This time there is a difference to our journey … we
aren’t taking the camper.
Yes, you heard
it right.
No camper trailer.
Why? Well, it’s
going to be a hard slog for Glenn’s Ute.
The auto overheats at the sight of hill and with the camper on … we know
it’s going to hurt something. And this time it isn't just any hill. We’ll be 800 metres above sea level on a
track that’s 4WD only and steep sections that just go up and up and up. Poor Ute.
We sadly leave the camper behind. The tent is getting an airing after quite a
few years. It’s last trip being up to Eurimbulah
in 2007. It’s been put up and checked to
be in working order. There has been much
organisation prior to this trip as well.
We ditch the 12 volt fridge freezer for an esky, the solar panels get
left behind, the OzPig has a weekend off, the air bed gets a dust off … I’m not
sure how we will go without our conveniences, but it’ll be fun.
As usual, we start our trip around 0800. We are heading south to Rathdowney and then
chucking a right and heading for Waterfall Creek. This is where we will head up the hill to
Cleared Ridge and start the new adventure at Mount Barney Wilderness Retreat. The owner, Ben, has given us the code for the lock and will join us
later in the day.
Scenic Rim 4Real Milk's prize cows ...
Waterfall Creek ...
The road up..
The sign at the top ...
And we do all that, noting that the auto overheats on
our way up. Once at the top, I take the
opportunity for a photo or three thousand of the gorgeous view and then we are
on our way into Ben’s property.
Cleared Ridge view.
Mount Watson.
Ben's driveway.
The driveway is a 4WD one of course, and as we learn
later, has changed over the years. In
its current state we skirt the southern side of Mount Watson, heading west and
after a short time, come to a cleared, well grassed area – the main
campsite.
Kitchen and firepit.
The Dam.
Dunny Door.
Cabins.
Here there are a few cabins, a working kitchen, a great
under cover fire pit area, shower and toilets.
We investigate on foot checking in windows of the kitchen, opening door
on the ablutions, and visiting the dam.
I've got the mud map that Ben provided showing all the
various campsites scattered over his 300 acres of mountainous country. Glenn decides that we should investigate
another of the campsites, so we head to the aptly named Sunset campsite as it’s
on the western side of a hill. As the
whole place is a 4WD’ers haven I’m not 100% that we should be wandering around
on our own, but we make it to the next campsite without incident.
We get out of the ute and have a wander around. The view from this site is a deal clincher
and we decide we are home. Time to set
up and get comfortable. The site itself
is merely a turnaround for vehicles, but we have a grassy spot for the tent,
even if it is long native grasses. A few
large boulders provide a flattish surface prior to a drop off where the
stunning view presents itself. There is
a previously used fire pit here which has been covered in rocks. I believe this was a popular spot at the last
Christmas in July party Ben held.
Looking north to Mount French.
Looking north west towards Cunninghams Gap.
I'm sure you agree ... that view is stunning!
So we put up the tent with the view in mind and
position the car so that we can utilise the vehicles fold out awning for shade
should the sun get too warm in the afternoon.
Once the tent has been erected, we pump up the bed and make it. Not too much more comes out of the car as
we’d only have to put it away. Of course
chairs are important, as is filling up the dog’s water bowl.
We are so used to having a 130 litre water tank on
board, that we’ve wondered how to transport enough water and what the easiest
way would be. Plastic soft drink bottles
fit well into a milk crate giving us about 20L,
we also have a 2.5L drink bottle and another 10L pre filled container
bought from a shop. All are filled with
filtered water as Glenn has a water filter at home since they started putting
extra “stuff” in our drinking water and it’s been making him feel a bit
crook. Surprisingly, mosquitoes aren’t
attracted to filtered water as we found out by filling the dog’s water bucket
at home and finding no wrigglers after a week when usually the tap water would
have to be tipped out every few days.
Our campsite.
Downsized somewhat from our usual luxury.
Once camp is established, we sit and check out the view
before having lunch. This weekend we’ve
gone for a cold cooked chook and salad.
It saves having to light a fire in the hot summer to cook something as
well as not having all our usual gear with us making things a bit harder. Recently the temperatures have been rather
extreme and we've been cooking roasts and the likes … but no more, as the
summer promises to be long, hot and dry.
Not ideal fire weather and it also ensure we don’t start anything we
can’t handle. Especially this weekend
with our limited water supply.
There isn't too much to do here but walk or 4wd around
and of course admire the fantastic view in front of us. We decide to take a walk and see what’s back
up the track. We noticed a downward
section (well they all are here), but thinking this may have some water we head
off. Once at the top we see that it
becomes really steep and we have to take the dogs into account and head slowly
back to camp to again admire that view.
This trip we have the UHF’s with us again. I think they’ll be a constant companion to
our trips from now on as they are great way to communicate if either of us
wanders off. We give a scan of the
airwaves and hear some guys chatting about being at 4,000 metres and viewing certain
things. Realising they must be in
gliders or the likes, we listen for a bit as they chat. The view must be amazing up where they are,
but it’s getting less and less clear as the day wears on.
Glenn and I have both been to 4,000 metres and the
view was something else. We can both
recommend a balloon flight if you ever have the chance. Ours left Ipswich and headed west, where we
crash landed in a tilled field north of Marburg. I would definitely do it again in a
heartbeat!
