Rob & Carol hosted
their seventh Australian CamperTrailers Group weekend get
together at the Upper Colo Reserve over the weekend of
Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th of March attracting
over 50 members with various camping accommodation from camper trailers, tents,
slide-ons, windup & popup campers from as far afield as
Dubbo, Orange, Wollongong & Newcastle.
The Upper Colo Reserve
is situated off the Putty Road north of Richmond along the banks on
the Upper Colo River amongst the Hawkesbury sandstone valleys. The
river is shallow with deeper channels to waist height where the
current flows. The eroding sandstone makes the sandy banks look like
an ocean beach. You can see where all that sand comes from
There are flushing toilets &
cold showers as well as a large tank providing drinking water. You
need to book online with the Hawkesbury Council or it is double the
price if you pay the caretaker onsite.
Because of the strict 150
persons limit allowed on the reserve at any one time, the reserve
was booked out a month before so several members missed out on
attending. An overflow camp was arranged at the nearby property of
Bielany for 15 members.
We were treated to warm & sunny
days of around 30 degrees with some taking a swim the
Colo River. Luckily an afternoon thunderstorm managed
to slip around the valley.
The majority of the members arrived on Friday &
by the evening camper trailers where spread throughout the reserve.
Members soon rekindled friendships forged around the campfires
during previous weekends & the national meets. Members attending
their first weekend get together quickly settled into the evening
groups.
The headstones dating back to the early 1800's in the
Upper Colo cemetery at the Upper Colo St Andrews Church are of interest showing the hardships that
people in the valley endured.
Everyone gathered for a communal happy hour on
Saturday afternoon with plenty of laughter around the many campfires
on Saturday night.
Most headed off Sunday afternoon for Monday morning work
commitments. It was a very different campsite that night with only a
few remaining.
