summer camp 4 -18 Jan 01
Summercamp January 2010 in Heaven
by Katrin
Sandy Cape sports an amazing, picture postcard pristine white sandy beach complete with a resident dolphin. Paradise. We are very fortunate to have such beauty right on our doorstep. The campsite is adjacent to the idyllic beach. We made our way to Jurien Bay on the 4th of January and then followed the nominated official charming navigator Vera to the site. In Great Walk style the navigator was a little let’s say ‘unsure’ of the route. After some to and fro we found ourselves bush bashing with our little sedans. One minute the shiny red car was right in front of me bumping along the narrow track – the next it had literally evaporated into the scorching heat. Some time later after I had made my way through the bush it reappeared with a beaming Vera. She had raced off ahead and found the site.
Having successfully arrived at the camp, a suitable site was now required. A close inspection of the entire grounds, its various nooks and crannies, ensued. Multiple viewpoints as to the pros and cons of the various spots were readily at hand. Eventually a decision was made and the chosen spot turned out to be a perfect choice, which became evident by the time the evening wind was springing up. Whilst some tents were seriously challenged by the local breeze, the communal site was protected by native shrubs.
Each new arrival to the campground over the following days would go through the same process of prowling through the grounds in search of the elusive best spot.
One of the highlights was the awe inspiring light show at night. The stars and satellites were nothing short of extraordinary. On the first night the near full moon rose in all its glory, bathing us in its orangey glow. Lianne and I climbed the nearby sand dunes and were amply rewarded for our efforts. We sat in silence soaking in the mesmerizing sight: the surrounding landscape flooded in the moonlight and covered with a continuous halo of about I metre. We finished off the night by rolling down the dunes, although the downside of that was my ears and bed being enveloped in sticky sand and sand corns insisting on making themselves known throughout the night.
Mingling with the muggles, as Gerard liked to call them, the non-Great Walkers, initialled raised concerns for some. Generators, cartons of beer, loud music. These fears turned out to be unnecessary – there was happy mingling and quiet folk, a sharing of conversations and sand boards and modern technology when required in a sticky situation. Lianne got bogged in the salt lakes and it required not one but two 4WDs and considerable male expertise to rescue our gorgeous, leggy stuck spunk.
Several Great Walkers strutted down the beach with their fishing gear and bucket loads of enthusiasm. The evening beach was lined with a row of hopefuls. Unfortunately the enthusiasm was not matched by the fish population and our fishermen, –women and –children returned empty handed to the eager cooks waiting in the sidelines with an abundance of cooking gear. The only 2 small fish that actually made it into a frypan had been donated by others.
Once the bus arrived on the third day we had an elaborate, well equipped camp site and well shaded area as well thanks to Kevin’s generous supply of marquees. The joint cooking every night was light hearted and happy, everyone contributed their skills in a very fluid manner and we had yummy meals.
The highlight for most people was one night when we participated in a group star gazing. Before we knew it we were lying down together on the tarp admiring the sky. Beware anyone who dared to turn on their torch. They would be met with an instant: “turn that light off man”. The ensuing spotting and giving direction of sighted satellites was hilarious. It went like this: Boy: ‘the satellite is heading from the north into an easterly direction’. A chorus of girls: ‘What?? Where is north?’ Boy:’ its heading (generic example only) away from the beach towards ….’ Girls: ‘Ah, yes, there it is. I can see it now’.
As we were cosily huddled up on the ground looking up at the sky someone remembered that Gerard’s phone has an inbuilt night sky, star and planet locating, software. You just need to point the phone towards heaven and it tells you what you are looking at, foolproof. You don’t even need to know where north is, or the sky for that matter. For the phone also tells you what’s underneath you, right under your feet. Magic.
It was a fabulous, fun filled, enriching and very chillaxing Great Walk summer camp at its best!
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Greetings
The Great Walk will be having a summer camp. It will be at Sandy Cape, on the beach just north west of Jurien bay
We will be there from 4-18 January
Logistics Summercamp!
Summer camp is an opportunity to just “ hang out”, with your great walk friends ( to be).
It is not “organized or facilitated. You are responsible for yourself.
You have to bring your own food/water and cooking gear. Generally we do put food together and eat and cook together. But it is not catered, we have no idea how many people will be there. We’ve had summercamps with 50 people and also 15. so make sure you got everything you need. Perhaps bring food that can easily be put together and cooked for the whole, same with breakfast stuff and so on.. So far it has always been a fabulous community experience, but a spontaneous one.
Direction and Info:
Drive to Jurien Bay, take the Road close to the Coast going North, approximately 8 kms, and then a sandy road to the left. It has no name. It will be signed and the red tag will be visibly attached at the turnoff. Then drive towards the beach, maybe 3 kms,
and then follow again the red tags as we cannot say exactly where we will find the best and biggest space. It will be to the left. There are toilets, and there will be a Ranger collecting money from us, probably $5 per head per night. Last year there was plenty of empty spaces right after New Year. There are a lot of shady places, and just one minute from the lovliest beaches, safe for swimming. Vera will make sure to arrive there during the day on the 4th of January to find a good spot. Bring your fishing gear,see you all there! Please bring drinking water. Hopefully the truck with water and kitchen gear will be there. More news about that closer to the time.
Map : Click Here
This is a google map -click on the blue marker for info and directions
For more information
Contact Vera: 0401403451, Jozina 0401802806