A late start and the groups on both sides are leaving today too. Like Polblue, we’ve got water, which we can replenish in Wellington so take the opportunity to have a shower. The farmstay has portable toilet block, there is one toilet and one shower for each the boys and the girls, so they are not the nicest and there has often been a queue. Much nicer to use our own.
Seeing the other groups packup their tents, mattresses, all the cooking gear and marquee, makes us appreciate how quick we can pack up and get away.
This place was a bit of disappointment, the river come creek is nowhere near as nice as the promo photos and the road in was more of a goat track, but the company of the other campers and all the kids playing together has kinda made up for it. Let’s say I don’t think I’d be rushing back.
Just after 10:30 we pull out. The 7k’s on the dirt and then the back to the main Merriwa to Gulgong road. It will be over 2.5 hours to get to Lake Burrendong. When planning the trip, I hadn’t really planned to come this far west, but there were not lots of places available for the long weekend, so this ended up being what seemed to be the best option. We drive through Gulgong and stop for a quick lunch and rest break. Then onto Wellington, I drop Justine off to get a few groceries, while I head to just out of town to empty the dunny and fill the water tanks.
From here it’s about and 30 odd K’s to the lake. We pull into reception, the booking is all fine. We’re shown the unpowered camping options on the map, basically it is find a spot and setup. We ask about campfires as there seems to be some conflicting information, we’re advised “only for cooking” does boiling a kettle count as cooking?
Anyway we drive off and look for a place to stay, It’s not well signposted and every place that seems to be OK, there are signs saying “No Camping” We loop back past the cabins and the handful of powered sites back to the entrance and we can see a bunch of caravans and tents down by the water so we head theraye. I’ve got to say it’s pretty busy already and not lots of free spots. We find a place, not great, but it may have to do, then looking at the map there is a larger map on the other side and it has a lot more options. We Um and Ah, and decide it’s worth taking a look. So back through the powered sites, While not as campers many, there are quite a few people here too, but do find a almost level spot away from others, not right on the water, but a nice enough view.
As we’re here for 4 nights we do a full setup.
Solar out, tables and mat setup. Campfire….Sorry, cooking stove ready. We start to get ready for the night. Cooking dinner and car after car start to enter, this is going to be an interesting long weekend. I may need to bring out my inner bogan…..
Justine spots the moon just as it pokes it’s head up over the hills to the east, it’s not often we get to see a moon rise like that.
Anyway the fire is pretty good, and we do some cooking (do marshmellows count) and we have a movie and finally it’s time for bed…..