Camping at Lake Conjola

When Craig came home from China last week, he was itching for a little holiday time.  Because he worked through Christmas, he was due a bit of vacation time. On impulse, we loaded up the tent and his kite and hit the road.  2014 is shaping up to be the kind of year that I love. Travel. Travel. Travel.

On the recommendation of another kiteboarder, we steered our truck to Lake Conjola which is located about three hours south of Sydney and two hours from Canberra on the New South Wales Shoalhaven Coast.  Our caravan park, Lake Conjola Entrance Tourist Park, sits along a placid inlet which connects the lake and ocean.  With a soft gentle current; it's perfect for swimming, fishing and lazing about.  We saw many people out enjoying stand-up paddling and kayaks as well. I made myself comfortable floating on a lilo in the warm water of the inlet. (a lilo is pool lounger for the American readers). While I was floating, Craig made himself comfortable on the ocean side where a small island sheltered lagoon made for perfect kiteboarding conditions. The inlet and lagoon are full of clear water, fish and even a few rays.

Lake Conjola Entrance Tourist Park is a very family friendly place for those looking to get away with kids, but it books out for the holidays a year in advance. We were lucky to be able to sneak in at the last moment.  We arrived on Australia Day which meant the park was jam packed with holiday makers.  As the days passed, the park thinned out to a more leisurely and comfortable pace.  Having been to many caravan parks, I'd say it is one of the densest that I've visited but the pros outweigh the cons of being sandwiched in with your neighbors.

The Local Critters
Aside from water activities, the big draw card for the park would be the placid and mostly tame wildlife. With a few sunflower seeds picked up in town at the general store, lorikeets feed straight from your hands; though Craig would prefer you believe that I'm some sort of bird whisperer. ka-kaw! ka-kaw!

Ducks and ducklings wander straight into your tent, and eastern grey kangaroos munch the grass right at your campsite. You'll see a variety of nesting birds, galahs and parrots. Among all the places I've camped, I've never encountered such a tame set of critters.  

There is, of course, such a thing as too friendly...

Dude. that's our campsite that you just crapped on.

Truth be told, there's kangaroo poo throughout the campground. As it turns out wild kangaroos seem to be in a constant cycle of eating and pooing, often at the same time.  It doesn't smell though, and it seems to keep pesky bugs to a minimum.  It's hard to complain when locals like this greet you each morning.

Kids Big and Small
As I mentioned, the campground is family friendly.  There's plenty for kids to do.  When the holiday crowds cleared out, Craig and I took advantage of the park's jumping pillow and playground. We may be 40, but we're just a couple of big kids at heart.

Quite honestly, there isn't much need to leave the campground. Because our camping neighbours offered a hot tip about Hayden's Pies, we headed into Ulladulla. The pies were as good as described, and we managed to sneak in an easy stroll from the lighthouse down to the tidal pools.

Mapping it Out
Of course, the journey is as important as the destination. From Sydney, I recommend heading out towards Wollongong, first stopping at the tourist information centre. There's a great lookout over the area and a chance to load up on local maps and information.

Our next stop was the Famous Berry Donut Van. I can't go past a good donut.  Berry has plenty of shops to keep you entertained if you want to stretch your legs a little longer.  It won't be long until roll into Lake Conjola to make camp or setting into a holiday cabin.  I find camp is always better after the first beer, don't you?

Heading Home
To keep things interesting on the way home, turn off at Nowra and head inland to Kangaroo Valley for more country shops and coffee.  This road is a bit more technical, winding and steep; but the views of Morton National Park are amazing. If you haven't been there already, I recommend stopping at Belmore Falls or the more developed and accessible Fitzroy Falls along the way.

We plucked up lunch at Bernie's Diner in Mossvale. We stop there any chance we can for pastrami and old-fashioned root beer floats.  It was a great tip from Suzy that's paid off again and again.

We liked our time at Lake Conjola. I'm sure you would too. Locals like this make it all worth it.

happy travels, amy badskirt.