SUMMER HOLIDAYS GU ID E

YOUR GUIDE tO HItt InG

tHE ROAD tHIS SUMMER

HOW tO BUILD A CAMPFIRE

BEStREStAREAS

SUMMER CAMPInG

AnD MORE

BESt BEACHESPLUS

BEACH FISH I nG

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Our office closes down for two weeks over Christmas, so all of the Explore Australia team will be taking some time to explore Australia. Some of us will be hitting the road – our Online Content Editor, Lauren, will be driving up the Hume Highway from Melbourne to Sydney, testing out some rest areas along the way – while a few of us will be using the ‘nearby’ search function on our new Camping around Australia app to find holidays closer to home.

To celebrate the start of summer, we’ve roped in some of our authors to put together a guide to the holidays. Katy Holder gives us a step-by-step guide to building a safe campfire (as well as a rather decadent campfire dessert recipe), Paul Smedley recommends highway stops around the country, Kerryn Burgess talks about the camp host system and why it works, and Steve Cooper reveals his favourite beach fishing spots. You’ll also find our guide to summer camping, Australia’s best beaches and more.

Let us know your summer plans on Facebook and Twitter and we’ll see you on the road.

Happy travelling!

The Explore Australia team

P.S. And if that’s not enough travel inspiration, we’re also giving away an Explore Australia book pack to one happy summer camper. The pack will include Hungry Campers Cookbook, Budget Rest Areas around Australia, Camping around Australia (2nd edition), Cool Camping Australia: East Coast, Steve Cooper’s Australian Fishing Guide, The Best of Australia and Australia’s Coast (2nd edition). To enter, simply leave a comment anywhere on the Explore Australia website and tag it ‘@summerholidays’. We’ll draw the winner (selected by random) at the end of January 2014.

ARE YOU tAkInG tIME OFF tHIS SUMMER?

Acknowledgements

Editor Lauren Whybrow

Designer Julie Thompson

Writers Katy Holder, Kerryn Burgess, Steve Cooper, Kate Ulman, Paul Smedley, Lauren Whybrow

Photography credits Store Beach, Manly, James Pipino/Destination NSW; p. 3 Shutterstock; p. 5 Shutterstock; pp. 6–8 Katy Holder; pp. 10–11 Kerryn Burgess; pp. 16–17 Kate Ulman; p. 20 Shutterstock

Explore Australia Publishing Pty Ltd is a division of Hardie Grant Publishing Pty Ltd

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owners and the above publisher of this guide.

Publisher’s note: We love to hear from our readers. Email us here: info@exploreaustralia.net.au

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COntEntSSUMMER CAMP InG GU I DEHOW tO BU I LD A (SAFE ) CAMPF IREtHE PERFECt GROWn-UP CAMPF IRE DESSERtBESt RESt AREASCAMPGROUnD HOStS AnD tHE k I nDnESS OF StRAnGERSAUStRAL IA ’S BESt BEACHESStEVE ’S FAVOUR I tE BEACH F ISH I nG DESt InAt IOnSBESt OF AUStRAL IA t HROUGH IMAGEStHE SECREt L I FE OF CARAVAnnERS CHR IStMAS G I F t I DEAS 18

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It’s not really summer until you’re camping. Whether you camp in a tent, camper trailer or caravan, there’s something magical about experiencing summer with just you (or a couple hundred of your best mates if you’d prefer), a cold drink and the great outdoors. Here’s our guide on where to camp this holiday season.

Want to go camping for free with your dog at some of the most scenic places in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania? Then look no further than state forests.

You can often camp for free at state forests. And as camping rules are more relaxed at state forests than at national parks, in most state forests you can also take your dog and have a campfire (make sure to read our guide on how to build safe campfires on pg. 6). While facilities are often limited at camping areas in state forests, it just feels like you’re really getting back to nature.

Unfortunately, you won’t find the same number of consistently free and dog-friendly campsites in South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland. But if you are looking for free and dog-friendly sites in these states and territories, start your search with council-run camping areas, as well as other government-run areas, including conservation, game and nature reserves. Of course, if you are after a budget stop and aren’t concerned with the scenic appeal, you can stay overnight at many of the rest areas lining Australia’s highways. Check out our list of the best rest areas in Australia on pg. 9.

