We don't go camping & exploring on long weekends in Vic because you know its going to mean stacks of people everywhere , cramped campsites , heavy traffic and long queues.
However the kids had a big 4wd event on at our place and friends hadn't been camping for a month so we relented and took off to the
well known "Blue Pools" freecamping area near Sale in Victoria.
Left early thursday but our 3 cars still only squeezed into one of the last sites.
This place is sensational with a 75m diameter shady
swimming hole at the end of a
gorge with rope
swings 30ft high rocks to jump off, easy smooth entry for swimming at one end with no current and nothing to bite you.
Pets ok , fires ok , drop loo to line up at etc etc.
Unlike so many other
places in Austraila now you don't even have to walk more the 50m to it.
Next day we went out exploring a back way to get to the Avon wilderness track - some times known on this site as "Muzburys corner".
Meanwhile, while exploring a 100+ vehicles had squeezed into the
Blue Pool parking area.
It was in high 30's so lots were down at the
swimming hole.
The main point of this post was how impressed we were with the relaxed attitudes and friendly interaction of so many people on a hot day.
People crammed into the place and there was real potential for hot tempers however it seemed to me that most realized this and just seemed to make allowances.
It was a delight to see so many people interacting so
well.
People were cooking BBq at waters edges, lots of Aussie flags , lots of new australians etc.
Many cars had parked in river up and down Freestone
gorge just enjoying the surrounds.
While out exploring we discovered another great site with no one around and hastily returned to Blue Pools packed up and shot off to our new
camp which we had unbeliveably to ourselves for the long weekend.
I packed up to fast and failed to secure my Fox Wing , which promptly collected the wind and snapped off all 4 swivel joints and poles.
P.S. This really is a lucky country !