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It was decided that a group of us would spend Christmas and New Year in the bush this year. The spot chosen was James Reserve, a fantastic hideaway 35 kms from Benalla. James Reserve has a lovely shaded area in one corner and a flowing creek that provides beautiful water for splashing, washing dishes and showering. Ten minutes away is Lake Nillahcootie, that provided us with a lot of relief on the hot days as we soaked in its refreshing water. The list of people who attended were as follows: Glenn (Vic): Glenn and James Mr & Mrs Al (Vic): Al, Lyn, Tegan and Callum Diamond: Jim, Tab, Christi, Ashleigh, Penny and Diamond Jimbo, Jen, Val and Dave The Big Fella (Brian) & Gay Gavin, Brett, Monica and Eliana
We were treated with magnificent weather for the 11 days spent at James Reserve. Lyn, Tegan and Callum had set up camp on the Wednesday before Christmas so that our spot could be reserved. James and I arrived the next afternoon and set up in the shade of a gum as the flies buzzed around. I had brought up a fly trap purchased from Bunnings for $2, and after setting up the camper, I quickly set up the trap. Over the remaining days, this wonderful, albeit smelly trap killed many a fly. Had we had a couple more around camp, we may have not had to worry about any flies as the heat increased. Friday brought the arrival of the Diamonds, Al and also Gavin, Brett, Monica and Eliana. For Monica and Eliana, it was their first camping trip in Australia, and it certainly opened their eyes to both the splendor of camping, the ease with which it can be done, as well as how to use a camp oven to cook wonderful stews, a pit toilet for a quiet moment and having to put up with a phobia that many of us had.....spiders. It turned out that our camp was loved by huntsmen spiders big and small, but hated by more than just a few of us. Maybe it was because of this that Gavin, Brett, Monica and Eliana departed the next afternoon, never to be seen again.
Christmas Eve was a quiet affair as we herded the kids to bed early after Santa had given me a call on the mobile (the wonders of technology). It wasn't long before Santa arrived in camp, ringing his bell and ho ho hoing. He asked if the children were all sleeping, and whispers from the campers suggested that they were not. Santa decided to visit Benalla first and so the adults all headed off to bed, knowing that we would be awoken early in the morning.
Christmas morning started with more a whimper than a bang, as some children did not like being woken before they were ready. Upon exiting the campers, we were all greeted with a pile on the table, covered by a tarpaulin. Once everyone was up, the tarp was removed and eyes widened as the pile of wrapped presents came into view. Al was Santa for the day, and soon the children were ripping paper from their gifts whilst making sounds like "ooooooohhhhh" and "aaaaahhhhhhh" and "Look what I got!". Once the presents had all been dispersed, Santa, I mean Al, proceeded to cook up a breakfast feast of bacon, eggs, toast and "eggy" bread. The coffee and juice was also sipped before the adults all sat down and relaxed for a couple of hours before the lunch had to begin to be prepared.
Christmas Lunch consisted of roast lamb, roast pork, roast potatoes and onions, leg ham, cold chicken pieces, salads and freshly cooked bread. It was mid afternoon before it was all cooked and carved up (the carving was completed using an electric carving knife running off an inverter!) but it didn't take long for everyone to fill their plates and then their stomachs with the mass of food...seconds anyone? The beer and wine was also flowing, and after our appetites were sated, it was decided no one had any room left for pudding, and so that was left for another night.
I am not sure if we were showing our age, or maybe we were relaxing too much, but we could not seem to reach the magical mark of midnight before everyone was asleep in their campers. It did help us though in the mornings, especially when mechanical repairs had to be carried out, or people had to head home. Christi and Ashleigh headed home on Boxing Day as the rest of us continued to relax. Jimbo, Brian and Gay arrived on the Tuesday after Xmas and settled into the comfort of their pop top campers. The fire was a fantastic communal gathering zone as the sun went down and happy hour commenced.
We decided to spend a day in the High Country and so head off early one morning, through Mansfield, and started climbing. We visited a few huts before heading to Craig's Hut for lunch. We were spoiled with the beautiful weather, with hardly a breath of wind as we had a look around the hut before hoeing into some food. Mount Stirling was open so I was very happy about finally being able to reach the summit. Across the valley was the resort of Mount Buller, so down the hill we drove, and then back up the hill we went. The car park still forced us to walk up a very steep slope to reach the summit of Buller, another first for me. After airing up our tyres, we heading back down the mountain for ice creams in Mansfield. It was here I noticed my radiator leaking slightly. By the next afternoon it would be fixed having removed it from the vehicle in camp, then driving into Benalla for it to be soldered, before re-installing it. I love bush mechanics.
The end of 2005 and start of 2006 produced days of total fire bans, so the evening fires consisted of a plate full of glows sticks that allowed the imagination to work over time. The days were hot, but the nights were cool so sleeping was easy. The hot days were spent at Lake Nillahcootie, especially one of them when a snake decided to join us in camp. We could not kill it so we decided to let him enjoy the serenity for a day while we enjoyed the cool waters of the lake. Another day was spent exploring the local tracks, some of which we didn't tackle as none of our trucks were modified enough. Ice creams in Swanpool before another dip in Lake Nillahcootie topped the day off.
New Years Eve was a quiet affair, generally due to the fact that happy hour started very early in the day, and some even went to bed before 2005 had ended. Those that remained, and one that arose as midnight struck wished each other a "Happy New Year" before everyone went to bed. New Years Day was spent relaxing with a lot of pre-packing as everyone was heading home the next day.
It was a fantastic few days spent with family and friends, and could be the start of a new tradition. Thanks to everyone!
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