Venue: Mount Franklin Campground
Address: Midland Hwy, 13km north of Daylesford
Phone: N/A
Link: http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/hepburn-r.p/things-to-do/mt-franklin-reserve
Date Visited: 20/2/15-22/2/15
Visitors: 2 adults, 3kids
Rate: Free
Review:
The Marshians’ first attempt at “Off-grid” camping, and we decided to try out the volcanic crater of Mt Franklin as a testing ground. At under an hour from our house, I’m staggered that I’ve never been here before, either for camping or for day trips.
A beautifully secluded place, the camp ground is located in the floor of the crater of an extinct volcano, which provides not only shelter but a feeling of isolation and seclusion. Took me back to the John Marsden books I used to read…
Facilities, as you’d expect are limited to long drop dunnies, fire pits and a small amount of tank water which can be used for washing hands after attending aforemention ammenties. The dunnies were quite stinky (as they are) and could do with a sweep and de-cobweb, but they meet the needs of those who call on it…
This is basically a “bring it with you” kind of place. It is also importantly a “take it with you” kind of place, something I noticed most people had adhered to when we left at Sunday lunch.
Sites are numerous and not really marked out, so even the biggest of vans could find some space. It is a first come first served kind of thing, and I suspect on long weekends or school holidays this could get quite crowded. On our weekend it was reasonably quiet, although due to the natural amphitheater sound can bounce around a bit. A noisy party (as we had on Friday night) can bring the tranquility crashing to its knees.
Still, I loved the joint. If it had a small fishing hole, it’d be nigh on perfect.
Not a heap of things to do, but the walk up and then around the crater rim was enjoyed by the kids, and the ability to have campfires in the designated areas (no Tekno Barrel again…) was really nice. If you have kids, bring what you need to keep them entertained. For a short trip we survived with the 3 B’s. Bikes, balls and books.
This is basically a spot for short stays or somewhere to go read a book/paper under a tree without the noise, clutter and chaos of normal life. You still have phone reception so those who live by 3G can still get their daily fix if so desired. The Grey Nomads certainly knew about it though, as a plague of them rolled in on Saturday afternoon, and rolled out early Sunday. Such a weird herd they are…
But they were non-intrusive and hardly heard a peep out of them.
We really loved this spot on many fronts, and is perfect for those impromptu “nothing on this weekend” kind of trips.
Mrs Smergs and I were discussing last night how much we loved it. A sign of a good holiday is getting back and not feeling like you need another break to recover from the effort it took to undertake it.
Do yourself a favour, grab your poison of choice, some firewood, some mates and get out there for a night or two. You can thank me when you get back.
Staff: N/A
Location: 10/10 (relative to the Marsh)
Facilities 6/10
Price: 10/10
Overall: 9/10
Address: Midland Hwy, 13km north of Daylesford
Phone: N/A
Link: http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/hepburn-r.p/things-to-do/mt-franklin-reserve
Date Visited: 20/2/15-22/2/15
Visitors: 2 adults, 3kids
Rate: Free
Review:
The Marshians’ first attempt at “Off-grid” camping, and we decided to try out the volcanic crater of Mt Franklin as a testing ground. At under an hour from our house, I’m staggered that I’ve never been here before, either for camping or for day trips.
A beautifully secluded place, the camp ground is located in the floor of the crater of an extinct volcano, which provides not only shelter but a feeling of isolation and seclusion. Took me back to the John Marsden books I used to read…
Facilities, as you’d expect are limited to long drop dunnies, fire pits and a small amount of tank water which can be used for washing hands after attending aforemention ammenties. The dunnies were quite stinky (as they are) and could do with a sweep and de-cobweb, but they meet the needs of those who call on it…
This is basically a “bring it with you” kind of place. It is also importantly a “take it with you” kind of place, something I noticed most people had adhered to when we left at Sunday lunch.
Sites are numerous and not really marked out, so even the biggest of vans could find some space. It is a first come first served kind of thing, and I suspect on long weekends or school holidays this could get quite crowded. On our weekend it was reasonably quiet, although due to the natural amphitheater sound can bounce around a bit. A noisy party (as we had on Friday night) can bring the tranquility crashing to its knees.
Still, I loved the joint. If it had a small fishing hole, it’d be nigh on perfect.
Not a heap of things to do, but the walk up and then around the crater rim was enjoyed by the kids, and the ability to have campfires in the designated areas (no Tekno Barrel again…) was really nice. If you have kids, bring what you need to keep them entertained. For a short trip we survived with the 3 B’s. Bikes, balls and books.
This is basically a spot for short stays or somewhere to go read a book/paper under a tree without the noise, clutter and chaos of normal life. You still have phone reception so those who live by 3G can still get their daily fix if so desired. The Grey Nomads certainly knew about it though, as a plague of them rolled in on Saturday afternoon, and rolled out early Sunday. Such a weird herd they are…
But they were non-intrusive and hardly heard a peep out of them.We really loved this spot on many fronts, and is perfect for those impromptu “nothing on this weekend” kind of trips.
Mrs Smergs and I were discussing last night how much we loved it. A sign of a good holiday is getting back and not feeling like you need another break to recover from the effort it took to undertake it.
Do yourself a favour, grab your poison of choice, some firewood, some mates and get out there for a night or two. You can thank me when you get back.
Staff: N/A
Location: 10/10 (relative to the Marsh)
Facilities 6/10
Price: 10/10
Overall: 9/10
