Aussie Vanlife - Watagans State Forest and National Park
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- Опубликовано: 11 июл 2024
- After breaking free from the confines of suburban like (it had been 4 days in a house!!), I headed out to the Watagans Nation Park (or is it a State Forest?), located just inland of the Pacific Highway, about 40 min from Newcastle.
First stop was Heaton Lookout where I cooked lunch, but enjoyed the spot so much, I just stayed there. The lookout is over 400m above sea level and has amazing views over Lake Maquarie and out to the ocean.
Day 2 was a bike ride day and fortunately there is the Awaba Mountain Bike Park at the entrance to the National Park. It was my first time riding at this park and even thought it is quite small, the trails are excellent fun.
Day 3 saw me go deeper into the forest and after spending the night not far from The Pines Picnic Area, I too the Abbott's Falls walking track down to the falls. This is a hard walk with a single rope climb through a rocky crag, but well worth the effort as the valley where the falls are located is incredibly beautiful.
Keep an ear open for some of my vanlifer tips, recommendations and general experiences throughout the video.
About me:
My name's Jason. I worked as Mechanical Engineer until mid 2023 when I was made redundant. Never one to miss an opportunity to have more fun in my life, I decided to move out of my house and started living full time in my self converted Ford Transit campervan. I pass my days mountain biking, bush walking and generally exploring the beautiful natural attractions that Australia has to offer.
Solo Fulltime Vanlife vlog
Chapters:
0:00 Drive to the Park
1:37 Heaton Lookout
2:29 Cooking Lunch
3:13 Walk to Heaton Picnic Area
3:55 Drive to Lookout Point
5:16 Back at Heaton Lookout
6:29 Sunset
8:12 Good Morning
9:49 Awaba Mountain Bike Park
14:00 Drive to The Pines
16:03 Camp spot for the night
17:28 Morning again
18:17 The Pine Picnic Area
18:47 Abbot's Falls Walking Track
21:46 Descent into Abbot's Falls
26:06 Little John's Tree Frog Trail
26:34 The Pines Camping Area
Well Done Using your precious water to put the abandoned fire pit out, 👍🏻👍🏻. 🙋🏻♀️🇦🇺🙏🏻 OK some very adventurous bike riding, walking, and climbing going on, what a stunning location- Thanks for sharing 👍🏻
Yeah, really enjoyed those few days!
Actually there was a water tank at the picnic area, which (a) saved my water and (b) makes it even worse that someone couldn't put out their own fire...🙄
Thanks for taking us on your mountain bike ride - sorry it wasn't quite as an enjoyable challenge for you as it was for me. I doubt I'd find it as much fun if I was actually doing it as I am not familiar with riding a bike on those type of trails but, vicariously through your camera, it is/was great - even better than your slightly less challenging rides which are also great fun. So glad you made the decision to enjoy your life and even gladder you are sharing these beautiful places. 👍👍
Thank you very much, Allie. Really happy you enjoy seeing thIs sort of stuff. I worry about keeping the content of these videos interesting, so it's really helpful to get this kind of feedback. Very much appreciated 😊
During winter I use a -10° double size sleeping bag unzipped and put it underneath me and over the doona. Been doing it for a few years now and gets me through winter and haven't had to use the 12v electric blanket since.
Sounds good. I actually only use the lightest doona I could buy as I get very hot in the night. I still prefer to chase the warmer weather 😂
@@MakingStuffGoingPlaces I wish I could chase the warm weather but with work commitments I'm stuck free camping around Newcastle most of the time and just shoot away for weekends. But still love watching the vids and so glad I found your channel
Thanks mate!
I've been in Newcastle for the last several days....really like it there and very popular with us van people 😂
After living in Geelong for 25 years, Newcastle IS the warm weather!!
Another lovely spot. Nice lookout, palms and waterfall. That rope climb down! Must admit I get a bit giddy on your MTB rides but love them haha.
😂 yeah, some of the riding footage can give you motion sickness.
Love the videos mate. You should go to Oberon when it snows
I'd love to see it, but I'm just not suited for cold weather! 😁
Another great video Jason. Terrific footage as well as the scenes that had tripod like stability. The bike camera footage is excellent. It was also good to hear you talk about your reason/s for getting out and into Vanlife. Being in your fifties and doing it while you can. A good age to break away from the grind of work and enjoy your life for sure. Thanks and cheers, Sean.
Thanks Sean. I always appreciate your thoughtful comments and feedback. ☺️
@@MakingStuffGoingPlaces You're welcome Jason. 🚐🚐👍
The bike ride was nice through all the ferns and rainforest 😊
But the walk to the waterfall was the highlight for me , absolutely stunning scenery, so pretty. Thanks for sharing 😁
Yeah, that section of valley around the waterfall was amazing!
You're overhead wire baskets held up well over the rough roads.
😂 once I put the bigger magnetic catches on them they've been fine, but the first catches were too small.
Actually, I think that's a spoiler for a future video!😁
Enjoy watching your videos and all the beautiful places you go. Just curious if it was you my husband and i saw at the club at Old Bar not long ago. this man looked like you but i thought it might be some one who looked similar. Looking forward to your next video.