SUMMER CAMPInG GUIDEIt’s easier than you think to find free, dog-friendly camping sites

Want to go camping but haven’t made a booking yet?You might have missed out on popular camping areas where sites are allocated by a ballot system for summer, but there are plenty of other camping areas, even in our national parks, that either don’t take bookings or are open to reservations even on the day you want to arrive. Here are a few fantastic last-minute camping areas in each state and territory you can try, although these sites are just the beginning of what’s available.

Many state forests in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania don’t take bookings, which is perfect for last-minute campers. But some of the best national parks in these states also have sites that don’t take bookings. In New South Wales, try Myall Lakes, Yuraygir, Barrington Tops and Kosciuszko national parks. In Victoria, some of the sites in Great Otway National Park don’t take bookings (including the idyllic Johanna Beach camping area). You can also try your luck at St Arnaud National Park, French Island, Howqua Hills Historic Area, as well as at our favourite state forest, Briagolong State Forest. In Tasmania, see if you can nab a spot at the ridiculously beautiful Bay of Fires Conservation Area, or at the appealing and family-friendly Aire River Picnic Ground or Bethune Park camping area.

CHECk tHESE OUt!

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Blue Pool camping area, Briagolong State Forest, VictoriaYou won’t be able to resist cooling down in the delightful Blue Pool swimming hole – and this free, dog-friendly, no-bookings campsite is situated a short walk away from the pool.

Whitehaven Beach camping area, Whitsunday Islands National Park, QueenslandA strictly limited number of people are allowed to camp in the brush behind Whitehaven Beach, which is commonly called one of the best beaches in Australia (including by us!) for its pristine white sand and turquoise water.

Lucky Bay camping area, Cape Le Grand National Park, Western AustraliaIf you camp at Lucky Bay, you’ll have to make a tough decision: do you swim in the sparkling blue ocean or soak up the rays (wearing sunscreen, of course) on the beach next to some lazing kangaroos?

Blue Waterholes Campground, Kosciuszko National Park, New South WalesIt feels like quite an adventure to get to Blue Waterholes Campground, which is hidden in the large Kosciuszko National Park. And the adventure continues once you get to the site, with hidden caves, waterfalls, walking trails, lookouts and plenty of 4WD tracks all nearby.

Jeanerette camping area, Bay of Fires Conservation Area, TasmaniaThe only thing more unbelievable than the beauty of the Bay of Fires is that you can set up your tent or drive your caravan right up to this delightful cove – and it won’t cost you a cent.

West Bay camping area, Flinders Chase National Park, South AustraliaWest Bay almost feels as if it’s on the edge of the world. And it has the views (and shipwrecks) to prove it. Set up your tent on the cliffs above the beach.

OUR FAVOUR I tE SUMMER CAMP InG SPOtS

In South Australia, try popular national parks including Innes, Coorong and Coffin Bay. These parks either don’t take bookings or have self-registration, so it’s first in, best dressed. It’s also worth checking out council-run sites, such as the Yorke Peninsula Reserve. What the collection of camping areas at the reserve lack in facilities and shade, they make up for in views and swimming.

Avoid the north of Western Australia in summer, as it gets close to boiling. But if you want to find a last-minute site in the south of the state, Cape Le Grand, Shannon, Stokes, Cape Arid, D’Entrecasteaux and Leeuwin–Naturaliste national parks have fantastic campsites. The camping areas in these parks don’t take bookings, although it’s always worth checking with a ranger before visiting to see how crowded the campgrounds are. In Queensland it’s easy to find out where you can stay over Christmas, as all bookings for their national parks are made on the NPRSR website. You might even get lucky and book a place at Whitehaven Beach camping area, which is right behind what we consider to be one of the best beaches in Australia (see more beaches on pg. 12).

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Firstly and most importantly, check there are no fire bans in place and ensure you keep up-to-date on the fire warnings on hot and windy days. Secondly, find out where campfires are permitted. In many campgrounds you can only light campfires in the fireplaces provided, in others it’s okay to have them wherever you want. But wherever you build your campfire, always follow these guidelines:

• Build a fire on dirt or on the spot of a previous fire.

• Don’t light fires on grass. Not only is this a fire hazard but the grass may never grow again once it has been burnt.

• Don’t build a fire near overhanging branches.

