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hose who know me will say I am not a camper. I am terrified of all things creepy crawlies. My 5yo son has been asking for the longest time if we could go camping. I am guessing after starting school he has heard a lot of his classmates talk about camping.

I wouldn’t have the slightest idea of how to pitch a tent so there I was on a mission to find a place that actually pitches tents for you and all you do is just rock up. I found a few that were too far to go to until i stumbled across a place not too far called Cobb and Co Nine Mile Camping Grounds. So there we were about to experience our first time camping experience but in our case, glamping. In tents but with beds.

On arrival I was amazed at how big this place was. We checked in and they told me to pick a spot I wanted our tent to be. Well being a single mom with two very energetic children, I wanted to be near the playground so they could be using up their energy all the time.

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hey have this beautiful pirate ship where kids can use their imaginations and just go wild really. Around the ship is plenty of space to pitch tents or park caravans. They also have their own already pitched family tents which have verandas with tables. For first time campers like myself and the kids, these were perfect because I didn’t have to worry about how to erect a tent.

At the other end of the grounds is a flying fox and a cubby house for kids to play on. The place is so big it has BMX tracks and they even encourage parents to bring bikes for their kids. The play grounds cater for all age groups as there is another area for those kids that are a bit younger.

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he family that owns this place also have a few goats that children can go and pat and feed. Its a place you can bring your now dogs if you have your own tents or caravans.

I have read a lot of blogs where people worry about toilets and bathrooms. Well with this place you wont have to worry about toilets. There are pretty much everywhere. You don’t even have to wait in line to use one because there is one in almost every 50m of the last one. Our tent was actually less than 50m from the toilet which very convenient with a 2yo who is not yet fully trained and a 5yo who wakes up at night to pee.

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he communal bathrooms are well maintained and hot water, my goodness, there is hot water. Of course because they use tank water, people have to be mindful when showering but I was so happy to be able to have a nice hot shower even when I was meant to be camping. This also helped because every night the kids were filthy from playing and rolling in mud.

They have a whip cracking show where a nice man shows people how to crack whites and other things I never knew one could do with a whip. That was pretty entertaining and the kids loved it. On some days they had horse riding for the kids, tractor rides and carriage rides.

The place is full of history. It is also full of other things to explore like the billabong that is at the other end of the camping grounds. Campers can go swimming and kayaking in the billabong. My little minions love all things water bodies so we just went down to explore but definitely as they get older they will be enjoying swimming in there. I think I even saw a few ropes tied to the trees which I am guessing people used to swing into the water.

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here is a coffee van that comes every morning very early too for those who need their coffee fix before starting their day. We all know that sleeping in a tent is not the best luxury and if you have kids who don’t sleep well and are early risers, then you definitely need a fix of the The Gypsy Grind coffee.

My babies had so much fun camping they want to do it again. We had a campfire at night and I would tell them folk stories that I grew up with. It took me back to when I was growing up and my grandfather would tell us stories while we sat around the camp fire. I guess in a way you could say I may not be a first time camper growing up in Zimbabwe we used to go to the village and there would be no power so fire was what we used. We would use our imaginations when we played. The only difference is we stayed in houses and huts instead of tents.

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e toasted marshmallows and made s’mores. The kids loved it.

They met so many children and I enjoyed seeing them mingle and make friends. Though it was short-lived. The amazing part about this place is that its all families that come here. I even made new friends. I got some camping advice that I would be using on our next camping trip.

Cobb and Co may be my first time camping experience but I recommend it to anyone and everyone really. I am yet to explore other areas but for now I am sold here. Visit their website for more information but definitely give their grounds a go http://www.cobb-and-co-nine-mile-camping-grounds.com. If you are a first time camper then this is the go to place in my opinion.