We love our resorts and we love our B&Bs, but some of us love nothing better than camping by the beach at Christmas. Alistair Sutton looks at the hottest spots to try.

There is nothing more relaxing than heading off to escape the daily grind of our fast paced lives. Camping offers a very affordable back to basics holiday experience compared to other holiday accommodation.

    A camping holiday offers more opportunities to accessorize than a Prada catalogue, as my boyfriend and I learnt the few times we ventured out with our tent, camp oven (no pun intended) and voluminous bedding. Packing light is never an option. Still we managed to forget something. Did you bring the can opener darling?

    There are still some camping sites in close proximity to the beach, bastions against encroaching property development. In easy reach of BrisVegas there is Fraser Island with its pristine beaches and laid back atmosphere. Fraser retains the feel of a simpler time, yet is only a short ferry ride away.

    Byron Bay (see November’s travel feature) remains a favourite with gay and lesbian travellers. Byron has fantastic camping grounds adjacent to the beach and you can always duck into town to have a beer at the pub or leer at the surfies.

    South West Rock, south of Coff’s Harbour, offers a quieter holiday experience, but is worth the drive. There are some excellent camping facilities by the water and historic Trail Bay Gaol, a striking ruin from our convict past.

    The Sunshine Coast has numerous sites, some near the beach although many of the old beach sites are no more. Un-powered tent sites remain the cheapest option for the prospective camper, and sometimes they can be the only thing available. Most camping grounds offer onsite cabins or caravans of varying standards.

    Further up the coast at Mission Beach there are great camping sites on offer, and you might even run into a cassowary. One of these huge birds took a great interest in our inept attempts to put up our tent before retreating in disgust to the adjoining rainforest.

    If you make it to this beautiful area, a day trip to Dunk Island on one of the water taxis is well worth being sprayed by salt water for ten minutes. The island is traversed by nature tracks which take you to secluded bays, inlets and uninhabited beaches. You might even be tempted to take a quick skinny dip. Resist that temptation. During the summer months swimming is inadvisable due to the box jelly fish.

    South of Cairns is Bramston Beach, which features a large waterfront site run by the Council. There are no onsite cabins. The facilities are clean but basic. The location is worth a million.

    Ellis Beach, north of Cairns, remains my favourite camp site where the beach is right at your tent site, bordered by coconut trees, which thankfully the management prune before any coconuts can thump you during the night.

    The park also has luxurious fully self contained cabins if you are feeling indulgent. These come complete with their own decks and work out at a fraction of the cost of nearby resorts.

    Any final tips? Check all your equipment before you leave and take at least two full fuel cylinders. Two are essential as we discovered when we went to cook dinner with one and realized we’d have to cook by torchlight.

    Remember, if you have a light on inside your tent at night anything you do will be in silhouette from outside. The possibilities are endless.

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