Beach Bushcamp

21 November 2022

Bushcamp at an idyllic beach spot. I was on the cookteam so as soon as the bus arrived, we got kitchen ready. I was working until 8pm, bedtime in the desert, so didn’t get a chance to see much of the place.

Breakfast was the same. Up at 5.45am to take my tent down and prepare breakfast for the group. By the time I was finished, it was time to leave. I get to do this every 8th bushcamp, around every 2 weeks or so and its grand. I’m not complaining; it’s an integral part of overlanding. I get that.

A Canadian man, John, pitched my tent for me last night while I was cooking. I thought this was very generous of him. He did a better job than me.

I was camped next to a rock hillock. A local man told us that snakes came down off the rocks at nighttime. I made sure my tent was zipped shut and avoided touchung the edges of the tent where the walls meet the groundsheet. That’s where the scorpions hide and could sting if disturbed. Snakes have been known to do similar.

Before I went to bed, I went out for a ramble to see if I could find any snakes, scorpions or spiders, the dreaded but fascinating 3 S’s. I saw some big spiders but none of the other two. Pity. Snakes fascinate me.

My tent was off the sand on a thick cover of what looked like tiny shrubs about 50mm in height. That were soft but very tough and resilient. It was like being on a mattress. I must find out what they were.

(Please click on any thumbnail above to enlarge the whole gallery for full size sliding photos)

I stopped for a while to look at the shrub land with my headtorch on wide beam and high power. I soon started noticing lots of little beasties scurrying around on the business of eating each other or not being eaten. There were lots of beetles and ants but also lizards and spiders. I noticed a huge fat spider with a shiny back and when I moved the scrub to get a better look, it vanished into the sand. Neat trick. There were huge grasshoppers who would sometimes fly into your chest or back with a fair thud.

Then bed beckoned and I read for about an hour and then went spark out.