Barrington Tops : A long weekend camping trip

With Stockton Beach being closed on the June long weekend this year, I felt just a slight sigh of relief. Relief that I was not going to end up in a tent, freezing cold, wet, and wind beaten, in the middle of the sand dunes with no way of warming up. This relief quickly turned into despair when it was announced that our new destination was to be high above any warmth that may have been resting low in the Valley this weekend. We were headed to Barrington Tops.

As we all gathered on an extremely brisk Saturday morning, covered in layers of clothing, beanies and gloves, we climbed our way up the winding mountains toward Barrington Tops. I must admit I was excited, I love camping. Being somewhere different for a few days is always fun. As we climbed and climbed the scenery was just beautiful. I definitely am a country girl at heart.

We finally made it to Polblue Camping Ground after we took one of Stevie’s well known ‘short cuts’. I wasn’t convinced. The camp was quiet, simple and cold yet strangely surreal and majestic. We all fell in love straight away and spent no time at all unpacking and quickly got the fire burning. The rest of the afternoon we sipped on home brew and snacked on cheeses and spicy chorizo. On full stomachs, we ventured around Polblue Swamp and saw all that this spot had to offer. On our return we roasted gooey homemade bread on the open fire. We were definitely on holidays.

This weekend I vowed to only play with my film camera, something I have been hesitant about since the invention of digital. I found that using film made me stop, breathe, take in the surroundings, see and experience before I clicked. This is where my passion for photography lies, capturing what is seen in its purest form. If your camera is constantly in front of your face how can you see the whole picture?

When we woke after the longest night of my life and everything had turned to ice, even the top layer of the fourth doona we had over us. As much as it was cold, ok freezing, the scenery was absolutely stunning. Crystals showered the ground, the leaves on the trees, the walkways and bridges and the ponds seemed as though they had stopped in time.

The sun rose quickly and melted the glassy crystals but unfortunately we did not warm up.