Stewarts Crossing Camp - Charleyong

With Christmas fast approaching, and having made the decision that we would be staying put over the silly season, we realised that time was running out to squeeze on more camp in before the Christmas Holidays would be upon us.

So we picked a weekend, and for a bit of variety put out an open invitation to the school community to come and join us for a weekend away.

The beaut thing about the camp was it is under an hour and a half from home, on a bend in the Shoalhaven River with a sandy beach and good swimming hole.  It is also accessed via a dirt road, keeping the majority of punters away - and access after a lot of rain can be 'interesting' as we found in March this year.

The bad (for the majority of punters) is that there are no facilities - not even a pit toilet.  So we got around that by packing the ensuite tent, a shovel and a treat for us - a loo seat from Ray's Outdoors.

The forecast was for 36 degrees on the day of our departure - which reduced our numbers a bit due to a few people balking at the heat.  It was a bit of a shame really, as we had a ball.

The Camp... But wait til you see the river...

Lake Macquarie and Beyond

Last weekend we had the pleasure of attending a family Christening in Newcastle.  Newcastle is a good five hour drive north from home, and we had a choice to make.  Would we drive up in our Subaru, staying in a motel, or would we take the camper and stay in a caravan park.

We elected to take the camper.  We headed north on the freeway, making the most of the M7 motorway.  Pennant Hills Road is never much fun at the best of times, but we were through soon enough and heading up the F3.

We arrived at the caravan park I had booked, and my heart sank.  The park's name held the promise of enjoying a holiday - walking to the water to wet a line... Well if you took a cut lunch that is.  It became very apparent to me that my choice in park was not popular in the left front seat.

Now if we had both had few good night's sleep under our belts, the conversation in the front seats might have been a little more diplomatic... but we were both a little grumpy.  A few terse words were exchanged.  Thankfully Jo was a little quicker than me to work on a solution to our problem and my salvation came in the form of an iPhone and Google.

Between the iPhone and Google, Jo was able to find and book an unpowered site at  Belmont Pines Lakeside Holiday Park.

The park was well maintained, with a new kids playground and a pool to keep the tykes amused.  It also had a magnificent view overlooking Lake Macquarie.  It was perfect.... and I was saved.

The unpowerd sites had a great view

Sometimes it doesn't all go to plan

Like all good things, when you do too much of a good thing, something is bound to go wrong.  Or, if you do enough travelling on rough roads, something is bound to break eventually.

We certainly had a great time on our last camping adventure.  Bendethera Valley is about as good as it gets, with perfect weather and the valley almost to ourselves.  The aim of our week down there was to relax away from society for a while to recharge our batteries, and get a bit of focus on the more important things in life for a while.

It was also a chance to try out a few ideas that had been in my head for a while.  My set up with the Coleman Hot Water on Demand was a great success...  but not everything else went to plan.

Many of you would realise by now that when I get a new toy - I like to try it out to make sure I can use it before having to use it in anger.  It happened to me when I bought a 'free hand winch'.  Our next camping adventure found us stuck on a remote trail with rain coming in.  Out came the winch to haul us out, and I found myself wondering if I had jinxed myself entirely.

So one sunny afternoon I decided that I wanted to see if the Camper's wheels would fit on the Terracan, and vice versa.  I thought it would be a good opportunity to see if the stud pattern was the same, allowing me to consider purchasing Terracan rims for the camper.  The little helpers were most interested in the evolution, and eagerly undid the wheel nuts (after they were loosened of course).

33 inch tyres fill up the Terracan's arches... I am not game to lower the jack!

Bendethera Cave - With Kids

On Wednesday we decided to make the trek into Bendethera Cave.  The limestone hills in Deua National Park have many caves, however Bendethera Cave is the largest, and access is unrestricted. 

The walk from the carpark is about 4 kilometres, along Con Creek.  For the first couple of kilometres, we crossed the creek about half a dozen times – at delightful little crossings.  The little people were in their element, happily chattering away as we walked along the old firetrail.

Don't fall in brother!