• If you can find any large rocks, use these to build a circle around the fire to keep it contained.

• If you’re camping off the beaten track and want to lighta campfire, pick a suitable spot and remove the toplayer of soil. Build and enjoy your fire, then, once theashes are cold, scatter them and replace the soil.

• Don’t use your fire as a place to burn your rubbish.Much of it won’t burn or may give off toxic fumes.Never put glass bottles in a fire.

• If you’re new to building a fire or will be arriving late and want to get a fire going quickly, you may like tokeep a packet of firelighters in your kit, but use thesefor emergencies only. Tuck one in amongst the firstlayer of your campfire.

• Before going to bed or moving away from your campfireensure it is completely extinguished.

Building a campfire is one of the joys of camping. A campfire is not only something to cook on but also to sit around, relaxing and chatting, or simply to stare into and dream. And once you get the hang of it, campfires are pretty easy to build.

HOW tO BUILD A (SAFE) CAMPFIRE

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Building a campfire

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You’ll need the following three things to build a successful fire: something that catches alight and burns very quickly, such as dry leaves, newspaper or cardboard, or fallen, dry bark; slightly thicker sticks for kindling; and bigger logs that will provide the real heat of your fire. Remember all of this must be dry – wet or green wood will just smoke and do very little.

For the kindling either bring a bag with you (usually available from petrol stations in the nearest town) or gather from the campground, although check if this is allowed as dead wood provides valuable habitat for native animals. Also, never ever break branches off trees.

Start the base of your fire with a bed of dry leaves, scrunched up newspaper or cardboard. Then start adding your kindling in a tepee shape, adding some dry leaves in amongst it if you have them. Light your fire and let it take hold for a few minutes.

Add a larger log or two. Don’t be tempted to add really thick logs as these will take a long time to give off any real heat. Equally don’t add a very long log, as all this will do is burn in the middle and create a tripping hazard around your fire.

Put a couple more larger logs on and then if you’re building your fire for cooking, leave it alone to create white coals, as these are the most useful for cooking over. If your fire is for warmth only, continue adding logs as needed, but never let the fire get too big or out of control.

If you’re going to use your fire for both warmth and cooking, use a spade to move the white coals to one side and cook over these, keeping the rest of the fire going for warmth.

Always keep an eye on children around fires and discourage them from waving burning sticks around.

If you follow these simple, but important guidelines, in no time at all you’ll be sitting and dreaming around your own campfire.

Katy Holder is the author of the Hungry Campers Cookbook, a camping cookbook with a gourmet twist, and builds a campfire almost every weekend.

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Making your campfire

tAStY!

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tHE PERFECt GROWn-UP CAMPFIRE DESSERt

Ingredients• 1 whole brie or camembert wheel • crusty bread or crackers, to serve

MethodRemove any wax wrapping from the cheese, reserving the wooden box if it has one.

Wrap the cheese in a double layer of foil. Place on a flatplate over a fire or on the barbecue, or even into a frying pan over a gas cooker. Cook for 4–5 minutes on each side, or until the cheese feels really soft when pressed.

Carefully unwrap the cheese and either serve from the foil or return to the box. Cut a cross in the top to open it up and start dipping in pieces of crusty bread or crackers.

MAKES 1 cheese

Ingredients• 750ml bottle red wine, don’t use your best bottle! • 110g (½ cup) sugar • 2 oranges • 8 cloves • 1 cinnamon stick

MethodPour the wine into a large saucepan, add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Place over the fire while you prepare the oranges, but do not let the wine boil.

Stick the cloves into the skin of one of the oranges in a random pattern, then thickly slice the orange. Squeeze the juice from the second orange into the wine mixture, then add the orange slices to the pan with the cinnamon stick. Simmer gently for 30 minutes.

Let the spiced wine cool for 5 minutes, then pour into mugs.

MAKES 1 bottle

BAkED MELtED CHEESE

WARM SP ICED W InE

Cheese is a great way to end a meal, especially for those who don’t have a sweet tooth. Baking a whole wheel of cheese over a fire until it is oozing and melted takes it to a whole new level – this is camping at its decadent best!

Put someone in charge of making this wine while others prepare dinner or put the kids to bed. Then spend the evening huddled around the fire, sipping delicious warm spiced wine!

