This and that...

We haven't used our annexe since we were in the Barossa Valley in August.  Most of our stops have been for only one or two nights and whenever we've had a longer stay anywhere the weather has been dry and we haven't needed more than the awning for some shade.  We hadn't planned to stay here at Mount warning as long as we have, of course, and hadn't bothered putting it up when we first arrived.  Then it rained heavily last week and we found that the ground outside our door was flooded.  The awning kept the rain off our heads, but there was nowhere to sit without having our feet in a muddy puddle!  It was also hard to keep the mud outside, and there was nowhere to hang wet towels.  With possibly another fortnight to go before the car was ready and more rain forecast we decided to put the annexe up.  Philip went into town to buy some tarpaulins and some shadecloth to make a floor.  Dirt falls through the weave in the shadecloth keeping it relatively clean on the surface, while the tarpaulins provide a waterproof floor.  We've had a fair amount of rain, mostly overnight, and it has made all the difference.  An added bonus is that with the annexe window flaps down it is dark in the caravan and the children have started sleeping longer in the mornings.  on Tuesday they didn't wake up until 7:30!

When we were in Tumbulgum over the weekend we'd seen a 1920s style replica picnic boat moored to the jetty and chatted with the owner for a while.  Back at the campsite that night we had decided it would be a nice activity to do when Michaela comes camping again next week.  We'd already been impressed with the friendliness of the locals on our previous visit  (when one of them came and lent us his fishing rod and some advice) and this impression was confirmed when we drove into Tumbulgum again on Monday to make arrangements. 
The owner of the boat was unavailable, but the proprietor of the general store (Jeff) answers enquiries for him during the week.  He told us that the picnic lunch offered as part of a day out is really nice but too expensive in his opinion.  "I've told Mick to bring the price down, and that I won't try to get people to buy it," he said.  "He's cool with that.  You'd be better off bringing your own."  He then rang the owner, who gave us a 40% discount on the hourly rate for the hire of the boat! 
Adjoining the General Store and sharing the same verandah is Drift, a "gourmet take-away" shop where we got some lunch.  While we were enjoying our coffee Jeff came over to us.  "Mind if I sit down?" he asked. "i've just though of something.  These guys (ie Drift) have been here about four weeks and are just getting their business off the ground.  I've just remembered they do picnic baskets and might be able to do you a good deal if you're interested.  No pressure, of course, but I can get the chef to have a chat if you like?"  ....
It turned out that they had not actually done any picnic hampers yet, and weren't sure what they would include or how much they would charge, so we had a bit of a chat and came up with a plan.  They were excited about their new business and said how special Tumbulgum was, with everyone helping each other.  The people in the Tavern had recommended them to their customers, and the various cafes borrowed salt and spices from each other if they'd run out.  It really is a friendly town!

On Tuesday Philip washed all the sheets and towels and put fresh linen on the beds.  The children played in the creek for hours.  They are getting more and more confident in the water and had fun swimming in a small, fairly deep hole near their favourite "waterfall".  There is a deeper and bigger swimming hole further upstream, but when we went there to try it out we found that ther was already someone swimming there... a thin, black snake!  He didn't stay in the water for long, slithering onto the bank and disappearing under a rock, but we decided to leave the waterhole to him anyway and take a dip in the swimming pool instead!

Our friend Jeff at Tumbulgum gave us a few pointers about good places to take the children out for the day.  On Wednesday we looked up one spot he told us about- Cudgen Creek, not far from Kingscliff.  Michaela has Wednesdays off pre-school, so she and her Mum joined us, too.  We had only allowed ourselves a few hours, and decided straight away that we need to come again- better equipped with a picnic lunch and snacks to last all day!  We could hear the roar of the surf on the other side of the dunes which seperate the creek from the ocean.  The sandy bank slopes gently into the clear brown water providing an ideal swimming area for the children.  We had the place to ourselves for a while, but after school finished we were joined by a few of the local children and a dog. 

Earlier in the week, after the weekend campers had left, I took some photos of the view from our caravan.  It looked something like this:

When we arrived home last night we found that a group of grade 5 students had arrived for a school camp and our view now looks like this:

We are actually sandwiched between this group and an even bigger crowd of year eleven students who have been camped behind us for two days. We don't see them, but we can hear them! Both groups will be leaving before the weekend, but meanwhile today might be another good day for an outing!

And for those who are still wondering...
"Verdant" comes from the Latin word for "green".  In my mind it means more than just "green", implying lushness and growth.  Living in a much drier part of the country where the drought has only just broken, and after travelling through the arid deserts and grasslands of much of Australia, the verdure of this region strikes me every time we drive anywhere.  Even the mountains are greener, the forests covering their slopes consisting of fewer grey-blue eucalypts and more green leafedcedars and other rainforest trees.  As for the grazing land... I remember Dad coming home from a visit to New Zealand and saying that it was so green everywhere that it nearly hurt to look at it.  Around every bend I keep thinking of the book title "How Green was my Valley."
So now you know!