Our original plans for this school holiday were pretty full on. We were expecting to drive up north to meet a friend, then camp at a winery for a few nights and then visit family in Mudgee. After that we planned to continue on down to Wagga Wagga for a birthday party before heading back to Canberra. Sadly those plans fell through when our Northern NSW friend pulled out, so we pivoted at the last minute and found a Hipcamp to stay at for a few nights just outside Tumut over the Oct long weekend .
It was a rainy Friday morning when we started packing up and getting ready to head off. We left Canberra around 1pm and headed down the Hume. We could have saved some time going through Wee Jasper or down Brindabella Road, but with the rain we chose to avoid the dirt roads.
On the highway we had a small incident when the USB C power charger we had been using to power the Bendix wireless brake controller started smoking. We yanked it out of the socket as soon as we noticed the smell and the smoke drifting up. Fortunately the damage was only to the power plug (an Aliexpress purchase) and we were able to transfer the brake controller power to a different power plug we had in the ute already. The brake controller will still work even if the controller is disconnected or damaged, but it will revert to a more aggressive braking profile.
We made it through Gundagai without any further incident and headed off the highway and onto Gocup Road to head into Tumut. From Tumut the Hipcamp ‘Bahwidgee’ is only a couple of kilometers north of the town, right on the river. It was easy to find and the signage was simple enough to follow. Our friends were already waiting for us as we got into the camp, and they’d sussed out a decent spot.
We parked up and adjusted the camper with the back awning facing the river. We had to avoid a bunch of puddles as the rains had been coming on and off. Fortunately it held off as we set up, letting us settle in with a beer and a wine in the late afternoon. Our friends finished up setting up and joined us while the kids ran around the campsite exploring a little.
That night we had a fire between our two sites. Dinner was fajitas which was quick and simple to prepare. Occasional showers came through, but nothing too heavy.
As we headed to bed we packed up and stored our chairs and tables under the awning and then made sure that everything was tightly ‘battened’ down. We had a bit of rain throughout the night, but at around 3.30am the skies well and truly opened up with a massive rainstorm. Fortunately there wasn’t much wind, but the rain was ferocious and hammer down on our campers. That went on for about 20 minutes and then settled down. Our friends checked out their camper and gear once the rain settled, but we stayed nice and dry and warm in bed. I expected our friends would have warned us if anything was broken or knocked over, but they later told me they hadn’t even considered checking our gear!
The next morning the rain was only a few scattered showers coming on and off, easing as the morning progressed. We’d survived unscathed – everything was intact and still standing, and the camper hadn’t leaked anywhere. That morning after breakfast I headed into town with Ollie to pick up a few groceries that I’d left at home. Rosie usually does the food for these trips, so a few things had been forgotten on my part. We had a great trip into a very busy Tumut on the Saturday morning. We stopped at Woolies and picked up a few more essentials, then we drove around to find a bakery where we picked up a pie, a pastie and a doughnut for Ollie. They were all really good and we highly recommend the Pie in the Sky Bakery on Wynyard St.
Given the pit toilets at the campground were pretty gross and not well made, we set up our ensuite tent and portable toilet at the back of camp. The reviews for the campsite had specifically called out the condition of the toilets, so we’d come prepared.
After that the kids wanted to fish. Unfortunately the river was very high, the banks of the river were even higher, the water was very muddy and fast flowing after the rains, and there were lots of hidden snags to catch on. Undeterred, we walked the kids through fishing. Ollie used his fishing rod given to him by his granddad last time we were in Hervey Bay, and he got the hang of it pretty quickly.
That afternoon the sun decided to show up for a bit, though ominous black clouds with visible thunder and lightning were passing by to the north and south of us.
We all enjoyed the sun, then at around 4.30pm we started a big game of Uno No Mercy. We got through one game, but the second was called off as a big storm whipped through the camp, dumping a huge amount of water on us in a very short time. Fortunately it didn’t last long and sun came back immediately afterwards.
We had some fantastic chicken wings as a little snack, then lit the fire and watched the sun go down. Dinner that night was pesto pasta with snacking steak at the beginning, and then pizza cooked by our mates later that on. The food was great, as was the company as we put the kids to bed and sat around the fire solving the worlds problems.
The next morning there were a few tender heads between the grown ups, but we set up a morning fire to heat up some water for a shower for Rosie. We set up in the ensuite tent with a bucket of warm water and a small rechargeable portable shower we’d picked up at Kmart just in case. It worked well, but we’ll need to get a stainless bucket for easier water heating I think.
I took the kids for a walk through the full site of the campground. It’s basically just a paddock on a dairy farm, but the grass was well kept and the ground was mostly level. River access throughout the entire site is actually relatively difficult, even if the river had been calmer and better for swimming. The high-sided river banks weren’t great for access to the water, especially for little kids. There was one access point, but it was pretty muddy and there wasn’t anything to hold onto.
After a walk and a look around, Rosie, Ollie and I headed into Tumut for a bit of a wander. We stopped in at the Tumut Big Mohawk, a massive topiary on someone’s front lawn. It was great. Then we went into town and had a wander. The Sunday Markets were on so we taste tested and picked up some vodka from the Grand Matriarch Distilling Company. We picked up some supplies for that night, including some more firewood, and then headed back to camp for a quick nap and a later lunch.
Ollie took Rosie’s phone for a scavenger hunt where you take pictures of camping objects – here is the result of his labour:
The campground owner Wayne came past on his side-by-side every couple of hours with his three dogs running alongside or aboard. One of the dogs barked constantly, and one cattledog was obsessed with sticks and showing any dogs at campsites that they were the boss. Considering we had the small indoor Milo hanging around, every time the owner came past we had to make sure that we were in between the owners dog and our camp so the cattledog wouldn’t attack Milo.
That afternoon was one of the sunniest of the trip and everyone stripped down to shorts and t-shirts after a 2 days in trackies and hoodies. We tried fishing again with no luck, and that ended when the line got caught in a massive snag and needed to be cut. I was asked to come up with some cocktails based on the passionfruit flavoured vodka we’d bought earlier that day. They went down very well.
Dinner that night was some steak and kebabs cooked over the fire, along with asparagus spears, lamb and an amazing potato bake.
After dinner we got the iPad out to watch the NRL grand final. Most of the camps were watching as well, though we seemed to be on a 10 second delay with whatever broadcast we were watching as we would hear cheering come from another camp before anything exciting happened on screen!
After dinner there was some more sitting around the fire, but after a long day most of us went to bed earlier than usual.
The next day it hadn’t rained overnight so we were able to slowly pack up. We’d booked the site until Tuesday, but weren’t able to use that booking due to Rosie needing to go back to work, so we were able to be quite leisurely with packing up and getting ready to go. We said our goodbyes and hit the road around 11.30 with an uneventful drive home.
Overall this was an excellent (and well-needed) trip away from Canberra. The rain didn’t really slow us down at all and we didn’t get the big storms that whipped through Ulladulla and Sydney. The campsite was just okay – with the sub-standard toilet facilities, lack of easy water access and aggressive dogs we probably won’t be coming back, but it was something new and different to experience. We missed out on seeing our friend that lives up North, but she’s getting married next year so hopefully we can catch up then.
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