Sitting near the drop off on the rocks enjoying the
view, I wonder how we’ll get some warm water for a bath. I do enjoy a warm bath and Glenn suggests
that we light a very small fire - just enough to heat some water and then it
goes out. I agree. We could drive back to the amenities onsite,
but where is the fun in that? The breeze
dies down as the day heads towards it’s end, making this possible.
But right now we are discussing whether our host has
arrived or not. Looks like we’ll take a
drive to find out. Packing away a few
things, and ensuring the tent is secured, the pups go into the dog box and we
head back to the main campground to find out.
On arrival, we see another 4wd, so Ben must be
home. Glenn parks the ute under a tree
and we introduce ourselves before letting the dogs out. Ben has bought his lovely wife with him as
well as some grandkids. They will be
staying in the first cabin I noticed on our way in. It’s somewhat downhill from the amenities and
we can’t actually see it from here.
We are taken on a tour of the kitchen facilities and
I’m kicking myself that I didn’t snap off a few photos and get to know the area
a bit better. Ben tells us that if we
were wanting electricity, there is a generator on hand to provide lighting and
refrigeration should we need it. It’s
well thought out and can cater for many.
From what I understand each of the cabins can house up to 10 persons in
bunk style accommodation, but you’ll need to bring everything with you. We aren't sure if they have showers and
toilets, but there does appear to be a small “outhouse” type structure behind
one of them. Perhaps you share it with
your neighbours.
Ben’s grandkids want a fire so he throws on a few logs
(large and log being the thing here) and gets a large fire going. It won’t be a problem here as the grass is
greener than most yards in my suburb – back at camp though we are in the “bush”
so need to be careful.
The boys are keen to befriend the dogs so out comes
the ball and thrower and that keeps a few of them entertained for a short time,
before Telashi discovers the dam. As we
all head that way and Ben and family keep Telashi entertained, we realise that
the dam is quite full. It has clay
sides. Glenn discovers that it has
slippery sides and nearly goes in. I’m
too busy laughing to snap a photo of the event.
Ben then takes us on a 4WD tour to some other of the campsites. Both are west of the Main area and each has a lovely view. There is another to the east of our camp, but we'll leave that one for another visit.
This one has a great view of Mount Barney and faces south.
It’s getting on in the afternoon, so time we headed
back and thought about dinner and a shower – not necessarily in that
order. Ben invites us back later for a
drink, so promise to return for a few drinks and some fire side stories.
Dinner is once again chicken with salad. Glenn starts a small fire and heats enough
water for both of us to have a shower atop the rocks. It’s wonderful to wash and see the view
before us..
Once the sun goes down, we head back to the main
campsite for fire side stories for a few hours before returning to camp for a
good sleep.
Having not slept on the blow up bed for a few years
this should be rather interesting! Given
that it’s rather cool up here, we also throw over the tents fly to assist in
keeping us warm. The dog beds are set up
within the tent as well and we all try to get a good night sleep.
08.12.13
The next day dawns bright and clear. It got a bit cold last night, which brought
back memories of a very cold night out at Girraween National Park where the
cold was coming up through the mattress.
Glenn tells me I was shivering in
my sleep.
We awake and start the fire for coffee, ensuring it is
well out before it gets too breezy.
Glenn asks what’s for breakfast.
The answer is chicken and salad.
He opts for the chicken on bread.
He asks what’s for lunch. The
answer is chicken and salad. He opts for
chicken and salad on bread. By this time
we’ll have the chicken fairly well eaten.
We've spent most of the morning sitting around
enjoying the scenery, the peace and quiet, our own company … which is blissful
to say the least.
We dismantle the tent, let the air out of the bed,
pack away all the gear, and finally do a check of the site to ensure we don’t
look like we've been there. This takes
just as long as the camper … if not longer.
Ensuring that we always do a last check, means that we
get all those bits and bobs that may have been left behind and we can also find
any rubbish that may have escaped the bin.
It’s always good practise to do a final walk around the areas you have been
prior to getting in the car. There have
been a few times when we've had to pack up fast that we've not noticed the odd
thing here and there … the hammer, a rope, a tent peg … these things are
important and it would be detrimental to the next adventure to be without any
of them. As always, the next camping
trip is the one where you go “Where’s the hammer?” … when it should always be
in the bag with the ropes and pegs.
Having to answer “Back at *insert last campsite name here*” which is
about an 8 hour drive away is not an acceptable answer when you need it now.
We head back to the main campground and find our
wonderful host Ben and his family starting on lunch themselves. They've added more timber to the fire. Ben tells us that he has a fellow coming up
quite soon, so we remain at the main camp until he’s arrived. Chatting about life, camping, dogs, how this
place came to be. It’s great to be able
to natter our time away.
All too soon the chap and his wife arrive. We make acquaintances and then head off on
our way home.
Heading home is never nice. But do it we must.
The trip home is rather uneventful.
Trip Kilometres:
172k
Trip Duration: 48 Hours
1 comment:
Looks great. Had a laugh at you guys on the airbed. Makes you appreciate the camper even more :)
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