Gramping in the Grampians – Planning a Campout

Sunset with green tent

This is a sponsored post by Aerogard & Mortein

I bet you’ve heard of camping, maybe even ‘Glamping’, but Gramping? Yes it was new to me too. Gramping is camping with grandparents, three generations of family having fun in the great outdoors.
We are Grampers from a long way back, Emma’s Nan and Pop love hitting the road and are no strangers to pitching a tent, but it’s become such a trend that there is now a Gramping Association.

I love the idea of Gramping, it’s the perfect opportunity to have a break and enjoy some family time together, and I’m not alone. A recent survey, conducted on behalf of the Gramping Association, shows that more than 8 million Australian adults would like to go Gramping.

We were invited to plan a ‘Grampout’, and I can’t even begin to tell you how excited both Emma and her Nan were. All Emma could talk about was sleeping in a tent and roasting marshmallows over a fire for weeks! My in-laws live far away, and conveniently near the Grampians, so of course it was a great excuse to spend time together.

CAMPING CHECKLIST

The Gramping Association website has some great information and printable checklists to help with packing, delicious camping friendly recipes and because the site has been made possible through the support of Aerogard and Mortein, there are “Top tips for Mozzie Free Outdoor Fun” too.

Getting ready for our Grampout was half the fun, everyone pitched in to make sure we were well prepared. Emma was in charge of the checklists!

After a big shopping trip for lots of marshmallows and other tasty treats, we gathered all the camping gear to make sure it was clean and in good repair. Nothing worse than a leaky tent!

insect repellant

I’m not a fan of mozzies, so deciding which Aerogard and Mortein products to use was a priority. We had a few to choose from but settled on:
Aerogard Odourless Protection: A low irritant formula suitable for kids over 12 months, and people like me that have lots of allergies to strong fragrances.
Mortein Citronella Candle Outdoor: which contains natural Citronella to repel those pesky mozzies.

We decided to camp on a private property (with permission of course) as we wanted to have an open fire to cook on and tell stories around. Because western Victoria is a high fire danger zone at the moment, we had to meet very stringent regulations to be allowed to have a campfire at all.

My mother in law contacted all the local fire authorities to make sure we were meeting the stringent restrictions for making our campfire. We also registered with the CFA, to keep them in the loop just in case someone reported seeing smoke. Emma’s Pop has battled bush fires in the past so fire safety is not something we take lightly.

“If you plan on having a campfire, check with your local fire authority ahead of time for restrictions in your area”

loading ute for camping

With the ute loaded it was time to get the food ready. Planning each meal is important as popping to the shop isn’t an option when you are camping out.

The meal plan was as follows:
Afternoon tea: S’mores and Billy Tea
Dinner: Roast Beef, coleslaw and Damper
Desert: Roasted Bananas with caramel sauce
Breakfast: Bacon and Eggs with Toast and Billy Tea

kid cooking

mixing flour for bread

We made Damper on a stick with this recipe. To save time we measured and premixed all the dry ingredients in a sealable container, it’s easy to transport and you just add the wet ingredients when you are ready.

Everything was ready and it was time to hit the road… Stay tuned for my next post about our experience Gramping in the Grampians.

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