Site 74: My First Camping Trip Without Grundy
Updated: 6 days ago
That was the number we were given when Kirraleigh and I checked into the Pier Caravan Park in Hervey Bay. Grundy raced motorbikes under 74. It was also the year he was born, and the last two digits of his phone number.
I stood there looking at our site and had a little chat with him. I understood that he was here with me. Then I thought, okay, Grundy. I’ve got this.
This was my first camping trip without Grundy. I keep calling it a solo trip, but Kirra came with me, so it wasn’t solo in the usual sense. It was the first time I had to think about the jobs Grundy had always taken care of. The first time I would camp without my person.
In our family, a Grundy adventure needs at least one thing to go wrong. That’s the rule.
A Tourist in My Own Backyard
Tearri and her partner, Jenkins, had booked a whale watching trip for Tearri’s 28th birthday. I asked if this was a date or if I could tag along. Then Kirraleigh said, “I’m coming too.”
After travelling to two different states over the last three weeks, I had an epiphany. I will travel thousands of kilometres for a holiday and do all the tourist crap. Research the must-dos, then do them.
But I don’t do that where I live.
We live in the whale watching capital of Australia and have for almost four years. I had never been whale watching. Not once. (The whales will get their own blog, Whale Watching In Hervey Bay: Was It Worth It? Spoiler: yes.)
So it was way past due for a staycation. And if I was going to be a tourist in my own backyard, I might as well camp in it.
I also needed to keep busy. Since Grundy passed away, I’ve filled my weekends with trips, running and whatever else gets me out of the house. I know that won’t make the grief disappear. Right now, though, getting up and doing something is helping me through the day.
The caravan park was close enough to home that I could leave if it all felt too much. It was also across the road from Hervey Bay parkrun. Priorities. Two nights. Somewhere familiar. Kirra beside me. That seemed like a sensible first attempt.
My Packing “System”
Grundy and I were opposites when it came to packing. He could have a bag ready weeks before a trip. I will do the washing, tidy the house, write a blog and find absolutely anything else to do before I pack. Then I’ll set an alarm for some ridiculous hour on departure day and wonder why I’m tired.
This time it was 4 am, before whale watching. Jenkins helped get the swag out of the shed. On the drive, Kirra casually informed me that she hadn’t put her swag in the car. Then she tried to blame me and Jenkins, claiming I’d said Jenkins was going to pack it.
My response was basically, “No, no, no, no, no. That is not what happened.”
I was snippy about it and later apologised. Luckily the swag being left behind was not an actual issue.
Kirra slept in the back of the Land Cruiser. There’s a permanent bed in the canopy, set up for when Grundy and I went beach fishing and didn’t take the caravan. So she had the comfiest spot in the whole camp.
Me? I woke up with a sore back both mornings. And the mattress in my swag is quite thick. Just saying.
Here’s what I did pack: coffee, the Jetboil, bedding, and enough clothes for about ten versions of a three-day weekend.
Here’s what I didn’t: food, drinking water, cutlery, lights, snacks, or anything to cook on. Coffee and a Jetboil. No water. Sit with that for a second.
I had to buy cutlery because I cannot stand wooden or bamboo utensils in my mouth. Call me a princess if you like. The texture gives me the heebie-jeebies.
Grundy used to look after the outside gear and the practical setup. I organised food, bookings, permits and the things we needed inside. We were a good team. Yes. Food was my job. I’m aware.
It wasn’t that I’d never contributed to a camping trip. It was that half of our system was suddenly missing. Turns out a bit of my half went missing too.
I Needed to Learn
After whale watching, Tearri and Jenkins came to the caravan park to help us set up. Tearri asked if I wanted her to do the swag for me. I said no. I needed to learn.
So I put it up with Tearri’s guidance, and everyone there in case I got stuck. We put up the borrowed canopy together too. I’ve helped with camping gear before, but I’d never been the one responsible for getting my own sleeping space ready.
It turned out to be much less dramatic than the version I’d built up in my head. The swag? Fine. Everything else? Well.
The Grundy Family Rule
At least one thing has to go wrong. Let’s do the list.
No lights. Getting into a swag in the dark is a skill I did not know I needed.
No water.
No cutlery. Fixed. Metal, obviously.
Kirra’s swag. Left behind. Sorted, but still.
The pool. It was right there. Too cold to swim. Next.
Dinner. We skipped it. Both nights. Friday’s fish and chips after setting up camp had to count as lunch and dinner, and I was asleep by 8 pm anyway. And I had no snack food. Not a muesli bar. Not a packet of chips. Nothing. I went to bed hungry two nights in a row, in a swag, in the dark. And no comfortable chairs.
There was a SPAR Express straight across the road, so this wasn’t a survival situation. I just somehow went to bed hungry anyway.
This is where my brain went straight to a bean bag. I know. How the hell am I going to fit a bean bag into my camping gear? If that’s what you thought, me too. Me. Too.
Then I remembered the blow-up furniture I keep seeing on TikTok. That actually sounds fun. I’m not saying I’m going to be the woman at the caravan park with an inflatable lounge. I’m not saying I’m not.
So, did we meet the Grundy family rule?
Grundy, Baby. We overachieved.
And yet, nothing really went wrong. Nobody got hurt, nothing broke, and I slept in a swag I put up myself. I know that doesn’t sound like a gripping camping disaster. I was quite happy not to have one.
parkrun, the Markets and Percy
On Saturday I walked across the road for parkrun. I ran my quickest 5 km of the year. I was also dry retching at the finish, and it was still five minutes slower than a run I’d been thrilled with the year before.
My fitness has changed while life has been happening. I’m working on getting back into a routine. It’s a work in progress.
Afterwards, I rang Kirra, woke her up and asked her to meet me for breakfast at the Urangan markets. After skipping dinner the night before, I have never been so happy to see market food.
We ate, walked along the pier, and that’s where we met Percy.
Percy is a pelican. He’s a regular on the Urangan Pier and more than happy to take photos with visitors. He perched on the railing next to me like he’d been booked for the job. Then he walked beside me down the pier like my own personal pacer. Better form than me that morning, too. He didn’t dry retch once.
There was nothing grand about that morning. It was just really nice to have it together. Me, Kirra, and Percy.
I thought about Grundy throughout the weekend. I talk to him when I’m out walking or running, and seeing site 74 felt like a little nod from him.
Camping wasn’t hard because the swag was complicated. It was hard because he wasn’t there. When I did something I was proud of, he was the person I wanted to tell.
Next Time, Bring a Fork
Next time I need to bring water, food, snacks, cutlery, lights and a way to cook something. A packing list would be sensible. Whether I will actually use one before the morning we leave is another question.
I’m still working out what gear suits me now. Grundy collected enough camping equipment to outfit a small country, but having it all isn’t the same as knowing what I can set up, pack away and manage myself. I don’t need to buy an entirely new setup in a hurry. I can try things and find out.
Possibly inflatable things.
If you’re nervous about camping without the person who usually handles the setup, start close to home. A local caravan park worked for me. Help was nearby, home wasn’t far away, and Kirra came with me. I’m glad she did.
I’m not ready to camp completely alone yet.
This trip didn’t prove that I can do everything Grundy did. It showed me I can put up my own swag, forget the cutlery, go to bed hungry, have a good weekend with my daughter and try again.
Percy, I’ll be back. I’ll bring snacks.
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Have you had a first camping trip that didn't quite go to plan? Tell me in the comments.
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Chooky xx
Embracing the slow. Chasing the now.
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