Easter in Bendethra 2013

We decided to take one last trip to Bendethra as it could be a very long while before we get to return.  With the Easter weekend free it was posted in the club calendar and off we set. We had 10 cars in total coming with each making their own plans to come in so no convoys were needed.

I had the Thursday afternoon off so we were lucky enough to be able to set off about 2pm. We were fully loaded and used this as a practice run into 4wd terrain. We filled up in Goulburn pushed onto Braidwood for dinner then down to Moyura. We wished Hammo and Mumma happy birthdays as they were having their birthdays over the weekend and set off into the bush. 

We arrived at camp a little after 10pm. We opened the camper up to discover we had a really bad ant infestation. The only stuff we had was insect repellant so we did the best we could with that and the dust pan and brush to kill and clean up.  That night we slept on the mattress on the floor after cleaning out the bedding. We were fortunate that the ants had not gotten into the bed or bedding. We knew we hadn't got all the ants and didn't want them on us through the night. It was after midnight when we retired to bed. 

We had a little sleep in Friday morning. We woke to a glorious day and set about setting up camp. With the awning up and tables set more friends arriving we relaxed into the comfort zone. The boys collected fire wood and we just had a very relaxing socialising day. 

Saturday morning almost all of our group slept in till nearly 10am. It had been a very cold night and we were all tired from the previous nights lack of sleep. After a late brunch we headed to the river for a dip and James played with his boat. The water seemed colder then previous years but we found a spot to sit in and have a quick wash.  We collected firewood and had a relaxing afternoon in the sun. Tonight was our turn to give out a treat. We had bought 4 ltrs of ice cream and ice magic topping. We shared it out with our whole group with a few Easter eggs thrown in. The fire was warm and the company enjoyable. 

Sunday (Easter) morning. We had lots of Easter bunny friends visit us with gifts. It was another stunning warm day. We had decided to head home today with Rhys and Effie to help build their deck. We packed up and headed across the main river. James and I decided to stay for another hour and go down to the swimming hole. I swam while James played with his boat and fell in. We dried off put on fresh clothes and set up out of the valley. We headed up to the trig and then down the fire trail out. We stopped at the big hole camping area for a look. We aired up had lunch and then pushed on. One more quick stop outside of Braidwood to fuel up then we pushed onto Rhys and Effie's. 

Bendethra Valley is one of our favourite spots and we will return. I only hope it stays open for all to enjoy it really is a spectacular spot.