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Sea Lake park area, Calder Hwy, Victoria Near new, well designed and very well maintained, this day-only rest area has toilets, showers, barbecues, water, picnic tables, as well as being dog friendly.

Highly recommended in Victoria: Greenhill Lake camping area and Genoa rest area

Mundoonan rest area #2, Hume Hwy, New South WalesThis rest area on the eastbound side of the highway is matched by a twin on the westbound side. Both are excellent, with toilets, drinking water, barbecues and shade. You can stay overnight for free.

Highly recommended in New South Wales: Gol Gol park area, Ardlethan park area, Kempsey park area, Mulligans Hut camping area and Wallabadah rest area

Waikerie park area, Sturt Hwy, South AustraliaA picture-perfect rest area on the banks of the Murray River, this rest area is overflowing with facilities. But don’t worry, the facilities themselves aren’t overflowing, with clean toilets, showers, picnic areas, a playground and caravan access.

Highly recommended for South Australia: Port Neil park areas, Wilpena Pound camping area and Mambray Creek camping area

Ellendale Pool camping area, Brand Hwy, Western AustraliaEllendale Pool camping area is 27km from the highway, so it’s only worth the drive if you’re planning to stay overnight. It’s a scenic spot next to a pool, with showers, toilets, shade, picnic tables, barbecues and disabled access. There’s a small fee to stay here.

Highly recommended: Big Brook Dam park area, Walpole park and Shannon camping area

Berry Springs park area, Stuart Hwy, Northern TerritoryThis is Paul Smedley’s favourite spot for a short break (that usually lasts for hours). Around 10km west of the highway, the park area is in Berry Springs Nature Park, so you can take a dip as well as use the facilities (the creek can be shut to swimmers in the wet season).

Highly recommended in Northern Territory: Lake Mary Ann park area and Edith Falls camp area

Scottsdale rest area, Tasman Hwy, TasmaniaScottsdale has the most facilities of all of the rest areas on this list, as this site has a dump point, along with the regular facilities of toilets, showers, picnic tables and water. The setting is also pleasant.

Highly recommended in Tasmania: Swansea park area, Hellyer Gorge and Sisters Beach rest areas, Fortescue Bay camp area in Tasman National Park.

Seaforth camping area, Bruce Hwy, QueenslandSeaforth camping area is among the best of the best. This is an official campground, so you have to pay to stay here. But the facilities are worth it, with toilets, picnic areas, shade, showers, caravan access and drinking water.

Highly recommended in Queensland: Theodore camping area, Bramston Beach camping area, Bluewater rest area and Rollingstone rest area

Have you ever planned to stop at a rest area, taken one look at the facilities, and just decided to drive on? A good rest area can make a long drive that much smoother (and a bad one can add a few more rocks to the road). And since many of you will be hitting the road this summer, we’ve asked Paul Smedley, author of Budget Rest Areas around Australia – which lists all of the rest areas along major highways in Australia – to nominate his favourite places to stop along Australia’s highways.

BESt RESt AREAS

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Forget cafes, pubs and restaurants. My favourite way to spend time with friends and family – and strangers, for that matter – is camping together. It means shared experiences; it means having time to talk. Properly. Or time to share silence. Relationships that grow from camping trips grow deep and true. It’s ironic, then, that researching a camping guide can be a lonely occupation.

Out of necessity, I travel alone when I’m researching. It’s camping but not as you know it: pitching the tent at a different campground every night for months at a time, visiting up to 10 other campgrounds during the day, taking photos all along, and writing up my notes at night.

It brings me into contact with amazing people doing amazing things – but the encounters are always fleeting, because there’s no time in my research schedule marked ‘sit around the campfire and talk’.

I’m two months into my latest solo research trip for my new guidebook, Australia’s Best Camping, which will be published by Explore Australia in 2014. And I’ve gotta say, I’m well and truly ready to sit around the campfire and talk.

Which is why I was soooo happy to reach Cape Range National Park and experience Western Australia’s amazing system of camp hosts.

When I arrived at Tulki Beach camping area, I knocked on the caravan of Anne and Noel, the hosts in this part of the park. Anne came down the steps and held her arms wide. ‘It’s our long-lost traveller!’ she said, and then called to her husband, ‘Noel, she’s here!’

