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The end of an era, and the start of a new one

This has been coming for a long time but last weekend I decided to head out and purchase something that will make life a lot easier on camps, moving forward.

I am now the proud owner of a four wheel drive, to wit, one Holden Colorado four door ute, complete with a canopy, all of which seems to have been quite well looked after by its original owner.

This ute will not so much replace the Holden station wagon I've been driving for the last eight years or so, but complement it - with both vehicles to be kept and serve distinct purposes. The wagon will continue to be my 'town car', and also used on the occasional long-distance trip where camping is not involved, with the ute being used for camping trips large and small, from this point onwards.

And, not to be one to purchase a car, take it home and just leave it in the driveway, I took it into the Blue Mountains on Sunday to put it through its paces and it worked a treat. Some photos are below.

The next task, and a fairly obvious one, is to fit the ute out for camping and this will invove spending some money unfortunately but that is what a salary is for I suppose. My first tasks are a new roof rack system to support the installation of my rooftop tent, awning, camp shower and solar panel. Following this, the space in the rear will be set up the way I want it with some drawers, a fridge slide, battery bank, water tank, inverter and water heater, plus a few other odds and ends. More on that at a later date.

Written at 22:09 on 17 February 2025 by Brad.
Posted in the Camps section. Comments: 0 ·

Back to the Snowy Mountains

The first camp (for me) included a return to the Snowy Mountains for three nights in company with Dave from Shintara. We did decide to do things a little differently this time, where I suggested a place to eat - a place where Dave hadn't been before and my last time there was something like 30 years ago. The Paragon Cafe in Auburn Street, Goulburn was the place and we headed in on the first night of the camp to get stuck in to the tucker on offer. Dave opted for the works burger and a Coke whilst I had the flathead and a chocolate milkshake - in the metal cup, no less. I will be going back!

From there we headed to the Denison Campground near Adaminaby - a place we've camped at several times before. We did arrive late and were careful to get out roof tents up and a few things unpacked without disturbing the other campers nearby. After sorting a few things out we called it a night but it wouldn't stay peaceful for very long. About thirty minutes went by before a pack of truly inconsiderate arseholes rocked up and spent the best part of an hour, leaving their engine running whilst setting up the camper trailer they towed in, including operating four very noisy levelling jacks. It really does go without saying that there are people in this world who do not deserve to participate in camping trips because there are some unwritten rules (which we did abide by) and one is that there is no fucking noise after 22:00hrs. The lack of respect for those around these people was astonishing and the length of time this went on for just demonstrated that they simply didn't care who they were disturbing.



The next morning, we had brekky and then packed for the journey to where we'd stay the second night - Old Snowy Campground. Before setting up, Dave took the opportunity to sort out the spooling of his new winch and this simply required him to unroll the cable and then roll it back on to the winch neatly so when in use, it won't jerk about. I parked my car about 25m ahead and attached the rope to my towbar, then whilst I moved Dave's ute forward, he watched the rope to make sure it was going back onto the winch correctly.



Following that, camp was made for the night and some relaxation by Gurrangorambla Creek was had before meals and the campfire prepared. As does often happen, we were welcomed to the site by a kangaroo and her joey who both decided to inspect our fire before it was lit. We couldn't help notice that a lone female camper had shifted away from yet another noisy bunch. I guess it is a sign of the times - groups of people just running amok and not showing consideration for anyone else. Because all these remote campsites and online site bookings and are no longer patrolled by park rangers, people think it is a licence for 'anything goes'. Tea time came around and for me it would be curried sausages and rice. I did want to pre-cook this and just reheat in camp but circumstances meant that cooking it all fresh and having a big wash up to do afterwards was the only way it was going to happen.



In preparation for Sunday, 26th January, which is Australia Day, it was mandatory to wolf down some barbequed tucker and get stuck in to some alcoholic beverages. The following morning came around and another quick breakfast was followed by a pack of camp so we could move to the final destination for the long weekend - Ghost Gully Campground which was over on the other side of Tantangara Dam - one of the 16 dams in the Snowy Hydro-Electric Scheme and also the site of the water inlets for the 2,000MW Snowy 2.0 project.



Being quite hot that day, we did manage to find a site at Ghost Gully which provided some shade and this helped with relaxation through the afternoon. We both made our lunches and to continue with the theme, I cooked up sausage sandwiches with eggs, bacon and onions. Dave would save his bangers for tea time and he'd have those with a steak cooked over the camp fire, whilst I would cook up beef rissoles, mash, carrots and home-made gravy, never being one for boxed gravy. As night fell and the fire crackled, we toasted King and Country under the Australian Flag by the fire that night and proudly so. We both hit our racks at about 23:00hrs.



The Denison and Old Snowy grounds will one day get some return visits, as the stays are quite relaxing - noisy campers aside. However it is likely that Ghost Gully will be passed by on future visits to the Alps due to the fact that the road passes right through the middle of the ground and we did find that few that are driving through bother to slow down, meaning bulldust is thrown into the air which then floats into the camp sites. Old Snowy is in a bit of a valley and is quite picturesque. On Monday, I had to return to Sydney to prepare for a return to work following the long weekend but Dave had an extra day off and spent that night back at Adaminaby before making his return trip.

