Party: Chee, Dave, Tom, Mitch, Chantal, Helen, Grant, Monica, Ulla, Lillian, Peggy, Albert
Leader: Chee
Location: Point Cameron, Gardens of Stone
Date: 29-30/6/2013
There may have been a deluge in Sydney that weekend, but further out it was only the occasional drizzle and haze, which made for some lovely, atmospheric walking.
The party was coming to the campsite in three groups to suit everyone’s schedules- Dave, Tom, Albert, Peggy and myself met mid morning and took the usual path up the Blue Rocks. The fog had cleared by lunch time, and from the exploded pagoda we could take in the spectacular views of the lost city (a maze of rock pagodas), the Capertee valley and Pantoney’s Crown.
A short time later we found the campsite on Point Cameron – a camp cave at the start of a short canyon section. Helen, Grant, Mitch and Chantal were already there (they had decided to come earlier to do some exploring). We were now just waiting for Mon, Ulla and Lillian who turned up an hour later.
Once everyone settled in, the cooking could begin. The goal was to cook up the tastiest and most inventive dish over the campfire, and boy did we have some great dishes. The fire was lit and all manner of food stuffs were unpacked. The wet weather also provided us with a steady stream flowing water a few steps from the fire. Perfect!
Entrees first up and Dave started us with blue cheese and pear puff pastry jaffles, as Mitch pulled out the kitchen from his pack and proceeded to make sushi. Ulla also served up her home made garlic dip with bread.
Then came the mains of:
- Roast lamb and potatoes by Tom
- Drunken chicken with rice by myself
- Mexican surprise by Monica
- Kangaroo steaks by Helen
- Pasta with churizo by Grant
- Lentils with churizo by Lillian
Followed by:
- Dessert jaffles by Dave
- Dessert sushi by Mitch
- The ‘Monica’ cake by Helen and Monica
- Cinnamon/ vanilla scrolls by Albert and Peggy
- A South African breakfast and Chantal
But it didn’t stop there because after a good long sleep, breakfast included pancakes, more jaffles, and more cake!
Mid morning everyone split into small groups to explore the countryside and try and burn off some calories because lunch involved finishing off leftovers.
Truly a gluttonous weekend.
The top 5 cooks:
- Mitch and his sushi
- Dave and his wonderous jaffles
- Me
- Tom and his roast
- Albert and his cinnamon scrolls