I took Michael (age eight) on his first camping trip yesterday. We only stayed out one night to get a feel for how he’d like it. The trip was also a test for our new Suzuki 4WD. Suzie, as I call her, handled the conditions brilliantly.
We headed up the Goldies Spur track from the Buckland Valley to the back of Mount Buffalo. I’ve walked up there before and knew roughly what to expect. The track exists to service power lines that run through that way. They’re an unfortunate visual distraction, but without them this country would be almost totally inaccessible.
Upon reaching the ridge I explored new territory along the more isolated Buffalo Range Road, hoping to find a campsite.
The track deteriorated though and the few flat spots were overgrown with ferns and weeds. We backtracked along the powerlines until we found a suitable place.
We set up camp on a side track that looped around the main “road”. Thanks to Suzie we had comforts such as chairs, air mattresses, etc. We made a fireplace out of the plentiful rock supply and had no problem gathering wood.
Being early autumn and just over a year since the bushfire, the wood was dry and burnt easily. Our campsite was in a bushfire area and we could see the legacy.
We enjoyed a walk along the ridge to see the sunset, which was spectacular. Dude went to bed early and I was in the sleeping bag myself by 9pm.
We both woke predictably early and caught the sunrise on the other side of the ridge. The picture above shows Michael in his spear-throwing pose. He acted out a mixture of Pokemon battles and Lord of the Rings.
I think it’s his African blood. He’s wearing his Springbok jumper and possibly has latent Zulu tendencies.
We both enjoyed the trip. Suzie has opened up the countryside to us and we’ll do a lot more exploring.
