busy city lives and schedules can be reset, allowing Breanna to switch off for a minute.
“I'm naturally someone who is always thinking about a million things at once, so being outside gives me that feeling of being completely absorbed in what's happening around me.”
Getting out for an adventure really doesn’t have to mean doing more than you were during the week. Sometimes, it means having enough space to appreciate the ordinary things happening around you anyway.
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