The boys were kitted out with their little bum bags, containing water bottle, space blanket, whistle, compression bandage, camera and a zip lock back containing almonds, macadamia nuts and some dates.  They love their little packs, that give them a feeling of security on their walk, although the youngest has no hips and therefore has to readjust his bag constantly.  

It might be overkill, but we also carried additional water and our PLB in our backpack, just in case.  The last thing you would want to happen is for a snake bite at the end of the walk, with no prospect of a quick rescue.  And the snakes were about!

Sunning on a rock - we waited until Mrs Black moved on.

Bendethera Valley - With a Camper Trailer

After surviving our first night at Yadboro Flat, we enjoyed a leisurely day around the camp.  Being a long weekend, the campsite soon filled up with families all keen to enjoy the great outdoors.  The wind thankfully dropped off, and we were left with glorious weather, which was to stay with us for the rest of the week.

Sometime in the afternoon Nic and Dave arrived with their hired Kimberley Kamper.  We enjoyed the evening catching up and comparing camper trailers.  I was surprised at how similar the campers were overall, with their strong chassis and suspension providing the backbone for an excellent camper.

The Kimberley has a great awning.

The Kimberley, like our Aussie Swag has a pantry and fridge in the front of the trailer, and it really is a matter of horses for courses as to your preference.  The advances of time meant that their camper had hot and cold running water powered by a neat diesel heater - which is available on new Aussie Swags too, but sadly in 2005 when ours was built, was not an option... but I had a cunning plan to fix that.

I firmly think that if you’re interested in buying a camper the best thing you can do is try before you buy…  Hiring a camper will give you an insight into how you use your camper and what features you will deem necessary.  Once you buy one, you can then work around everything else and adapt to what you have.

We thoroughly enjoyed catching up at Yadboro Flat, however it was quite busy – being a long weekend, and between early morning standoffs between resident cattle and fellow camper’s dogs, chainsaws and kids on motor bikes, we decided to up camp and head further south – to Bendethera Valley.

Yadboro Flat - September 2012

It had been a long time coming this camping trip.  There was much anticipation among both little people and the big.  The camper (Matilda) had been inspected and declared fit for duty.  The car (Terry) likewise had been cleaned out and packed.  We were ready at last to head off for a whole week without mobile phones, worries or cares, otherwise known as first world problems.

All packed and ready to go!

The ultimate plan was to meet up with friends Nic and Dave from previous adventures at Yadboro flat for a night or two, before heading south with the aim of making Bendethera valley, in Deua NP.  Nic and Dave had joined us on several camping trips, however this time a few changes were afoot.  They were bringing along their new baby, Isobel AND their hired Kimberley Kamper.

The only problem was the weather.  As it is when you’re married to a meteorologist, the weather is always bound to be at best ‘character building’.  The forecast looked atrocious.  30-40mm of rain was predicted for our first night, unpleasant but survivable.  It was the predicted wind gusts of up to 100km/h that was the most concerning.  We had survived strong winds before, but would Matilda hold up to the strain?

Ultimately we figured that if we were to survive all the elements on our trip around in 2014, a little wind (or a lot) couldn’t put us off.  The morning of our departure the weather front had arrived with howling winds and sideways rain lashing our house.  We hesitated, was it worth it, or should we wait another day? It was thoroughly miserable weather for camping, and I offered Jo the chance to stay at home another day.  She simply smiled and suggested we head off, and if it turns really horrible we could always come back.

So we went… wipers on, and headed east.

Camper Trailer Maintenance - Pre-Season

With spring returning to the southern highlands, and school holidays fast approaching, the camping season is upon us.  With that means we will soon be hauling the camper trailer down the coast for a long overdue break.  I thought before we leap into the camper, it would be prudent to do a couple of simple checks before we head off... and I'm glad I did.

Time to haul the camper out of the shed...

The camper has been sitting for a few months now, and one of my jobs this week is to drag it out and get it ready for our next adventure.  After telling the family that this was one of the jobs for the day, The Little Fisherman was quick to inform me that he had seen a black snake sitting just next to the camper this very morning before breakfast when he was emptying the scrap bucket.  Righto - must be a another job for Daddy then hey!

