Surrounded by nothing but crisp fresh air and the sounds of the bush we huddle in around the campfire. We can smell the delights of our dinner as it bubbles away in the camp oven and we take a few minutes to sit back and relax. To my right, the kids are in their own little moment of bliss. Ziggy is busy displaying old animal bones along a log. There’s a great array of pig, goat, wombat and deer skulls, as well as pointy limbs and teeth spread out neatly as he creates a ‘Museum’, and to our delight the entry fee is only 2 gum leaves!! …we think that’s a pretty good deal.
Next to Ziggy is Marli, hands deep in freezing cooold mud that she has collected from a nearby hill and is now using to make us all mud pies for lunch – Yum Yum! At least we won’t be going hungry here in the wilds of inland NSW – the closest town a bumpy 1.5 hrs drive away. It’s the middle of July, which makes it Winter in Aus, and yep, it sure feels like to too, brrrr!
Disconnecting and getting back to basics
We have packed up and headed ‘Out Bush’ for a week to break away from all modern distractions, technology and the doom and gloom of the news. It has been just what we needed and why we recommend all families do the same – take some time out, embrace the wild, and disappear into the wilderness. The kids are creating all kinds of games, using their imagination and of course, eating all the time – but life is slow and simple, just the way it should be.
Our little stone cabin has 2 dim lights that run on solar power and that’s it. With no TV or devices to distract the kids they have happily pottered about helping to collect fire wood, making bush craft and playing in the back of an old ute. When their imaginations run a little dry, I surprise them with some arts and craft from my ‘Magical Mumma Goodie Bag’!! It’s been a big hit and they have been busy painting rocks and leaves, and threading gum nuts onto string to make dream catchers – the perfect time waster, I mean, keep-sake for when we return home.
Fire is life
Our days here are very simple and revolve around the fire – the heart of our survival as it is our main life source. It keeps us warm as well as allows us to cook all our meals. We keep the fire going inside continuously for keeping the cabin warm and boiling our water and outside we cook over the hot coals using our camp oven or OzBraai. The ‘chores’ of wood collecting, wood chopping, food prepping and boiling water to wash up don’t feel like chores at all, rather just a continuous ‘pottering’…especially when broken up by endless cups of tea in between – a must to keep those working hands warm.
Waking up early morning and taking a trip to the ‘out house’ is the hardest part, and even worse in the middle of the night. I’ve made it an un-written rule, or a silent deal between Rob and I, as parents, I’ll give birth to the kids, and you can take them outside in the middle of the night for a freezing cold bush wee! Simple right?!
Frosty toilet adventures aside, it’s not long before we have a fire started to heat us up and cook some toast on a stick for breakfast – a great activity for the kids to keep them busy and fill their bellies.
With a dam close by, a simple highlight of the day is to check the yabby trap, and to our delight we caught a few yabbies! How they survive in such freezing cold water is beyond me, but with the kids squealing in excitement they each have a hold before letting them walk ‘oh so slowly’ back into the water.
The land around us is green and the creek running free. After so much drought it has allowed all the animals to roam far up into the hills and wilderness but we still manage to spot a few cheeky foxes and kangaroos amongst the cattle as we go for an explore on the nearby farming properties.
When the sun goes down and the winter chill sets in we huddle around the fire once more to enjoy dinner, a game of cards or checkers and of course, hot melted s’mores over the fire!
Embrace your inner caveman
There’s something romantic about this simple way of living and by stripping it back to basics we all benefit from the limited distractions, fun banter and real conversations. It is a great reminder of why we love to camp and explore, being close to nature – it sure is good for the soul. We hope you can do it yourself too, find a little off-grid cabin, campsite or property in the wild and unplug to recharge… it truely makes a difference and your inner caveman will thank you for it.
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Watch our Instagram highlight videos of our time in the cabin here.
We also have a discount code for our awesome Oz Braai – Use code: ‘blondies’ at checkout for a FREE set of stainless steel fire tongs.
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