The day after xmas disappeared in a blur of packing and pottering, but come Saturday we managed a smooth getaway. The drive to Micalong Creek in Wee Jasper was easy and light on traffic, except for one cheeky wombat keeping us alert just as we swept around a blind bend in the road.
We’d been worried about crowds. Wee Jasper has a reputation for overbooking during peak camping periods so we weren’t sure what to expect. Fortunately as we checked in Billy Grace Reserve was quite quiet and Micalong was only a touch busier.
We lucked into a perfect creekside spot clearly vacated that morning and were set up within a half hour. The site is was relatively private, just over on the right hand side as you cross the bridge. The creek there is a bit more faster flowing and split into a couple of rocky streams that all seemed to converge around our site.
Ollie may have been a little surly when he first turned up, but he pulled out of it pretty quick.
The annual locals-vs-visitors cricket match was going on at the main site while we settled into beers and bubbles by the water. We did end up checking out the game which looked like a lot of fun. Apparently it’s an annual match that’s been played for more than 40 years between the local and visiting shearers. It’s all a bit of fun and played with a tennis ball and (more often than not) a beer in the hand.
The best thing about Micalong Creek has to be the creek. It’s shallow enough that it’s not scary letting kids explore, and it’s excellent for putting your chair in for a drink. We did just that over the next three days.
More bottles followed that night. The temperature dropped to a crisp and unseasonable 7°C. No fires are allowed for most of the year at this campground, which is our number one reason we don’t go to Wee Jasper more, but we made do with a little hurricane lamp, some fairy lights and a snug night in.
We were up around seven to ducks, birds, lizards, and one giant spider Rosie refused to let Scott kill (it was, however, promptly yeeted away).
Breakfast the next day was a baked-beans toastie before some rock painting and a hide-and-find mission — Ollie somehow making it much harder than necessary. After a quiet morning we drove down to the Wee Jasper Distillery. There we had some good cocktails and excellent sandwiches; the BLAT scored a solid 10/10 (bacon, lettuce, avo, tomato). We enjoyed some Uno and chess while chilling at the distillery.
The remote-control car given as an xmas present was a great hit, though the long recharge times were annoying.
That afternoon we went for a bit of a swim a little further up away from our site. Ollie was not successful in his attempts at making friends. The complexities of social interaction aren’t his strong suite right now 🙂
We had a young couple with a 3 year old set up near us that afternoon. They were pretty quiet, but the small child did come over a couple of times to say hi.
There were no screens until 4:18pm because, clearly, we’re excellent parents. Pre-prepared spag bol for dinner and many drinks before a relatively early night.
Sunday started rough — Rosie can’t quite back it up like she used to — so we took it slow. More creek swims and more lounging. Rosie finished a book, making over 130 for 2025. We had pulled-pork wraps with cheese and coleslaw for dinner (elite). One benefit of the site we were on was the birdwatching. We got a few good photos over the 3 days were were there.
Our last day came with chocolate croissants and some coffee in bed (briefly, before it was spilled). Packup was smooth, and we were on the road by 9am. A relatively smooth drive home was appreciated. It ended up bucketing down that night, so we chose the absolute best day to pack up and come on home.
All in all, a brilliant little escape and up there with one of our favourite camping trips ever — exactly the recharge we needed between Christmas and New Year’s and a good way to end 2025.
Here’s to 2026 and what it will bring for our little family.
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