I have always stated that Australia is the safest place in the world to
bush camp and I have done so for 40 years. Recent events however have clouded that view and I am thinking that I may need some sort of defence mechanism apart from the dog. Three incidents in three weeks on our recent trip through Victoria has made me feel vulnerable. Maybe its because I am older and not so fit as I used to be.
Incident 1: We made an
overnight camp at Lake Lachelles(very dry) at
Hopetoun. Boiled the billy and had something to eat over a small
camp fire. Across the 'lake' a party was in progress with lots of doof doof music. This didn't bother us. After dark a car drove by and shone its lights on our
camp deliberately. Didn't take much notice. As we were in transit Judith and the dog sleep ijn the car and I sleep in the trailer. Was sound asleep just after midnight when the dog went off its brain. Voices close by the
camp, lots of foul language, male and female voices, but they decided to beat the retreat and left again. Decided to pack up and go an look for another place to
camp.
Incident 2:(Part of a letter to Parks Victoria) We were camped at Waanyarra
Recreation Reserve(Waanyarra Picnic Grounds) Dunolly District on Thursday 30th October 2008. There were 13 camps there, all amateur prospectors, doing metal detecting in the area and
camping, there on an individual basis.
At around 9am in the morning a car drove into the
Picnic Area, very slowly, and parked facing us, whilst we were cooking breakfast over a
camp fire. The driver did not get out of the car. I then noticed the driver handling what looked to me like a rifle with a telescope attached.
Members of our small group became alarmed. I was not sure what to do but walked over to the car and asked the driver, a male person most likely in his late 60's or early 70's, what he intended doing with the rifle in an area where there were people walking through the forest with metal detectors.
The person became quite aggressive and stated that the Waanyarra Forest was a designated area where shooting was permitted and that he was going to test out his new rifle and that he had a permit from Parks Victoria in
Maryborough which stated that he could do just that. I pointed out that there must be some mistake as it would be a very foolish thing to give permission for, especially in a forest area, which is known to accommodated persons pursuing gold detecting activities. He agreed that it was stupid but declared that it was his right to do so. He also stated that on a previous occasion other campers had complained to the Tarnagulla Police but that the Police had sided with him and not them. He also stated he found people camped in the the forests when out fox-hunting at night. He was of the opinion that it would be 'too bad' if a stray or ricocheted bullet would hit a person walking in the forest.
At this point in time a retired Policeman in our group took over the conversation and in a short while persuaded the shooter to go and sight his rifle in another area away from people.
Incident 3: On the way home on Monday night we made for Murrabit close to the
Murray River and found a lovely
campsite at a
bridge crossing just north from there. At 1.10am a car, running with a hole in the muffler and being hard to start, shone its lights on us. Then took off again and then stopped about 30 metres away. Two blokes, so drunk that they were unable to stand up most of the time, staggered around trying to put a tent up. The language was uninviting. Fearing that they might turn their attention to us, despite the dog barking quite loudly at this point, I quietly packed the gear away in the trailer and we drove off to find a better place to continue our rest. The blokes shouted at us as we drove past them.
Out in the remote parts of this country I have never met with odd happenings such as these and maybe we will need to concentrate our
camping in those areas instead of near the more densely populated areas.
Cheers