Exploring

One day, just maybe, the kids will learn how to shut the caravan door and not make it sound like a tornado has ripped through and slammed it shut. 

One day, just maybe, the kids will learn to take more than one item at a time out of the van, without slamming the door behind them each time. 

One day, just maybe, the kids will learn to fire up the Weber and cook me breakfast so that when I am woken up with the 100th door slam, they can bribe back into happiness. 

One day. 

After the usual morning routines I tried in vain to get the kids to come with me and explore the local marina and pretend beach. 

Turns out that Taz is the only loyal one in the family now, so off we went. 

There is not a lot to the beach here. Rocks, seaweed, more rocks. There was certainly some good spots for a bit of fishing, including squid, however this trip was just s scoping exercise and we soon headed back to camp. 

We had a big game of softball with the kids then some well needed rest. The park had close to 600 people here now with another 150 expected. 

I needed to get away and explore, so when everyone refused to come with me again, I took off on my own with Taz to look at Second Valley and Rapid Bay. 

Plenty of amazing coastal views, and the compulsory walks on the jetty, also stopping to talk to everybody (who were really only stopping to pat Taz, but I am ok with pretending it is me they were really stopping for. )

I felt much better after clambering over all the rocks in my best hiking thongs, and headed back to have my first drink for the day (yes I know it is hard to believe, but it was definitely after 3 before cracking my first coldie

The fire got stoked up after the Weber produced another magnificent set of chicken schnitzels,  and the night faded into darkness, and a whole lot of story telling. 

It’s a Good Friday

Only an hour and a half away is our destination this weekend. Wirrina Cove is just past Normanvulle and just prior to reaching the Kangaroo Island ferry (which is known as one of the worlds most expensive passages of transport)

There are only 7 families with 20 kids between us this time, so I will refer to this weekend as camping and not a holiday.

We are in the non powered section this year thanks to the other 500 people that also chose this place as their long weekend choice of location. 

The weather is looking pretty awesome for the weekend - perfect for sitting around, eating and drinking all weekend, contemplating which day next week I will be starting my diet. 

Setting up the caravan seems to be taking longer each time we go anywhere now. The boys want their independence and are sleeping in swags, which creates a host of packing difficulties, but gives us a little more room inside once all their stuff is out. 

Going off to explore the beaches in a while (secretly scoping out fishing spots for the weekend whilst pretending to take the dog for a walk). Might as well enjoy this beautiful weather while it lasts. 

Where has the sun gone

And what is with this wind? We are on holidays... there is not allowed to be wind......

Very much different weather waking up today. Overcast, windy and much cooler (I know we complained about the heat yesterday, but I didn't think it was enough to deserve this.)
Dylan was gone at 7am, determined to catch a carp. 2 rods and a can of corn in hand, off he went down to the lake all set to get his record haul of the menace of the lake. Somebody forgot to tell the carp his plans however. Not a single bite. He had been there for nearly 90 minutes trying everything he could to get one of the pests, but no luck whatsoever. He almost exploded when the kid 50 metres up the lake caught a good sized one after having a line in the water for only 10 minutes

He finally conceded and gave up with the fishing for an hour so that the kayaks could come out again, this time for a bit of stand up paddle boarding. The stability and core strength is awesome to watch, as they just get up and start paddling, with no chance of  falling in.

We spent another full day in the water, fishing, kayaking, sitting, drinking. The wind was quite blustery and annoying at times... it was almost like having a second Dylan with us....

I spent the late part of the afternoon getting the Kayaks back on to the roof racks, only to discover that one of the support stands had popped out of the roof rack mount and appeared to have stripped the thread of the bolt about halfway up. Unfortunately this was noticed after I had put both yaks on the roof and mostly tied down, so off they came again so I could fix it.
Using my awesome technical knowledge, I dug up a handful of cable ties and the made the screw seemingly tight in the bracket, and they were finally up again, tied on and ready for the trip home. Insurance is up to date, but hopefully I wont be making a claim this time tomorrow night!

