Tim the Yowie Man: Glamping at Tanja Lagoon

And I don’t blame them. While it can be blowing a blizzard high up in the snowies, this time of year the coast is often blessed with crystal clear days and relatively warm nights. Throw in the lack of crowds and if you are after a back-to-nature getaway, then winter is an ideal time to escape to our south coast. So this week, instead of awakening the toboggan and skis from their summer hibernation, I loaded up the family in the yowie mobile and headed to the Sapphire Coast for a spot of camping.

Now those of you who know Mrs Yowie are no doubt thinking it’d be a very brave (or silly) akubra-clad columnist who would even contemplate whisking her off into the great outdoors with just a sheet of nylon fabric held up by some metal poles as shelter from the elements and a tin or two of baked beans for sustenance. Heaven forbid, last time we embarked on a three-day camping trip to Bournda Beach (just south of Tathra), I was awoken at the crack of dawn on day one to Mrs Yowie tossing our rain-soaked gear back into the boot of the yowie mobile and ripping the tent pegs out, while I was still in my swag. Before our fellow campers had boiled the billy, we’d promptly checked into the nearest hotel where Mrs Yowie had already enjoyed a long hot shower and a flat white.

Like many, Mrs Yowie just doesn’t do traditional camping, but after six months of nagging, I’ve twisted her arm to have a crack at "glamping" on the promise that it’s just like being in an apartment, just without fixed walls. As the yowie mobile splutters along the cycad-lined driveway of Tanja Lagoon Camp just north of Tathra and we catch the first glimpse of our smart-looking safari–style tents perched on raised platforms, my promise seems to have paid off. “Wow – this is my type of camping” she exclaims to our daughters Sarah (6) and Emily (3) as they hang expectantly out of the windows, waving to the owner’s similarly-aged kids running barefoot alongside our car, no doubt hoping they will make good playmates.

Tucked away on a secret slice of freehold, and wedged between Mimosa National Park and Middle (Tanja) Lagoon, we are amongst the first guests to bunk down at this eco-friendly camp.

From the moment we pull up alongside our campsite, we know we’re in for a treat. On the grassy knoll behind, a mob of kangaroos nonchalantly graze and from the deck (yes the tent even has its own deck) through a towering stand of spotted gums, a flock of black swans floats effortlessly on the millpond lagoon. Heck, as if on cue a rainbow appears just beyond the jetty, created by a brief afternoon sun shower. It’s like we’ve entered a heaven on earth; and we haven’t even set foot in our "tent" yet.

While the kids dash off to find the pot of gold with their newfound "besties", owners Sam and Loz who have transformed what was an old dairy farm into a knockout wilderness camp, give us a whirlwind tour of our digs for the next two days. The luxury canvas tents are on a platform milled by local craftsmen from local timber and feature a handcrafted queen size bed – little wonder Mrs Yowie is grinning from ear to ear. But wait there’s more … much more. Just behind the tent and still on our raised platform are two doors. One opens into a sun-filled bathroom with shower and bath and (yes, there’s piping hot running water) and the other leads into a kitchenette with a fridge stacked with our breakfast goodies, including extra creamy Tilba Milk. In keeping with supplying local produce, the coffee and sourdough are straight from the Wild Ryes Bakery and Roaster at nearby Pambula. Oh, and the eggs are low on food miles too – having travelled just 200 metres from the clutch of happily clucking hens we passed on the way in.

While I join Mrs Yowie on the daybed for freshly brewed coffee (with lashings of that creamy milk), we watch as the kids, having given up on their search for the elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow (since replaced by sunny skies), attempt to make a teepee out of the fallen branches. The view from the deck over the lagoon is private and tranquil and as the water is saline, there’s not a mozzie to be seen. As I said, heaven on earth.

However, any thoughts of a relaxing afternoon lazing on the deck (it’s even got one of those cafe-style outdoor gas heaters should it get chilly) spying on the spoonbills on the dam and the pelicans on the lagoon soon vanish when Sarah hears from Amber, Sam and Loz’s daughter about the beach over the hill. Now when a six-year-old knows there’s a beach nearby, god help anyone who tries to stop them getting there.

There are two tracks that lead to the beach and Sarah and I follow the more adventurous one along the edge of the lagoon, past the jetty and into the thick forest. While us landlubbers cavort through a maze of burrawang palms, dodge giant mushrooms and send a lone swap wallaby scampering into the undergrowth, Mrs Yowie and Emily paddle the Canadian canoe (tied up in the lagoon at the end of the each tent). The lagoon is tailor-made for exploring – not too big and not too small, and shallow enough to stand up in most places (which also means the water temp is warm all year) should you topple out.

