A STRADDIE CAMPING ADVENTURE

There is a saying about North Stradbroke Island — “Where a trip becomes a tradition” — which rings true for our family.

After our first family camping trip on Straddie, we can’t wait to get back.

We booked our adventure months in advance, reserving two tent sites side by side at Amity Point campground.

Our two boys, aged 4 and 8, were bursting with excitement.

Joining us on the trip were good friends who also have two sons (almost exactly the same age as ours).

As this was our first family camping experience, we hired the complete tent set-up from Stradbroke 4WD Tours and Camping Holidays and the owner, Paul Mergler, was busy putting up the tents when we arrived.

We had one large family tent and two smaller two to three-man tents, along with a large living area made up of two 3m x 3m gazebos.

Also included were LED lighting, camp chairs, an esky, bedding, gas stove, pots, pans, plates and cutlery — we only brought sleeping bags, bikes, clothes and food.

The great thing about hiring the tents, was packing the cars and checking out on the final day after breakfast with no tents to pack up.

The journey to Straddie was super easy (the ferry trip is only 45 minutes) and our adventure began as soon as we set foot ashore.

Amity Point campground is known for being family friendly and it was — the check-in was friendly and efficient, our camp site was beachfront (though sheltered by being on the bay-side of the island), and it has a real family feel.

The kids roamed relatively freely; they jumped on their bikes and joined the other kids riding around the camp.

The facilities were first class, always kept clean and tidy and it never felt overcrowded even during the busy September holidays.

The days were spent playing at the various playgrounds at the camping ground and on the beach, going for walks along the jetty to look for the resident dolphin (we saw him once), and riding around on bicycles.

Day trips to Point Lookout and Cylinder Beach are amazing and the kids loved the trip to Brown Lake.

There is so much to do on Straddie, we only scratched the surface.

It was the most amazing, relaxing holiday, and we can’t wait to go back for more.