Dinner tonight was take-away - Chicken and Chips. This would be my favourite of all times. As well as Pizza. And Hamburgers. And Yiros. And any other take-away.
Home tomorrow - already. Unfortunately I do need to actually work to pay for this life of glamping luxury and the toys we have to play with. Good news is that it is only 2 weeks until the Easter Weekend when we are off again. More on that later.

And the heat goes on

We actually got a sleep in today. It was almost 9am before I started stirring, at which time I was immediately pounced upon by the kids because they are “starving”. It was also very hot already. I hadn’t taken much notice of today’s forecast, however I quickly realised that it was going to hit the maximum of 35 very early.
Perfect weather for spending the day out on the kayaks on Lake Albert. 
It is less than a metre deep for as far as you can walk out, so we have told the kids they are allowed out on their own as long as they don't drown. (trying for the parent of the year award with that one...) 

The real worry with it being so shallow was if there was enough water under the kayak to allow me to sit in it without become stuck in the mud below....... Luckily, the science of buoyancy allows even me to float on a kayak, so I also ventured out a couple of times
The poor kayak was turned into a green iceberg where 90% of it was under water leaving a 5mm lip above the sinking line as I paddled around trying my best to use my awesome core muscles and stay upright (it is not as easy as it looks...... especially with the kayak wanting to come up for a breath of air every couple of minutes !)
I finally mastered it, at which time i stopped so that i could finish on a positive note.
Tracy and her dad went out later on looking the part with their synchronised rowing as they vanished through the reeds.

It was a beautiful night with the weather hovering in the high 20's late into the evening. The mandatory Weber BBQ produced some awesome hamburgers from a mix i made during the week at home, and of course were cooked perfectly.
I was exhausted from a full day in the sun, and trying to stay afloat. A few drinks, some TV and general chit chat rounded up the day.
Looking forward to another day of the same tomorrow.

Meningie - a not so short trip

Yet again, despite all my best intentions, it was after 5pm before we were motoring down the road for our next adventure. 

I had got the car and van packed in record time and even got my special 1st Aid pack sorted, ready for the following 3 days. 

We got an impressive 50m before I noticed how heavy the van was and realised I forgot to plug in the lights and brakes.  Luckily we live on a series of no through roads so I could stop where I was and plug it all in without worrying about other traffic. 

I had heard the the freeway was closed due to a serious car accident near Tailem Bend, so we (ok.... I ) decided to head through Wistow, Langhorne Creek, across the ferry at Wellington and then down to Meningie. Much nicer option than sitting in traffic in 34 degree heat for what could be hours while they clean up   It was a pleasant drive, listening to the kids argue about anything and everything whilst Tracy pretended to be asleep next to me and the dog continuously climbed over us all looking for the best vantage spot. 

We had just reached Wistow when I heard on the radio that the freeway was cleared, but decided to push on anyway as ithis route was only about 5km longer and a much more pleasant drive. 

Before I knew it, we were at Wellington, waiting for the ferry.

Along with about 60 other cars in front of us.

The ferry takes about 10 cars at a time, with a 12 minute round trip. It was at this time I was visited by Grumpy Barry which resulted in the family going for a walk with the dog to the river, leaving me to boil in my own steam knowing that we were here for the next hour to travel 300m. Thankfully there was a breeze blowing which kept me cool as it dissipated the steam coming from my ears, and a few old buildings to stare at and allow me to remember it is the journey, and not the destination that makes the best holidays.

Almost exactly an hour later, I was at the front of the queue and driving onto the ferry. Thankfully the remainder of the trip was less than 30 minutes more. We did have to pull over with about 5km to go, thanks to the sound of a Kayak about to fall off the roof racks. They were still tied on tight, and the sudden realisation that I was standing in the worlds biggest bull ant nest with my best camping thongs, got me back in the car quicker than the million flies buzzing around my head and we were off again. 

We got to camp right on sunset, at which time I could start experiencing the joys of Tracy making me adjust the level-ness of the caravan 1mm at a time until a marble wouldn’t roll off the inside table. (Luckily I am excellent at doing this, so I just smiled and rocked the car back and forth until she was happy.)

