Camping March/2010: To Adelaide and Back

Here are some images of our recent camping excursion to Adelaide and back where we saw the amazing Wau Wau Sisters perform. We first stopped in Belair National Park, just outside of Adelaide City, but it might as well be considered part of the city as its only a 15 minute drive to the city center and we were camped beside a busy road that leads to it. As a result we didn't really feel like we were camping in the wilderness. This was the theme for the remainder of the trip as it seems that Australia is brimming with options for caravan camping for the many who take on the adventure of traveling the circumference of the country by car. It suited us just fine because we might as well have been a caravan ourselves with all the crap that we hauled around, the cast iron pots and pans, blankets and pillows, swim gear, etc. and were afforded hot showers to keep us looking neat. 

After Adelaide, where we met up with Helly, Ace and Linda, we decided to meander down the coast slowly on our way back to Melbourne. We stopped in Warnambool after ages of driving through a desolate landscape, unfortunately I completely slept through the picturesque vineyards of Southern Australia. We stopped once in an empty rural town with no McDonald's to be seen, which really made me wonder what people do out there. Farming for one, where do you think all the beef and fresh produce come from. Situated right next to the beach, we decided to stay 2 extra nights in Warnambool to actually take the opportunity to relax. Actually we spent one day in the emergency room, nothing serious, just one of those pesky UTIs that could only be dealt with by antibiotics. Too bad they are not as cheap and readily available as in Sri Lanka. In fact, my doctor was a little guy from Colombo. Sans symptoms, I could only diagnose and treat myself as usual, which should not have to take 3 hours for a simple script.

Next stop - a meander down the great ocean road and a visit to the 12 apostles (next post) before settling in a quant little camping spot just north of Lorne (after arguing over and second-guessing about the other camping site options). Not beachfront, but next to a rippling creek in a mountainous rainforested area. The next day we only had time for a quick hike on the walking trail before heading out for a day trip to Torquay on our way home. 

Gourmet camping cuisine

Richard's Gum Tree

Bear Gully Camping

During Australia Day weekend, we spent 2 nights outside the city, about 3.5 hours drive toward Wilson's Promontory, in a little place called Bear Gully. After arguing most of Saturday about what to take on the trip (Richard wants to take everything, and I want to maintain order and efficiency by only taking what we would need on a 1.5 day, 2 night trip), we set out later than planned only to arrive to a full-up camping ground. It was probably 7PM when we got there looking like inexperienced city fools who assumed camping spaces would be in abundance out in the country. We drove around looking for another camping ground with space, but apparently Australia Day weekend is a popular one for family camping and we were shit-out-of-luck. So by this time its getting dark and I'm about ready to turn around and go home, but we decide to go back to Bear Gully and pitch our tents in the site marked by a no-tent sign for the one night at least, with the thinking that if the rangers kick us out, then they kick us out and we can go home the next day. We had come thus far, we were going to get some camping in damn it!. It got cold fast once the sun went down. I whipped up a quick meal of canned chicken soup with pre-made homemade biscuits on the butane stove and then climbed into the tent with a fashion magazine to read by flashlight. Richard marveled at all the stars as you do when out camping and lack the entertainment of electronics and we fondly remember the stars back in Sudan. It always seemed that the stars in Sudan shined brighter than anywhere else. At my compound, while the boys would hog the TV watching horrid Nigerian Soap Operas, I and the visitors would sit outside and chat underneath the stars, catching the sight of quite a few falling ones. That was our TV in those days. Richard brought up the memory of when we strolled out of my compound one night to get some privacy across the road where there is a Church and we were shooed off the premises by a man waving a machete and yelling in Arabic. I think he was the night guard and didn't approve of these two white-glowing strangers making out on a log on holy ground. Whoops. Thats when night is truly darkness, which makes the stars pop out of the sky all the brighter.

On this night we froze, unprepared for the night-time chill of an Aussie summer and we woke several times finding ourselves floating in discomfort on the air mattress that Richard insists on taking camping which had sprung a leak and leaked air out steadily all night long. And next morning, what do you know, the ranger comes around and tells us to move on. Not to worry, my extremely charming husband surveys the area after breakfast and makes friends with Daryl who lets us share his camp site with him and his daughter... 

Funny and nice old man, who I can only characterize as a true Aussie bloke, having one point of similarity with Richard in that he has a Filipino wife. Apparently he used to work at the Australian Embassy as Security in the Phillippines (which he termed "The Pils") and brought back a Filipino second wife. Despite informing him that I am actually American through and through, he kept referring to Filipino things with me as "your country", and "your people". I had no idea what he was talking about. I just nodded and smiled. 

We stayed another night, chilled on the rocky beach with various reading material, collected gorgeous tiny shells and headed home the next day knowing that we had an extra day of holiday that we could just be lazy at home. We hope to be a little more successful with a bit more excitement for our next camping attempt.