Five-star treatment ... a spot of fine dining is part of the service.
The notion of"glamping"- glamorous camping - is one of those trends we've all heard about but it sounds like something you only really do in exotic locales,a luxurious tent on the African plains perhaps,or a semi-permanent eco-tent in the Amazon. So to go"glamping"just south of Sydney,seems,on the face of it,a little cheeky. Can things really be that luxurious so close to home?
After being picked up at our front door early on a Saturday morning,we are heading for Bundeena to begin a coastal walk that hugs the edges of the Royal National Park.
It's a famed track loved by many Sydneysiders but still relatively unexplored by many others (including myself and my husband). But this"camping"experience comes with a difference:our bags are already being taken to our tents,which will be set up when we arrive at our camping site,our raised beds lined with plush linen,with lamps and fresh,soft towels.
We will also be greeted by a massage table overlooking the ocean,then we'll settle down to a four-course meal,prepared on site by a chef. That's not to mention the matching wines.
Glamping? This sounds like paradise. Except there's only one catch. There's no one to carry you to the tent site. You've still got to do the walking part yourself - and it's about 30 kilometres over two days. We have five or six hours of walking on the first day alone but the coastal scenery,with its ragged,rugged cliffs and endless ocean views,instantly takes our mind off the task.
Setting off in a group of six,we quickly get into the same stride as the guide - which is a strong,purposeful pace. It doesn't change too much over two days - the consistent pace,that is - whether we are going uphill,downhill or along soft sand. Despite those moments when our calf muscles are tightening and the promised waterholes seem a bit too far away,the true reward of this trip emerges from the walking itself;the sheer invigoration of traversing this varied and often spectacular landscape.
There are also plenty of stops along the way. The first is within minutes of our departure,when we duck through the scrub to look at the Aboriginal rock carvings near Jibbon Beach. There is a large stingray etched into the rocks,the faint outline of a whale,plus a collection of engravings including a male figure. It seems astonishing when our guide tells us this area has no government protection or funding. The artworks are simply fading with time.
The"official"coast track begins just after the carvings and it carries on through varied segments,with some parts of the track on natural rock,others on chipped wood,some rocky gravel and,of course,occasional tracts of sand.