Camping at Glenworth Valley

It’s Anzac weekend and the warm sunshine of Easter weekend has given way to a rather gloomy, overcast start to Anzac weekend.  We are planning on camping for 2 nights with Steve’s brother Jim,

Eleni his wife and their 3 kids, Penelope, Marissa and Peter.  Their neighbour and Penelope’s best friend Simona has also joined us.  We regroup at our house before embarking on our adventure. Nobody except me has been camping before so I have my fingers crossed for good weather and positive memories of this experience.

The place is a hive of activity when we get there.  It’s the long weekend and Glenworth Valley is a favourite destination for horse riders.  With over 200 horses and 3,000 acres of wilderness to explore, it is an easy escape for families over the school holidays.  We check in and find a great spot to setup camp – a lovely clearing surrounded by woodland it is setback from the road and away from the more popular camping areas.  After a few false starts, we have setup the tents and the gazebo that Jim and Eleni have packed. 

The boys go in search of firewood, the kids fetch water and Eleni and I start setting up for lunch.  It’s still overcast but there is no rain for which we are grateful. 

The kids have brought card games to entertain us with and the fire draws us together for warmth and company.  The fire is of course where life revolves around while camping and it is a wonderful way to bond, toast marshmallows and stay warm.  There is no shortage of food and we cook meat over the fire for dinner and eat light for lunch.  There is good bushwalking around and loads of activities for the kids from quad bikes and kayaks to laser skirmishes.  They choose horse riding while we go off for coffee at the nearby café. 

A highlight of the trip for me was experimenting with star trails.  We are blessed with a wonderful cloudless night on our first day here and the Milky Way lights up our campsite.  I setup my tripod for a 30-minute exposure and wait patiently to see what I might have captured.  It is only the second time I have experimented with star trails and I am really pleased with the photograph.   We snuggle into our sleeping bags on our first night of camping and say goodnight.  Steve is really enjoying this experience and loves being outdoors. 

We enjoy a great two days of camping.  For us, it is wonderful to get away from computers and TODO lists and just relax.  Jim and Eleni have finally been able to tick camping off their bucket list – it has been something they have wanted to do ever since the kids were born.  When we pack up on Sunday we are ready for hot showers and real beds but we know we will be back in the woods once the weather is warmer. 

“A great many people, and more all the time, live their entire lives without ever once sleeping out under the stars.”   ~ Alan S. Kesselheim