When we attended the Caravan and Camping Show at Penrith in early September 2014, we decided to purchase an annexe for our caravan. This purchase was something that we had considered for several years and now having the caravan that we can leave behind upon arrival at a destination now made it the right decision.
After paying a deposit, we arranged with the supplier’s agent to take the measurements for the annexe somewhere away from our home which is totally unsuitable to allow access to the caravan for the purpose of measurement.
Knowing that we would be going to Wee Jasper for a CMCA Chapter meeting, we arranged to have the caravan measured the day before the chapter meeting. The supplier’s agent lives close to Mittagong so the Mittagong Caravan Park was the perfect venue.
We had always intended to depart for Wee Jasper on a Thursday so we changed plans to arrive at Mittagong early in the afternoon and then leave Mittagong early on Friday to arrive at Wee Jasper before lunch.
We had no problems getting the caravan out from our drive nor did we have any problem in negotiating the mid-morning traffic whilst we made our way to the M5 at Bankstown.
The trip south was uneventful and we arrived at Mittagong at 11:30am. Whilst going through the check-in process, we were informed that we were lucky to have got a booking as the caravan park was becoming busy due to the Bowral Tulip Festival which stated on the weekend. We were told that it was unlikely that fences had been erected and we could probably see the displays without having to pay an entrance fee. We were even given directions to the location of the tulip display.
We were given a drive-thru site close to the park entry point. Whilst positioning the caravan on a concrete pad, “He” noticed water dripping from the underside of the caravan. Close inspection did not reveal the source of the water and we could only assume that the water was residual from the overflow when the fresh water tanks were filled. We now blame the water distraction on leaving the D shackles and the pins for the weight distribution system on the rear bumper before we left the caravan park to drive to the site of the Tulip Festival at Bowral. This mistake would only come to light when hooking-up on the next day.
We had lunch and drove to Bowral and were fortunate enough to see the tulips without having to pay an entry fee. We had coffee in Bowral and returned to the caravan park in the middle of the afternoon to wait for the annexe to be measured. That took place as expected.
During the hitch-up process on Friday morning, the missing components were discovered. We walked the roads in the caravan park and the adjacent street without finding any of the missing parts. We were able to temporary secure the chains and the weight distribution system to allow us to travel to the local Bunnings where replacement shackles (unrated) and temporary pins were purchased.
A little later than planned, we were again heading south in west and windy conditions. We stopped at Goulburn to purchase bread and we were also able to purchase the correct rated shackles and the correct pins for the weight distribution system.
We refuelled at Yass and then drove all the way to Wee Jasper in rain. The scenery on the way in was nothing short of specular.
Our destination at Wee Jasper was the Billy Grace Camp Ground.
Wee Japer (Billy Grace Camp Ground) is one (1) hour from either Yass or Canberra and is described as real bush camping with limited facilities. There are showers and toilets but there is no power nor is there a dump point. There is no telephone or television reception. Our campsite was not far from a flowing river, it is the perfect place to camp!
It was fairly wet upon our arrival and there was some concern that further rain over the coming days would make the departure from Billy Grace a little interesting courtesy of the mud. Fortunately the rain stopped and although it was overcast for part of our stay, our exit on the following Monday was without any problem.
The chapter meeting had a theme and was titled “Mad Hatter’s Camp Oven cook out and tea party”.
What did that mean?
Saturday afternoon we all dressed up with fancy hats and the like and enjoyed a tea party (with real tea cups) with the “Alice in Wonderland” theme. We were spoilt with a variety of delicious cakes and other treats.
On Saturday night we had a communal meal where we all cooked single meals and then we all enjoy the spoils collectively. The meals were fantastic and enjoyed by all in the decorated club marquee which we had erected for the duration of the weekend.
We also had trivia based on Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter’s tea party and we were fortunate to win a couple of the prizes.
During the entire weekend a large campfire was kept alight. This provided the heat for many a campfire meal and also the perfect venue for campfire talks that went well into the evenings.
All in all, this was one of the better chapter meetings we have attended.
Finally, our trip home was made with no fuss with excellent fuel consumption achieved whilst travelling very close to the posted speed limit.