Thanks Susan, glad you're enjoying them!
No, I haven't been up to Old Bar yet. Must have been some other good looking bloke 😂
If travelling North I think you would love Hawks Nest and Seal Rocks!
Absolutely! I've stopped in at Seal Rocks a few years ago, but would like to take a bit more time to look around. Hopefully soon. 😁
I love the bushwalks through the forest and waterfalls and spotting fungi. Thank you for sharing. I can no longer do forest walks so I get to experience it while in my armchair.
Always a pleasure, Wendy. Plenty more to come ☺️
Thank you SO much for the fungi shots 🤩. And the waterfalls. And the mossy rocks. I love all of it, and look forward to every new video. Living vicariously through your adventures until I can get a van of my own.
Glad you enjoyed it!
There was a lot more variety of fungi there, compared to other spots I've been. Just a shame my camera gear isn't good at close up shots.
Love watching your adventures as everyone here does the mtb riding is great but I'm way too old and know how things hurt nowdays so I'll just watch you doing it lol...... whenever i watch your adventures though i always wonder if you carry a personal epirb .....i hope so.... also I'm trying to guess your previous occupation..... let's start with....pilot
Thanks Carol. I don't currently have an EPIRB, but am considering it as I start to do longer and more remote hikes and bikes. Most places I've been so far are fairly well trodden.
As for my profession....there's a little info in the video description 😉
That was my second guess......hahahahahaha
😂 and yes, I worked a Ford, hence the Ford Transit campervan.
Thanks for showing us around, great spot for a refreshing winter swim 🥶
😂 I didn't even test the water...it was a given that it would be freezing!
And the fallen tree just below the surface was kind of creeping me out 😁
Beautiful part of the world. Good of you to extinguish that fire left as well.
It certainly is beautiful there. Combined with the MTB Park, I'll have to make that one of my go to destinations 😁
Nice choice of pillow cases 😂. I bought a mountain ebike a year ago, and I've been loving it. Looks like there's some nice tracks down where you are.
I'll keep expanding my collection of blue gear 😂
They're fun trails in Awaba and suitable for most skill levels too. Definitely worth a go if you're in the area.
I really enjoy your videos and look forward to each new episode. Haha, Mr. Blue, you’re The Blue Wiggle to me! 😆
Thanks Julia, though I think the Blue wiggle can dance better than me 😂
Blues Clues 😂
Spectacular location 🌿
😂 funny how everything I own is blue, but I really love the green in nature.....wonder if I'd like it more if it was blue 😂
Another good episode, and fantastic MTB riding. If you don't have a few "whoops" moments when riding, you're not trying hard enough, I'd say. 😁 And I too find it extremely frustrating when people have no idea and/or just don't care about camping/picnic etiquette. Plenty of times when I arrive at a campground, the first thing I do is pick up other people's rubbish left behind.
Thanks mate. It's a great spot out there. Thanks for the recommendation.
It actually surprised me how little rubbish there was out there. Good to see they provide bins which I think helps a lot.
Waterfalls rocks nice nice nice
Always a good combination! ☺️
Great video! I see what you meant about the track to Abbotts falls being complicated. I’m glad I got to see it through your eyes because it’s definitely beyond my capabilities lol 😂
The plant life out there looks spectacular! The pines camp area is where I just camped in April.
I hate irresponsible campers that leave fires & rubbish & stuff too.
I love that you coordinate with the blue, I do the same thing with pink lol
Thanks Sally. The falls walk was definitely tough, and the rock chute wasn't the worst part! Glad you enjoyed seeing it and happy to have bumped in to you this morning! 😊
1 Celsius in van in Castlemaine Vic area this morning. I was warm enough. Just thought I’d comment for anyone wanting to van camp in winter in a much simpler (cheaper 😜) set up than yours. I have good insulation, thick curtain window coverings and a Mr Heater buddy on for about 10 mins before bed and first thing in the morning. You do have dress warmly though.
What’s the consensus on driving corrugations - really slow or fast? Either way feels hard on the van. Thanks for the vid! 🥰
Thanks for sharing Deb, good info.
Corrugated roads....I go slow. You can go fast and get over the harsh bumping, but it then vibrates at a higher rate. Plus it becomes a lot harder to stop if you see a big pothole...that's the biggest reason to go slow for me. When the van is running fully loaded, you don't want to be smashing the suspension through bumps at high speed.
Have you or will you be camping in the snow? My daughter and I want to try car camping and will be doing it at Oberon as soon as we get snow there. Any tips on how to keep the car warm inside during the night? Unless I sell my house, car camping is the closest I’m going to get to van life camping 😅
Snow is way too cold for me! I'm a warm climate person,so definitely not going to the snow.
Car camping in the cold will be interesting. Cars aren't insulated, so it will cool down very quickly. I think your best bet is to take lots of quilts, and maybe sleeping bags, but that depends on whether you want to buy new gear for an odd trip. I'm not much help, I'm afraid ☺️