A weekend at Belanglo
As we pulled up into the pine forest, the air was crisp, the ground was damp and the fire pits were ablaze. Daley’s campsite was teeming with life; kids on bikes, dogs having a play and day-trippers who had set up for a picnic or sporting game for the day in amongst the campsites.
Belanglo may have a tragic past but today the state forest is popular with families in search of outdoor adventures, writes Allison Tomazin Parker, of PAST Outdoors in Helensburgh.
Our weekends, like so many families, tend to be rather hectic. Between the pick-ups and sporting events, the family gatherings and catch-ups with friends, we hardly get time to sit back and enjoy this natural world we live in. Recently we decided to head south to camp at Belanglo State Forest, about an hour and a half south of our home in Stanwell Park.
As we pulled up into the pine forest, the air was crisp, the ground was damp and the fire pits were ablaze. Daley’s campsite was teeming with life; kids on bikes, dogs having a play and day-trippers who had set up for a picnic or sporting game for the day in amongst the campsites.
Despite having been on so many camping trips, I am definitely still ‘not a camper'. Born and bred in the inner city, I am about as far from being an outdoors person as it gets. I do have the luxury of having a hubby who has spent most of his life living and working outdoors either through 20 years in the army or one of the many independent adventures he has been on.
Dave has his own outdoor retail store, PAST Outdoors, so we decided to take one of his latest hot tents to spend the weekend in. This makes a world of difference when camping in the cold, wet weather or when you’re planning on doing a hike and camping remotely and need lightweight gear.
Belanglo State Forest is well known for many things… including mushrooms. We checked the instructions on the notice board and went on a hunt with our trusty hound. We were searching for saffron milk caps but, after checking with Stanwell Park local Keelan from @delving.through.dharawal, we found out that what we had gathered was, in fact, not the right species. So we decided to be cautious and stick to our favourite camping food: bangers and mash with gravy cooked on the wood stove in the hot tent.
Belangalo State Forest is a great camping spot for the whole family. With minimal travel time from home and a range of outdoor activities on site, it’s well worth the stay.
For more information, visit the Forestry Corporation website. Daley's campground and picnic ground were open when we visited but, due to the recent wild weather, do check for any closures before you go.