A service for our Subaru turned into a much longer evolution than desired (why they changed their fuel filter location to inside the fuel tank is beyond me... and then there was the split front drive shaft boot that has spread grease everywhere... argh!).  Needless to say it was well into the afternoon that I finally got around to pulling the camper out, and Mrs Black was nowhere to be seen.  Hopefully she hasn't moved in to the camper!

But today was a day of maintenance on the vehicles various, and I thought I would share the few simple things that we will be checking on the camper prior to heading off on our next camping trip.

The Return of Spring!

At last, the days a getting longer, and more importantly warmer, and thoughts turn again to getting back on the road and camping.  The camper has been sitting in the shed for the past couple of months, and is getting itchy feet - or is that itchy wheels... Either way, we are keen to get back under canvas soon.

I hope to give an update in the next couple of weeks of our pre-season maintenance schedule for the camper, but that can wait until I haul it out of the shed and take some photos.  We have kept the solar panel hooked up to the batteries, so they're fully charged and sitting at 14volts which is great.  The camper is looking a little dusty, and I am in the process of changing the generator box for a new one to house the Coleman Hot Water system...  All good fun!

In the meantime it has been a hectic few months in this household.  The usual whirlwind of school and all its associated additional commitments, with a few other projects on the go, including unpacking and setting up our new home was compounded with a bit of surgery and a few weeks laid up.  Ah if only there was more hours in each day!

With impeccable timing,  the day I go in for surgery, the Little Helper revealed that he had perhaps got a small piece of Lego stuck up his nose.   Jo ended up spending all day at hospital with him, whilst various nurses and doctors all had a go at removing the Lego.    Eventually a team of three burly nurses wrapped him in a sheet and held him still whilst a doctor extracted the Lego.  It was a painful way to learn that the only thing you should stick in your nose, is your elbow!

Internal Combustion Engine Model - for little mechanics (and not so little ones!)

The Little Fisherman has been showing more interest in the mechanical workings of engines of late, so when I found this model of an internal combustion engine by Haynes, I knew I had the perfect birthday present.  We spent the best part of a rainy day putting it together, and were thrilled with the result.

Of course we then had to try out our skills on a real car.

A quiet winter???

It has been a little quiet on the blog front over the past couple of months.... but it is not due to any slow-down in the pace of life for our little family.

We snuck in a quick camp at Wee Jasper with a group of friends before the real cold set in. With a bunch of friends, a campfire and the benefit of hot showers, it was great to get out for a couple of nights under canvas, as a last hurrah.

The kids try to make a rock bridge at Wee Jasper

The Great Paper Plane Throwing Competition

Then we returned home and started getting ourselves ready to move house.

Easter at Boorowa

This Easter we replied to Howard's kind invitation to the Australia4WD.com forum members, to join Margret and himself on their beautiful farm at Boorowa for the long weekend.  We had met Howard and Margret before on movie nights and day trips, and had heard a lot about the farm around the campfire.  It was time to see it for ourselves.

Well it didn't disappoint.  Just over an hour and a half from our front door we turned off the blacktop and through the farm gate.  We followed Howard's mud map and meandered past the various buildings and sheds typical of Australian farms, before we headed east and then the landscape changed dramatically.

The land simply fell away and opened up a magnificent vista of the Boorowa River, with our campsite barely perceptible in the valley below:

The Valley Opened Up Before Us

Normally this time of year, most of the countryside is looking pretty desperate, however the uncommonly mild and wet summer had the grass coming up to bonnet height.  This long grass is very effective at concealing large granite rocks for those willing to venture off the track.  It was quickly apparent that there was an opportunity to seriously test a 4WD to its limits here, or simply relax and allow the beer and wine to chill whilst wetting a line.

We were with a bunch from Australia4WD forum... what do you think happened!

Do Terracans Float?

It has been a long time coming, but it was with unbridled joy that we headed out of town last Friday with the camper in tow, destination Shoalhaven River.  We were aiming for a camp we had spotted on our last adventure to the coast, and we now had it on good authority that there was an all weather access road from the west that would get us there.

