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.