Hi all,

Easter has come & gone in the batter of an eyelid. We didn't see a lot of people heading off straight away for the annual well earned Easter Break. But the rain stopped, the sun came out & at the last minute...BOOM! off you all toddled for some R & R.  I get asked a bit "Did you get away for Easter!" my answer is always NO unfortunately. Next time you are in the store you should feel sorry for me........it's hard seeing all you excited customers looking forward to some time out. But that's life when your family owns & operates  "Australia's Best Camping Store!!" ha ha.

Easter Competition
Quite a few people have asked who won the giant Easter egg. It was a very humble lady by the name of "Annie Carty." When Annie went in to the draw, she made a deal with the girls here at work that she would share it with them if she won. When Annie won it, she decided that she would donate the egg to charity & because she couldn't share the Giant egg with the girls she gave them a bag of chocolate Easter eggs to eat. Thanks Annie. You are too kind & a wonderful person.....Haven't I got just the best customers in the world! 

3 Piece Set
For all the caravaner's who are heading north this dry season for a few months. Come in & check out this great table & chair combo from Coleman. It's light weight & easy to lift. You can carry the chairs over to your neighbours camp for the daily afternoon happy hour chat & drink.
Being a Coleman product, you are ensured of an instant high quality product that will be backed with an Australian wide guarantee. The best feature for me....(Being a male)...... It has a blow mould plastic top. If you leave it out in the rain one day you can't hurt it. A great product for just $99.99

Winter Comfort
With the colder weather starting to kick in. I thought it would be appropriate to show you a... "What's old, is new again" sleeping bag. I am very excited to see natural fibres (As opposed to synthetic)coming back in to the market place. This bag from Coleman is called the Pilborough. It's made out of a durable cotton outer & comes with a warm, comfy & soft brushed flannelette inner, that makes you want to curl up inside forever. The features are endless: It's a king size sleeping bag, 2 mtrs x 1 mtr in size. Is washing machine washable. The bottom can unzip separately for those of you who love to throw a leg out of bed. Is suited for camping as low 0 degrees Celsius at an extreme rating. And once again... being made by Coleman you have an incredibly high quality product that will deliver what it says it will. Great value at just $89.99

To roll, or not to roll?
Should you roll a sleeping bag to store it or not?  Guess what "NO!" I always get people saying "But that's what I have always done!" The manufacturers have found that if you roll a sleeping bag & store it, your filling starts to get a memory in it & it loses it's warmth (Thickness). When a sleeping bag gets old & thin, the filling doesn't go anywhere. It just loses its loft & memory recall. You should always stuff a sleeping bag in to its stuff sack. Open it in to a blanket & jam away!! If you want your sleeping bag to last even longer, hang it in your closet like a pair of pants........my wife has all the room in our closet, so for us it's impossible....just jokes darl!

Staff Profile
Eeva Reinakinen is one of the most amazing employees we have ever had in the 15 years we have been open as a family business.  Eeva runs our canvas repair business here in store. She can make & repair almost anything you throw at her. She came to Australia in the 80's from Finland & has brought up 2 terrific sons here on the Sunshine Coast. Not only does she work hard, never complain, is never sick etc.... all the great attributes a boss could ask for. Eeva is one of the most honest & beautiful personalities you will ever come across. She keeps us laughing every day with her accent & never does a day go by where she's not up for a chat & a laugh. So if you need a repair done on a tent, canvas awning or even a new set of awning walls made for your caravan annex. Call in & see Eeva. Thanks Eeva.....you are one in a million!!

They're out of my hair...yahoo!
That's right, mum & dad have gone touring! They have headed off to the west for a few months break. They have decided to go south before it gets too cold & after shooting through NSW & visiting family in the Mallee area of Victoria (Where we reside from) they have started to head through SA & on to WA.  Mum mentioned she is having a great time, but the long nights are starting to take their toll. Too many friends & family trying to have too much of a good time catch up. Good on you guys! This photo is of a lake in our hope town Hopetoun Victoria & with the droughts has been empty for years. It's such a good feeling to see it full again. Keep us informed mum & dad!! Drive safe!

Some Changes

 

Don't forget that we have some long weekends coming up. They are a great excuse for packing up the family & heading off. I spoke to John Gavin from Neurum Creek Bush retreat a few days ago & he said that the place looks brilliant. The creeks flowing well, the grass is lush & green (Poor mowers!) & the days are beautiful at the moment. He also mentioned that the nights are getting a little bit cooler & people are really starting to enjoy the night time fire!  Come in & see us for any of your last minute camping gear before you head off. My staff will go out of their way to help you & to offer as much knowledge & information to ensure your next camping trip is as stress free as possible. All that little bit extra Customer Value we can offer. "Enjoy your long weekends!"

Cheers,
Jarrod