With all the rain recently, we had heard that Oallen Ford had been up to 1.6 metres underwater.  Our camp was a little further upstream, and we weren't sure what to expect.  It was evident however that some large amounts of water had been over the road in places... and a few kilometres short of our destination we came across our first crossing.  It turned out that this was the easy one!

Thankfully a wade across confirmed there was a concrete base, and even more importantly the approaches were still in place.  The boy's were excited and I had to make a second trip with The Little Fisherman on my shoulders to take photos of our splash.

The two boys provided plenty of advice...

Before we sailed through... Mr Six and a Half taking the photo

We then ambled along into our camp... and what a camp we found.

Games for a rainy day

It is inevitable that if you do enough camping, sooner or later you will get caught trying to entertain kids in a tent while the rain comes down outside.  The recent run of wet weather got me thinking about how we manage to entertain our kids in the rain and I thought I would share some of our favourite games with you.

Our kids love playing in the mud, love splashing in puddles and generally staying outside as long as they can.  Of course this is to be encouraged whenever possible - after all why go camping in the great outdoors if you're afraid of a little mud or dirt?

But of course these activities cannot go on forever.  After a while the little bodies get cold. When the shivering starts and the lips go blue, the fun starts to leave really quickly and it is time to get them warm and dry.

Currarong and a New Campsite?

With the world revolving in seemingly ever decreasing circles, it is rare that we are able to catch up with friends for a weekend away.  Occasionally the stars align, even if it takes nine months of planning, and moving the date once or twice.

It was thus with much anticipation that we picked the kids up from school on Friday and pointed Terry's bonnet east, destination Currarong.



Looking north from Currarong

 Currarong is located on the Beecroft Peninsular, the northern headland of Jervis Bay.  In a former life I had spent many hours looking to Currarong and the headland south to Point Perpendicular from the sea.  It is a beautiful seaside village, slowly being thrust into the 21st century as the old fibro cottages give way to million dollar houses.  At least fishing is still one of the main activities in the area, as nearly every other house had an old tractor out the front to haul large boats to and from the boat-ramp.

A movie night under the stars

A good friend told me recently that once your kids start school, you will shun all your old friends as your social activities revolve around the kids and their engagements for the next 13 years.  Three weeks into our youngest starting school, my friend's wise words resonated when we tried to catch up for lunch.  We moved the date several times as birthday parties and important play dates seemed to pop up until finally we were able to pin down a date to catch up.

With the new year has come a new role at work, and a break from shiftwork for a while.  For the first time in my working career I am now in the spectrum of a Monday to Friday 9-5 job... and that means weekends!!!  And weekends means camping, lots of camping!!!

Of course I need to now caveat that claim with the observations of my friend - our calendar seems to fill up very quickly with swimming lessons / birthday parties / weekend play dates.  So we have made a challenge to ourselves to get out at least once a month for a weekend away.  It is of course difficult as we have a few other projects keeping things really busy - like trying to sell our house and build another - just minor things really, so it was a real surprise that Jo gave me a leave pass to go to a movie night organised by Pete and the crew from Australia4wd forum.

The occasional disadvantage of the road less travelled

We managed a good week at home getting everything in order before heading off again for the last week of the school holidays.  This time I couldn’t get the grin off my face as I pointed Terry, this time with Matilda the camper in tow, on a southerly heading.  Our destination was near Cann River, Victoria, at the end of the Monaro Highway. By the end of the trip the grin was gone and a very very dark cloud was hanging over the passenger seat.

We enjoyed a leg stretch at Nimmitabel , a good half way point.  The bakery was popular with the kids – who enjoyed the outdoor playground and the Elephant.

We were staying with friends on their 40 hectare (100 acre) slice of paradise.  Their property backs onto the state forest down that way – so it felt a lot bigger.  We took the kids for a bush walk around the block – a good slog indeed rewarded with some great views.

The boys enjoy the walk

Cricket, Surf and a Road Trip – Summer in Australia

This summer saw us head north on our adventures not with Terry and Matilda, but rather our little Subaru packed to the rafters, complete with Oztent and fishing rods on the roof, not for a camping holiday, rather the quintessential Australian relatives travelling road show.

And a road show it was.

Byron Bay - Ocean Beach