Overall, the weekend was a success and a couple of new camping areas were tried out, whilst with mixed results, this is worth doing so we have a better idea of where to go back to in future trips. The big task I have now, is to decide where to camp next.

On a final note, this was the first big test of the new rooftop tents. They are proving their worth in terms of speed when making and breaking camp, but also in terms if me not having to bend my back as much when packing heavy tents and lifting them off the ground into the car. My Oztent RV-5 weighs about 30kg when packed and separate bags contain the optional extension kit and side awning whilst the larger Oztent Jet Tent F30 weighs more than 45kg in the bag, plus its extension kit.

Don't get me wrong - both are very good quality tents and are fantastic for base camping in one spot for 3 days onwards but I am not getting any younger and for the quick or multi-site camps that we are all doing these days, such heavy accommodation is becoming a handful. My new roof tent can be unpacked and set up in around two minutes and there is no lifting to do. Packing it away is equally easy. Dave's tent is a different make and model but is equally as easy to unpack and pack away.

Lastly, a couple of photos of Lake Eucumbene, which is well down on previous levels, due to the need to stop the water flow through Providence Portal, a tunnel which carries water to this lake from Tantangara Dam, which is also very low due to the new tunnelling work on Snowy 2.0.



If the lake was at 100% capacity, I'd be under about 25m of water where I had my car parked. This lake is the largest water body in the Snowy Scheme when it is full.

Written at 21:15 on 4 February 2025 by Brad.
Posted in the Camps section. Comments: 0 ·

The dawn of a new beginning

It has finally happened. There were plans for some of us to go ahead with the purchase of rooftop tents in 2025 but a recent review of an Anaconda catalogue put a stop to those plans. The price of the Dune 4X4 wide bodied rooftop tent had dropped to just under $900 and I made the impulse decision that now was the time to buy. But because I haven't purchased the 4X4 yet, my plan was to buy and store it until the ute came along.

After getting it home (and boy, are these things heavy) I put it in the garage, still in its box, and there it stayed for a couple of weeks. I did start to get tired of trying to walk around it though, so I unpacked it and installed it on the roof racks of my Commodore wagon and thought to myself, I will need to test this out. Whilst this thought trail was going on, Dave was in the middle of organising the fitting of a rooftop tent he'd purchased. By the time I'd booked a site at Hill End to spend a night testing the new rooftop tent, Dave had his fitted and said he'd join me for the big test. Dave did two nights, with the first being at nearby Sofala and said he'd meet up with me at Hill End. I left very early on Saturday morning, hit the Mudgee pie shop for a late brekky and then filled the tank before heading out to Hill End.

We arrived in camp, set up the rooftop tents for the first time and then started organising firewood and what we'd end up doing for tea. We settled on a walk up to the Royal Hotel for tea.

Dave had a hamburger and I had the fish and chips - big meals with plenty of value for money. I do recommend the Royal for a feed if you happen to be in Hill End at any time. After tea and a couple of drinks, we headed back to camp, lit the fire and spent the next few hours sipping drinks and gasbagging by the fire.



Then it came time to test the new tents. With the ease of setup, no heavy lifting and kneeling down to build a camp, we'd embarked on a new era in camping and the test would wind up confirming what we thought all along - that these tents would be fantastic for the quicker camps and a very wise investment. Morning came and thus the completion of the assessment - were the new tents going to be the dominant feature of future camps?

Yes, they will be. I'll admit now that for most future camps, the rooftop tents will be the go-to. They are just so easy to set up and pack away. Camp can be up and down in minutes and there is no heavy lifting anymore. What's more, there is more room in the vehicles for other things. But for base camps where a stay is three nights or longer, I will probably continue to look to my Oztent tents and my big double air mattress which provides first class comfort.

Written at 20:59 on 12 January 2025 by Brad.
Posted in the Camps section. Comments: 0 ·

Lake Wallace, NSW (Gone wrong)

This camp didn't go well for a few reasons but this will be explained as time goes along.

Dave and I arrived in camp at Lake Wallace on the night of Friday, 11th October and set things up in our usual ways. After making tea we sat by the fire which had to be in our fire pits because fires are banned at this ground and we didn't want to leave evidence behind. It probably should be said that we weren't the only ones with fires - I mean, who is going to camp without one in the Central West at this time of the year?

The night went without any drama and after breakfast the next morning we broke camp to do some touring of other camping areas in the region and also to find a spot to camp on the second night. We weren't that successful at finding a good spot that wasn't taken but it did give us the opportunity to have a look around anyway. This weekend is the weekend the Bathurst 1000 motor race is held so there are plenty of people out and about and quite a few campsites had portable televisions and jerry-rigged antennas set up so the campers could watch the race.