I’d never met these people before. And they were just doing their (volunteer) job. But they’d evidently been

anxious about the fate of the one person who’d booked but hadn’t yet arrived as the afternoon shadows lengthened and hour grew late. They cared.

In Western Australia, 53 of the state’s most popular government-run campgrounds have seasonal camp hosts. They’re members of the public who volunteer their time to camp on-site and manage check-ins, offer information, and liaise with park rangers when issues arise.

But in the more distant reaches of Australia – such as Cape Range National Park, 1200km north of Perth, 5130km north-west of Sydney – camp hosts also help form the glue that binds travellers who are sharing the experience of remoteness and self-sufficiency. In remote locations, people seem to become even nicer to each other. There’s more at stake.

Fifteen minutes after Anne had greeted me so warmly, I was kneeling on the ground doing my best to bash tent pegs into the concrete-like compacted gravel and sand that forms the camping area at Tulki Beach. My mallet bounced off the aluminium and bent the pegs into pretzel shapes instead of driving them into the ground. More than once a strong gust blew my tent into the dunes and I chased after it.

Then another kindly human loomed, her form and shadow providing temporary relief from the late

CAMPGROUnD HOStS AnD tHE kInDnESS OF StRAnGERS

tHE MAGIC HOUR

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afternoon sun and 25-knot winds. ‘I thought you might need a cup of tea,’ she said. ‘I’m Pauline from next door.’

If I started to weep a little just then, I can’t be sure if it was because of the sting of the sand whipping off the dunes, or the sunscreen on my eyelids.

Soon Anne and Noel, the camp hosts, shepherded all the campers in the campground towards the communal picnic tables and we gathered for the traditional sundowners. It was the time of day – the photographer’s ‘magic hour’ – when I’d normally be running around taking photos for the book, but today I joined in, and for an all-too-brief half-hour, we did the equivalent of sitting around the campfire and talking. Campfires aren’t allowed in Cape Range National Park, but you know what I mean.

The kindness of strangers was raining down on me like a rare outback shower, and in my mind it will always be bound up with Cape Range National Park and a lovely couple of camp hosts.

Kerryn Burgess is the author of Cool Camping Australia: East Coast, and is currently on the road researching campsites for her new book, Australia’s Best Camping, which will be published in October 2014 by Explore Australia.

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Australia’s 10,000 or so beaches are among the country’s greatest natural resources. They provide extraordinary scenery, and a place to walk and watch, to sunbake and socialise, to marvel at the marine wildlife and to engage in endless sporting endeavours, from swimming and surfing to the ubiquitous beach cricket.

Most Australians have a favourite beach, but what makes one beach better than another is strictly a matter of taste. Some people like their beaches long and lonely; others prefer teams of lifesavers, foreshore cafes and bustling promenades. The clear aquamarine waters and pure white sands of tropical beaches appeal to many; but for others, the ideal beach embraces the drama of high-energy waves, scudding clouds and weather constantly on the move – features typical of the Southern Ocean coast. The beachgoer’s preferred activity also affects the choice: surfers need waves, anglers want rock platforms, walkers like cliff-tops and views, divers look for coral or wrecks or caves, families seek beach patrols and mild currents.

Where to find the best beachWhitehaven Beach, QueenslandPowdery white sand, clear tropical waters and pristine surrounds make this a perfect example of an Australian tropical island beach – no surf but superb swimming.

Bondi Beach, New South WalesAustralia’s most famous beach lies on the edge of the country’s biggest city. Constant surf patrols, paved promenades, rock pools, good surf and a lovely, deep crescent shape are among the attractions.

Port Fairy Beach, VictoriaA perfect holiday-town beach: in summer there is a bustle of patrols, body surfers, paddling toddlers and beach tents; in winter, surfers, anglers and well-wrapped walkers dot the quiet 6km stretch.

Wineglass Bay, TasmaniaLocated within magnificent Freycinet National Park and accessible only to walkers and boaters, this beach is a perfectly formed crescent of sand and water set within a frame of forested mountains.

Vivonne Bay, South AustraliaThis remote stretch of sand on Kangaroo Island exemplifies the drama of the Southern Ocean coastline: it has rugged headlands, plentiful wildlife, strong waves – and remains free of development.

Esperance beaches, Western AustraliaBreathtakingly beautiful and completely unspoilt, the beaches of remote south-east Western Australia are known for the intensity of the contrast between the crisp white sand and vivid blue water.

