Camping on the Clarence

It was wet, it rained a lot and it was cold but it was awesome! I had no idea what to expect of this weekend and I was thoroughly surprised by just how much of a good time I had. We ended up getting to the property at 12am (which was actually 1am in NSW, daylight savings) so we were pretty exhausted. The Clarence River was in flood so we had to take some very erratic dirt roads to get to where the others were camped. The property owners allow people to come and camp pretty much anywhere on their place- it stretches about 10km along the river. Magnificent! I woke up that first morning and had to blink a few times to make sure it was real. The fast river was only meters away and we were set up in the most green lush grass surrounded by mountains. It was spectacular to say the very least. 

We played Wizard and some other man vs woman board game while it was raining and put the kayaks/canoe in the river when it was not. I paddled upriver for a bit but the current was so strong that my arms screamed out in protest after not much progress. All I had to do was turn my kayak around and float on down. It was so peaceful when I wasn't paddling...there's no sound as you drift down the middle of this wide expanse of water. It looks like a solid floor with little sub-currents dancing on the surface. I put my feet out let them skim the surface, the most incredible feeling. The water was the perfect temperature- cool and refreshing without being too cold (provided you kept moving.) The boys found a rope swing on the opposite bank and modified it for the higher water. I'm bummed that I didn't get to try it out because I was on a different kayak run.

Due to a battery charger malfunction I was unable to capture any photos of my own- here are a few from my blackberry. I did manage to take a whole bunch on Lyndie's so I'll just have to rely on her to send them through. This will have to do for now photo-wise.

Most of all, I met so many amazing people, really warm and generous. It felt really good to be immediately accepted into this circle of friends who are keen for anything but also know how to kick back. Can't wait to hang out again.