19.12.12
Well I’m officially on holidays once more (yay) and looking forward to a few
weeks off the doldrums that is employment.
We start our a little later than usual at 0830, but since we’ll be away
for a few days, that’s just fine. The
day itself is warm and tending between overcast and sunny, but can’t seem to
make up its mind.
As we head up the 
We scout around for a better view and find it. So let’s de-erect camp and move things
there. Easier said than done. Once moved and positioned just so, Glenn is
happy and we once again begin setting up.
I agree this site is better as we can not only see and hear the creek,
but it’s about 10 steps closer than the other site – the view is so much better
and was a good reason to move. It’s not
as shady here so we’ll have to put up the full awning (ie both sides) to assist
in keeping us cooler whilst we are here.
Glenn agrees.
Of course the ball and Frisbee come out and we are
then required to throw them around the campground for the rest of our
trip. Luckily I can lob the ball into
the water from my chair.
We are having deep fried prawn cutlets, crumbed
snapper and chips for dinner, so we get that out to defrost. Next on the agenda is present
unwrapping. So for my birthday I got a
new CF card for my camera (it’s insanely huge) and a new SD card for my GoPro
(also insanely huge) and a 20w solar panel for keeping the camper topped up
while I’m at work which will save running power cords through the cat
door. Well done Me! I hand over some Christmas gifts that Glenn
can use this trip … some new sunnies and a internal fridge light with extra
rechargeable batteries. I think he’s
happy with that.
After lunch we decide to go and have a look at the
waterfalls that are upstream. We head
off through the gate and up a graded “road” till it comes to an end. Now we’ll have to rock hop our way upstream. About 5 minutes of rock hopping and I realise
that poor old Jack just isn’t up to it. He’s
having a real struggle with his arthritic back legs. I knew it would be hard for him, but didn’t
realise just how hard. Thankfully we’ve
come to the most beautiful rock pool I’ve seen for a long time. And it’s deep and cold. This will be where we stop today and give
Jack a chance to recoup his dignity and breath, but we won’t be going any
further upstream with him. This pool is
his outer limit alas.
Around 1600 or so David comes down on his motorbike
for a visit. We tell him we’ll be
staying 3 nights with the option for a 4th at Glenn’s choice. David is a lovely gentleman, who is both
friendly and accommodating. He asks if
we’d like the Donkey lit, but we save him some trouble and say no of which he’s
grateful. We spend the next 45 minutes
chatting amicably about things like the lack of rain, the level of the creek
and such. I learn that he has 3 catfish
in the pond in front of our camp and that this particular hole has run dry a
few times since he’s lived here. He’s
also attempting to attract the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly by putting in some
of the only plants their larvae will eat.
He’s very proud of the fact he got these to grow as he says it’s proven
difficult at times, but these ones are flourishing. It would have been wonderful to see them in
flower, but they currently are showing quite a few seed pods. If you are ever camping out here, please do
not tamper with these vines at all. I’m
not sure how friendly David might be if you killed or damaged one. He makes comment on how we seem to bring rain
with us and that they rather need it, so he hopes this camp will be the same.
Into bed early due to some bugs invading our camp.
18.3AH
20.12.12
Out of bed early next morning 0642, to find Glenn has
been up since 0530. Coffee and
watermelon for breakfast. It’s heating
up fast and the humidity is high so we are in for another warm, sweaty
day. Thank goodness for the cool water
of the creek.
We spent the first hour or two just enjoying the
serenity of it all and I have to say that it’s wonderful. Being the only people in the grounds is
divine to say the least. We endure the
Return of the March Flies and Willy (the Wag Tail) isn’t far behind them. As we swat them, I’ve decided to do a
Sharapova like wail … as she’s featured on the front of the junk mail I’m
swatting them with … so it seems very appropriate to do so. It does seem that the smell of them being
swatted attracts more, but we don’t hesitate in attempting to dwindle the
numbers as best we can.
Wandering around the campground, we notice that things
have changed a little. It seems that the
large gardens that David has put in have been burned – by who I don’t know –
and he’s attempting to revegetate them with seedlings which I guess are from
the nursery down the road. All native
trees I think. It will be a battle for
him to keep them alive over the summer, but they should grow well if they
survive and be providing shade in a few years.
The toilet block hasn’t changed at all and is nice and clean as
always.
