After dark, some kind of van arrived. It was dark, so we never saw the people themselves. But they proceeded to set themselves up and they were no problem at all.
Until about 5:00 o'clock in the morning!
Then, they were shining bright lights around, and slamming doors. This went on for about 45 minutes. Ruth slept through it all. And by the time we got up around 7:30am, they were long gone, except for the trash they left behind.
We notice a fair bit of trash left behind at the unserviced campsites. Not always, but enough that we notice it. We have also picked up our fair share of other people's trash. Problem being, none of these campsites have trash bins... they are almost all listed as "carry-in carry-out" or "leave no trace" campsites. But as is the case everywhere in the world, some people have a hard time with that. And even when we pick up other people's trash, we need to carry it with us until we can find a suitable bin to put it in.
Even worse is the toilet paper problem at these free campsites that have no facilities. Yes, there are lots of public facilities in Australia. Probably more so than in any country we've visited (maybe except South Korea!), but the amount of toilet paper left behind at unserviced campgrounds by (mostly) the ladies is terrible.
C'mon ladies... it's not that tough to carry around a ziploc bag to put your used paper into.
Anyhow... enough about that.
It turned out to be a beautiful day. Probably our best day yet as far as the weather is concerned.
We were getting low on fuel. But, we could probably still have gone another 100 kms (60 miles) or so. The nearest gas station was in Cann River which was 65 kms by the main paved road, or 32 kms by a dirt road. I wanted to take the dirt road, so I stopped at the only shop in Bemm River and asked if they thought it was feasible. Yep, with a 4 wheel drive it should be no problem.
And, it was no problem.
The road was in pretty good shape.
And we never did need to put it in 4 wheel drive.
Scenery along the way.
We filled up in Cann River at $1.48 AUD per liter ($1.35 CAD per liter, $3.93 USD per gallon). Not bad, considering we're kind of out of the way here.
We stopped at a rest stop along the way that advertised a rainforest walk. The Drummer Rainforest Walk. It was only one km long, but at least we could stretch our legs.
This big old tree was hollowed and burnt... but still very much alive!
It was a pretty area with lots of green.
We were heading towards the summer tourist town of Mallacoota. But we stopped for lunch at a roadside park that also turned out to be a 72 hour RV rest stop.
I had seen this place mentioned on the campground apps that I use, but hadn't paid much attention to it because it's so close to the main highway. That can mean road noise, and lots of campers.
But as we pulled in for lunch, we both realized what a pretty spot it was. And with lots of room for all sizes of campers. We decided to stay put.
Yep, this will do for a night.
Getting our battery charged up.
Genoa Camp Park... 72 hour free stay.
We went for a walk around the village. Not much here really... seems it was really thriving about a hundred years ago!
The old bridge, built in 1916.
The last car to drive across was in 1989. Now only open for pedestrians.
A galah.
Scenery along the way.
There are these four geese who live at the park.
Back at the camper, we sat outside and had a few games of backgammon.
The temperature today actually hit 20C (68F) probably the warmest we have had since we arrived here. Just beautiful.
As the sun went down, we realized that we are still the only ones here! Very strange, considering it's a free campground so close to the highway. And, it's a Friday night! Anyhow, we'll take it.
Tomorrow, we'll go into Mallacoota and do some more coastal hiking. Mallacoota's claim to fame is that they have the largest RV park in the southern hemisphere. No, we will not be staying at the 650 site campground!
Friday's drive, 87 kms (54 miles).
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Record low price on the popular RENPHO Bluetooth Body Fat Scale. Prime members only as we lead in to Prime Day 2019 this coming Monday and Tuesday.
And in Canada...
Great to see you're still enjoying travelling!
