August 29, 2020 by Chai Vuriti

Camping in Ben Boyd National Park, Gone Wrong!

We reached the Saltwater Campground just before the sunset but by the time we set our camp, it’s already dark.

I realised why camping is a bad idea in August but I don’t care. There’s nothing much to do in the dark so we made a campfire and cooked dinner.

I woke up around 4 AM and realised I underestimated the NSW weather. There’s no signal to check the temperatures but I’m pretty sure it’s below 0 C. I didn’t get enough blankets and even though my sleeping bag rating is 0 to 15 C, it’s no good for this weather. I’m freezing to death in these chilling temperatures, so I tried to sleep again.

I woke up around 5:30 AM again and I couldn’t take it anymore. Our tents are all wet with the fog and we cannot stay inside the tent anymore. Nor could we stay outside. I grabbed my Parka jacket and went to the beach by our campground.

My struggle during the entire night vanished once I looked at the most beautiful sunrise ever. The sun is slowly rising above the ocean while the mist is floating around. I could feel the cold breeze, but also, I cannot feel my hands anymore. So I put back my snow gloves and couldn’t take many pictures but I still remember the beautiful scene.

My goal of reaching the bottom-most part of NSW is now complete but at what cost. After assessing our current situation, we made a little change to our plans. We cannot go for another night with these wet tents and other camping gear, so we booked a hotel in Jindabyne for our stay tonight.