Cable Beach, Western AustraliaA beach of both the tropics and the outback, Cable Beach borders the remote resort of Broome. Camel trains, pearl luggers bobbing on the horizon and striped beach umbrellas complement the superb natural scenery.

This is an extract from Australia’s Coast (2nd ed), a book that will whisk you away to Australia’s spectacular coastline (as well as revealing more than a few places to visit along the stretch).

AUStRALIA’S BESt BEACHES

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Any beach angler worth their salt knows that the secret to successful fishing is primarily the ability to read a beach by water action, colour and current. This is best achieved from a high vantage point with a pair of polarizing sunglasses on, before venturing down to start fishing.

Peak times on beaches are controlled by tide and daylight. At dusk or dawn, regardless of tide, there is often some action. A high tide with either of these times is the perfect arrangement for fish to feed. Other than dusk or dawn the optimum fishing period often occurs

during a change of tide. Most anglers prefer the change at the top of the tide – although there are beaches that are most productive during low tide, especially when it brings the gutters close to shore, forcing small fish into them and into the waiting jaws of a predator.

StEVE’S FAVOURItE BEACH FISHInG DEStInAtIOnS

AIRE RIVER, VictoriaThe name of this Victorian beach is the same as the river that exits to the sea. Over summer, Aire River Beach is a delight to fish at and will produce species ranging from snapper and salmon to gummy sharks and mulloway. The gutter systems are often close to the edge as the beach has a steep slope.

COORONG, South AustraliaAn amazing stretch of coastline, the Coorong is famous for producing big mulloway, snapper, salmon and gummy sharks. The beach attracts anglers from far and wide, and one reason it is so popular is that vehicles are allowed on the beach.

FRASER ISLAND, QueenslandIf it’s tailor, sharks, whiting, flathead, swallowtail, trevally and bream that you’re after, the beaches of Fraser Island have them in abundance. The best fishing is in gutters with both north and south entrances,

and the best gutters are generally found from the SS Maheno shipwreck to Indian Head at the north end of Seventy-Five Mile Beach.

HAYCOCK PT, Merimbula, New South WalesThe beach at Haycock Point, south of Merimbula, is consistent for salmon, but also noted for flathead, yellowfin bream and sometimes gummy sharks, mulloway and even snapper. Access is easy and the walk is less than 200m, with the best fishing had casting lures or bait into the gutter systems.

VENUS BAY, VictoriaThere are five beaches at Venus Bay, and they go by the names Venus Bay No’s 1 to 5. Access is easy; the beaches are well signposted and how far you walk is up to you. Salmon is the most common species, but yelloweye mullet, snapper and gummy sharks are regular captures, along with flathead.

MY F I VE FAVOUR I tE BEACHES FOR BEACH F ISH I nG

Steve Cooper is one of Australia’s best-known fishing experts, and is the author of Steve Cooper’s Australian Fishing Guide.

StUnnInG!

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Australia is a land of contrasts, ancient civilisations and immense beauty. From the wilderness of Tasmania to the vast coastline of Cape York, this continent has invited exploration and nurtured humanity for thousands of years. These photos showcase the incredible spectacle of Australia.

BESt OF AUStRALIA tHROUGH IMAGES

Bell Gorge, King Leopold Range, Nick Rains River Red Gums, Aroona Creek, Flinders Ranges, Jaime Plaza

Big Lagoon, Francois Peron National Park, Jean-Paul Ferrero Hook Island, The Whitsundays, Jean-Paul Ferrero

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Presenting stunning photography of our country’s iconic landscapes and unique wildlife, The Best of Australia is a large-format hardback book that will take your breath away.

Castle Rock, Jean-Paul Ferrero

Russell Falls, Mt Field National Park, Jaime Plaza

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I would have to say that for me the strangest part of caravan living is the intimacy you share with your neighbours. On our farm in Daylesford, if I were to go outside and scream as loudly as I could, no one would hear me. Yet here we are, usually a couple of metres away from another van, sharing bathrooms and washing machines and outdoor living spaces with perfect strangers.

tHE SECREt LIFE OF CARAVAnnERSIn my real life my best friends have never seen me first thing in the morning before I have had a chance to look in the mirror, or last thing at night brushing my teeth and washing my face. Yet my caravan neighbours have had the pleasure of witnessing these things as well as my dash to the toilet in my jammy pants first thing in the morning. They have heard me discipline my kids, they have seen us cook and eat our meals and hang out our washing. If they cared these neighbours could see from our laundry what colour knickers I wear.

