Worth The Effort

SATURDAY 29 JUNE 2019

Slept in til after 7am today – the latest we have managed in ages!  Packed up reasonably slowly and as Larry was sorting stuff outside the couple from last night pulled up and asked “Lost your wallet Larry?”  Larry hadn’t realised he had – it had fallen on the ground at the campside last night but they had discovered it and handed it in to reception.  So we left via the office where Larry not only picked up his wallet but chips and Cokes for the journey back to the GRR.  So an incredibly unhealthy mid morning snack but we will work it off this afternoon.

Back on the GRR and bumped our way westward to Imintji to refuel.  This place seems to have got a bit bigger since the last time we were here and now has a new caravan park attached so we will think about staying there if we come this way again.  The little shop also had fresh milk (hallelujah) so we restocked the fridge with milk and eggs and bought fresh chicken, lettuce and mayo sandwiches for lunch when we get to Silent Grove.

Continued on to there and arrived about 12.30pm.  We realised we needed $39 to cover camping and park entry fees and only had a $50 note so we raided all our purses and our washing machine coin bag and managed to make up the required money in small notes and coins.  Only problem being that the envelope was then too fat to fit through the slot in the self registration shelter!  We knew from last time there would be a campground host somewhere around so we continued on and found a spot in the generator area.  Not because we were going to use our generator but because we had remembered from last time that there was hardly anyone in there while the other part of the campground was jammed full.  Sure enough the generator section was nearly empty and we were able to find a nice shady spot right next to a campfire ring and picnic table so we won’t have to unpack much furniture tonight.

We set up and ate our sandwiches at the picnic table and then changed into swimming clothes and hiking shoes.  We found the campground host at his caravan watching the footy via his satellite dish and he gleefully told us that Hawthorn was ahead by a few points (he was a Dockers supporter).  Still, it was only the third quarter so hopefully the Eagles can prevail by the end of the game and wipe the grin off his face.  We didn’t stay to find out but drove the next 10km on to Bell Gorge.  Jenny remembered the steep rocky climb into the gorge but not much else about the walk until we got to the river.  The water was lower than last time and we took some comparative photos but there is still some water to cross and some water going over the edge of the waterfall so it was still very pretty.

It was a very hot afternoon and the climb up and over hot rocks was enough for Jenny to blow her cool a few times and wonder loudly (and very, very, very often) if it was all really worth it but Larry has learnt by now when to help and when to leave her to it and he knows it will be blow over eventually and particularly when the target has been reached and you are swimming in a beautiful gorge and letting a waterfall wash the dust out of your hair.

We stayed until the sun went down behind the level of the rocks and cast the gorge into shadow and then made our way back the way we had come.  As usual, the walk back out never seems as bad (even though it was more uphill on the way back) probably because you are cool and refreshed from your swim and there is a bit more shade as the sun is lower in the sky.

We were back to camp by about 5pm and Larry decided after his arduous afternoon of hiking and cajoling  that it was time to say goodbye to the last of his beers.  After that it was time to cook up a Mongolian lamb stirfry on the Weber , served with slightly soggy rice (it’s been a long time since I’ve cooked rice in a saucepan) but all the fresh and exercise makes us hungry and we wolfed it down as it was actually really very tasty.

Then time for a spot of blog writing and showers before bed.