Our second stop off in Sydney lasted 3 weeks. We hadn’t intended to stay that long but that’s just how things evolved and once again Mum was kind enough to let us stay at her place. For three weeks we had proper, comfortable beds. We had a freezer. We had a bathroom that didn’t require a freezing cold walk and a torch when you had to go in the middle of the night. And most importantly and wistfully, for three weeks we had a proper space again where the kids could run around and play indoors where they were constantly safe and contained. The temperament of all of us was slightly better for having the space.
Enjoying having space again 
Enjoying having space again
The night before we were due to take off I couldn’t sleep. I was excited yet dreading hitting the road again. I’ve loved travelling around and seeing all the things we’ve seen so far – and I had no doubt the best was yet to come as our plans took us further west and inland – but the three weeks was long enough to get me used to the comforts of having a “house” again. I say house and not home because ultimately wherever my family is, is home. In the dark, quiet hours of the late night/early morning I started to question if we were really cut out for this road lifestyle. The thought of going back to the confined camper space, and going through the ordeal every few days of packing and unpacking, setting up and taking apart camp – at that moment – felt like an unbearable reality.
To make the thought of going back to setting up the camper slightly easier, while we were in Sydney we used the extended time to get some repairs done to the camper. As we were days away from the Easter break the majority of places wouldn’t even have a conversation with you. Those that did weren’t able to do any work until July, and in some cases not until November! It reaffirmed my view that I made a wrong career choice and next time will come back in the caravan repair industry. I then came across James’ Caravan Repairs. He was a one man band who operated his workshop out of his house but he seemed to know his stuff – compared to another guy I spoke to who didn’t even know what the crank system of the camper was (after much deliberation I thought better of giving him my money). Best of all James was willing to give me a quote over the phone and by sending pictures so I knew what I was going to be in for, and he was also willing to work on it over the Easter break. James – you are our new hero. He replaced all 4 of the wind up arms, replaced the broken stabilizer leg, fixed the door alignment and a few other quick repairs. It was a big and unexpected investment but at the end of the day it’s our home, and it was repairs we had to get done for both safety and sanity.
We also used this as an opportunity to completely pull everything out of the camper and have a proper sort through so that we weren’t packing and unpacking things unnecessarily. Yet again, dumping more of our stuff at Mum’s. However we are still carting around a gigantic Paw Patrol soft toy and last year’s Christmas pudding, and we’ve since added a metal detector to our haul – so I wouldn’t blame anyone for questioning exactly what we left behind. The box of jewelry I packed to take for those “special occasions” was left behind – what was I thinking – who needs jewelry in a camper!
Ryder also turned 2 while we were in Sydney so we celebrated the day by going to the Easter Show. I hadn’t been to the Easter show in 15 years – perhaps more – and have such fond memories of the Easter Show which I was dying to experience with the kids. Like my former 8-year-old self the night before I spent ages reading through the showbag guide making my shortlist – the paper version just like I had “back in the day” and online. Sorry kids, I have to tell you that was the first and last time we’ll go to the Easter Show. The day was one constant queue. We knew going in how expensive the expedition could get so we put a strict limit on the number of showbags, and we set expectations of no rides. The kids spent the last year and a half on the Gold Coast so they certainly aren’t deprived of rides. We did shell out an extra $10 each for a reserved seats to the shows which was the best purchase we made all day. From my memory the evening show was a few monster trucks and fireworks with the whole thing lasting about ten minutes, but wow, what a production the show is now. It honestly felt like an Opening Ceremony of a Games. Little birthday boy couldn’t stay awake any longer when we finally got back at almost 11:00 that night.
Happy Birthday Ryder! 
Easter Show aftermath
So back to hitting the road again…the morning we were heading off I still felt a bit anxious about leaving the house comforts. We packed up the last bits and despite the clear out, both the car and camper were still packed to the rafters. The sense of dread and doubt about going back to life in camper was still there as we started to drive away. Could we really keep up this life? Had we made a decided on the wrong type of camper to do this trip in? Should we have waited until the kids were a bit older before attempting this?
Luckily, our first stop at Wombeyan Caves quickly silenced any questions the second we arrived. Getting there was an adventure in itself as it was our first mountain crossing towing the camper with a driver who is absolutely petrified of heights. When we got there we were surrounded by wildlife and had the whole place to ourselves. Firepits and right opposite the amenities and playground our site was absolutely perfect. We were back to campfires off the beaten track and we were loving it.
It was the first chance we had to test out the repairs James did and he didn’t fail us. It was the first set up which didn’t involve copious amounts of swearing and shouting or threats of setting the camper on fire. To quote my less than patient husband – “this set up is going too easily, I’m not used to it”. Definitely a huge cost but well worth it for a stress free set up for the first time.
Onsite at the campground there is plenty to do without having to drive anywhere. We purchased one of the combo tickets which included the self guided tour of Fig Tree Cave which is Australia’s largest self guided cave, as well as a guided tour of one of the more exclusive caves. For $30 per adult (kids under school age are free) it was good value for 2 days of activities. Fig Tree Cave is absolutely amazing and so well set up I have no idea why it wasn’t absolutely packed with people – we had it all to ourselves. As you walk around the cave, lights and audio guides explaining the formations are triggered by motion. Despite this, I still can’t tell you which ones are stalagmites and which ones are stalactites. The lights turning on in the complete darkness revealing the formations of the cave really made for those out loud “woooooow” moments.
For our guided tour we did Wollondilly cave the next day. The kids don’t have a great track record with listening to tour guides – fortunately on this occasion they did nothing to break this record. This cave is the longest cave in the Wombeyan Caves network and goes over 5 levels. This definitely meant some challenging sections carrying Ryder in the harness with long, steep ladders, tight spaces and low crawl sections. Daniel channeled his inner Thai cave rescue man and took it all on like a champion. Amazing formations and a fun underground adventure – although if you ask Kaia the only thing she liked was climbing the ladders.
From here we’re headed into the Snowy Mountains – stay tuned for our next update.
Where are the Actons? 
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