Camping by Booloumba Creek and Falls courtesy Tourism Queeensland
"Where's Kenilworth?" you might ask. Well, head inland along winding roads from the Sunshine Coast towns of Eumundi or Maleny and you'll find yourself amongst the forest and dairy farms of the area.
Only about 300 people are lucky enough to call lush Kenilworth their home, but hundreds more can call it their hidden hinterland holiday spot. The camping at Kenilworth is fantastic and very popular with city folk looking for a place close enough to head to for a (long) weekend or short break. It's about a two hour drive to Kenilworth from Brisbane.
The Kenilworth State Forest is close to the town and there are two camping sites, Booloumba Creek and Charlie Moreland. The majority of Booloumba Creek is reserved for tents only, with one area away from the creek open to caravans and camper trailers. But it's beside the creek that the fun really starts.
Booloumba Creek is quite shallow, clear and cold. It's wonderful to show the kids the lost art of skipping rocks or let them safely paddle in the water for hours. Some campsites are right next to the water, while others are tucked into the shady forest.
Charlie Moreland is a larger, more open campsite, available to trailers, vans and tents. It is part of the State Forest so pets are not allowed but horseriding is. Bushwalkers will enjoy the range of tracks starting from the Booloumba camp area. After it reopens (expected in January 2009) it's worth walking to the Mount Allen fire tower for great views. You can download a map of parks and forests in the the Kenilworth area from the EPA website.
Access to the camps is across creeks and if you don't have a 4WD and the creek is up thanks to rain, it can be a close call. Sometimes the road is closed due to flooding. After all, this is the region where the Traveston Dam will be built and rain is not a rare event.
Whilst camping, it's fun to take a trip into the Kenilworth township. The main street has everything that most original country towns had - a pub, post office, bakery and butcher. Being in the 21st century, Kenilworth also has a café that serves a good latte. And you'd expect the milk to be fresh, this being dairy country. There's also Lasting Impressions, the regional art gallery which exhibits a changing schedule of established Queensland artists.
And no visit to Kenilworth would be complete without going to the increasingly well-known Kenilworth Cheese Factory. Yes, you might have bought their products from the big city stores but here's your chance to taste test the many cheese varieties made on the premises, using milk from local cows. It's good to see a regional, small food producer doing so well. Free tastings every day.
Somehow, without being too much further to drive, Kenilworth feels a lot more remote than the neighbouring, hinterland towns of Maleny or Eumundi. The dairy farms are dotted with cows, the forests are deep and thick, and the town is still very much about farming and the land, rather than tourism. But there are a growing number of bed and breakfast options, farm homestead places and more so it seems inevitable that Kenilworth's charms will not be hidden forever.
