School's in - but out!

There was lots to look at in the Visitor Centre!

Vaughan and I have been "doing school" at home since mid-February.  This arrangement was formalised in May, so our lessons are now overseen by Sydney Distance Education Primary School.

We met Vaughan's teacher in July, who OK-ed us for camping and other adventures when Nick's work allows. Our Warrumbungle National Park trip was the first time we had tested the endorsement though and I wasn't entirely sure how everything should work.  Vaughan and I did our usual school activities the first morning (sitting by the fire with kangaroos grazing nearby and various birds flitting past or scavenging near us).

We packed up at recess and then we all spent quite an extended period exploring the many static displays at the Warrumbungle Visitor Centre.

Cold Comfort!

Although our bed was wonderfully warm overnight, comfort levels were at an all-time low (hah!) due to our air mattress deflating - several times!

It is worth noting that Vaughan's bed was fine as he hadn't stood on it, only ours!

We knew it had been cold outside - Nick had turned on one of our fan heaters during the night - but even so, we certainly didn't expect to see a thin layer of ice on Elmer and the gazebo!  Lighting the fire was our first mission of the day (while marveling at one of our neighbours clad only in shorts and a t-shirt) - and then we read the nearby signage for Camp Blackman, to get our bearings.

Layer upon layer!

I was determined not to be cold!

Once I had the floor done, Nick brought in our beds so that I could make them also.

You might be able to see in the pic below that Vaughan's bed has a (green) fleece cover over the air mattress, which then slides into the cover that joins it to bed legs.

The fleece cover works well to cut some of the cold from the plastic mattress but I still haven't made one for our larger bed - so improvise a little differently.  I took a piece of fleece and lay that over the bed, followed by a mattress protector, woolen blanket and wool underblanket.  (Yes, it's very much like the Princess and the Pea fairytale)! 



We expected cold nights!

The silver layer you can see in the smaller pic above was marketed as a non-powered alternative to an electric blanket.

It is the same material as an emergency blanket, with a thin foam backing.  I am not convinced it entirely lives up to it's spiel but included it just in case!

Our bed's final layers were good-quality flannelette sheets and two king-sized woolen doonas. Vaughan's bed had the inner mattress cover, a quilted fabric layer, mattress protector and length of rubber-backed curtain material under his bottom sheet.  He had two wool blankets, a doubled polar fleece blanket and sleeping bag on top - and his usual stuffed toy collection for added warmth!

Another first was hot water bottles, specially purchased for the trip.  I re-used their water each night and was super-impressed with how cosy our beds were!

Warrumbungling

Our last camping trip was to Lightning Ridge

Our departure from home had been far more leisurely than our usual set-off times - but given we had been so daunted by the packing, we were pleased to be on the road at all, regardless of the later start!

It had been a lovely day for traveling and we took time to enjoy seeing some different countryside before finally arriving at our campground in the early evening.  Vaughan was given the important task of fire lighting, while Nick and I worked to set up camp.  I had vague thoughts of cooking as well but soon gave up on that idea and we snacked on leftover BirthdayBelle cheese instead!



This was the first time we thought to put mats inside!

We have camped previously in winter, so had a few plans to make our Warrumbungle experience more comfortable.  While Nick worked outside, setting up our beds, I laid foam camping mats in our sleeping area - and put a layer of industrial felt over the top.

Although we are used to camping in the forest without power, we choose a powered site for convenience this trip - but heaters alone don't have a lot of impact against the cold in a mesh-top tent, hence the need for insulation (and lots of it)!

Would wood?!

As usual, we had researched our destination in the lead-up to departure. 

There were fireplaces at the campground but no wood collection within the National Park.  Nick had packed the chainsaw, so when we spotted this deadfall beside the road, we stopped to take advantage of free firewood!


Some reshuffling was needed to make space for our collection but the effort was worth at least $20-30 (many farmers along the road into the Warrumbungles sold bags of firewood for $10-15 each).  Nick had cut the logs fairly long with thoughts of cutting again once at camp.  However there was a notice stating that use of chainsaws within the park would incur a (hefty) fine, so we used the wood as it was!

We spoke to the ranger the day after arrival and seemingly collection of roadside wood within the Warrumbungle Shire was also forbidden, so Nick and Vaughan went out on another occasion to see what they could find in the nearby Gilgandra council area (saving another $30-40).  It was an interesting learning experience.  We often camp in the Watagans where firewood is easily collected and plentiful as our preferred camping area is within the State Forestry boundaries.

Beyond the Black Stump!

The first part of our journey to Warrumbungle National Park seemed quite familiar as we were again traveling along the Golden Highway. 

We turned right a bit past Cassilis though and headed North(ish) "beyond the Black Stump" - literally!

As rest areas go, the one at the Black Stump was a bit flash. 

There were two separated undercover picnic table areas (each with a "private" BBQ), the usual toilets - and a large Mother's Room!


We had already lunched at Merriwa but have noted the Black Stump facilities for a longer stop on another occasion.

"Are we there yet?!"

It is 444km from home to the Warrumbungle National Park.  What a neat number, eh?!

444 was easily divided into halves and quarters - when we reached those distances in real-life, Vaughan moved "Elmer" along the corresponding string markers.

The original idea was here where there are some free printable cars to colour and print.  I thought it made more sense to have our car though, so printed a photo of Elmer and cut that out.  I did like the idea using a fully loaded Elmer with attached trailer but decided that would take up too much space on the string!