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HAVE YOU EVER SAT BY A CAMP FIRE
IT SUPRISED ME LAST SUMMER WE STAYED AT A CAMPING AND CARAVAN SITE.NO CLUB HOUSE,NO SHOP,NO POOL.
BUT THEY ALLOWED CAMP FIRES,
AND BEING A TOWNIE COULD SAY AT FIRST A NOVELTY
BUT ONCE THAT FIRE EVENTUALY STAYED LIT,A STRANGE FEELING OF TOTAL RELAXATION,
SITTTING ON THE GROUND FEELING THE HEAT AND WATCHING THE FIRE,CHATTING.
THEN YOU SUDDENLY REALISE YOU BEEN THERE FOR FOUR HOURS,I FIND IT HARD TO RELAX BUT THAT LATE
SUMMER EVENING I REACHED A WONDERFULL
EXPERIENCE
OKAY YOU'LL SAY IM NOT ALL THERE,BUT IF THATS SO
THERES A LOT OF US.
BOOKINGS FOR THIS YEAR ALREADY BEING MADE
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Hiya Dizz.
Camping/Tenting is something i do at least 5 times a year ( Late Autumn to Spring ) in Ozzie. We travel into the bush about 160 to 200kms kms away from the city lights, and find ourselves after a hr or so on the back dirt roads. We soon find our favourite spot along side the many rivers that wind in and out of the scrub. Occasionally we have to go through a farmers property to reach the river, but they dont mind as long as you close the gates upon entering, so as not to let there cattle out. We find an open area of grass land under some tall river gum trees or Eucalypt, close to the river, and then head off through the bush looking for fallen tree logs. After about an hr we have some good timber that will last a few days. We clear an open pit fire area of about 8ft in diametre, and set our tents up ( indian style ) around and outside the fire area.
Next, out comes our big BBQ plate ( 2ft by 3ft ) quarter inch thick.
We set that up on bricks we bought from home.
Some are setting up their fishing rods, and we drag out the esky ( porta fridge ) full with ice, and cold beer. ( about 4 - 6 slabs ) .....hasta last us 3 days....:>))...... because we are 100kms plus away from the nearest pub.
Drag out the folding chairs, crack open a tinnie, and sit back and listen to the sounds of the Aussie bush. Flocks of White Cockatoo fly over and screeeeeeeech, Wild Budgerigars, Rosellas,Magpie, and in the distance some kangaroos feeding on the grass plains, some with their joey's peeking out of their mums pouch to see whats going on. Kookaburra's laughing at you, and ol man possum growling away from high up a gum tree. Koala is sleepily chewing away on some gum leaves or eucalypt leaves......A few Wombats happily digging away in their burrows, and if you walk down to the river side you mght be lucky to spot a Platypus weaving about under his river nest. No human mechanical sounds, or cars can be heard.
No smog can be seen, except for some smoke of someone else a mile or two up river doing the same thing.
Complete silence, and you feel your blood pressure and tension drop at an alarming rate....:>)) If your lucky someone has caught a fish or two, so you wrap it up in foil, and throw it on the Bar-bie ( stuffed with onions or whatever ) The smell makes you hungry, so on goes the slabs of chops and snags and bacon......some sliced onions, and whole potatoes wrapped in foil are tossed onto the open fire. ( later to be spit open and a dob of butter or sour cream and black pepper )
After a bite to eat,( Tummys full ) its wash ya plates in the river, and put on the Billy for a cuppa ( Tea or Coffee ). As darkness falls you throw those bigger logs on the fire ( which is about 6ft across by now ) and sit back on your fold up chair and leave your tent flap open to catch the warm air, that fills it, coming off the fire. After a good feed and a few beers, just sit back at night and watch the embers burning away, and the flames dancing around in the fire, while you solve all the worlds problems in one night....lol The trees have eyes in the night, and ol man possums are glowing away in the dark high up a tree. A few owls hoot, as they catch a field mouse or a lizard. Someone drags out the guitar, and we all sing a few old Aussie bush tunes.
Look up to the dark sky and see a few meteorites wizzing there way across the heavens, ( no Pollution ) and the silence is deafning, and you wonder why you live in the City!!!
