‘So, you’re roughing it.’

I introduced myself to the lady occupying the caravan on the site next to our family at Takarakka campsite at Carnarvon Gorge in Queensland.  She looked at our higgledy piggledy camp with swags laid out on the ground and said, ‘so you’re roughing it’?

To some degree she was right but to us the benefits, the adventure and fun, of swagging out as a family outweigh any inconveniences or difficulties.

Recently, in far west Queensland we met a young man from Uraguay.  he was camped near us in a fairly remote spot. In the morning I noticed that he was sleeping on the ground on a mat with a couple of blankets over him. Later we got chatting.  He told me he had watched us put our swags out and had thought he would like to try it, he normally slept in the back of his car.  He said the experience was fantastic, the night sky was so amazing and he would certainly be doing it again.

To us sleeping outside is one of the highlights and adventures of travelling and camping as a family.  As well as being out there and exposed to nature we are sometimes exposed to the view of other people who may be camped nearby in caravans, tents or motor homes.  Obviously the way we do camping makes people a little curious.  Here are a few of the questions we frequently get asked…with a brief response.

‘What do you do when it rains’?

As we travel only 2 things force us to put up the tents we carry, rain and mosquitos.  As I write we have been on the road for 65 days and bar one night, when the mozzie’s were bad, we have slept under the stars.  Our swag canvas will endure a light shower but anything grander than that requires the tents.

‘Don’t you get cold at night’?

Not really.  Our swags, unlike swagmen of old, have foam mattresses, sheets, pillows, blankets doonas/sleeping bags and canvas over the top.  On one of our trips we camped at Arkaroola in the Flinders Ranges, overnight it was -3 degrees.  In the morning the swags were covered in frost, even the exposed bits of pillow were covered in ice.  But just burrow down and as they say you can be ‘snug as a bug in a rug’.

‘Aren’t you worried about creepy crawlies, snakes and things getting into your swag’?

The thought does cross my mind now and again.  However we choose the space we camp in fairly carefully, usually in the open away from long grass and other vegetation.  If needs be I use a rake to clear away fallen leaves, rocks and other debris.  In all the years we have been swagging out there have never been any intruders into our swags other than a stray ant or spider. We have had a kangaroo hop on to the swag early one morning and a few visits from dingoes sniffing around looking for food but they have been experiences of wonder not of anxiety or fear.

‘Don’t you find it hard to get the children to sleep’?

As we spend a lot of time outdoors and active, the children go to sleep much earlier and much more quickly than they do when we are living in our house. The fresh air, the absence of artificial light and the amazing spectacle of the night sky make it easy to to lift off into the land of nod.  Often the last conversation of the day is about what we see in the sky above us, shooting stars, constellations, space, God, the meaning of life, the ancestors’ campfires and satellites.

Aren’t you scared of being run over?

Liadhan is often concerned about this. I don’t worry so much but can understand why she does.  We swag on the ground which I guess makes us quite vulnerable what with no tent structure visible. So at a paying camp there are people coming and going at night.  Generally people move slowly through camp sites but I suppose the odd hoon may start to do burnouts. Where we camp out bush it may be a place where other roamers frequent from time to time, some coming in late at night. What we do is park the car and trailer strategically and the use a table or an esky to block any other way to our swags.  Had no issues thus far.

‘How do you manage to have sex’?

While this question has only been asked directly a couple of times it is sometime an obvious unspoken question or cryptic comment.  I assume this is because our swags are all laid out together in the open (no privacy) or because it strikes people as odd that anyone would make love anywhere else other than in a bedroom???  Whatever, swags can be reconfigured or moved easily.  So, once the children are asleep or early morning before the sun comes up move the swag to a more private place or take some blankets and pillows down to the beach, nearer to the waterhole or just further into the bush.  Making love under the stars accompanied by the sounds of nature is magical.

So if your curiosity has been piqued then get yourself a swag and get out there and have an adventure in nature!