Join Club 4X4’s Customer Hub team as they visit Kenilworth for awesome food and good company in the great outdoors.

If you’re reading this, you likely love a campfire as much as we do. Big trips may be few and far between for most, but there’s something special about the flickering glow of a campfire that acts like a battery charger for the soul, even if it’s just for a night or two before heading back to the real world.

With a busy but successful first half of 2022 behind us and the push to end of financial year all but finalised, our Club 4X4 Customer Hub team in Maroochydore, Queensland felt that it was time to celebrate their hard work as a team by treating themselves to a night away in the great outdoors.

As one of our Sales & Service Agent who is a particularly keen camper, Daniel took the initiative to set a date and organise the trip. There’s no shortage of stunning spots that are a short drive from the Sunshine Coast but after throwing around a few options, it was decided to head inland for an hour or so to reach Kenilworth.

Being so close to home with large, open, pet-friendly camp areas and relatively easy access for those between 4X4s at the moment, many were eager to bring partners and kids along, which made camp a humming hive of activity between 35 people and a few pooches joining the pack too.

The plan was simple; get there early, turn off the phones, set up a base of operations, get a campfire going and then prepare for a hot feast with some cold beverages while kicking back to absorb the beautiful surroundings and great company.

There were plenty of activities to fill the afternoon and night, with the kiddies competing in a scavenger hunt while the adults enjoyed a trivia session led by one of our Underwriters, Sam. There were even a few fun awards, with Cody, a Team Leader that you can see in the background of the photo above, winning the ‘Camp Brewer’ award as the one who was… ahh… the most eager to crack a couple of coldies.

For some, this was their first camping trip and a great opportunity to put their new gear to use. One of our Sales & Service Agents Georgia brought along a brand new swag to christen… and nothing else, earning her the ‘Bare Bones’ award. Luckily there was plenty of camping gear to go around, including the dark blue bowl and chair that you can see Georgia borrowing in the background of the image above.

On the other hand, veterans like our Head of Service, Grant, chose to flex their full setups. Grant brought along a camper trailer with more cooking equipment than most had in their kitchens at home, which saw him cop a bit of flack as the winner of both the ‘Glampa’ and ‘All the Gear and No Idea’ awards. In the image above you, can see Grant with one of his sons Ross, who tagged along for the trip.

Grant’s other son, Cameron, recently joined the team as a Sales Agent and this father-and-son duo proudly represented their South African heritage by cooking up some serious slabs of meet over the open fire, earning Elliot the ‘Gor-Met Chef’ award.

As the sun set on a stunning day of clear skies, the temperature dropped and it got REALLY cold, but luckily the fire was blazing by then with watering mouths crowded around it, ready to dig in to the delicious spread. Everyone brought dishes and snacks to share, embracing different cultural backgrounds and the mutual camping culture of chipping in to make sure that everyone is having a good time.

As with most camping trips, there was plenty of leftover food to be taken home. One dish that didn’t last long though as a resounding crowd favourite was the delicious chicken Malai kebabs cooked over coals by Sweety, one of our Underwriters, and her husband, Basil.

Speaking of having a good time, we can’t forget our Service Agent Rowan who whipped out his guitar to sing and strum away into the night. Rowan’s quite a talented bloke, scattering a few of his own songs into a mix of rock and folk classics, which really set the campfire mood.

While there wasn’t an official prize for it, another shout out goes to Cody for being the one who struggled the most with setting up a swag or tent but also the first to snuggle up for the night. No one could blame him though; it’s pretty hard to resist a cosy swag as arguably one of the best ways to sleep outdoors, or at least that’s what die-hard swaggers will tell you!

After plenty of laughs and a night under the stars, the sun rose on Sunday morning and it was time to head home to the Sunshine Coast, but not without a quick dose of delicious coffee from McGinn’s of Kenilworth.

Some also stopped in at the nearly 100-year-old Kenilworth Bakery, which is World Heritage listed and famous for its monstrous sweet and savoury treats, namely their 1kg doughnuts. There are some great murals to check out there too and the team agreed with Arnie that they’ll definitely be back!