Simplicities of Camping

Before we left home we dug up all of our potatoes and were surprised at our haul.  We researched how to store them, as we've never had such a lot before, and left some for our return home.  We packed some up into a brown paper bag and stowed them away in the van.  We also picked all of the corn, even the tiny ones, and put them in at the last moment.

I'm glad we did this prior to travelling because it has been lovely to cook up our own corn for tea and lunches and a reminder to me how lovely it is to simply sit outside and scrub the spuds in a bucket.  We fetch our water from a nearby tap and wash up in a tub sitting on the table outside the van.

I was concerned when Jon wanted to buy a mini Weber BBQ for the trip that we would loose some of the simplicity of camping that we enjoy.  We left this purchase to the very last minute as we weighed up the pros and cons of such extravagance.  The decider was Jon's argument that it would allow us to do some baking while we are away as it is quite tricky to purchase "peanut free" bakery items.  I was still not absolutely sure we'd done the right thing until today.

We had purchased some cherries from the Cherry Shed at Latrobe on our way to the ferry.  They were Lapins and not particularly sweet.  Rather than see them go to waste I googled a cherry cake recipe and thought "Why not...lets give it a go on the Webber".  

A very pleased Jon admiring our almost cooked cherry cake on the Webber BBQ


Here is a link to the recipe: Joy of Baking Cherry Cake.  The results were delicious......sweet aromas floating out of the camper awning across the rain soaked camp-ground.  So once again Jon's shopping proves successful!  We still have our simplicity of camping but with a bit of flair and delicious options available to us when we wish!


Hmmm....if it keeps raining I think our waists will expand!
Jenn

Wilson's Prom Saturday

Wilson’s Prom Wet and Windy

As the South East of Australia is shrouded in rain and strong winds, we are right there amongst it. Looks like another day spent indoors with brief excursions out into the weather when possible. I looked on the weather radar and managed to find some areas nearby that were going to get much more rain than us so felt a little better. Yesterday was nice with the chance to have a paddle in Tidal River in the kayaks a walk and a few bike rides around the camping area.

Jon

Squeaky Beach

Tidal river Rain!

Braving the weather and exploring Tidal River at Wilsons Promontory

“This is awesome” was the boys catch cry as we:

   Traveled up the ramp into the depths of the Spirit of Tasmania and saw trucks and motorbikes strapped, extra levels of cars winched up above us.

   Discovered our cabin was at the very bow of the ship. It had an extra deep shelf in front of the porthole, which accommodated all of us as we lied on pillows and watched Devonport disappear and we sailed towards Melbourne.

   Had a picnic on the deck of the ship in very warm sunshine and toasted the start of our holiday adventure.

Fortunately it was smooth sailing across to the big city and we and we disembarked at 0640 into the busy traffic.  We made our first stop for breakfast at Racer Café in St. Kilda, which is a café primarily for cyclists.  It had hooks on the outside where people could hang up the bicycles before eating a hearty breakfast. There were cyclists everywhere both inside and outside on the road negotiating the morning traffic on their way to work and school.

I will never quite cope with 5 lanes of traffic going in one direction but seeing as Jon was driving we survived!  Navigating the multiple lanes can be tricky though especially when “Karen” our Garmin GPS lady tells Jon to go one direction and I can see a much more camper trailer friendly version on my map. I may need to download a lovely Scottish gentleman’s accent for our Garmin – he may be easier to tolerate!

I think we had all pictured arriving at Tidal River, Wilsons Promontory, differently to the reality.  We had a brief period of fine weather when we could see how beautiful it was with granite outcrops and tannin stained water in the river and then the weather turned!

Our little camper is truly being tested.  The gusts of wind last night would have been at least 70 – 80 km. per hour and heavy rain lashed about us.  Jon got up about 1am and tied extra guy ropes from the camper to our car in the hope both vehicles wouldn’t be blown away. 

Last March Tidal River had a once in three hundred year flood and you can see the evidence of that all around us.  The riverbanks were severely eroded, roads washed out, walking tracks washed away, the riverbed scoured, landslides and bridges washed away.  Many walking trails and roads are still closed and repair work is ongoing.  Lets hope that the heavy rain we are experiencing at the moment and which is forecast for the next week does not cause a “2 in every three hundred year flood”!

So after a brief walk in the rain, being blasted by gusts of wind which blow off all your freckles, and exploring the river we are now back in our cosy camper doing homework, eating lunch, reading books, cooking snags, and about to watch a movie all curled up in the warmth of a doona. 

Jenn

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Our Mascot Nanook

Here is Nanook in his little room.

Preparing for departure

Thanks Lozie and Andrew for the mascot and the bespoke "road trippin CD"

One day to go

Only one day of work remaining till I'm on holidays and closer to the great trip