ANZAC Day 2021 long weekend at Gordon Country
The long weekend started with a lengthy drive from the Brisbane CBD in peak hour afternoon traffic after having to work in the office on Friday. Arriving at Gordon Country on dark was my first experience at setting up a campsite in darkness! Positioning the camper trailer and setup took longer than usual due to the lack of good light. It was god to have some extra help from Louise who travelling with me and Barb and Chris (otherwise known as Mum and Dad to me!). Louise and Guy are on the countdown to getting their hybrid van in the coming months.
Rose and Bob, Graham, Barb and Chris, and Suzzie had all arrived earlier. Julie-Anne and Murray, Rhiannon, and club visitors Ryan (Rhiannon’s brother) and Cameron, (Ryan’s mate) also arrived later Friday night. Max and Levi, and Kathy and Ray arrived Saturday morning.
Saturday afternoon we headed off on a 4WD adventure on the tracks around Gordon Country. It was a nice scenic drive through the Australian bush until suddenly that leisurely, relaxing drive gave way to a warning sign in large capital letters ‘EXTREMELY STEEP, EXPERIENCED DRIVERS ONLY’.
This possibly should have been the point where I decided ‘yeah nah not for me’. I certainly don’t rate myself as experienced and still need to work on my confidence on those rutted, slippery gravel and muddy bush tracks. I am far more confident on the beach… until I get bogged!
But we decided to push on…. a few club members went ahead and then it was my turn. Let’s just say that the video Louise recorded may have given some indication to what we were experiencing. The motivational and calming running commentary from Louise and my stifled nervous laughing, barely able to talk (other than mutterings of holy crap every so often) and heavy breathing. The sign was correct, we were driving down what was definitely an EXTREMELY STEEP track, and then some. The sign needs to be updated to also read EXTREMELY SLIPPERY gravel and holes the size of small elephants.
My 4WD maybe scrapped back to bare metal on the underbody! It sounded like I plunged the poor thing down that track the whole way on its belly. It was a learning experience and while we were going slow each time my tyres lost traction over the deep holes the 4WD felt like it lunged forward at the speed of a jet until the tyres hit gravel and pulled up again. That two minutes downhill decent felt like ten minutes and like we were travelling at the speed of light. Louise didn’t film my knuckles gripping the steering wheel for dear life nor my mouth hanging open in shock. Reaching the bottom unscathed was a relief and once I got over the shock, I thought it was fun – though I’m not sure I’m ready to try an EXTREME track again just yet. Everyone in our convoy decided to give it a go and got down safely. The chatter and excitement following the strong sense of achievement stayed with us all afternoon.
In the late afternoons were enjoyed a collective happy hour and shared nibbles while relaxing and sharing stories around the fire. The bubbling creek now flowing after the recent rain set a tranquil backdrop.
Sunday marked ANZAC Day, so we rose early for a 6am ceremony around the fire pit. We showed our respect with a beautiful display of little battery candles (KMart is my friend) and the Last Post sounding across the campsite. Afterwards it was tea and coffee with a splash of rum and/or condensed milk and ANZAC biscuits.
Mid-morning on Sunday we headed off on another drive. During the drive it was decided that Chris will be receiving a fine for announcing a secret radio channel for us to use to avoid other people pestering us on our usual channel (more about that story during fine announcements at the June meeting). For this drive we decided take the ‘easy’ track but quickly found a challenging hill. The Gordon Country maps aren’t that easy to follow and after one of our convoy ending up getting stuck and needing help off the hill, along with the general busyness of other people on the same track, we decided to call it a day and head back to camp.
On returning to the campsite Barb had damper ready and waiting for us all. It was delicious. A few of us then went off to explore Sylvester’s Lookout in the Main Range National Park. The track up and back was beautiful. Our efforts were rewarded with a lovely view across our beautiful country.
Overall, the weekend weather was beautiful. It was a bit chilly at night but with the right equipment we stayed warm. The scene in the morning when the moisture was evaporating from our camp, and the sun peeking through the trees was stunning.
The amenities at our campsite were quite good. No coins were required for the shower. Pressing then button gave access to 2-3 minutes of hot water.
Pack up was easy and the trip home was good. We did our usual stop at Aratula bakery to support local business.
Bec and Louise