Wake up in the morning to Cocky's and Kookaburra's sceeeeeching and laughing away ( alarm clock ) Hope that mr.Possum hasnt nicked that loaf of bread you left out last night on the fold up table...lol Race down to the river for a quick face splash........wack on the bacon and eggs, Tomatoes, Snags, and the Billy for a cuppa. Throw in the fishing rods hoping to catch to-night tea........and do the same all over again......lol
Doing nothing for 3 days can be very tiring.....hee hee
A'aaaaahhh..... its magic, mate.
Tony......;>))
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Tony, your forgot the damper and golden syrup. Nothing like campfire damper.
Apart from the fire, tent, that is my life. Still loved to go away camping when younger and with the children. Are you jealous, well you should be, who would live in the city. Only thing is we do have a pub or two close by, and a couple of shops for necessities.
We also have stars every night and they are as thick as cream.
Great description and many memories came back.
Gail
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lol..Gail
Sometimes we do make up some damper, but i prefer honey on mine ( i'm fussy....lol )
And of course i forgot about the toast on a stick, held over an open fire, and lashed with honey or butter.
Yes....i am jealous....lol
But........leavng the city and heading for the great outdoors every now and then, makes it even sweeter.
Its the coming back to the city to work, that i dont like....:>((
Tony...;>))
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At times I forget just how lucky I am and tend to take my surroundings for granted. Threads like this bring home to me just how blessed I really am.
I sit at my kitchen window most late afternoons and watch the kangaroos go down to the river to drink, sometimes jumping through our property. The different and distinct bird life that inhabit my yard, the wombats, as big as pigs, that arrive an forage from time to time. The wedge tailed eagles that circle over my house every day (have to lock up my chickens then), even the snakes that slither through on their way to the river. The kites and egrets that sometimes make an appearance.
Life is sweet.
Gail
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JUST READ YOUR POSTINGS AGAIN
IM SO ENVIOUS,,STILL I GOT MY COUPLE OF DAYS TO LOOK FORWARD TO,,,,I HOPE
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Just to make you more envious, our honey comes from a local bee keeper, his bees probably even make their honey from my garden. His honey has not been mixed with other honey just a pure local product. I take my own jars to be filled as well.
Gail
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Gail, I am packing my things ready to win the lottery and come visit! Just as long as you don't stick me in a tent!
Tony, that sounds an idyllic way to spend some time away from the city.
I have to admit I am not a camping fan altho my son is - he used to go with other people when young and now it's a must for him but he ends up at festivals or campsites such as Gwen describes. There is a site up on the Norfolk coast where we used to go when my son was a young teen and o.h.'s sons were similar age, but I insisted on a caravan - no way would I sleep near the ground and creepy crawlies, and nowadays if I got down on the ground I would struggle to get up, especially if I needed a loo stop in the night lol It had loos and shower blocks and a shop but not much else, and along the dunes a way, there is a site that's even more basic, and my son and his friends have camped there several times. I am glad he has experienced such fun times even tho I couldn't take him, he didn't miss out on the experience and now he has his own tent, he can always manage a cheap trip away.
Enjoy star gazing,
Gwen, enjoy your trip away too
Lizxx
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Hi Liz. Growing up as a kid in the city, i go wakabout ( although these days..... Drive about ) at the first oppotunity i can.
Most of my teenage years were spent on a farm ( Gippsland Vic.) or in outback central Australia in my late teens. Learnt that milk dosent grow in bottles, and eggs come from chooks, and not in cartons on a grocer shelf...lol
Didnt see a city for many years, and now living in a city, i cant wait till the next boys weekend away these days.....:>))
Gail. I love Honey & Eucalypt, and will always grab a jar or two from a farmer on our way to our fishing spot.
Dizz. Enjoy your holiday mate. Dosent matter where or how you do it, as long as it relaxes you.
In Aussie, one has to learn to respect the bush/scrub here,.when camping. Although very inviting,can sometimes be a dangerous place for the newbie, also, if they have no knowledge of bush craft. Seen a few smouldering fire places still alight, after some one has left..( very dangerous in this dry country ) ....and they left their rubbish and plastic bags floating in the rivers. . ( Young Hoons & Idiots )
Tony...:>))
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ALREADY BOOKED EASTER AN MAY BANK HOLS
AND WE HAVE A SPARE TENT ,,OR TWO,,,,,OR THREE
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