ReplyDeleteWe certainly are! This is the closest we have ever been to you but New Zealand will have to wait for another time. Hope life is treating you well. :-)
DeleteYour rant reminded me of the story of The Washcrappers at the Imperial Dam Long Term Visitor Area outside of Yuma, Arizona, about ten years ago. Every day at precisely 10:10am, this couple (who camped in a class A motorhome, btw) would march themselves down into a nearby wash, drop their drawers, and do their business. At first, my neighbors and I thought the ritual was rather amusing---until we went down ourselves and foundall the TP left behind, which they didn't bother to take with them or even bury. What is wrong with people??? The Bureau of Land Management was informed, and the miscreants were exiled to camp in a gravel pit the rest of the season.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is terrible! I makes me ashamed to be an RVer. :-(
DeleteAt least they were caught but they should have been made to pay a fine, clean up their mess as well as any other garbage strewn around for a full weekend and then banned from parking there for the rest of their lives! Just shameful and sad. :-(
We are glad that the majority of RVers have better manners than that! :-)
Enjoyed these pics as we have “fond” memories of the Genoa Reserve from back in the ‘70s when we were stranded for two weeks in a tent in summer waiting for a clutch for our car. Parts weren’t so easy to come by back then! It still looks like a nice area - will have to go back someday.
ReplyDeleteSo glad that you have fond memories here, especially considering that you were stuck here because of mechanical problems. Having said that it is a beautiful area, even more so when you have some wheels to get around on. ;-)
DeleteAre you getting any feel for the culture of Australians by never meeting people? I love the colorful birds.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure what you mean by not meeting people?! We have met lots of people since we arrived in Australia, starting right at the airport when a lovely couple who are blog readers picked us up and then brought us to where Bundy and Joyce were stored and then to their home where we stayed for five days and during that time they had friends over for a fun evening. Since then we have met 3 other couples who we had never met, invite us to stay at their homes. During that time we again met friends of theirs, we out to dinner with at least 14 other Aussies. We have also met people at a couple of our overnight stays, in a couple of pubs along the way, on hiking trails, talking with shop keepers in the little towns, plus the Visitor Centres. We are always asking the locals questions and picking their brains, we have learned about the economy, the way of life of many, Australian politics and so much more. Through all that we have to say that we really don't find a big cultural change between their way of life and our way of life back in Canada or the United States of America for that matter. What we haven't had a chance to do, is meet with some aboriginals to see what their way of life is, or how it has changed over the years but I think to do that we need to be more in the outback which won't be happening on this trip.
DeleteWe love all the birds, colourful or not. They just seem so much different from those at home. :-)
Human beings for the most part are pigs. We have had all kinds of litter programs here in Mexico for the 35 years I have lived here. Well, you know the results.
ReplyDeleteWe wouldn't say for the most part but there certainly are some that are real pigs! I guess they just haven't been brought up with good manners and common courtesy, which is really sad! And it isn't just some areas of the world that are like this, it is worldwide. Education will help but it will take aeons if ever for the point to get across. All we can do is show by example and hope that it will catch on, at least to a few people.
DeleteHi, stopped at Genoa campground earlier this year on the way to Mallacoota and did stay at the campground because some friends were staying there. We have stayed at Genoa and spent time walking around the area and checked out an old school. I am a Queenslander and not surprised you are the only campers as most travellers/campers head to the north of the country for the warmth. Even QUeenslanders head north which we normally do. But compared to the temperatures you experience in Canada you seem to be finding the temperatures manageable. It is often what one is used too.
ReplyDeleteWe were in South Australia earlier this year in March and experienced several days of 40+ celcuis and probably coped better with those temperatures than the cold.
Hope you are enjoying travelling in our country. As for the rubbish it is so true, one motto is leave a place cleaner than you found it and for me that means taking other peoples rubbish with me.
We walked down to the old school yesterday, which is now a museum but it was closed. There are a few more campers here tonight. Having said that, we have seen quite a lot of campers around, just not in the places that we are. Many seem to be going in the opposite direction to us, but there are still some hardy ones out there like us. And yes, I think because the winters here are much better than the ones back in Canada we really haven't had much of a problem adapting. The evenings, nights and early mornings are the worst. It should get better though because from this point on we will be travelling mostly north.
DeleteWe are having a fantastic time and enjoying "almost" every minute of it. We try to pick up trash whenever we can, I just wish people would learn to pick up their own! Glad to hear that you feel the same way. :-)