We wander to all parts of the small site and then onto
the creek. Before I realise it, poor old
Jack is once again floundering in his attempts to follow us. I’m following Glenn and didn’t give the trail
a thought until now. Jacks stubborn side
kicks in and he refuses to turn around and follow me back out, leaving me with
no choice but to assist him where possible.
I reckon anyone viewing it would be laughing about now as we both
struggle with the slippery rocks.
Once back at camp Jack
It’ll be lamb roast with veg for dinner, so I get it
out to defrost which shouldn’t take long.
It’s been seasoned with garlic, rosemary and chilli, de-boned and frozen
– as I always do – and is one of Glenn’s favourite camping meals. I’m following it with Butter Cake for desert,
as Glenn has decided that camp cake is a good thing and bought this one himself.
For the remainder of the day, we throw the ball, swim,
drink, swat flies and relax. What could
be a better way to spend the Summer Holidays really? We decide to remove the lambs wool seat
covers on our chairs and replace them with wet towels. I have to say it’s a good thing as every time
you get up for a few minutes, sitting back down is a very cool thing.
We discuss our plans to find the waterfalls upstream
and what we’ll do with Jack. Since we
have the dog box, which is open ended, has the thermal roof insert and a solar
run fan, we think he’ll be okay in there for a few hours if we park the car in
the shade. So tomorrows aim is to get
as far as we can with Kiah & Telashi.
42.5AH – a camp record.
23.12.12
Out of bed before 0700 today as the mission is to find
that waterfall or any waterfall if possible.
Breakfast out of the way, we start packing our backpacks with what we
might need – drinks, nibbles, camera gear and the likes. The car gets moved into the shade where I
notice the solar fan still runs (must have a battery of some sort). Jack – much to his disgust – is put in the
box with his bed, some water and a bone and we are on the track around
0900. He watches us leave with a sad
look on his face … or is that relief that he doesn’t have to rock hope for a
few hours – it’s hard to tell.
We are back at the waterhole in about 20 minutes and
decide it’s a good time for a swim and a drink.
We’ve found a more direct route to the water, so if we were to bring
Jack back, it wouldn’t be so hard on him this time. Back on the rock hoping mission, I notice
that the rocks are getting larger and larger (some the size of 4WD’s) and it’s
harder for the dogs to make their way with us … me too for that matter … and I
suggest Glenn scurry ahead to see what’s to see, whilst the dogs and I sit and
wait. He’s gone for another 20 minutes
and says he’s found the waterfall but it’s dribbling at present from cracks in
the rock. No water falling as such at
all. There is disappointment all round.
Once Glenn has a drink, we head back to the waterhole
for another swim. Half an hour later we
are packed up and heading home once more along the track. I hear another waterfall and we head down the
steep bank to check it out. Dogs are so
lucky to have 4 legs for this as they make it look so easy. Once at the bottom, we find another deep hole
with rocks all around, but the gravely shore is on the opposite side. Of course Telashi is straight in and I’m a
bit shocked to see Kiah do the same.
She’s a bit water shy you see, but she’s jumped in and is swimming
around as contentedly as Telashi.
Glenn wanders upstream a bit to the actual waterfall
of about 2 feet in height and poses on the rocks beside it for me. I wait for him to return and we make our way
back to camp.
Jack has been eating his bone and is happy to see
us. It’s after 1030. The first thing he does when we let him out
is pee. LOL! So funny to see, but I’m glad he didn’t pee
in the dog box, although one day I’m sure one of them will.
Lunch is a reheated affair of left over lamb and veg
which is better second time around if it’s possible. Glenn goes and has a sleep for an hour or
so. I take out the marinated chicken for
our stir fry tonight and laze around camp – swimming or throwing the ball of
course.
22.12.12
Out of bed around 0645 and have stir fry reheat for
breakfast. It’s divine. I decide that I just have to wash my hair
today … it’s stringy … so do so up at the shower block which is much easier
than doing it from a bucket. The cold
water doesn’t worry me at all. All the
dogs come with me.
After we clean up camp for a bit, I request we go for
a walk to the Grassy Knoll that is between us and David’s house. The view from up there should be
lovely. Backpack in hand we head up and
can hear David’s bike off in the distance past the overflow section. He must be doing something with his cows as I
can hear them moo-ing a bit much more than usual. The view is gorgeous down through the
valley. We head back down to the road
and I want to see if the creek here has any water. It doesn’t.
