There's nothing like a warm night under the stars — right up until the mozzies find you. In an Australian summer, biting insects aren't just annoying. Mosquitoes, sandflies (midges) and march flies can wreck your sleep, leave you itching for days, and in some regions carry real health risks. The good news: with a few simple habits and the right gear, you can spend your evenings relaxing instead of swatting. Here's how to keep mosquitoes away while camping, built around how we actually camp in Australia — hot nights, humid bushland, coastal flats and all. Why mozzies love a campsite Mosquitoes are drawn to three things: still water, body heat and the carbon dioxide you breathe out. A campsite near...

There's a rite of passage with hammock camping, and almost everyone goes through it once. You hang the hammock, climb in, drift off feeling cosy in your sleeping bag — and wake up a few hours later with a freezing cold backside, wondering what went wrong. Welcome to cold butt syndrome (yes, that's the actual name campers use, sometimes shortened to CBS). The good news: it's completely avoidable. Once you understand why a hammock gets cold underneath you, staying warm is straightforward and cheap. Here's how to do it. Why you get cold underneath in a hammock In a tent, you've got a sleeping mat between you and the ground, and the ground itself holds some heat. In a hammock,...

It's the first question almost everyone asks before they try it: is sleeping in a hammock actually comfortable, or is it a novelty you regret at 2am? Fair question. A hammock looks like it should fold you in half like a banana, so the worry about your back is completely understandable. Here's the honest answer: a hammock can be more comfortable than a tent on the ground — but only if you set it up and lie in it the right way. Most people who say "hammocks killed my back" were lying in one the wrong way, or strung it up like a tightrope. Get the basics right and a lot of campers never go back to a sleeping mat...

It's one of the oldest debates in camping: hammock or tent? Both will get you a night under the stars, but they camp very differently — and the right pick depends on where you go, what you carry and how you like to sleep. This is an honest run-through of the trade-offs, with Australian conditions in mind, so you can choose with your eyes open. No winner is being declared here — a hammock is brilliant for some trips and the wrong call for others. Here's how they stack up. The quick verdict Choose a hammock if you camp in forest or bush with trees around, want to travel light, and value an easy, off-the-ground sleep. Choose a tent if...