For a city girl I naturally get a little bit freaked out by the idea of spending the weekend away from anywhere that’s not near shopping centres and my favourite local cafes. I guess you could say my natural habitat lies in the big smoke they call Sydney.

 

I’ve been meaning to step out of my comfort zone and try new experiences with my partner. I decided to buy my boyfriend Luke one night’s accommodation at the Paperbark Camp site located down south in Jervis Bay. I have to admit this birthday present was just as much for my enjoyment as it was for him. Typically we enjoy coastal getaways that involved lots of surfing and basking in the sun, so I knew it would be a challenge going bush. How would we go without out power? What would we do other than listen to birds chirping? Will we get bored easily? or will we get attacked by a wild animal? A little dramatic I know, but this trip was almost a bit of a test for our relationship. Could we be present with one another, be creative with our time, and not resort to scrolling through all forms of social media?

 

The answer is Yes. We can, and we did. After checking into our ‘glamping’ tent which had a name- Boobook ( the owl), we were ready to succumb to our environment and really become one with nature. Sounds cliché but it was extremely therapeutic. We took a nice hot bath – which by the way is situated outside of the tent. Imagine looking out into the trees and feeling the crisp cold fresh air on your face whilst you sink your shoulders down below the water level. Absolute bliss right? the perfect start to our big night away from home. As the sun went down we were forced to light candles as there’s no electricity. We rugged up and made our way through the muddy track that led us to the beautiful Gunyah restaurant for dinner. There are only 5 other camping tents on site so everyone staying that weekend would meet at 630pm for what felt like a home cooked family meal shared with strangers.

 

I won’t brag too much about the amazing Paella made right in font of us by the chef, or the copious amounts of delicious red wine we consumed- that would just be rude!

 

A little nervous to walk back to our humble abode through the beaten bush track in the pitch black, our torch showed us the way. As we fumbled through our bags to find the key to unlock the zip attached to the tent, I could feel we had visitors. A medium sized marsupial possum sat on the balcony waiting to introduce him self and potentially take our place in the warm bed. We naturally freaked out, rushed inside and frantically checked the tent for any more animal friends that may want to kiss us goodnight.

 

After the best sleep of our lives, we woke up to pure bliss. Earthy, natural sounds of our surroundings rather than the YouTube rainforest music I sometimes play to help me relax.

 

Well, we clearly survived and I only wish we could of stayed longer. I could get used to the simple life. A truly incredible experience with a unique twist. Paperbark Camp is the perfect base from which to explore this nature lover’s paradise- adult camping style of course.

 

Ok, back to reality we go.. But not before feeding a Kangaroo or two. Don’t believe me – here’s evidence.