We follow it back to camp.
Glenn has another sleep and is snoring by 1045. It leaves me to enjoy the serenity as much as
I can with noisy cicadas and the odd plane going over. Of course, I must throw the ball and swim and
I also decide its happy hour here on camp.
Upon awaking, Glenn decides we are here for another
night. I’ve taken out some spicy thai
rissole meat (yes, all ready to go bar the patty making) for lunch. David drops by once more, so we tell him of
our plans to stay another night. He
tells us that we’ll have company on our last night as he has some new people
coming in that haven’t been here before.
We get to a bit more chatting and he heads over to clean the toilet
block for the new arrivals. We have
lunch while David cleans and once he’s finished he heads back over toward us
and starts picking up cigarette butts off his lawn whilst chatting. I’d noticed a fair few of them earlier and
picked them up. He says the last bloke
to stay here left them all over the place and we both agree it’s a horrid thing
to do dropping them everywhere. Being a
smoker, I always carry a “butt bucket” with me otherwise stick the butts in my
pocket. I simply refuse to litter them
or anything else around the place (any place) as I also think it’s disgusting
and rather wrong. I help him to clean up
as many as we can find and also provide a doggie poo bag for them to be put
into. He tells me our new neighbours
should arrive in a few hours and they’ll be staying till after Christmas. Lucky them.
He also mentions that his New Years booking has cancelled. I let him know that I shall put the word out
that his campsite will be empty on one of the forums I’m a member of, when we
return home. Let’s hope someone takes us
the offer of a completely empty site to enjoy the holidays at. As we are collecting butts from near the
toilet block, I call Kiah out of one of his gardens and we both spot a black
snake. She must have seen it and was
going in to investigate! Sorry I don’t
have a photo, but it was a big one.
Neither of us got to see what the colour of it’s underside was. It was fairly docile all in all, but gave
Kiah a scare (me too). So glad it wasn’t
a brown or we’d be driving off to the vets about now.
Its T-bones and veg for dinner tonight. I offer to make another cake, but Glenn
declines. As our camp oven is rather
small, I actually make them in one of our stainless steel saucepans lined with
baking paper. It easily handles a ½ cake
mix and that’s really all we can eat. It
works well and all the cakes so far have been moist as I can seal them in the
saucepan with it’s securing lid. I even
do the icing that comes with it.
Once the sun goes down, I hear a cooee that heralds
the approach of our neighbours. We
ensure the dogs are secured so they may enter.
They have bought chairs and a bottle of red. After the introductions they settle in and I
turn out the light, leaving only our solar powered Christmas icicle lights
running. Judy comments on how well they
light up the area and I mention how cheap they were.
During the next few hours we discuss many things. This is their first trip out in the new van
which they have had for several weeks.
Being that they are accomplished campers it’s a bit of fun for them right
now and they are planning the Big Lap.
Can’t blame them. They were both
raised in the Northern Territory
Before you know it the time is 1045 and they head back
to camp. We head straight to bed as we
are exhausted from such a long day.
36.6AH
23.12.12
It’s nearly 0800 before either of us is out of bed,
but we both were awoken at daybreak by a cicada crescendo like none
before. It was ear-splittingly loud, but
somehow I managed to succumb to sleep once more.
Today is our last alas and then it’s back to suburbia. Alas.
Dishes are done and we start the very slow pack up
after another bit of a lay down. There
is more swimming, more relaxing, but the feeling isn’t light like the other
days … as today we must leave. I simply
don’t want to go. As we’ve never done a
4 nighter in the camper before I’ve become a bit partial to it and want to do
more. Many, many more.
Glenn wants to be gone around 1400 so that we get home
with heaps of time to do a partial unpack as we plan to do Christmas with his
family and then take another trip on boxing day.
Lunch is a simple affair of chips, muesli bars and
fruit. We’d forgotten about the left
over rissoles and could have had them on bread.
Even before 1400 we are on hitched and ready to
go. I start the gate opening rituals and
holler a goodbye to Ray & Judy, who both come out from the shade of their
awning to wave us off. At the second
gate, I laugh and ask Glenn if we’ll fit through. David had mentioned that he’d seen them with
his binoculars measuring the gate width to ensure they’d fit through it with
the van. Doesn’t hurt to be sure I
guess. J
39.8AH
Trip Kilometres:
281
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