The cold snap that hit New South Wales saw the onset of freezing weather, icy roads and snow in areas including Barrington Tops, Bombala, Orange, Tenterfield and Walcha. Having never seen, felt or experienced the beauty of snow before Mr C made sure we were not going to miss out.

Barrington Tops Snow

The alarms went off at an unpleasant 4am and saw everyone rugged up and piled into the car. The journey from our part of the Hunter Valley to the Barrington Tops took approx. two and a half hours. Before we had even hit the mountain, we could see snow covering the grass, trees and rocks.

While I begrudgingly got my arse out of bed at that ridiculous hour of the morning, once we saw the snow it was so worth it! If we had left it much later we would not have been able to enjoy the day as the road conditions deteriorated quickly and the gates get closed.

We made our way up the slippery Barrington Tops nice and early. This is where we were greeted by overly excited and keen campers who had stayed the night in hopes to catch the first glimpse of snow for the season. It was absolutely beautiful!

With frozen noses, toes and fingers, we all embraced the white fluff and took advantage of our surroundings by taking part in many snowball fights. We trekked around the area and took in the amazing scenery. An abundance of photos were taken so we could remember our first family snow adventure for years to come.

With more snow expected later this week, there will be crowds making their way up to see. For safety reasons it should only be accessed by four wheel drive vehicles. If you would like more information on the Barrington Tops, see the Barrington Tops National Park website. If you are interested in camping at the Barrington Tops make sure you print out my essentials camping checklist (<<<< can be found at the link) so you don’t forget anything!

What do you like to do in Winter? Have you been to the snow?

Share your snow and Winter stories in the comments below!

The post Cold Snap Brings Snow To NSW appeared first on All Mum Said.

This camping checklist will take out all the uncertainty and provide you with an  inventory of all the items you need to enjoy a comfortable night away from home with your family. We have young children – ages 7, 5 & 1 so we want to make exploring the outdoors and nature as relaxed as possible.

 Camping Checklist

**You can find a printer friendly version at the bottom of the post.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

1. Tent
Consider the size and height when purchasing as some are quite low inside.

2. Air bed / self inflating mattress – or some form of bedding.
You can go as cheap or as expensive as you like. You can purchase air mattresses from stores like Kmart for $10 or a $200 self inflating mattress from a camping store.

3. Sleeping bags / blankets & pillows

4. Camping Chairs

5. Flooring
This can be anything from shade cloth to foam pads so when you walk in and out of the tent you don’t take dirt/sand with you.

6. Awning / gazebo
This can be as lavish or as simple as you like. A pop up gazebo, framed awning or even tarp with 4 poles.

COOKING

1. Barbeque plate
If you are new to camping it might be a good idea to camp somewhere with amenities, tables, showers and barbeques. There are a lot of great options available for beginners. I have shared our experience on the blog previously about camping at Lake St Clair, it is one of our favourite places to camp with the kids.

2. Pan

3. Plates & cups

4. Cutlery

5. Utensils

6. Chopping board

7. Folding table
Not essential but once you have one you will never go without it.

8. Welding gloves
These are great if you are cooking over an open fire because they protect your hands from burns.

FIRE

1. Fire wood

2. Kindling

3. Paper

4. Matches/lighter

FOOD

1. No one is too good for a snag wrapped in bread and sauce but it is ultimately up to you what you eat.

2. Marshmallows

3. Oil

4. Condiments – sauces

5. Salt and pepper

6. Snacks

7. Drinks – including lots of water

8. Ice

9. Esky

TOOLS

1. Mallet
To hit tent pegs in.

2. Shovel
To stoke fire (turn coals/roll logs in the fire)

3. Axe
If purchasing pre-packaged wood and kindling this is not as essential. Use for wood preparation.

4. Torches / Lanterns

5. Marshmallow sticks

CLEANING UP

1. Bucket

2. Tea towels

3. Wetwipes

4. Paper towel

5. Spray & Wipe

6. Dishwashing Liquid
This is depending on your camping duration. If we only camp for 1 night we give everything a good rinse and wash it when we get home.

FOR THE KIDS

1. Frisbees

2. Bikes

3. Ball

4. Fishing gear

5. Cricket equipment

6. UNO cards

ESSENTIALS

1. Sunscreen

2. Aeroguard

3. ParaKito

4. First Aid Kit

5. Cash for camping fees

If you haven’t been camping before and are just starting to look into it – look for sales and research prior to making any purchases. You will be amazed at how much you can save.

I hope this camping checklist has helped you get organised and ready for your 1st or next trip away. You can print out a tick and flick version of my camping checklist (without the notes under items or images) so you can ensure you leave nothing behind.

Do you think there should be something else in my checklist?

Have you forgotten something when you went camping? 

PRINT >>  Camping Checklist – Printable Version.

The post The Essential Camping Checklist for Families appeared first on All Mum Said.

Over the school holidays we tried to jam pack as much activity into the 2 weeks as we could. This included camping. We chose somewhere local (approx. 1 hour from where we live) as Poppet hadn’t been camping before so we wanted somewhere that was close enough to home in case it was a failure. Thankfully she loves it as much as the rest of us. We live in the Hunter Valley so there are a wide array of options available for us where camping is concerned. We decided that Lake St Clair was the perfect place as we had been there previously so knew what to expect. Lake St Clair is approximately 30 minutes North of Singleton, NSW and has a great deal to offer for day trips or overnight.

You can camp (obviously), boat, ski, fish, swim or even just enjoy a picnic with the gorgeous scenic views. Offering 38 hectares of camping space the kids have plenty of room to ride their bikes, play with the frisbees or even enjoy a game of cricket. The dam is regularly stocked with Bass, Golden and Silver Perch so the fish loving men, women and kids are catered to. B1 and B2 absolutely love fishing; it is a new found hobby of theirs. Lake St Clair is a very clean and tidy area that allows the luxury of campfires. In my opinion campfires are a pretty important part of camping ~ does anyone else automatically think of toasted marshmallows?

Lake St Clair is a favourite for families and new campers as it offers great facilities. You can enjoy showers, flushing toilets and barbeques. Camping areas like this make starting out a smooth transition as you wean into going without the essentials aka everyday luxuries. There are also powered sites or sites for tents/swags and you can choose to camp along the water, near amenities or even away from everyone. It is a very comfortable place to camp and very affordable – $27.50 per family. If you are considering camping in the Hunter Valley region and think this may be of interest, you can find more information on the Singleton Council website. I highly recommend this place, we love it there.

Where do you go camping? What do you look for in a camping area?

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