Keeping up with models on a ‘glamping’ road trip in Noosa

FORGET everything you know about uncomfortable sleeps, canned food and days without showering, this is the most glamorous camping spot in Australia.

Model Elyse Knowles is a glamping pro ... and shares her secrets to roughing it (well, kind of) on a road trip to Noosa with Mazda.

Fairy lights, blow up mattresses, Instagram-worthy shoots everywhere ... and more denim cut-offs than a festival.

No, this isn’t Coachella. This a road trip to Noosa. And I’m glamping with models.

Usually, camping — or “glamping” (a luxury, hotel-like spin on camping ... only with showers, port-a-loos and upscale tents with actual pillows) — means roughing it under the stars.

But for model Elyse Knowles and pro snowboarder Alex “Chumpy” Pullin, who are both on this road trip with me, it’s possible to look like you’re ready for a photo shoot at any moment.

Elyse is all beachy hair, tanned skin and no make-up, sporting perfectly co-ordinated outfits and designer bathers.

As a “glamping” first-timer, there’s a zero chance I’ll look anywhere near as put-together as these sleeping-under-the-stars veterans.

So I turn to Elyse and Chumpy for advice on how I can keep up with them while glamping in sunny Noosa.

Beach babe Elyse Knowles and her tradie boyfriend, Josh.

FRESHEN UP

On a walk from Noosa’s stunning main beach to Wategos-esque Little Cove, Elyse tells me she is pretty used to camping.

“I do it all summer. We do road trips and a pop out tent on top of our car,” she says.

“We go up to the river,” she says.

The coastal walk through Noosa’s National Park is made for Instagram.

Not your average camp site.

Elyse and co. are in Noosa for the weekend to launch Mazda’s Next-Gen CX-5 on a road trip from Brisbane to Noosa (after landing at Brisbane Airport, we drove about two-hours to the glamping grounds at Noosa’s North Shore — it’s basically an up-market Byron Bay without the backpackers).

Since Elyse looks like she woke up ready for an Instagram shoot, I ask her how she’s managed to seem so fresh after the drive.

“I think the main thing is to have facial wipes to keep your skin nice and fresh. I’m always on the run,” she says.

Sure, I have facial wipes in my bag too. Sounds easy, right?

TAKE A DIP (EVEN IF IT’S COLD)

“Seasalt water is the best for your skin,” Elyse says, giving me more of an insight into her glamping beauty routine.

“A bit of vitamin D soothes the soul and helps the skin recover as long as you’re keeping safe from the sun.” She swears by SPF 50+ and a baseball cap. “I’m really cautious, now that I’m getting older, about protecting my face in the sun,” she adds.

Well, a commitment to SPF is something we have in common.

“I never was ... I always used to be, yeah let’s get tanned and stay in the sun all day,” she says.

“But now I’m saving the face from the sun and hopefully I won’t have as many wrinkles when I’m older.”

Baywatch bathers. Surf’s up for Elyse Knowles.

ROAD TRIP MIX TAPE

Pro snowboarder and Mazda ambassador Alex “Chumpy” Pullin, 29, has been on more than 100 road trips (meantime, I’ve only been on about three, including this one).

“Road trips are my favourite,” Chumpy tells me.

“Even this last (ski season) in Europe, we were travelling around by car because we had so much luggage,” the Winter Olympian says, me over brunch at the glamping site.

“Sometimes it’s upwards of eight hours in the car a day, travelling across Switzerland, through France and to Spain, all by car.”

Elyse (second from left) and Chumpy (third from right) with their mates.

So what’s his go-to road trip soundtrack?

“It depends on the crew you’re travelling with. You don’t want to get too laid-back and sleepy in car,” Chumpy says.

“There are no rules to it ... it’s kind of the responsibility of the passengers to be part of the driving by contributing music and being part of conversation.”

Chumpy is a road trip pro.

Pro snowboarder Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin and his girlfriend, Elodie.

He lists Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Bob Dylan as his favourite driving soundtracks.

“And a bit of ‘90s punk, too. Aussie grunge bands like Silverchair. I love that whole era of music.”

SNACK RIGHT

So what do models eat on road trips? Hint: Not Mars bars or chips.

“Fruit is the best,” Chumpy says. “It’s easy to eat poorly on the road. You pull over for fuel and end up just being sucked into everything that looks good.”

Bananas, he says, are one of his healthy go-to snacks while racking up some serious kilometres behind the wheel.

Fruit aside, I need to ask him where his nickname “Chumpy” came from.

“No where in particular, it’s a bit of a bummer as I get asked that a lot,” he laughs.

LOOK THE PART

Lessons I learnt from models while glamping: You can do full make-up using the CX-5’s rearview mirror and the boot is the perfect place to brush your teeth (using a bottle of Evian).

As for what to wear, Chumpy advises me that my outfit wasn’t the best choice for camping practicality.

“Comfort is huge. I hate feeling like I wouldn’t be able to do a cool activity at any time,” he says.

“Someone might be like, ‘let’s run up the beach, let’s check out the headland, let’s climb this tree.’”

“I don’t want to be like, oh I can’t because my jeans will rip.”

Fair to say I won’t be climbing any trees in my $200 silk shorts.

Elyse Knowles woke up looking like this — even while camping.

WHAT TO DO ON A NOOSA ROAD TRIP

1. Cook DIY dumplings and learn how to make fish puree (it’s easier than it sounds) at The Cooking School, then, you get to eat the lunch you’ve made at Rickys, a nearby restaurant right on the Noosa River; thecookingschoolnoosa.com

2. Beachside glamping with a surprisingly comfortable blow-up mattress and a shower via Pitch Luxury Camping; pitchluxurycamping.com

3. Brunch buffet with all-you-can-eat croissants and custom omlettes plus Instagram-worthy white-on-white decor and views of Hastings St at Noosa Beach House, inside Sofitel Noosa Pacific Resort; sofitel.com

4. Breathtaking views on the coastal walk through Noosa’s National Park, from the main beach up to the Byron-esque Little Cove, past Boiling Pot Lookout, Tea Tree Bay, Dolphin Point and Granite Bay, and right up to Hells Gates (local tip: walk back to main beach through the inland Tanglewood track, which is almost like a rainforest)

5. Stock up on strawberries, blueberries and every other kind of berry at Noosa Farmer’s Market and Eumundi Markets.

The writer travelled to Noosa as a guest of Mazda.