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| Just pack the car and get in! |
It was one of those days. We woke up and felt as if we were treading through waist-deep water, trying to get out the door and into the car so we could have a couple nights of camping. By the time we pulled out of the driveway in our car, it was 3:00pm in the afternoon, so there was no way we were going too far.
A friend had recommended camping at Newnes National Park, about one hour from our holiday home in the Blue Mountains, Australia. If we go there, we'll be able to pitch a tent before it gets too dark, I thought. Getting to the road that led to Newnes was easy, but the further "bush" we went, the more lost we felt and started to second-guess our turn off the highway. Finally I asked my husband to pull over beside a parked car with Queensland plates, tourists snapping photos of the jagged rock faces that surrounded.
"Excuse me", I asked, "do you know if Newnes National Park is close by?"
"Oh yeah, you're nearly there. Just another five minutes", said the man holding the camera, "but be careful going in, you might tear off the bottom of your car, the ruts in the road are huge"
"Thanks for the warning" I said, hopping back into the car. |
We were a bit weary after that comment. Driving around in a low hanging 12-year-old Ford Falcon, we knew we had little chance of surviving those road ruts, but still we pressed on.
We soon reached what looked to be very close to the "end of the road". There stood an old pub, with a middle-aged couple piecing together an enormous jigsaw puzzle at a tiny table on the veranda. We parked the car and walked into the pub, soon realizing that it had now been converted into a very basic general store, generally selling soft drinks, crisps, and candy bars. Dinner was going to be interesting tonight, I pondered.
The Jigsaw Couple stood up and greeted us. "It's $30 a night for camping," they said, "if you want to camp outside the pub, or free if you drive into the park."
We had a quick discussion. $30 sounded a bit steep to pay for camping outside a pub that had no shower or bathroom facilities, but if we continue to drive into the park, will we risk losing the bottom of our car to those road ruts?
Whilst discussing this, I noticed a couple getting into their car. They looked like they'd gone completely bush ages ago, clothes threadbare, run-down car stuffed full of all they would ever need. I thought of how happy and carefree they appeared. Maybe we should "go bush" too!
I asked them about the road, and if they thought it was worth the risk driving into the park.
"No worries", the guy said, "just don't drive the middle of the road once you get to the ruts. You got to take them from a 45 degree angle, zig zag your way down the road from side to side."
I later realized that meeting this couple at this time was just what we needed to save our aging Ford Falcon. With a nod of thanks, we hopped back into the car, and decided to tackle those ruts.
"Wow!" I thought, "I really know what they mean about these things!" They turned out to be enormous potholes in the road. My husband Bruce quickly maneuvered the car into "zig zag" mode, and soon we found ourselves on the other side, the safe side, in an enormous field surrounded by deep blue skies, tree-lined rock faces, succulent, tall blue gums that curtained the edges of the field, shady and perfect to pitch a tent.
We found a suitable spot for camping, stopped the car, flung open the doors, and breathed in the delicious late-afternoon summer air. We couldn't have planned this. We couldn't have left the house any earlier. This is where we are meant to be now, in this park, experiencing the beauty of the area. The challenge of finding it, of learning to dodge the ruts and grooves, and to bring ourselves safely to this space, this in-the-moment-place, was an amazing journey. Just pack the car, get in, and drive. You never know where the road is going to take you! |
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Newnes National Park
January, 2006
Katherine McLeod |
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| The perfect campsite nestled under the towering gums. Our Ford Falcon happily rests after avoiding a terrible fate with the road ruts. |
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| Dez finds a nearby rock to prop up his collection of Hero Ninjas. A
late afternoon of 'goodies against badies' ensued as the sun began to set. This big rock provided a fantastic battleground! |
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| Brothers Jake and Dez happy to be discovering a special spot. |
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| Stepping stones mark the crossing of a nearby creek. |
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| No more stepping stones... The race is on for Jake and Dez... Who'll
reach the other side first?? |
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