Hill End, NSW - definitely and positively, the last camp for 2023

I was successfully tempted to throw in one last getaway for this year and managed to slip out of town on Friday, 29th December for yet another night at Hill End. I even managed to book the same campsite as the last time and got there just before dark so I could collect some firewood from the usual site near Green Valley Creek. My main motivation for this exercise was that the Coronavirus was circling my household - time to get out whilst the going was good! I licked a negative RAT and hit the road.

Again, only the basics came along with me, as this camp was just one night. Tea was a quick affair and decided at the last minute - two serves of Oriental two minute noodles with a can of sweet corn thrown in for a bit of texture. I didn't even bother with washing up and put the saucepan in a shopping bag for cleaning in the dishwasher at home, whilst a plastic fork and paper plate allowed consumption of the meal, with those thrown in the fire once they were no longer useful.

There was rain on this camp but more of a drizzle than a storm. I always worry when the clouds are dark at Hill End because this area does know how to turn on some serious bad weather when it wants to. Many years ago, I was on a camp here with Dave from Shintara and recall the mini tornado which screamed through and all but destroyed my half of the camp, which we pitched on 'the hill' on that occasion. My shelter was wrecked and the tent fly torn off. The fly was reattached to the tent after I ran after it for a hundred metres or so but the shelter was a tip job.

On this occasion the wind didn't pick up and following a peaceful evening by the fire, bed time was also quiet and event-free.

Morning broke and I got up at about 06:15, hung a leak and then broke camp and headed to Mudgee for a man's Christmas breakfast, followed by the trip back home.

Happy New Year everyone. Let's hope there's lots of camps in 2024!

Written at 17:03 on 31 December 2023 by Brad.

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