Day Trip: 26th December 2015

Probably the last time I’ll see Amaroo this year so delivered some Christmas presents being 2 x 1000Lt IBC’s for greywater catchment. We were hoping to have a motor bike ride but the rain just came down too hard!
Better luck next time!

The tarp  we covered the shed floor with was still in place but ripped all over. We re-secured it and tried to drain off the water pooling on it but we just kept getting more rain!

The down pipe off the gutter had fallen off and we missed the mornings downpour of rain. Its back in place now and awaiting PVC cement to secure it permanently when the other tanks are installed.

Cabin Build Pt1: Floor

Day 1 & 2 – 10th & 11th December 2015

After weeks of Johnny and Chris planning, drawing and quoting, today was the day the first sod of soil will be turned for the construction of our cabin. We were finally set on plans so the boys headed own today for 5 days of cabin building pleasure!

They left late Thursday with the first load of timber and still managed to get some bits done with a late arrival.

A Dingo was hired to drill the holes for the posts, Chris tried his hand at smoothing out the bumps in out driveway but instead created speed humps!

Lots of H4 posts were added to support the floor that was to be installed. The shed is on piers as to not interrupt the natural water course of the slope.

Day 3 – 12th December 2015
The boys set the rest of the posts in shallow concrete in their final place and the rest of the concrete will be made in bulk with the Cement Mixer Friday. 35 bags of 40kg Cement Mix had been transported down over the last 2 trips.

Plus we had to make the landing pad for tbe stair case up to the shed entry.

End of Day 3 and the fellas got this far. Posts and bearers in place. Tomorrow is for the joists. Unfortunately we didn’t have all the materials needed to finish so a trip into town first thing for another delivery of material.

Day 4 – 12th December 2015
Our original plan was to shoot into Young Mitre 10 but had to stop in Cowra first to return the cement mixer. After a quick shop at Bunnings Cowra, the service attendant kindly informed us another Bunnings in nearby Forbes had all the materials on our list. So Young was scrapped and we were off to Forbes!

It only took an hour to get to Forbes and were heading back to Cowra before long. We were gone 4hrs in total and Johnny had done an amazing amount of work on the joists and was already halfway through.

Chris jumped on the Saw and starting making the fittings between the joists.
Before long we were ready to fit Yellow Tongue flooring.

Day 5 – 14th December 2015
Today was the last day of our stay so needed to incorporate Camp pack up as well as tool pack up and wrap our floor structure to keep it safe from the weather.

It didn’t take long to do the rest of the sheets of Yellow Tongue, and Johnny put braces in place between the timber piers.

The wind was picking up so had to quickly get a tarp over the top. The tarp was 11m x 11m but covered the floor nicely. Needed some serious anchoring due to the winds we get through here.

End of Day 5; short but productive day. Next will be a deck on the front which will also incorporate a staircase.

Weekend Trip: 3rd - 6th December 2015

Thursday
This trip was going to be a slow trip down.
Both cars loaded with trailers and ute backs filled to the brim and beyond.

We left at 2:40pm and the slow drive took 3hrs and 20mins so not as bad as we thought. Loaded with 1/2tonne concrete mix, a water tank, ride on mower and shelving for the container.
We unloaded as soon as we got there and finally were ae to rest just after 830pm. The wind was howling through the valley and really tested out the camper trailer. We struggled setting up an outdoor ensuite for the shower and portaloo and came to the conclusion it wasn’t build for any sort of wind. Meanwhile chris did manage a nice hot shower and came out pleased.

Through the night the wind picked up worse than we have seen, we had to get out of bed to check nothing was blowing away! All was secure and slept soundly until 7:15am.

Friday
We woke up to a warm day with very little breeze. We soon realised we had forgotten milk to make coffee and no bacon for breakfast either! The local servo opens at 9am so with a small wait on our hands, Chris decided to mow our immediate camp area and I had a look at some of the sections of fence that need repairs. I needed some plain wire to be strained along the bottom so there wasn’t much I can do today. I relaxed under our camper awning while Chris enjoyed his mowing time.

After a late breakfast and coffee, Chris mowed a new walking path down to the dam and then the waterfall.

I drove the Colorado to the waterfall, due to the steep descent down to the lowest level, there was a possibility we would need assistance getting the ride-on back up. We cleared a lot of the loose rocks and sticks to create a less bumpy track down and the Ride-on made it no hassles. The waterfall needs a lot of work with weeds, Thistle mostly and some Patinsons Curse. Unfortunately it wasn’t our property in spring and wasn’t yet our responsibility to conduct weed control so the problem was too big when the land finally changed hands.

