Appetite for Adventure

Macy Callaghan has always been a camping and outdoors enthusiast. The talented Gold Coast-based natural footer grew up at the beach on the NSW Central Coast, thanks to an ocean-obsessed family and summers devoted to surfside camping trips.

“I grew up on the Central Coast and I'm the youngest of three girls. My whole family spent the majority of their life by the ocean, and I was lucky enough to be born straight into that coastal lifestyle,” says Macy. “I grew up as a competitive swimmer but always had a passion for surfing which eventually took over my heart and life and has given me so many amazing opportunities.”

Macy’s competitive ambitions and prodigious talent took her off on a different kind of adventure, chasing the world tour, competing at the highest level. But recently Macy’s headed back to her roots, rediscovering the joys of stealth camping missions up and down the east coast, with a modern twist of comfort and convenience.

Swapping frequent flyer miles, airports, hotels and hire cars for road trips, campfires and uncrowded waves has reinvigorated Macy’s love for adventure, surfing and the outdoor lifestyle, with the ease and convenience the Dometic Go range offers.

“My family used to enjoy spending the summer down the coast camping with friends, but recently I’ve found it more enjoyable thanks to the amazing products from Dometic, making it easier to just pack the car and go when I’m not jet setting around the world,” says Macy.

While fluctuating competitive fortunes have hampered Macy’s pro tour dreams for the time being, the silver lining has been discovering the natural riches right on her doorstep. The competitive fire still burns, but in the meantime, spur of the moment camping trips have provided the best possible consolation.

“I’ve been competing since I was around 12 years old, and it has taken me to some of the most magical places in the world. I tell myself I'm not too competitive but once I put that jersey on, I'm definitely a different person,” Macy chuckles. “I’ve been on and off the championship tour for the last few years and it’s been mentally and physically draining but also extremely rewarding. I’ve been enjoying my time away from that level and focusing on some fun projects around the free surfing scene and working with my sponsors on projects that capture who I am as a person.”

Always one to make the best out of adversity, Macy also used Covid travel restrictions to explore her home state of Queensland. “I was lucky enough to check out Fraser and Moreton Island in 2020. Covid was an extremely hard time for the whole world, but it actually allowed me to have some time at home for the first time in a long time. I think the best part of the trip was that we had no plans so everything naturally unfolded the way it was meant to which made it more memorable.”

And her coastal adventures provide the perfect counterbalance to the globe-trotting and high stakes competitive lifestyle, where winning and losing can be decided by fractions of a point. “I think the magic to camping is leaving reality behind and enjoying what’s in front of you. It’s important to take time off and disconnect from life and immerse yourself in nature and the beauty around us. It helps when you share those experiences with people you love.”

 

A wise person once said, the best camping gear is the gear you use the most, rather than gathering dust in the garage. By that measure it’s hard to go past the Dometic Go collection’s capacity to simply pack, stack and go at a moment’s notice. “Having products like Dometic and in particular the Dometic Go range we are able to pack the car almost in a matter of minutes. Chasing swells and going off grid can be super last-minute decisions, but we are always prepared and ready to go,” says Macy.

And so, what does a busy, travelling professional surfer look forward to as another competitive season draws to a close? Going surfing and camping, of course. “I’m looking forward to my competitive season being done in a few months and to have some time at home to unwind with family and friends,” says Macy. “I’m always chasing warm weather on my off season, so I’d love to pack up the car and head north to Double Island with my girlfriends. Setting up camp on the beach, sunset drinks and perfect right handers is my dream camping trip.”

And that’s one adventure where everyone’s a winner.