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 There's me...Ben. A tradie who has been running his own commercial insulation business for the past 12 years working on large city job sites and focused on the weekend ahead for getaways, kids sports and a cold beer. 

My wife Ali. Previously working in Early Childhood Education but now helping  run the farm, 100 Campfires and Yalbaroo Scenic Rim Retreat. Both Ali and I adore the outdoors. Camping, fishing, beach or bush. Cooking over camp fires and experiencing life with our kids. 

My daughter Sienna – dreams of being a Paramedic, and can find enjoyment both out camping or being all things 'teenage girlish' with her friends. 

My son Noah. A mini me at 12 who like me, would rather be holding a fishing rod than a pen at school and who would rather be exploring a national park than learning about past explorers in a classroom. 

After some round table discussion and budget planning, Ali and I made a life changing decision. 

We knew that in time selling our house was part of the bigger plan to enable us to buy a bigger property with Mum and Ron and make our country escape. With the world in all its craziness and uncertainty right now, Ali and I decided that selling for us would be now…..but then what?

That's where our story started and the journey to our end game began. 

We decided to do what I mentioned at the beginning - take off to anywhere. Somewhere. Get away from it all and escape life to live life. Pack up the house, the kids, the dog and not look back until term 2 of school 2021. With border restrictions in place we aimed to explore QLD, SA and NSW (if allowed). Although we have camped many times before in QLD from the scenic rim to the far north, this time we would be taking notes. What are people loving? What works, what doesn’t? What sort of camp grounds are family focused? What activities are popular? What can make someone’s stay want them coming back again and again? If our end goal was achieved, we could then utilise ideas and experiences on a property of our own one day.   

That day eventuated on April 27, 2021 when we found Yalbaroo at Cainbable, Scenic Rim QLD

 We wanted to share our journey with you. All of it. The big picture stuff. Whether we succeeded or failed, we wanted to share the adventure with anyone who wanted to see where this ended up. Anyone who has ever had the same thought or dream. 

Even if only part of our journey interested you – the selling of the house and packing away ones current life, the road trip, the way we set up our camper and what we learned living in a camping trailer for months, what we did when we got back, the family’s search for a new property, the establishment of a new camping business, the sharing of campfire and family meals and the trials and tribulations of a modern family cohabiting. 

It sounded somewhat complex, but we believed it made for quite a unique story and we were right. Our 100 Campfires Facebook page attracted many followers who seemed to enjoy our daily blog and enjoyed seeing us showcase so many gorgeous finds on our travels.

Now, we hope to meet many of you. At our own campground - 100 Campfires Family Camp Ground, nestled within Yalbaroo Scenic Rim Retreat.