Every time winter comes around the east coast of Australia erupts in shrill indignation, but the tantrum is half the turbulence … Winter is, in fact, an awesome time to pitch a tent by the fire with a heady brew and close – ahem, real close – company.

Spiced wine recipe

Spiced wine has been around for centuries and remains a traditional winter drink across Europe. To be cooked over a very low heat, mulled wine is anatomically diverse but for a few stalwart features: citrus, cloves, cinnamon, anise, and the real star, red wine.

Ingredients

Directions

Pour a couple of cups of water in with all the spices, sugar and citrus and heat it for about 5 minutes. This’ll bring out the flavour of all your spices – let them brew, not burn!

In with your wine, taking care not to boil it, for about 10 or 15 minutes. A camp stove is ideal, leaving your campfire for a more substantial cook up!

Hot tips for staying warm when Winter camping

Camping during the winter off-season means you’re not wrestling other campers for space to pitch the tent, fire pits, barbecues, shower blocks, parking. Mid-summer most of the country’s in fireban, winter signals the glorious absence of mozzies, snakes or flies. But hypothermia (or the Australian version of…) never did a romantic getaway any good, so we put together a couple of tips for max comfort in the cold.

Don’t overheat

Sweating while you sleep will quickly turn your sleeping bag into a rapidly cooling soggy sack, so don’t overdress. Remember to leave an inlet for fresh air to flow into your tent to dry out any condensation you create by breathing.

Set up on higher ground

If it starts raining setting up on low ground might cause a slight pooling…so set up on a peak with the ground sloping down from your tent.

You can never have enough socks

Opt for wool or synthetics. This goes for all your under layers, as cotton loses its warmth with moisture.