Day 8 A hitch to Chookarloo then walk to Rocky Creek Campsite

I told myself that today was going to be a fantastic day, and it was. I waited on the highway for only about 5 minutes for a ride. I climbed in with a lovely  man who was heading to the hospital to attend  a planned cesarean birth of his 3rd son. I think he was a bit nervous, so wanted a distraction.  

The nice Dad-to-be dropped me at the correct intersection, and I hadn’t even gotten my gear sorted before a “Driving Miss Daisy” car pulled over and welcomed me aboard.

This nice man said he did the Driving  to keep himself busy in his retirement. He covered a large country area and met lots of people and kept out of his wife’s hair.

This nice man told me he loved New Zealand and had even been to Palmerston North. Unusual! Then he shared that he had been married 3 times in New Zealand.

I wasn’t sure whether I should  congratulate  or to commiserate. He then added that he had been happily married to the same woman for 40 years, and they got remarried every 5 years,  mostly as an excuse for an overseas holiday. Three of them had been in New Zealand.

He dropped me at the camp gate, wanting a photo of a Karen from Palmerston North to show his wife.

Being school holidays, the Chookarloo Campsite was filled with families. Nice to see.

I had a cuppa, a call with my son Cameron from Perth and then off for  an easy 9km walk to Rocky Creek camp acrossing  some weet-bix farms and forestry trails. 

There was a nice family at the Rocky Creek Cottage who were on their first camping trip. They had a tent to pitch but wanted the option of using the cottage if sleeping in the tent all turned to custard.

I was the only one camping as it is just a walk in site for hikers. I’m pretty sure I heard some Koalas during  the night grunting at eachother but I didn’t manage to spot any in the morning.

The family hadn’t had a successful night with the wife and 2 of the 3  kids saying they were never going camping again!  Apparently, no one liked the long drop, there were too many scarey noises in the night, and they were all cold and uncomfortable. By 2am, Dad gave in, and they packed up to go into the cottage to get some sleep. Howeve,  they had left the door open,  so the cottage was alive with big moths and mosquitos, and there could also be  poisonous snakes and spiders hiding underneath  the bunks.  Apparently, this experience was nothing like the YouTube show “Outdoor Boys” that Dad had been watching with them in preparation for this holiday.

I suggested that the next trip, he should take the one slightly enthusiastic child and leave the rest at home.