Canberra Camp 2018

The weather that greeted us in the morning wasn’t much better than yesterday evening. We were fortunate enough to get to breakfast, pack up our dorms and load the bus in nothing worse than a light drizzle. Breakfast was continental style with bread, ready to be adorned with the camper’s choice of a variety of spreads. For those wanting something a little less doughy, cereals were on offer.

The first leg of today’s journey was again pretty quiet. Some students hadn’t really woken up fully yet and took the opportunity to nap a little longer once on the bus. Unfortunately, the blustery conditions - which had by now increased to heavy rain and lightning - meant that our planned stop at the "Dog on the Tuckerbox" had to be bypassed. With minimal shelter, it really wasn’t a realistic option. Hopefully we will get the opportunity to check out the monument on our return trip. Instead, a little further up the road we stopped at a quaint town, Jugiong, with more shelter, toilets and fortunately, a break in the weather. Our stop was cut slightly short with another downpour so it was back on the buses with the wheels bound for our next stop, Canberra.

Upon arrival into the capital, we decided to head straight to our accommodation. Not because we were tired and wanted a siesta, but because it was still raining and we needed somewhere to eat our lunch where we weren’t going to get sodden. And let’s be honest, no one enjoys a soggy roll, do they? Some picky customers targeted the ham and cheese rolls and there were quite a few meat – salad options remaining again.

Our first tourist destination was the Australian Institute of Sport. As our close acquaintance - the rain - persisted, we spent most of our time indoors. For some, this meant meeting and shooting hoops with some of the players from the Canberra Capitals (WNBL) basketball team. We also got to see the purpose built $17 million training pool, the AIS arena, which was to play host to a Queen tribute band, as well as the weights room, volleyball courts and gymnastics training facility. The facts and information that accompanied these sites were both surprising and impressive.

The inner athlete in all had the chance to be exposed as we participated in the sports experience program. This was where groups of students attempted sports such as futsal, European handball, hockey and basketball. It was a good way to expel some of the built up energy which had been stored in many over the previous day and half whilst travelling on the buses.

With AIS shop purchases in hand and the athletes financial futures secure for the next 12 months because of it, we headed back to the Lodge (Bush Capital Lodge, that is) to settle in, make beds again and hook into dinner. The bed making skills had not improved overnight and the bed fairy needed to assist with a tuck here and a fold there to make the sleeping platforms adequate.

Dinner saw chicken, with rice, peas and corn on offer as well. An interesting "gravy/jus" concoction ensured the majority of food groups were covered. As for dessert, unfortunately I cannot report on that as by the time I was able to head up for mine, the chefs had returned it to the fridge/freezer and this blog writer left the table slightly disappointed, however guilt free from not consuming the extra calories.

The leisure activity tonight was ‘Flip Out’. A trampoline and mini golf arena where all could bounce off their extra calories from dessert as well as any energy they had gained from the nutritious dinner. Hole in ones were celebrated loudly by some and the technique of some was creative to say the least... I’m not sure if we have any future professionals in the midst of the group but at least they gave it a good go. It was great to see that everyone made it through the evening unscathed.

Supper consisted of a warm Milo and was interestingly accompanied by a muesli bar. A bit of an unusual combination but it was food in the tummy before preparing for bed and turning lights out. It was a pretty late night and with another 6am wake up, there could be a few grumpy heads in the morning. (I’m not sure if that will be adults or kids).

The weather is looking good for a big day of walking and sight seeing. Fingers crossed the rain eases and we can enjoy some sun that eluded us all day today. Stay tuned for another update tomorrow.