Chris made a huge dent in the weeds with the mower but the mower decided she’d had enough for the day! The main cutter bearing seems to have broke.

Back at camp we enjoyed some lollies, Pepsi and a cool breeze! Our local Wedge Tail Eagles were out circling above us today. They are just magnificent! I wish I could get a closer photo of them!

We relaxed all afternoon until we got another burst of energy and Chris started tinkering with the Quad bike that broke down last time. He worked his magic and fixed the earth issue.
Meanwhile I headed off to do some weed control. I bought Yates Tree Killer and a Continuous Spray pack to tackle a huge bush Blackberry Bush in our immediate campsite. I admired a hole I dug last trip for our Bio-waste and continued my trip around the Blackberry bush counter-clockwise. I unloaded 5L of Weed Killer on the bush. As I came back around to the hole I had dug I glanced down and saw a Brown Snake!! OMFG I ran away so fast. Chris saw me running as I was yelling snake! We both agreed it was bound to happen sooner or later! It was a Juvenile but only 1/2 metre from where I was standing. Our friend Johnny uses that tree for a bush dunny so I have kindly informed him to pick another tree. I found a new area for digging Bio-waste into and have resolved to not go near that bush again, and upgrade my choice of farm footwear!

Johnny arrived that night about 6pm and showed us his new guns. We all love target shooting so he bought along some home made posts to put at specific ranges. Around 8pm our neighbour came over and said Hello with his yound bloke. His name was John and he bought the property that our access runs through. He was a quiet fella or didn’t know how to take us, especially with Johnny standing there with a 12 gauge shotgun. He told us of his plans to build a house on his land and spoke of sheep on our properties. He left after a long chat and informed us where he was camping with most his family.

Saturday
Up at 7am to start the guttering on the carport. It was going to need a few modifications due to the supports in place.
Johnny worked away on the carport while Chris tinkered with the targets.

The temperature rose quick and the flys became a nuisance. But nonetheless the boys worked endlessly.
With the water tank in place, it was on a terrible lean. Chris took to the challenge and dug out some earth to flatten it. Turned out a treat. The carport still needs flashing attached then its done.

I left at 12 while the boys stayed on. It was a nice quiet drive back but for some reason the Engine light on the Colorado decided to switch itself on. Colin the Colorado has bever failed to get me home and again proved to be a good workhorse.

Weekend Trip: 23rd & 24th November 2015

Thursday

We set off for Amaroo just before 8am. A later departure time however we barely slept through the night. We had prepacked everything needed for the trip the day prior so a sleep-in was allowed!

We had packed the Quad and the Suzuki bikes plus a fully loaded camper and headed in the long way through Boorowa. Getting the 100kg+ bikes on the back of the Patrol was a massive effort!

Blue skies the entire way and only a small near miss accident on the Hume from a driver who must have dozed off at the wheel.

We had the camper set up and unpacked by 12pm. Since we had forgotten the bread, we had to make a trip to the local service station, being about 30° it called for Ice Creams also!

We found a nice flat raised boulder to reverse the Patrol against and unload the bikes. Pure genius!

The Quad had a flat battery and needed a few attempts to start but eventually got there.
We spent the next 2 hours riding and exploring and getting reacquainted with motorbikes! The confidence eventually built up and before we knew it we were driving up and down the ravine!

It was a lot of fun exploring the otherside of the property. We have only been over there once.

After a good ride we came back and relaxed with a Jack Daniels. Chris got adventurous and starting clearing a tree that had split in 2 over time. It was an eyesore and was eventually going to have to be cleared for the Cabin.
It had a few little creatures living in it.

There was a centipede and a huge spider. We also found a young Lizard but let him be in the log he called home.

At 730pm we had showers. We were finally able to use our camp shower we bought online. It was a nice night with a slight cold breeze so great opportunity to be one with nature out in the open showering. Very liberating!

The Ozpig was lit for warmth as the night cooled. We forgot firelighters but managed to start a good fire with kindling.

Trying out the new vented door.

We were woken at 4am by the sounds of nibbling. We couldn’t see anything at first but further inspection and the glow of a flashlight revealed a dozen grey Kangaroos feeding on the grasses around the campsite. It was a special moment to see so many with the amount of hunting taking place in Wyangala.

Same morning we bounced out of bed for another noise. The sounds of over 100 sheep herding up the mountain closest to our campsite. Each sheep had a different “baa” in all different tones of personality. We hadn’t seen sheep there before but the property goes all
the way over the mountain.