We make the beach first (Emily and Mrs Yowie are delayed checking-out a sea eagle’s nest on the lagoon’s only island) and start reading Enid Blyton’s Five on a Treasure Island. Sarah is currently obsessed by the Famous Five (I shudder to think what they would think of our "tent") and I thought the beach would make an ideal spot for her daily chapter. But she wants none of it.

“Daddy, daddy, I’ve found a secret beach,” she yelps from around a rocky headland where the only footprints in the sand are of kangaroos. I peer down the coast. Can’t see any sign of civilisation, just a coastline punctuated by honey-coloured headlands and beach after pristine beach. Her very own treasure island.

The track back to the camp, although not yet well-trodden is marked by tiny triangular reflectors every 100 metres or so and Sarah has great delight in following them all the way back, only stopping to admire one of the biggest spotted gums you’ll ever see, which must have somehow escaped the chainsaws of last century’s loggers.

Exhausted from a long day of travel and exploring, after dinner (each tent also comes with a whizz-bang gas barbecue) and the obligatory toasting of marshmallows around the camp fire (there’s a wood pile at the end of each tent), to the sound of nightjars shifting in their roosts, the kids nod off; quickly followed by mum and dad.

Morning breaks early to a cacophony of bird calls. We peel back the canvas to reveal a kaleidoscope of colour. The spotted gums are glowing gold and the army of juncus rushes gently waving in the lagoon a mix of verdant green and burnt orange. Overhead is a bluer than blue sky. Morning is spent exploring closer to the campsite – the kids ride their bikes and learn to skim rocks on the dam and play hide n seek around their half-finished teepee. Meanwhile mum and dad relax on the deck.

Given we are bunking down like Kings and Queens we decide we may as well eat like royalty as well and on our host’s recommendation at about midday we mosey off to Mimosa Winery. Sure they make a nice drop of wine (try their 2009 tempranillo), but it’s their restaurant, housed in an architecturally designed cathedral-like space with polished floorboards, open fireplace and a deck with views to die for, which draws the crowds here. Between serving us lunch, owner Glenn Butson points out the three peaks which dominate the horizon - Mumbulla, Gulaga and Peak Alone. Apparently, this is one of the few places on the south coast where you can see all at once.

Back at Tanja Camp, we work off the three course lunch with another paddle, take one last hike to Sarah’s secret beach (it’s actually called Middle Beach, but don’t tell her that!) and of course, put the finishing touches on the rudimentary teepee.

After our farewells, we stop briefly to stock-up on Tilba Milk (I don’t think I can ever again have coffee without it) and start the long climb up Brown Mountain.

Before we hit Bemboka, all three girls are fast asleep with smiles on their faces. Yes, even Mrs Yowie. Somehow, I get the feeling our days of traditional camping might be over, at least while Tanja Lagoon Camp is around.

FACT FILE

Tanja Lagoon Camp: 142 Haighs Rd, Tanja (a 20 minute-drive north of Tathra), is about a 3.5-hour drive from Canberra. Luxury tented accommodation from $215 – $250 per night based on two adults. Includes breakfast. BBQ hampers and other meals available on request. For most of the year the wilderness camp is exclusively for adults, however children are (very!) welcome in school holidays. Kids swags $30 per stay. From: Ph: 02 6494 0123 or tanjalagooncamp.com.au

Drystone Restaurant @Mimosa Wines: 2845 Bermagui-Tathra Rd (about a 15-minute drive north of Tanja Lagoon Camp). Winter hours: Lunch 12 – 3pm Thursday – Sundays. Live music most Sundays. Bookings essential. Ph: 02 6494 0164 or mimosawines.com.au

Never heard of "glamping"? It’s a form of camping fast increasing in popularity in which participants enjoy physical comforts usually associated with more luxurious types of accommodation.

More: sapphirecoast.com.au

WHERE IN THE SNOWIES?

To mark the official start of the ski season, for the next few weeks I will be testing your observation skills with images from the NSW Snowy Mountains. Good luck!

Clue: Although on the valley floor, hopefully this mum and chick will soon have a dusting of the white stuff on their metallic feathers.

Degree of difficulty: Medium

Last week: Congratulations to Gabby Frizzell, who was first to correctly identify last week’s photo (inset) as a most impressive bushranger guarding the entrance to a property on the Collector Road which connects Tarago to Collector. Thankfully when I stopped to take the photo, the owners of the property didn’t ask that I "stand and deliver".

How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and address to timtheyowieman@bigpond.com. The first email sent after 10am Saturday, June7 with the correct answer wins a double pass to Dendy cinemas.

CONTACT TIM: Email: timtheyowieman@bigpond.com or Twitter: @TimYowie or write to me c/o The Canberra Times 9 Pirie St, Fyshwick.