Low Camp Part 1

The Journey Begins

 "Come camping with us at The Basin", they said.  "It will be fun," they said.  Unaccountably I permitted the heartfelt pleas of my friends to overcome my better judgement.  I agreed on condition that somebody could provide me with a tent, sleeping bag and air mattress without which I would be sleeping in the amenities block.  "No problems," I was told, "we can supply your every camping need."

So there were were, eight of us.  Tony and Natali and their daughter Jasmine (3), Jason & Idette, their son Jake (7) and their daughter Abigail (3) and me off for a jolly weekend camping at The Basin in Ku Ring Gai National Park.

The tone was set early on Friday night as I shopped for some foodstuffs to prevent my being a total parasitic leech.  I got an emergency text message from Natali, could I possibly pick up a couple of things they had forgotten?  Specifically two litres of red wine and a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue.  I remortgaged my house and complied.  Once home I received a message from Jason assuring me that they could lend me a sleeping bag and I wouldn't need to bring a blanket, this was good as there wasn't room for both the blanket and the alcohol in my bag.

The next day I woke bright and early at 6.30am which was awkward as I had set my alarm for 5.45 but for some reason my alarm clock failed me.  I dashed around frantically and staggered out of the house under the weight of enough alcohol to fuel an episode of Geordie Shore although not enough alcohol to actually make me watch one.  I was meeting Jason and Idette at Manly at 8.30 and it was obvious I wasn't going to make it.  My reason for wanting to get up so early was because trackwork on my line and there would be delays.  Desperately I flagged down a taxi and promised the driver a kidney if he could get me to Circular Quay.  Foolishly accepting my offer without inspecting the merchandise the taxi driver swept me into town with time to spare and I started to relax.

An event free ferry ride later and I was shaking hands with Jason & Idette.  I expressed my relief that they could provide me with a sleeping bag, they responded that they knew there was something they had forgotten.  They also took this opportunity to point out that the tent they were lending me leaked.  The air mattress they assured me was brand new and in perfect condition.  A swift trip to their home was required (its only a child's sleeping bag but you can cover most of yourself and maybe wrap yourself in a towel if you get cold).  This side journey made catching our ferry in Palm Beach (no road access to The Basin) problematic.

I know what you're thinking but we actually arrived before the ferry.  Then we unloaded the car, and unloaded the car.  After a pause to get our breath back we unloaded the car some more.  Then we had to find parking.  By the time this was arranged the ferry was a dot on the horizon.  Agonised conversation followed.  In deference to the fact that part of the vast pile of luggage was pretty much everything I would need to go camping I didn't mention the size of the luggage more than twenty or thirty times and only in the most helpful and constructive of fashions.  Two decisions were come to, firstly after intense debate Jason and Idette decided not to drown me in Pittwater and secondly we decided to take a water taxi rather than wait for the next ferry.  The water taxi had the advantage of being much faster than the ferry and immediately available.  It had the disadvantage of costing $50.  Since I had already spent more than I expected I found this slightly awkward but solved the problem by borrowing $50 from Jason and paying for my share of the water taxi out of that.

The assistance of the driver (sailor?) got all the luggage onto the water taxi which settled dangerously low in the water but we hopped aboard regardless and set off under a cloudless blue sky.  It really was beautiful, gloriously hot and Pittwater, dotted with boats and fringed by beaches and trees was a delight.  The water was glossy and the beauty of our appointed camping spot grew more evident with every metre it got nearer.  We were a little late but looked forward to making up for lost time with some serious camping.