Trip Journal - Wheeny Creek Campground - Wollemi National Park NSW

It was a fantastic time of year for 3 days away at the gorgeous Wheeny Creek Campground in Wollemi National Park. This National Park covers a large area of the Blue Mountains and beyond and was ravaged by fire last summer. Wollemi is our favourite Park and it's home to the amazing Wollemi Pine! Just a short drive from the city and you arrive in a shady valley surrounded by gum trees and a creek bubbling over the road.

There are many huge eucalypts dotting the campgrounds and large grassy campsites and shady picnic areas by the creek.

                          

The kids had a climb across the rocks next to the causeway and a more than willing 4WD happened to cross just as they were in the middle... Splashing the lot of them! We have camped here many times and it one of our family favourite spots to head for a weekend trip. Campsites are just a few steps from the car and there are toilets at either end of the park. The creek is accessible directly from most of the campsites and there are plenty of picnic benches and fire pits to choose from. 

We think we found the biggest tree in the campground!

Cady, AJ, Shelby, Cooper, and Jaxon hanging out in the tree roots

It's predicted perfect 22C weather all 3 days with little chance of rain. So we are prepped for some sunshine and a lot of water playing! Although the water temperature felt somewhere just above freezing. It rained a little the first night, just as we all got into our sleeping bags it began sprinkling and lulled us off to sleep.

Gear Prep

We took the big 10 man - 3 room tent as there were 6 of us this time. Having the 3 rooms is great for keeping everyone cozy and still gives us space to store everything in the main room. The main room has front and back doors and both doors can be opened into awnings to give us even more shelter when we need it.

The Trip

After setting up camp we took to the river bank for a game of frisbee! If you want to check out some of the cool action shots we got you can watch the video below!

Shelby's frisbee stance

Cooper didn't make the catch but it looked fantastic!

The first day was over in no time and everyone slept reasonably ok for once. The next morning Jaxon and I were up early for a long walk. There is a trail that heads off along the left bank that we usually wander down. This time it was over-grown and covered in debris. But we trekked it anyway!

The surface is a perfect mirror!

Turns out I was colder than the kids...

We found our own private island

Then had a battle over the island

Cooper built a cosy fire to keep us warm

The rope swing was the real highlight of the day

The kids spent a crazy amount of time playing Hide-and-Seek around Cheese Tree campground and you could hear them rustling and cooeeing up and down the riverbank until dusk each night.

Shelby was sifting sand and sorting the rocks

I am that mean parent who won't let my kids take ANYTHING from National Parks. We don't touch the plants and leave everything how we found it. Often we will collect other people's rubbish on our way out of camp, on top of our own! We take extra photos of things we see, rather than take the things and make sure we stick to the paths. 

Wheeny Creek is a stunning little gully

We didn't take much sleeping gear other than a few air mattresses and a sleeping bag each. We were supposed to grab a pillow but some of us forgot them... oh well! We bought along a two-burner gas campstove and a cast iron skillet since we planned an easy menu for this trip. Hot dogs, mini hamburgers and street tacos. Three of our favourite camping meals. We rounded this out with breakfasts and snacks and some extra bread rolls. There is no drinking water at Wheeny Creek so we bought a water carrier to keep us well supplied.

The water was creating stunning reflections of the sky

We did basic camp things like reading books, boiling the kettle for more tea, and listening to music while we cooked dinner on the camp stove. It's lovely sitting around the fire together and having a chat after dinner while we cook marshmallows too! We listened to the birds and checked out all the tall trees and the little ferns and native violets blooming all over the ground. 

Stopped for a quick selfie with mum

We are always sad to say goodbye to Wheeny Creek, but it's so close to home we can go back again any time! We have spent many nights there with and without kids and I have spent a few alone and it is always an amazing place to wake up in the morning. Watching the sun come up over the ridge and seeing the mist lift off the water through the trees is something I will never get tired of...