In 2014, Jackie Blanch and her husband Ken bought their first caravan and planned to travel throughout Queensland with friends. Their first stop was the iconic Nindigully Pub, near St George. They camped right beside the river, a mere 100-metre stroll from the pub where they enjoyed happy hour and dinner.
On their next trip, they happily camped at Mirrool in NSW, but when Jackie tried searching for more pubs with camping, she found it difficult to find any. She started up a Facebook group and invited a few friends and family members who she thought would enjoy it to join.
Then she started researching and making hundreds of phone calls to publicans in country towns across the nation.
That was the humble beginnings of Country Pub Camping (CPC), now a nationwide movement with more than 120,000 Facebook members and 1200 participating pubs across Australia.
The premise is simple. Participating pubs will allow self-contained caravans and RVs to park behind, beside or close to the pub for a free night or two of camping in exchange for patronage - a meal and a drink or two - at the pub. Sometimes basic amenities, such as toilets, are available for use during pub hours, but for the most part campers must be fully self-contained.
CPC took off quickly and in 2017, Jackie developed a website which today has