We packed up and left by lunchtime after another quick run on the bikes. My quad broke the main Earth wire from the battery so called it a day. A quick trip back completed in 3hrs.Weekend Trip: 23

Oz Pig Wood Fired Cooker

I just wanted to share a wonderful little item I use at home and down the farm. It is called an OzPig, an Australian owned contained fire system which supplies a platform for cooking, or just a fire off the ground for places that don’t allow open fires at camping grounds and National Parks.

As you can see, no ground required and no digging holes for coals etc when using your dutch oven.

Through winter, I make 9qt of stew and soups at a time to avoid cooking every night, we pack our soups and stews with tonnes of veges and I credit this to neither of us getting ill this year with colds.

I always keep a hot pot of tea to the side on the warmer so I can sip tea while watching my fire. Fire logs only need to be about the size of a forearm and it doesn’t go through a tonne of firewood once the coals are established.

There is also the option of a Charcoal basket for if you are cooking stakes over the top grill. I haven’t used mine yet but I do love a pork mid-loin slow cooked over hot coals!

Shipping Container Delivered

After a few cancellations due to the rain, we finally saw a window of opportunity to have the container delivered and start the set up of our carport.

Day 1
We woke up at 4am and did all our last minute packing. We were ready by 5. Johnny arrived just after 5 and we headed down the Hume, first stop Goulburn. We were meeting the Container delivery driver at a town called Bigga.

At Goulburn we had breakfast and topped up our caffiene levels. We needed to make one more stop at Bunnings for some fibreboard and paint.

We met the Tow driver Mal at Bigga. We had a chat and he seemed anxious about taking his 12 tonne truck on the property. I had already organised my excavators to move it into location if weather turned foul but it was going to hold up alot of progress for the weekend.

The truck struggled on the uphills to the property and must have drove the mountain in first gear. We were fully laden with 400kg of concrete tools and a camper trailer, we found the hills a challenge more than usual.

When we arrived at our main gate entry, our local excavators arrived at the same time to quote a driveway improvement. We all drove to our property gate where i got out and opened the gate. The tow driver asked how far to the site while his son started kicking and pushing on the ground to test the surface. His body weight had no resemblance to the 12t weight of the truck but told his dad if feels ok to driveon. The excavators said it wont be a problem. The row driver managed to get to the location hassle free! Yay! Container delivered!

Work began and we didn’t stop until 2pm when some rain hit. I made everyone lunch while the rain subsided.

They went back to work and I went on a wildlife walk. I took my gold pan down to the creek but found nothing! We are located in an old gold mining field.

At about 5pm, the worst storm possible hit! The mountains disappeared and it just bucketed down! About 20mm in 20 minutes. We had lightning above us and the rain came in from everywhere. The camper managed to stay dry so super happy with that! One trickle from a seam.

The boys worked up until 8pm when they ran out of light. We cooked sausage sandwiches for dinner and had a few bevvies.

We were all in bed by 1030!

Day 2
Started at 6am. A slight dew covered the ground still wet from yesterday’s storm.

Chris and I reluctantly climbed out of bed and immediately started the kettle boiling for coffee. We weren’t hungry so put breakfast aside and started work.

The sunrise came over the eastern mountain not long after 630am and it was nice to feel the sun again especially after last nights storms. Everything dried out quickly and the flies soon returned.

Piece by piece the framework came together and soon did the roofing panels. After the second roof panel the rain started again so the boys decided to have a break. I went to the shops and bought ice cream for everyone.

After the storm cleared, I went for a walk to the otherside of the creek and then down to the waterfall. Lots of birdlife around with the Blackberries fruiting and an abundance of grasshoppers.

By 6pm the lean-to was complete. We all packed up then marked out the base of the cottage for our next project! Josh and Johnny left for the night around 730pm and Chris & I went to the state park for a hot shower.

We sat in front of the fire to unwind and went to bed at 10pm.

What a big day!

Day 3
We had a rough sleep due to howling wind tearing through the valley! We woke up multiple times through the night and eventually rose out of bed at 7am. Chris went straight to work on drilling holes in the container for locks. Unfortunately his drill went flat and only managed to fit 2 of the 5 locks.

I cooked breakfast then we packed up. It was really cold but there was no frost or dew on the camper canvas but the wind made packing the camper up a struggle! We did a last check for rubbish around the campsite and headed home.
We ueled up at the local service station and purchased necessary coffees for the trip home.