I took off for the weekend in the 2024 Kia Carnival Hybrid with my eldest daughter, swag, a camp stove, and our bikes for some much-needed mum-and-daughter time! We went with the basics. We wanted a stress-free pack-up and set-up and to test whether if you go with the basics, you can have just as good a time.
We normally do everything together as a family but now my eldest daughter is at school I miss spending time with her on her own and at eight years old she is good fun to spend time with!
There are so many different ways of camping, and in our quest to try them all, this time, we used Hipcamp, a website with a wide range of campsites, from people renting areas of their properties to the big chain campsites. We booked a beautiful hidden campsite on a farm stay with friends in the Noosa Hinterland.
In school five days a week and all the extracurricular activities later, I was due some time with my eldest daughter on our own to connect. Even the packing of the car was fun. Because it was just us going, she was fully engaged in the process and deciding what we would and wouldn't take. We decided on the swag, tarp, chairs, bikes and camp stove. Having the Kia Carnival Hybrid, we could fit everything in the back easily, and as the sky kept threatening rain, we did think if we needed to, we could just sleep in the back of the Kia Carnival Hybrid.
Even the journey was fun. We stopped for sushi lunch and to buy our provisions (marshmallows), for the weekend. We had made a playlist of our favourite songs, which included my daughter trying her hardest to turn me into a Swifty and me taking her back a few decades for some '80s power ballads! Chatting, singing, and eating sushi on the way there, we both felt light, happy, and connected.
It's a beautiful drive to get there. The Kia Carnival Hybrid is super comfortable on both the highway and out through the countryside. It handles the off-bitumen and gravel farm roads as easily as the highway.
When we got there, our friends were already set up on this gorgeous little property with a stunning view of the hills all around.
The cameras made it easy to park up the Kia Carnival Hybrid exactly where we wanted it when the back was full of bikes and swag etc.
We parked the Carnival and were set up within five minutes! That's the beauty of the single swag, minimal setup.
All the campsites on Hipcamp have different facilities. This one has a little camp kitchen/shelter with a rainwater sink for washing up and an eco-toilet that's incredibly cute!
United with our friends, we go for a walk to find a little water hole for a swim. It's a little bit fresh, and the crayfish nip my toes while I'm swimming! It's a great way to freshen up!
The kids enjoy collecting the ochre rocks of different colours and painting each other with them. It's amazing how much entertainment they find once they are outside and screens aren't an option.
This small farm has a few animals that the kids enjoy feeding, there are beautiful peacocks…
… and the kids go in to stroke the chickens and collect their eggs.
They feed the sheep and goats…
… and the owner even brings out their pet python for the kids to hold!
It's a menagerie and the kids are fascinated by python!
The kids think it's all wonderful. They're completely unplugged, wild and free, and I can enjoy the scenery with friends.
It's amazing how their imaginations set to work once they are outside. The track around the campsites becomes their race track and all on their bikes they tear around it!
The site has a great fire pit and chimney that we fire up in the evenings, and all sit around. The stars are incredible out here with no light pollution.
Of course, we toast marshmallows…
… and the kids do get the home comfort of having a movie night!
Waking up in the morning was incredible. A backdrop of this enormous, magical fig tree and nothing but birdsong.
The kids hang out in the boughs of the big fig tree…
They feed the sheep.
While we cook up a lovely breakfast with the fire lit to take the chill off the morning air.
In no time, the sun is out and beaming, and we're all warmed up. It's time to pack up the swag and head home. Our hearts are filled with friends and some mum-and-daughter time to ourselves. We chat and sing all the way home in the Carnival Hybrid, connected from our time together and time with friends.
PROS-
- One-on-one time with my daughter
- Kia Carnival Hybrid was the perfect car; we could fit anything we wanted inside it
- We could sleep in the Carnival if the weather turned bad
- Keeping it simple meant quick pack up and pack down
- Location is stunning and very affordable
- No phone reception, so totally off-grid
CONS-
- We weren't there long enough!
- No phone reception for those who can't leave technology behind
- No toilet or shower
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