I am sure most caravanners don’t care or notice. They go about the details of their own lives and leave others to do the same.

I notice though.

I see the woman in the kitchen area with her pin curlers in. I see that most people hang their washing in an orderly manner, socks in pairs, tops with tops, pants with pants. I see that most people don’t care about being seen in their hot pink elephant jammies or dying their hair in the sink. I hear people planning their trips and menus and dividing up the chores. I see the old man waiting patiently for his wife outside the women’s toilets very late at night.

I love these details of other people’s caravan lives.

My family voted me craziest in the family for taking these pics, but truthfully this aspect is as important to me as the tourist sights. This is caravan living.

Over time I might care less and notice less. It might feel normal when the guy next door interrupts my bowl of cereal to ask if we think the petrol will be cheaper in Mataranka or Katherine. It might not feel like an invasion when I return to the communal laundry to find mine out of the washer and dumped on the nearest table. It might feel normal to hear other people’s kids crying well into the night.

In the meantime I guess the saving grace is that within a few days we will all be moving on and be strangers all over again.

This is such fun!

Happy travels.

Kate Ulman is the author of Vantastic. In 2011 she travelled around Australia for six months with her family and was voted Explore Australia’s Road Tripper of the Year.

VERY nEAt!

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All we want for Christmas is a summer holiday – are you with us? Whether that’s a holiday in our own backyards checking out local gems in Melbourne Precincts, hitting the road with Explore Australia 2014, lazing on the beach with Australia’s Coast, or capturing incredible photos of Australia with the help of Australia: The Photographer’s Eye, we hope one of our books inspires you – or a loved one – to get out and explore Australia this summer.

CHRIStMAS GIFt IDEAS

1000 Great Places to Explore in Australia1000 Great Places to Explore in Australia details the very best places that Australia has to offer, from its famous destinations to its best-kept secrets.

Find out more

RRP: $34.95

Explore Australia 2014Explore Australia is an invaluable travel bible for anyone planning an extended holiday in Australia. Don’t hit the road without a copy.

Find out more

RRP: $59.95

The Best of AustraliaThe Best of Australia presents stunning photography of our country’s iconic landscapes and unique wildlife in this large-format and hardback book.

Find out more

RRP: $49.95

Australia’s Coast (2nd ed)Life’s a beach with Australia’s Coast, as we explore the places and experiences of the much-loved Australian coast, including the country’s best beaches.

Find out more

RRP: $39.95

19S UMM E R HO L I D A Y S G U I D E

Hungry Campers Cookbook by Katy HolderHungry Campers Cookbook brings together the fun of family camping holidays with fresh, healthy, gourmet recipes.

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RRP: $29.95

Australia: The Photographer’s Eye (2nd ed) by Nick RainsPhotographer Nick Rains’ displays stunning images of Australia’s diverse landscapes and many moods.

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RRP: $39.95

Melbourne Precincts by Dale CampisiDale Campisi’s book picks out the very best of Melbourne’s shopping, eating and drinking experiences for locals and tourists alike.

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RRP: $34.95

The Best of Hide & Seek MelbourneCelebrating the very best of Melbourne’s cultural, shopping, food and nightlife scene, this book features our favourite Melbourne spots.

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RRP: $34.95

Steve Cooper’s Australian Fishing Guide by Steve CooperRespected fishing writer Steve Cooper lists his top fishing spots around Australia in this title for keen anglers.

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RRP: $34.95

Street Art: Melbourne by Lou ChamberlinThis book is a witness and a celebration of street art photographed around Melbourne over the last eight years.

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RRP: $39.95

Vantastic by Kate UlmanFrom caravan craft projects to tips on how to select the best caravan park, Kate Ulman takes a look at caravanning holidays in the modern world.

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RRP: $29.95

Walks in Nature: Australia by Viola Design Walks in Nature: Australia covers 112 trails in and around the country’s major cities for those who want to explore the best of our country on foot.

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RRP: $29.95

HAPPY tRAVELLInG