The day came and went and as we couldn't find another place to camp we went back to Lake Wallace. The site we had the night before was taken so we headed around the other side to see what was available and we picked up a site near the baseball oval. Camp was set up and we prepared our evening meals before once again sitting by the fire, again in a fire pit, and sipping on a few alcoholic beverages. Bed time was at around 22:30 and things went fairly peacefully until about 02:30 when campers from two neighbouring sites started a brawl over some apparently stolen firewood. I slept through this but Dave was woken by the commotion. After a short time the fight broke up and everyone settled down again. It wouldn't stay peaceful for too long though.

At about 04:00 I was woken by the same people who decided that Round 2 was in order and the voices of around ten people could be heard bellowing at each other. Being partially deaf it was hard for me to hear exactly what the yelling was about and shortly after I woke, Dave also woke up again and would later let me know it was over a dispute about firewood. At the time though, because I had no idea of what the problem was, I had to assume it was a bunch of drunks just walking from camp to camp causing trouble so we both went into defence mode - ready to defend our camp at any cost.

After a good twenty minutes of brawling and shouting, the police arrived to break it all up. Once the police left, things were quiet again and I was able to get up and have the piss I wanted to have at about 04:00. The thing I just don't understand is why people need to:-

1. Enter someone else's camp and interfere with it or steal things. Whilst camping areas don't strictly speaking belong to the campers that occupy it, there is an unwritten rule that people don't encroach on anyone else's camp. It's all about respect for others and camping areas are usually occupied on a first in, first served basis.
2. It's probably just as important not to consume a volume of alcohol that one's body cannot tolerate. We all like a drink but we all have different levels of what our bodies can put up with too and when alcohol winds up fuelling a petty dispute over a few sticks of firewood then it is a clear indication that those people should not have taken the amount they did.

The next morning came, and a quick break of camp led to a return to Sydney to unpack and prepare for the next week back at work. However, this is not where my bad weekend ended. I had wind all weekend and some of the farts absolutely stank to the high heavens. They came thick and fast for the whole weekend, leaving me wondering what I ate to cause the flatulence in the first place. I have never discovered the answer to that question but accompanying that issue was the tender issue of me having a haemorrhoid expanding to the size of a golf ball and I spent about a day and a half wondering whether or not I should go to the local hospital and have it snipped off.

The bad news is that about three hours after arriving home, it decided to do the job itself. It burst, leaving me with a small mess to tidy up and boy did it stink. Not wanting to risk the wound taking too long to heal, I spent the rest of the week taking a daily dose of Metamucil to keep things soft until the wound had started to heal.

All in all, it was probably the worst camp of 2024 all up, with adults behaving like children and leaving the other campers wondering if there was going to be a murder to clean up after and the aforementioned health issue I had, I am just glad this camp didn't go for a third night. There is one thing I'd like to tell everyone with regard to the issues we had through the night and that is this - if you have problems with alcohol then don't drink. The rest of us, who go out bush to enjoy time outdoors just don't need the shit that arises from people who cannot hold their piss. Likewise, those who seem to think that everyone else's camp is public property, also stay away. Your light fingers don't just start trouble but may one day get you injured or killed by an irate victim who would rather deal with the matter themselves instead of making a 000 call.

Written at 19:05 on 14 October 2024 by Brad.
Posted in the Camps section. Comments: 0 ·

Lake Wallace & Hill End, NSW

It was decided that in early October there would be a two night camp out west and on this occasion, it was myself, Dave and his mate Paul, plus Dave and Paul's sons along for the ride. As far as camps go, this was routine despite the larger number of people but quite unique too - with three major Oztent products being used for the accommodation. My RV-5 came along and for a couple of years now has been my go-to tent for its room and ease of set up. That said, these tents are quite heavy to move around, as are the sister series, the Jet Tents, which I also have one of for winter camping. Dave brought along his RV-1 which is the same type of tent but a one man version and Paul brought what I believe is Oztent's latest version, the RX-5, which is basically an RV-5 with a zip open skylight and has the ability to have a tub floor in the front section, providing more insect-free sleeping room. All these were used on both nights.

The first night was at Lake Wallace which is located between Lithgow and Wallerawang at the western foot of the Blue Mountains. Dave and I have stayed at Lake Wallace a few times in the past. There's nothing that special about it but it is free and close to Sydney, so it is a good stepping stone. The pie shop, which is a five minute drive from the ground, is a good opportunity to buy some good wholesome food and support the local economy too.

On the first night, the rain was a bit problematic but fortunately intermittent, which meant that we could pack up a dry camp the following morning before heading to the pie shop for breakfast and then move on to our second camp site at the old gold mining town of Hill End. Hill End has two camping areas, the Village Ground and the larger Glendora Ground. I am happy at either ground though Dave prefers the Village so that is where we stayed the second night. As can be seen in the accompanying photos, the camp was quite large compared to what we usually have in place. The van and ute to the right in the second photo are not part of our camp.



There was plenty of food going too. Dave and Paul wolfed down half a pig's worth of ribs whilst I settled for a couple of serves of home made fried rice. Halfway through the day I did acquire a mild tummy upset but it wasn't severe enough to ruin my appetite. The next morning, we all had a light breakfast and then broke camp for the trip home.

Written at 18:19 on 7 October 2024 by Brad.
Posted in the Camps section. Comments: 0 ·