No more 4WD and camping trips for a while

It’s been a pretty intense couple of weeks, and it doesn’t look like things are going to calm down any time soon. I’m a bit lost for words really, but wanted to share a bit about what we’ve been up to, and what our plans were, and now are. I’m also keen to know how you are all feeling, and what you have in mind!

Social media has been quite a tumultuous place lately, and on the ground too with people fighting over toilet paper, changes to everyone’s day to day life and plenty of confusion and panic from many to add to the mix. This pandemic is dangerous, and I think its only now that many Australian’s are actually starting to realise it.

It’s been sad to see the human emotions shine through, with some people being extremely rude, selfish, stupid and arrogant. There are a lot of people who don’t have a home to go to, and to hear of the way they’ve been treated by some, and the decisions that have had to be made is truly heart-breaking.

On the flip side, there’s been some amazing stories flow through, and we have a huge amount of gratitude for the hospitality industry, and for this truly unbelievable country we call home. 

Life for us hasn’t changed a lot; we don’t normally go out a lot anyway, except for family and friends, or to get groceries, or for a day trip or extended trip.

We don’t have kids old enough to go to school, and Sarah stays home with them full time anyway. My full time job is still ticking along for now, and we are taking the usual precautions that everyone should.

No more camping trips

The one thing we were totally bummed about (we are over it now!) is our camping trip, which we put a fair chunk of effort in to organise and make happen is now off the cards.

We had 24 nights booked up the coast to the Ningaloo Reef and back down to Perth again, leaving leaving just before Easter. With the ‘no more non essential travel’ in place, and knowing the risks of doing so, we are stuck at home.

We literally got up at midnight almost 180 days ago to book camp sites at Exmouth as the new day rolled in, after watching them disappear every single day before 4AM, for weeks on end.

On the night we booked, I got up, along with my brother and mum, and we managed to get 3 sites in the same camp ground, with the remaining 4 that were available all gone within 10 minutes of midnight ticking over!

We organised boats, 4WD’s, bought a drone, new camera gear and a heap of other products, along with the food and preparation that is needed for such a trip, much of which is now frozen in the freezer, waiting to be consumed at home.

Of course, all this pales into insignificance when you stand back and look at the big picture, and our concerns are just a drop in the ocean. We live in the best country in the world, we have an amazing health care system, so many privileges and can go to bed each night feeling very lucky.

This change in life is nothing compared to what some of those before us have had to go through!

Look after yourself, and do the right thing

It feels surreal writing this. No one here has experienced anything like this before, and the future is unknown. All you can control is how you react to the present, and if you’ve had your plans thrown out the window know that in due course this will pass, and things will eventually resume to their normal state.

For the sake of everyone, do the right thing; don’t head off on holidays, practice good hygiene, spend some quality time with your family and wait it out. If you have a big enough backyard or balcony (we don’t!) set your camp up at home and have a good time.

We will be doing a lot of catch up work on the blog, and continuing to share posts about some of the best camping in Australia, places you can take your 4WD and the usual technical tips about modifying your 4WD.

Stay safe, and we’ll see you out there in the near future

Aaron and Sarah

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