A couple of hours later it was all done. The boys swags were up, tea had been microwaved and eaten, a bourbon went missing out of the fridge - time to sit and relax. 

Going to be a hot one tomorrow - perfect for the kayaks. 

Driving in circles

After half the crew packed up and went home, we decided to go for a drive with the Hardy’s to Corny Point and then another few km further on to a place called Pine Point. It was reported to have great hot chips, despite it being a small general store selling everything to the 40 shacks in the town, including fuel, groceries and of course hot chips.

The rumour was true - the best hot chips I have had for many  months. 

Back to Corny Point, we took off down the dirt track to the lighthouse and amazing rugged coastline. 

The kids were getting restless, wanting to get into the water and go swimming. There was nowhere nearby suitable, so we ventured down to Gleeson’s Landing, only to discover later on that I should have turned right and not left if we wanted a sandy beach. By this time, the restlessness was turning into grumpiness, and the kids weren’t overly happy either, so we decided to go back to the surf area next to the Caravan Park. Which we could have walked to if we hadn’t chosen to drive around the peninsula for the last 3 hours. 

The boys surfed, Kayla buried herself in the sand and I watched a group of seals out beyond the breakers. 

After tea, we joined the remaining families and went for a final walk down the beach, snapping some photos and reminiscing. 

Tomorrow we leave, which is timely considering the forecast for rain from midnight tonight and generally horrible weather. 

A day on the boat

From about 4pm yesterday afternoon, the wind was howling and the possibility of getting out in the boat was looking pretty slim. Even at 7am this morning the wind was still rattling the van, but I took off anyway with Tyler and Dylan hoping the forecast was correct and that it would be calm in another hour or two.

Sure enough, by the time we arrived st Coobowie the wind had slowed right down and by the time we got out on the water, it was perfect conditions. 

Dylan was bursting out of his skin to do anything that would make his mum’s stress levels rise, so he was beaming when Peter got him to stand in the edge of the boat to put the roads in the top holders, followed by sitting up the front of the boat 

We stopped at the first location and both Tyler and Dylan managed to get o pull in a couple of whiting before Peter and I had even put bait on ours. A few more and then as quickly as it started, they stopped biting. We tried a few mor spots with limited success, before heading off to Marion Reef. We hooked up on a big variety of fish such as Trevally, Sweep, God and Leather Jackets as well as a small undersized Rugger Snapper. 

Time was slipping away so we shifted to one last spot in slightly deeper water on the reef and hit the jackpot. 3 big snapper, a snook and a dog shark caught by Dylan finished off a great day. 

The trip back, the cleanup, the filleting, and the 1 hour trip back to camp, meant we didn’t get home till 9pm where 2 very tired but happy kids crashed, soon followed by their very tired dad. 

A whale of a time

The combined thought for today was that we would split the young ones onto the sheltered shallows with the Kayak (proudly donated by Darren Wasley)  whilst the older kids, some responsible parents and mysel climbed over the dunes to try and catch some waves on the not so sheltered side.

We agreed that would be after lunch so we (Tracy, the kids and myself) went to a he shallows on our own for an hour, throwing the Wahu ball around and me generally creating mini Tsunamis each tme I dived into the 1/2m deep water playing around with Tyler. 

As planned, after lunch we headed over the dunes where the kids had a whale of a time body boarding with the mid sized waves. 

Speaking of whales, I couldn’t just stand by and watch, so I stripped down and went in with them all, showing how gracefully a 1/2 ton carcass could ride the waves in until the sand started ripping the skin off my belly well before the rest of me started getting close to coming ashore. And no..... you are not getting to see pictures of that. (Do I hear sighs of relief???)

It was a great fun afternoon that ended with some very over cooked ham steaks on the Weber, thanks to the 50 knot winds that picked up and tried its best to blow out the Weber. 

I decided it was going to be too late uncomfortable to sit up tonight, so I put a movie on until I couldn’t stay awake any longer. 

