Today a sleep in, we were a bit annoyed when Dotti was ready to get out again and also Nossi was eager for food, but when we looked at the clock it was already 8.25 am. That’s late in camping speak. Generally we’re up at light and start yawning at dark. Then we fool around for another couple of hours with twigs, sticks and logs and try to evade clouds of smoke to get a little warm. I am sure that the GPS and the fire are working together to get life challenging, but we’re tougher. Hah!
This was our last day in Darlington park. It was a bit too organized for us and too many people. Also not bushy enough. Our neighbours Geoff and Elizabeth were nice but after having heard about their past, their kids and married family as well as their plans until September next year we thought it was time to go.
So we packed up and by ten were ready for the road. Geoff had all kind of useful tips for next campings but being over 50 we can concentrate only on one thing and we remembered their names but forgot all his tips other than that you should always camp at least 5 km out of a town to avoid local invasions. There must be some truth in that as the Uralla Fossicking area is within that radius of Uralla.
The trip to Aratula went without any remarkable events. We stopped at Beaudesert for a coffee that I was supposed to get while Marjo stayed with the dogs in the bus. Half an hour later (could be a bit more) I came back with a coffee plunger, my favourite muesli (Woollies Strawberry) and oat and raisin cookies from Woolworths, bread and white chocolate from Aldi and a new axe from the local farm supplies store. Oh and the coffee with a smile from the friendly girl. With that same smile she charged $5.50 a coffee and that’s when I decided to get the plunger so for the same $11 we can make 100 organic cuppa’s.
Then onto Boonah where Marjo found a new version of the Camping guide (we upgraded from version 2 to version 6), Templin where we admired the historic village and got hold up by cows on the road. Different from the cows on Lamington National Park road on the way not to Darlington park, these were herded by two guys, a four wheel drive and a yapping dog. Nice to see, inclusive of the cow dung squashed by the tires of the bus.
Less nice was the camouflage of the trailer afterwards. We’ll see how long it sticks.
Not much later we arrived in Aratula, sounds a bit like they should have a Khomeini. But they just had a gate with signs that booking was necessary. We are Dutch and have no manners so just open the gate and drive up. A lady as tall as my fingernail and white like the bus used to be came up to us with a rueful look on her face. She just had two days of motocross kids and was about to chainsaw a tree for firewood for a group next week. She spoke kinda loud, perhaps hoping that over 50 and all we would be hard of hearing. We asked if she had spots away from all the noise and she said that we had to look for ourselves, but wasn’t sure our bus could make the nice spots.
Marjo and Nossi went scouting and found a reasonable spot so I got the bus. I told the white pinksize lady and she said that if the old bus could make it that far there would be an even nicer spot further down the trail.
Driving to the original spot Marjo had found the same and now we’re just lighting a fire on the side of a creek, the dogs on their beds, Marjo a wine and me sipping a New.
Now, a nice bus made (home made sounds better) pumpkin soup we are both catching up on email and such using iPads and the 1 bar of phone reception. T h a t m a k e s e v e r y t h i n g g o v e r y s l o w . . . .
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