31.1.15

Camping at Bendeela Recreational Area

It is safe to say  that after our first camping ever, we are sold out  and completely love  it! It was a really great experience for us and the three nights and four days that we spent at the site, we made so many amazing memories, visited new places, and learned a trick or two for our next camping trip. Here's our list of our newbie camper essentials.

Some of the views on the way to the camping site
I have to be honest and say that the way I looked at it, it was just like going away to a new place for a holiday, except we slept on a tent. The kids thought it was the best idea anyone ever came up with and we saved so much money on accommodation. If you know me well, you will realize that it is right up my alley, being the person who puts premium on economic reasons.

Picking a Campsite
Since it was our first trip, I thought we should take it easy and stay close to home so Bonnie Vale Campground was the obvious choice because it is powered, it has hot shower and has mobile coverage. And my darling husband being on the job most of the time, making sure a resource facility is running smoothly without hitches,  it was an easy choice. But at the time I was looking, it was fully booked til close to school opening.

taken from the website here
I read about Bendeela Camping Grounds being highly recommended and I did know that it has basic facility, unpowered, no mobile coverage and FREE! I probably only read the last bit properly because I managed to sell the idea to my unsuspecting family who actually got excited. The other thing was we were talking about Kangaroo Valley a few years back and almost went, except our then GPS could not locate it and found Kangaroo Island in South Australia instead, but that is another story.

We arrived at the campsite at 4pm, after almost cancelling because of a little argument about storage. That did lead to lots of ideas on decluttering, forcing me to book for council clean up, which was good.

We forgot our lighter so on our first night, we had fruits, sandwiches thinking we couldn't cook. We found out the funny way that the advice to try equipment before going makes sense. Sure we knew our tent could endure some rain and we can stay dry but we ran out of time and left getting the butane gas last minute and did not care to read the instructions. Good thing we did not starve that night!!

Testing the Waters
We went out for morning walks just after breakfast, and spend some time subtly checking out other peoples' tents and caravans and talk about what we would do the next time.We did not see a lot of people jump into the lake but there were heaps on their canoes.I think the image of sea monsters kept bugging me, making the water less enticing. While we cooked breakfast and dinner, we would go to the closest attraction, have lunch and go back in the afternoon.

Chasing Wombi the Wombat
Playtime

Fitzroy Falls
We had brunch at the visitors cafe, after a massive breakfast at the campsite. We were probably bracing ourselves for a little trek, that even the kids enjoyed themselves!
This made us want to jump in!

Jersey Lane with this two

At the Cafe where I was trying to make a point about not being scared but....

Tallowa Dam/Lake Yarrunga

We were ready to turn around but after driving for a bit, thought it would be silly to turn. So we kept driving til we can see the water. It was a beautiful lake, with a picnic site and kangaroo running around. There were a number of guests going for a canoe ride.The lake was a much better spot for swimming as it wasn't as muddy and the toilets were clean.








Spotted at the Dam

Kangaroo Valley Town
A small town with lots of crafts ,shops  restaurants and hotels, I was surprised to see signs that all accommodations were full.There was even a powered camping site at the town centre and a public pool that made us want to jump in. We saw lots of signs saying they make the best pie and the one we tried were definitely delicious!
Love the look of the police station

Kangaroo Valley Town Hall

This is a private play area so we had to order some kids meal after lunch so we can stay

This was the pie place we went to whose name escaped us


shop at the main street


Pioneer Museum Park
My most vivid memory of the museum was a sign that cars parked by illegally will be towed and  turned into beer cans! It has lots of history in one venue,with every cottage a story of its own.
One Vehicle at a time

Main Office

The Kids were getting bored but they lightened up when I told them there is a Tardis outside.
It is a telephone booth of course

The Telephone Switchboard

The Hanging Bridge (I'm sure it was called something but forgot)


















I found very sad a bench donated by a church that had to close after decades of ministry. It made me think of the next generation and how important it is to disciple and bring them up into the things of God. That sign was the exact same reason why it makes me sad when I hear or read well meaning individuals say that they are giving their children a choice and they can make a decision on what to believe when they are older. In my opinion, it is rather unfair to expect someone to make a choice in the future if they were not trained and taught when they were young.

Of course it is not a guarantee but we can only hope that what they learn at a young age will stay with them and when they are stuck or have to make decisions in the future, they will remember the things that they were taught when they were little.


Comic Relief
We spent  some time practicing letters and numbers with the kids. Mr D was oozing with confidence while his sister, eleven months his junior skips a few things and asks us for clues. We specifically grilled her with her numbers  because we noticed that she goes ....14..16...17..18.One time after repeatedly asking her, one of us went, okay - can you count 1 to 20 for me, to which she would reply - 1..2..20 :p Other times she would burst into tunes that she made up herself,one of which was a variation of a song from one of her favourite games with lyrics that says - i'm so fabulous..i'm so fabulous!!! Not to be outdone, the little mister would then pose in one of his superhero characters then scream: I AM the INCREDIBLE Daniel!

The most hilarious was probably when I gave them a bath using water from  the tap - they both screamed like little girls -MUMMYYYYYYYYY it's too cold!!Mind you it was a very hot day so the water was not so bad.

Kiama Stopover
Naturally we stopped for ice cream in Kiama on our drive back! The kids also went to see the blowhole and a bit of trampoline fun.


All photos taken through Google Nexus  and the really sharp and vivid ones via OnePlus One


Learning Curve
Because I read that we should go early, by the time we got there,we sort of panicked and picked the first available spot we liked. The spot was fine but the ground was not flat in the middle, which was okay when kids slept on that side. It became a problem when two adults slept on it, causing back pains. So we learned that we should have driven around to see the whole area, which we did on our last day and saw lots of empty spots that would have been perfect.

We also realized that we needed to account for the proximity to toilets, tap and showers.

We clearly did a research of the area but probably not well enough to organize our movement and be more efficient and effective with our time.

I suppose in the end, for a first time, it went really well. The fact is we had great fun, the kids were gadget free and we went out and enjoyed the beauty of nature. What kept running in my head as I sat and look at our view was the magnificence of the surroundings and how surely it did not just pop out without  a Creator behind it!

Our little family is truly grateful for such a beautiful experience! I think we are in for a great adventure ahead!

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