Tomorrow the boys and I are heading to Coobowie to catch up with Peter for a hopeful day in the boat. I am seriously doubting it at the moment with this wind trying to blow every last bit of sand off the beach and into the Sahara Desert. Let’s see what the morning brings. 

On our own

The reality of camping with a dog set in today. Marion Bay is on the edge of the Innes National Park, which has a total ban on dogs entering. So when the group of 9 families with their collection of 26 kids decided today would be spent exploring the coastline, it became very apparent that someone had to stay behind with Taz. As Tracy drove away with the kids, I quickly realised that someone was me. 

I spent the first hour walking him up the beach trying to get him used to water more than an inch deep, but he wouldn’t go near it.  I did find a spot under the jetty where he nearly got his legs wet, but the rolling waves were just too much for him. 

When we got back, I had lunch and was sitting lifeless in my camping chair, when Taz suddenly got interested in something behind me. Turns out a 1.5m brown snake decided to slip past the rear feet of my chair as if he owned the park. (Right at that moment, he did, by the way). 

I flew out of my chair, changed my undies and followed it to make sure it went into someone else’s van so that I could sleep tonight. I watched it slip under the neighbours annex and after poking my head in and seeing all the bedding and mattresse, I raised the alarm with them. When it finally decided to poke its head out again, we managed to steer it away from all vans and into the bushland between us and the beach. 

That was my signal to settle in for the afternoon with a strong drink. I now had the second biggest fright of the day when I couldn’t find my bottle of Bacardi. After 10 or so frantic panic-stricken minutes, I came to the conclusion that it was in the boot of the car with Tracy and the kids (hopefully the kids don’t find it first). So guess who not only syed back at camp, but also had a dry afternoon.?

More walks wothTaz on the beach and talking to Marty who had come back early thanks to a faulty car alternator passed the afternoon away until the family arrived looking very pleased with themselves and having good memories from the day. 

The Weber was fired up for tea, then we all gathered for the communal drinks and “talk shit” sessions until we couldn’t stay up any longer. 

I managed to get a few more photos of a very tired Taz who was loving the additional attention. 

It seems we are going fishing at 6am in the morning. That’s the plan anyway (is it wrong I am secretly hoping Dylan will sleep in?)

Joining the gang

Despite all my best intentions, we didn’t quite leave as early as planned. I was going to wake myself up at 6:15 and be on the road by 7:30. Kayla comes into the bedroom at 7:20 and calmly wakes us up asking if we were still going on holiday. Whoops. 

We were finally all done and on our way at 8:45. Not bad really 

Taz was relegated to his bed in the boot of the car and was not allowed to climb over us all thinking he owns the place. That was the plan anyway. Once again, he proved that even the best laid plans are made to be broken and soon made his way to his favourite observation post between the two of us sitting up on the centre console. Tracy tried her hardest to ignore him and read her book, but he eventually made his way onto her lap for the last hour of the trip to Marion Bay. 

We got to the park at about 1pm and were greeted by a good spread of other families who we were joining for the week and what seemed an entire gaggle of kids. After setting up the van and telling Dylan no to his 15 requests to go fishing, we joined the group for a walk to the beach and to let the kids have some time in the very kid friendly surf. 

This was very different from the water in the bay directly in front of the park where it was about 30cm deep at the most and probably a temperature of 30 degrees. 

Just before 5, we made our way back to camp and had a late beer o’clock gathering, before becoming responsible parents again and cooking some tea for the kids. 

It was at about this time again that Dylan started pestering me to go fishing again. I reluctantly agreed, regardless of the thunder and distant lightning and ever increasing wind. Against my better judgement, I got to the jetty with Tyler and Dylan eager to catch anything, however with the wind gaining enough strength to blows the freckles off Dylan’s face, and the impressive lightning show threatening to turn  all 3 of us into a charcoaled chowder, we called it quits and headed back, put the kids to bed then wandered over to the group for another social bevvy or two before calling it a night. 

Not sure I am looking forward to a week of 25 kids running crazy throughout the vans, but I think they are.