I look back fondly of the many precious memories I have of my childhood. We travelled a lot as a family. Not overseas trips or anything so grand, but simple road trips. The caravan towed around behind the gold Kingswood and later the green Monaro, parents who both smoked the whole trip, the sounds of their music from the cassette player, and the only cooling on stinking hot days was the rush of air from the windows that had been wound down. Life was simple, and looking back, just perfect. We stayed in caravan parks all over the state, fishing, exploring, swimming, visiting tourist attractions, spending time as a family. My fondest memories are those from the many, many trips up the river doing what I would call real camping. No electricity, no running water, no shops, toilets or showers. The toilet consisted of a deep hole dug on arrival with an old folding chair complete with an attached toilet seat, privacy was created with four long wooden steaks wrapped in hessian - I still remember that dusty smell of the hessian. We would fish from the back of the boat, climb trees, explore caves in the cliff faces, ride our bikes for hours, kick the footy, make ponds for carp from a hole lined with a garbage bag, go rabbiting, and yabbying, wash in the back of the caravan from a small bowl of warm water, pitch our own tents to sleep in, cook on the campfire, we learnt to bait our own hooks, gut a fish, row a boat, and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the river.
This weekend we are going real camping. The kids, Craig and I, along with some awesome friends. We are heading to the Bendleby Ranges, and I cant wait. I cant wait to spend the weekend with my wonderful family and friends. And most of all, I cant wait to start creating some wonderful memories for my own children.
