26 February 2013 - Capital Country Holiday Village, Sutton, NSW

It almost seems too good to be true, to have left Sydney at last after two and a half weeks twiddling our thumbs and here we are within a bull’s roar of Canberra.

Chris had the landcruiser around at the garage as they opened their doors at 7.30 am and back with the checked over vehicle and a paid invoice before 8.30. By that time I had done the housework, packed away the water and sewage hoses and was ready for us to hook up. With such efficiency all around, we were out into the city traffic by 9 am, on to the toll road by 9.20 and off again by 9.40. Such efficiency after so much inefficiency, such a delight!

Of course we had travelled this road through to Canberra back at the end of May last year, but in reverse, and a road travelled in the opposite direction is an entirely new experience. I was surprised how much farmland was visible from the highway between Sydney and Goulburn; I had only noticed the bushlands from the other side. I was also surprised to see so many wind farms west of Collector and along the eastern shore of Lake George.

It was on the shore of this mostly dry lake that we stopped for lunch and were able to contact the Belgian Embassy to make an appointment, the whole purpose of us detouring so strangely from our trip to Darwin. This is set for tomorrow morning which means we need only be two days in Canberra. Instead we have decided to spend an extra two to take in some of the special exhibitions on offer in the capital.

Finding accommodation was a mission and as you can see by the address, we have had to back track into New South Wales. It was not until lunchtime when I checked out Camps 6 to remind myself of the tariff payable at the Exhibition Centre, I discovered that this wonderful facility is closed to campers from mid-February to the beginning of March as well as a couple of other times slots, including Easter. Chris reminded me of the cost of making calls on our prepay cellphones and said he preferred to drive to the alternative camping grounds and check them out in person.  So be it, I thought.

We drove to one in the suburb of O’Connor in Canberra and found it full so decided to call into the Visitors Centre and check out other camping grounds from there. The friendly staff recommended several camps, this one gently thrust forward ahead of others and even though we balked at the distance back out of Canberra, were encouraged to try it. A quick call by the Centre staff secured us a booking and so we drove back the eighteen kilometres or so.

This camp, happily a member of the Family Parks group hence discounted for us, is also quite full, particularly with school groups doing their compulsory Canberra trip. As I write this, they have yet to return. Learning this, I had wondered if we had chosen well, however as it has turned out, we had little choice. Soon after arriving I found myself in conversation with a couple of other women who had also arrived today. They reported that both caravan parks in Queanbeyan and the one at Eaglehawk are all booked out. We are in fact most fortunate to have found ourselves a space anywhere, even this far from the centre of Canberra and out of state.

Rain has threatened but not yet arrived. Thunderstroms are forecasted but these are nothing compared to the cyclone that is now poised over the Pilbara on the west coast ready to decimate all in its path. And poor Bundeburg up on the east coast is bracing itself for yet another round of rain.

Our camp site is roomy and shared with a million ants and a charming group of superb blue wrens. Crows are also announcing their presence and I am sure we will hear many more birds before nightfall. A small welcome gift of roo poo sits on the edge of our concrete pad; perhaps we will see the donors later on the grassy patch below our camp spot?