We spent the first few hours swimming in the creek then moved up to the waterfall to wash our hair and get a natures-own fully body massage. We flicked some lures at the base of the waterfall and picked up a couple of barramundi but nothing big enough to eat for lunch.
In the arvo we set off on quads to check out the swamps and see if we could pick up a few pigs in the marshland. The kids strapped on their capgun rifles and day packs and dad loaded his .308 to his bike. I'm certainly not the best quad rider and have had more near misses than anyone in our group so I like to take it fairly steady but when you've got two keen-as ratbags hanging on the back, the esky, and trying to keep up with the boys who only know flat-out, there's going to be issues. I hit 1 bog hole in 2nd gear and quickly lost traction which meant I had to get off and push myself out. Lucky for me, Mak took the control and she drove us out while I dragged my legs through the mud and grass to catch up. Xavie was on croc control and after spotting one in our local fenced in sewer pond this week, I wasn't taking any chances. As we rounded the swamp, the water was getting higher and we noticed the black clouds heading straight for us and we were at least an hour away from camp so thought it better to head back.
It started to rain within minutes and every creek crossing was deeper than the last. Some of them I had to walk the kids across then tried to negotiate the rock bottom blind and hoping for the best. God I love manual motorbikes!
What came next was one of the biggest storms this season. The dogs went crazy in the mud and so did our kids. Mud angels, mud slippery slides into the creek, dad's skiddies and doughies, rain showers and shenangians. One minute the water was at my waist and within minutes it was up to my arm pits. The creek was swelling and swelling fast. We pulled all the tubs off the ground and the creek burst it's banks and the water flowed through camp. There was nothing to do but give a good ol' cheers to the clouds and make the most of the cool weather.
3 packets of sparklers, 50 poppers, glow necklaces and glow sticks hanging from the tarp, music pumped, drinks flowing and we saw in the new year with all the grace that 2011 could muster. The rain stopped about 4am this morning and the river bank receded slightly but not enough to swim in safely so we packed up and headed on home after a last minute quad ride.
Bring on 2012!
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