Weekend Camp - Spring Gully Stays 14th - 16th June 2024

 Day 2 - Saturday 15th June, 2024

She was a spritely 10 degrees inside the caravan this morning at around 6.30am.  Very quite around the campground when I peered out the window, except for one soul standing with his coffee looking down at the creek - he looked very peaceful before the onslaught of noise and activity was about to start!

It was almost like someone set off the starters gun and out the kids came and off they went on bikes, talking and walking and pointing, parents calling them back for a jumper or cereal or whatever parents need to call kids back for first thing in the morning LOL.

Slowly, but surely everyone emerged from their tents, caravans, roof top tents, vans, cars and safari tents to gather in the camp kitchen for coffee and bacon, eggs, homemade smokey baked beans, sausages and rolls.  Quite the feast for breakfast.

I just need to pause again for a second with our second best quote for the weekend.  Now, Mel bought the eggs down for the weekend and getting everything ready for breakfast, I asked her "Mel, eggs ...." which she replied quick as "I'll just have one thanks" 🤣🤣  I waited a second then said to her "no, where are the eggs Mel, so we can cook them",  well that sent us into a fit of laughter and Mel saying "oh God I sound like such a princess - just one egg thanks"  😆  

Craig and I went for a bit of a wander around the area we had booked and checked out the bush camping area through the trees.  It's a really nice campground.  The couple of powered sites are at the front where you pull in and is a nice cosy area overlooking the creek.

The creek water is just so clear and clean it's so pretty.

This morning's activities around the camp involved playing in the creek.  We had a few brave souls who got in for a swim in the creek - personally just walking along the edge was enough for us, making our feet numb within about a 20 metre distance.  We had one person get a leech while swimming.

Young and old were having a blast in the creek, making rapids so they could float through them in the tyre tubes, skipping rocks, building rock crossings and generally splashing everyone and anyone when throwing a rock into the creek.

The small rapid ride for Mr 5

The brave few having a dip

The most wonderful thing to witness over the weekend was the kids just being kids, riding bikes, playing in the creek, kicking the ball around, playing badminton or just playing chasey.  When there is no phone/internet coverage.......  It was like watching a flock of seagulls moving around together, especially if food is opened up or sausages put on the BBQ, they swoop in 😆

Our gangster kids standing still for a minute - well most of them

The morning passed by rather quickly with activities going on down at the creek, some going for walks along the dirt road to say to the local cows, some reading and just wondering.  The next thing you know it's lunch time!!   Unfortunately I did not get a photo of lunch cooking, but it was an absolute thing of beauty, seeing 50 odd kebabs cooking on the flat plate bbq's under the watchful eye of Tim.  There was a choice of Garlic Butter Chicken kebabs, Mint and Rosemary Lamb or Smokey BBQ Beef, served with either crunchy noodle salad and kale slaw.  Poor Tim, after cooking just about all of the kebabs, Craig relieved him so he could get a feed, and all Tim wanted was to try the beef ones and yep you guessed it,  they were all gone 😩

By the time lunch was demolished and cleaned up afterwards, a bit of chatting and then it was time to start prepping for our roast spectacular for dinner.

We've had a few people bring along their Webber BBQ's and one Ziggy, to make it a bit easier monitoring all the meats but there is one going on the spit over the campfire. 

Tonight's feast consists of:

Baked Ham with a Lemon/Lime/Ginger baste, Baked Silverside with a Port baste, Boneless Lamb Legs marinated and slow cooked, Rolled Pork Rib Roast cooked on the spit over the campfire and a chook which we pre-bought and heated up in the camp oven, a huge Potato Bake, baked pumpkin, Honey carrots, broccolini and gravy of course.   Oh this is going to be so yummy, and lets not forget Deep Dish Apple crumble from SaraLee with custard and cream!

While we were preparing everything from marinading meats, making bastes, potato bakes etc., nibbles went out and everyone came together in the camp kitchen to chat and lend a hand.

I tell you one thing, it's hard work keeping people from lifting the BBQ lids to have a sticky beak at the meat cooking!!!  If you're lookin' it ain't cookin' !

Craig was very diligent watching his pork rib roast and adjusting the fire, he had someone getting him a beer when he ran out!

I think we ended up being about half an hour later then we had planned, so not too bad.  Our little village of people came together with many hands make light work of peeling vegetables, cutting pumpkins, cooking broccilini on the barbeque plate and making gravy.

It was an epic spread and I'm pretty sure everyone enjoyed the food, it was very quiet while everyone sat and ate dinner!!

I did notice a fair bit of taste testing going on by Joel and Craig, as the ham was getting carved up 🤔😆

Unofficial ham taste tester on the left

Dinner is served - help yourself

We even had leftovers, that went into work so everyone could enjoy them for lunch

Such a wonderful night full of laughter and enjoyment and the kids got to twirl fire again.

