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!