Bendeela – Kangaroo Valley

It’d been a little while since we’d been to Bendeela, so it was only natural that we were all excited with the prospect of a few days camping.

For those that don’t know Bendeela is a free campground situated in Kangaroo Valley. It’s managed by the Sydney Catchment Authority and sits on the banks of the Kangaroo River. The area has plenty of open grassed paddocks to setup camp.

We arrived late Wednesday afternoon under cloudy skies. No sooner did we get out of the car and the heavens opened up, not just a sprinkling of rain but a huge thunderstorm dumped on us. We quickly retreated to the car and waited out the downpour. Take 2 and with more success we were soon set up and tucking into our first drink.

As always when we’re away the kids were full of beans and excited about camping. They easily found things to occupy themselves with. As night fell the local wombats came out and the kids took much delight in seeing how many wombats they could see.

The next day offered the same gloomy skies but we were unperturbed. The kids once again amused themselves while Leonie and I enjoyed a good book each. In the afternoon we headed into Nowra where we took time out to drool over the new caravans at Jayco. Upon our return we were pleasantly surprised to see some close friends had joined us for the weekend.

The kids, which now numbered 5 all played well together. Ethan had his first ride without training wheels while the others played on the makeshift swing or tennis. The evening was spent sharing stories and friends company.

Our third day and while the skies were slightly improved there was still a hint of rain. Chris and I headed off to do a bit of caching while the girls took the kids for a swim. I managed 4 caches while all the kids were glad to finally be in the water. As it was Friday afternoon the campground quickly swelled with weekend campers all keen to have a night under the stars.

Saturday dawned to clear skies and the promise of hot weather. As the temp’s rose it wasn’t long before we headed to the water. A refreshing swim soon cooled things down; the kids loved the water and were reluctant to return to camp. Back at caravan there was no getting changed as a slip ‘n’ slide we’d been watching all week beckoned our attention. After lathering the kids in soap they shyly took to the slide. Their conservative approach was soon replaced with huge smiles. It was harder to tear them off the slide than away from the river.

Saturday night and once again the weather turned bad. This time the resulting storm had us scurrying to batten down the hatches and as such put an end to our night’s festivities.

As with most things, the holiday had to come to an end. So Sunday morning it was time to pack up and head for home. Holidays are always fun, especially when you see the kids having so much fun.