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.

Water Catchment and Storage

Firstly, we bought 2 x IBCs to hold water on the property for washing and gardening etc but mostly for capturing grey water. They have had engine oil in them from Shell so we have set them in the sun and dumped kg’s of kitty litter to soak up. They won't be used for drinking water for humans or stock. We referred to the MSDS of Shell Oil to check on the method of cleaning up the product they were used to hold. There is an abundance of IBC’s on Gumtree and eBay and courier company’s have been known to mix chemicals old and new so always be sure with what was in it previously or leave it alone.

So while the oils are soaking up in the IBC and the greywater is taken care of, I took advantage of some discount offers at Masters Hardware and purchased a 5000lt water tank, Bushmans brand. It took 2 weeks to arrive being a special order, I wanted blue! Although we are nowhere near ready for set up, the tank will safely sit at our residence until such required time.

The 5000lt tank will be positioned next to our container awning once built in December, to act as a source of water whilst building.