Are we there yet.. ?

Are you happy now? Say yeah, yeah, yeah

Are you really happy now? Say yeah, yeah, yeah

Something that most of us have done is camping, and you either love or hate it; take it or leave it. To most of us, camping is an outdoor activity that involves staying a night, or multiple, in a protective shelter, if lucky, or out in the nature. Camping is a broad term, but in its essence, camping is a way of getting away from the hustle of urban life, to a more natural environment and to become one with nature.

When l was around eight years old, one day in particular, my dad told us to pack warm clothes in our suitcase case, and we all asked why. “We're going camping with your aunts and uncles for the long labor day weekend.” He replied to me. We were all excited, but I was a little nervous, mostly because it was the first time I had ever slept in a tent out in the wilderness. As I’m sure if you’ve been reading my blogs regularly, you would know my parents liked to do things in the spur of the moment; and yet again, this was another one of those occasions.

On the day that we left, I woke up early and got ready as fast as I could, because I was going camping in the bush for the first time…EVER. I ran into my parents room to wake them up. My mother said to me with a tired smile, “Honestly Kitty, calm down.” The whole time, I was thinking, ‘Hurry up and get ready!’ We had ended up packing most things the previous night, so we could be away before we knew it. My parents arose, prepared, and we ate breakfast. After we were done, it was time to finally leave, and we locked the door and got in our Holden Kingswood. My mother was always prepared and packed drinks and snacks for our four hour trip up to the Howqua River in the Victorian High Country. After snacking, and playing a few rounds of Spoto, l dozed off, sprawled out in the back seat, back in the 70s we lived on the wild side and didn’t wear seatbelts.

“We’re here!” My father said. With sore and stiff legs, we clumsily got out of our car after being crammed in there for over four and a half hours from Caulfield to the Howqua Hills. This was a place that was unfamiliar to me. I really didn’t know what to think. I looked around and examined this new place that I was in; it was full of nature. Rays from the bright yellow sun above crept in through the tall, leafy green Manna Gums and the Narrow‐Leaved Peppermint gums onto the combination of dirt and sand on the ground beneath my feet.

In the distance, l could see my Aunt and Uncles car, they were all set up and relaxing.The smell of campfire smoke clouded the air and enthralled me. I knew that this would be a place of complete adventure and excitement. After greeting our family, it was time to set up the tent which my father needed my help with… or so he said. It’s always delightful to be needed. Before l knew it, and after a little blood, sweat, and tears… l hit my finger with the hammer trying to push the tent pegs in! But we were done, and ready to sit back and enjoy a drink with he family.

The afternoon had turned windy but yet held a pleasant temperature, so we stayed around camp talking and just sharing a good time together. That night, the wind had calmed, but it was comfortable enough to the point that you could be outside without a jacket, especially near the campfire. We sat around the warmth of the campfire together as a family, and enjoyed the night. We talked around the fire, laughing as my younger cousin Douglas made a clown out of himself, as he usually does, and cooked hot dogs and jaffles. It was a great night, and it brought me to realise that spending time with family is really what life is all about, and how worthwhile and lovely it truly is.

We woke to the sounds of Kookaburras and Rosellas in the campground’s shady canopy that morning, my dad and I woke up early, pulled out a griddle, and started making breakfast. We tossed some eggs and bacon on the extremely hot griddle and they sizzled while we mixed all the ingredients for pancake batter in a bowl. The wonderful smell of the bacon and eggs sizzling reminded me of when my dad and I made breakfast at home. It was something that we hadn’t done in a while, and just because of that, I enjoyed it even more. I started pouring exact measurements of pancake batter onto the griddle and it began to bubble. My dad would make the bacon and eggs, and I would flip the pancakes. With perfect timing, we finished making the delicious breakfast. There was a plate of mouthwatering bacon, fried eggs, and a tower of fluffy pancakes. We ate a hearty first breakfast, and everything went extraordinarily smoothly. We were set for a full day of fun and discovery, which apparently consisted of a 8 kilometre hike up the Howqua Hills, backpacks filled with food and whatever my parents thought would be needed, boots on, and we were ready to set off! There were no Walkmans or MP3 players, so no listening to music along the track, not like these days when l have the Proclaimers on repeat, just good old conversation to keep you going. The hike was challenging and physically demanding, for me at the least. At only 8 kilometres, it might be a short hike for some, but I found it incredibly rewarding regardless.

The beautiful scenery, the wallabies, kangaroos and wildlife, the trees that could be hundreds of years old, and the beauty of the cascading river showering over the rocks and tree branches… it was truly breathtaking. We were fortunate enough to experience the beauty of the high country, a place like no other. Our hike took up a good part of the day, maybe that two hour lunch stop had something to do with it… but there were no complaints from anyone. It was a peaceful, enjoyable time with the family.

Before we knew it, we were headed back to camp for the evening, and my goodness, I could hardly wait. Uncle Tom and my cousin Douglas had decided to stay back at camp, and had a rather successful afternoon fishing, by the looks of it, they had caught Rainbow and brown trout. I know you might be thinking how does an eight year-old know what sort of fish are swimming the Howqua river? We shall say that maps from the BP are always amazing and have a wealth of information! They show not only trails, but an abundance of pictures of the wildlife and habitat. We ended up with a wonderful fish fry up, having good conversation and music. My father always had his guitar close by, and the highlight of the night; Auntie Mavis’s cherry Trifle. It was a total crowd pleaser.

Two days later, and sadly, we had to finally leave. I had an extraordinary time, including a few days of family bonding time, adventure, and new experiences. I can see how this mini holiday has changed how I am in the present. My favourite family holiday every year is to go camping. It’s partly because I get to take a break from being stressed out, and get to relax, and also partially because I get to go see and do new things. I might even conquer some of my long lasting fears, including heights. But most importantly, I get to spend time with my family, which we don’t do often. My family is really important to me, and I think camping for the last few years has only made that more apparent.