09.06.12 Yandilla Camping & Farmstay

Planned this trip in advance for a change.  We made our booking at Yandilla even before we headed out last time.  It’s the Queens Birthday Diamond Jubilee long weekend so we were making sure we could get into somewhere we enjoyed.  And David promised to save our favourite spot for us as well. 
On the road by 0800 and the weather report is rather dismal, but hey, we are out and enjoying life so what does it matter?  Traffic on the highway is superb and we make good time.  Glenn decides he needs a sausage roll at the Kilcoy Bakery, so we deviate that way first, but are still onsite by 1000.  We passed David on the way in and he’s got other visitors keeping him busy this weekend. 

We head to our favourite site and start setting up.  Once we choose our view and level the camper, we let the pups out and Telashi heads straight into the water … cold as it is.  We get about ¾ set up and notice some people wandering our way.  We tie up the pups as they venture closer and closer. 

I hear my ‘name’ and it appears we’ve met our first blog readers as well as fellow MySwag members.  Ken, Paul and partners have been searching for the spot in my photos from last trip here and it’s funny to think we are still in that very spot.  Apparently the car, camper and 3 dogs gave us away!  It’s good to have a chat with like minded people and we natter for an hour or more before they head back towards their own camps in the camp ground, but not before issuing an invite to visit them later.  Think we may just do that tomorrow.   Glenn jokes that we won’t be able to go anywhere now without being recognised … we aren’t that famous Darling!  J 

First we must finish our set up and have some lunch.  We also have to think about dinner and defrosting it.  So will it be chicken stir fry or roast lamb?  Stir fry wins and comes out of the freezer.  Then it’s getting the camper sorted out to our comfort, setting up the OzPig and settling back to enjoy the scenery for a bit.   

After a little while we head downstream for a wander.  I’m testing the seals on my new gum boots.  It starts to sprinkle so we head back to camp.  We put out 1 solar panel and it gets around 15 minutes of full sun.  0.9AH to be precise for the entire day.  We decide to get the second one out tomorrow and see what happens then. 

As the day wears on, we have walked up the creek, down the creek, sat around camp having a few drinks and laughs, but now it’s time to get the fire going and think seriously about showers and dinner.  We’ve bought along my new wok to do the stir fry and see how it performs on the OzPig.  I’ll be doing a nice damper for dessert.  I did throw in a cake mix, but forgot the all important eggs, so maybe next trip. 

Once showered and fed, we settle in to see how cold it’s going to get tonight and are pleasantly surprised at the warmer temps.  Kiah spots something across the creek and we are amused to see Water Rats frolicking both in the water and on the shoreline opposite us.  She’s fascinated by them and continues to keep watch for the next few hours.  Glenn also spot lights them until they disappear … not to be seen again. 

Still quite warm for a winter night, so it must be the cloud cover although we do head to bed and can hear either the creek rapids or a good amount of rain on the canvas. 

I get up through the night to check on the creek level.  It’s rising, but nothing to be concerned about.  When the big rock I’ve got noted disappears, we might consider getting worried, but not until then.  I also adjust some canvas so the water runs off to either side of the walkways instead of right in the middle of it.  Doing this then starts to fill the dogs water bucket so that’s even better. 

10.06.12

Next day dawns as grey and gloomy as the day before, but the promise of rain is no promise at all.  It rains and does so on and off for much of the day.  Short passing showers, so it isn’t all that bad really.  However, the canvas is once more seasoned thoroughly.  A few tiny drips from one piece of window stitching last night.  Gotta be pleased with that!  

I’m up at 0800 and remember that the bed was so lovely warm and toasty last night.  I’m making coffee whilst Glenn attempts to sleep in, but that isn’t going to happen.  Breakfast is reheats of the chicken stir fry and very good.  We start the morning slowly by washing the dishes and making camp tidy. 

Now we “Ball” Telashi.  I have a ball thrower that is a god send.  No more sore arms from hurling the ball as far as possible and very often.  Was really cheap as well and does the job splendidly.  It’s a Must Pack Item for the camping gear.  Once that’s done and she’s breathing normally again, it’s time for dogs breakfast after which we’ll take another walk up or down stream. 

I pull the lamb roast out to defrost and marinate in a bag inside the camp oven.  Not sure that anything will attempt to steal it whilst we are away from camp, but better safe inside something rather heavy I think. 

As we sit around before lunch, I note that David hasn’t come down for his visit with us as yet.  He must be very busy with all the other campers.  After lunch, we head to the main campground to check out how many are up there and visit with our new friends.  We don our gumboots, but forget to take an umbrella … never mind.  We find David up there as well.  He’s had a full morning apparently, being kept busy by the other campers and we say “So that’s why you haven’t visited us” with a smile.  He heads off once more to keep busy. 

I spot Rose and give her a wave as we head over to their camp.  They also have an Aussie Swag like us, however it’s an Ultra so have more bits and pieces to make one comfortable aboard.  Ken invites us to check out the fancy bits which we do.  It sprinkles on and off whilst we are there.  Eventually we head back home.  Ken noted a lemon tree along the drive and we spot another one mid home paddock.  Both laden with fruit, but they are the “stock” not a variety of any kind. 

Check on the defrosted status of the roast … yep doing well.  So once again we relax, throw the ball, wander the creek and get the fire started for dinner.  Before you know it, dinner is cooking, we’ve boiled water for showers and it’s getting dark.  It is still sprinkling on and off.  As we sit and relax listening to the sounds of the creek, I’m keeping an eye on that rock I have as a creek level.  It’s not going under yet, but the water is creeping slowly towards it.  Going to have damper for dessert again tonight and I busy myself making it.  Once dinner and showers are out of the way, the only thing left to do is entertain ourselves and listen to the night sounds. 

11.06.12

It rained again through the night, but we awaken to no showers, but the clouds look threatening.  Breakfast is a quick affair and we start packing things away and drying off parts of the camper that aren’t exposed to the sunshine we aren’t getting.  Yes … pretty much all of it. 

David drops by to visit around 1000, whilst we are balling the pups again and Glenn realises it’s still quite early to be so well packed up!  David tells us he’s been trying to find some timber (creek debris) he’d cut for the camp ground, but it seems to have disappeared under the rising water.  We wondered why he was riding up and down the edge of another tributary of the creek. 

Once he departs, we set about ensuring things are ready to pack away at a moments notice.  If it rains, all our good drying work will be undone.  We are fortunate to have things all completely packed before it pours for about 2 minutes and we head off back home.  It’s midday.  Glenn says he wants to stop for another sausage roll on the way home. 

 The trip home down the highway is uneventful and fairly easy so we make good time.  Once home, it’s a matter of pulling out things that didn’t quite dry properly so that we don’t get mouldy and we are done.

After a shower, I’m off down the street to visit a neighbour I just met on MySwag, but saw leave to go camping back on 25.06.11!  Small World?  Sure is.

Trip Kilometres:  285

Trip Duration: 72 hours