Dinner done, time to relax around the campfire, some of gentleman enjoying a whiskey before bed.

Sunday morning was a bit crisp at 5 degrees inside the van.  Sunday will involve breakfast and then everyone will slowly pack up and disappear home. 

Thanks to Mandy, Mark and Rachel for allowing me to use their photos.

Until next time when we go camping.......  we have a couple of good weekends planned in the next few months.  Craig and I will return to Spring Gully Stays at some stage, it's a very lovely, relaxing, peaceful, well equipped camping ground.

Spring Gully Stays - 334 Sarabah Road, Sarabah

www.springgullystays.com.au and they have a facebook page

Limited powered sites (maybe 2 or 3) , non-powered with toilet/showers, camp kitchen, bush camping with port-a-loos, pet friendly, creek, campfires.  A note for those going there for the first time, make sure you do not miss the left hand turn onto Sarabah road, if you do there is no where to turn around once you get onto the the narrow winding road heading up the mountain.

Our option of this place:  Excellent campground, one that we will camp at again.

Weekend Camp - Spring Gully Stays 14th - 16th June 2024

Day 1 - Friday 14th June, 2024

This weekend camp is a work social club weekend, so we have about 30 odd people including kiddos camping this weekend at Spring Gully Stays in Sarabah, which is near Canungra Qld.  We are catering for the entire weekend ourselves, many hands make light work!  Everyone should be well fed, that's for sure.

We stopped on the way for a spot of lunch at the Coomera Lodge Hotel on Maudsland Road, Oxenford - what a cracker pub!

We have booked one entire camping area at Spring Gully Stays, that has the camp kitchen, amenities and also has Safari Tents included in our price.  There is another side over the creek that is called bush camping and has port-a-loos scattered around the camping area.

Everyone arrived in dribs and drabs from Friday lunch through until late afternoon.  Heaps of room in the area we booked, which apparently takes up to 60 campsites.  We have made ourselves comfortable in the camp kitchen, putting all of our supplies in the 3 fridges available and the kitchen area.  It's a very well stocked camp kitchen, with microwaves, kettles, utensils, cooking utensils, cups, coffee mugs, wine glasses, pots, pans.  2 x flat plate barbeques, campfire which is excellent for cooking over, 3 big serving tables and plenty of tables and chairs to sit at and eat.

There was also a badminton/volley ball net set up to use, make sure you bring some rackets and balls and there is plenty of room for a game of soccer or football.  These kids should sleep well tonight I reckon and some of the grown ups too,  the amount of running around kicking the soccer ball, chasing the shuttlecock and walking back and forth from the camp kitchen 😆

As you can imagine there is lots of chatting, kids investigating the area, people setting up camps, deciding where to have the fire later on after dinner, checking out the creek which you camp along side and of course afternoon drinks!

Friday afternoon fire at the Camp Kitchen

To go with afternoon drinks there is of course a huge selection of nibbles put out and a firepit lite near the camp kitchen.  Dinner tonight will be hamburgers and sausages with Craig on BBQ.  All the meat for this weekend was bought from our local butcher at Forest Glen on the Sunshine Coast, so we know it will be good!

Mate, those hamburgers were just the best, must have been the chef hey 😊  

After clean up, everyone went down to the end of the camping area near the creek where there is a large firepit and one of our workmates was doing some fire twirling (a hobby he has).  

Now, I will just pause here for a moment, because before heading down to this firepit Craig and I were chatting with Tim and Mel, when their Miss 14 comes barrelling up all excited and blurts out "Dad, Dad, can I play with fire", well that sent all of us into fits of laughter, all the time being looked at by said teen with a confused face - dead set, that has to be the quote of the weekend!!

At first Dad said "ask your Mother", who was standing within ears reach! With a little bit more information given, that request was okayed by Dad and we headed down to watch the spectacle of the circus fire twirler in our midst.

Well slap me and tickle me silly,  I did not know Ken could fire twirl, the things you learn!  A couple of grown ups had a go and if the kids we given the OK by Mum and Dad, they were carefully monitored and had a go with a little twirler and yes there was water nearby and yes, Ken knew what he was doing.

It's really cool to watch!

It got a bit cool later in the evening, but you'd get mixed messages when you looked around the fire and at the following picture:

You've got beanies, jackets, jeans, boots then you see shorts and thongs 😎😂  We have to acknowledge our very own Demetrius, who was channelling old Hugh Hefner wearing his bathrobe around camp 😂

Now, no camping weekend is complete without marshmallows toasted on the fire, especially for the kiddos.

 

We'll call it a night for the first day of our excellent camping weekend shall we.