New Comers Campout Report for
Smiths Mill, Grampians

Fri 14th Nov 2003

A beautiful morning greets me. You can tell it is going to be one of the warmest days we have had for a while. Will turns up at my place to save time and before too long Chris and Brett arrive and we are off. We catch up with Matt and Dave, pickup the trailer, fill the gas bottles and continue on our way. A nice easy drive, a couple of short stops and plenty of laughs later we are at Halls Gap. Wonderful stuff. A cosy, green valley surrounded by ancient, weathered, craggy rock. With the camping fees paid we drive up into the Grampians proper, past an expanse of rock called Elephant Hide and are shortly at Smith Mill campground. We have our pick of the area and get a great spot well shaded by a scattering of proud, lofty pines. The team worked well to have the camp set up in what was deemed to be record time.

Some of us go to MacKenzie Falls by ute and walk down to the base. The walk is only 600m but 500m of that is straight down (a bit like my drinking!) I am mindful as I descend that I have to come back up (not like my drinking!) The area at the base is pure magic at this time of the afternoon. The water cascades down with a meditative rumble. The cool moisture laden air refreshes the skin and lungs as the light enchants the eye as only the pure intense colour of a rainbow can. Man this is good. It’s been so long since I’ve done something like this. Its like coming home. The light mood of the group becomes lighter still and we take time to experience the water, soak up the atmosphere and just calmly be for a while. Climbing back out is not easy but it feels good. Its a quick reminder of were I am physically at the moment which is worlds away from where I was about five months ago.

We get back to the camp where a few more of the gang has arrived. While some setup the volleyball court and give it a trial run a few rummage up some firewood. While everyone has a bit of a rest master chef Chris cooks up some snags and we have a feed.

It’s getting a bit late so we kick off our first meeting as it starts getting dark. The rest of the crew roll up mid-meeting and join in. After the meeting, a card game sparks up, some sit around the fire telling jokes so lame the late JC couldn’t have helped them while others setup their swags. Slowly and bit by bit everyone drifts off to their tent for the long blink.

Sat 15th Nov

A soft glowing morning seeps through my tent as I hear chatter, laughter and the rustle of cereal boxes. I join the crew and throw down some special K as a second breakfast of bacon, eggs, snags, baked beans and bread gets underway. A big breakfast, just the way I like it. I learn over breakfast of my unconscious survival skills and of my sponsors great self control as he tells me how when snoring during the night he was about to club me with a shoe when I promptly stopped.

After a cleanup we have a morning meeting. As is shared in the meeting I am conscious of how not too long ago the thought of sitting around sober with a bunch of blokes talking about how we feel and about our pasts and feeling comfortable with myself would have been ridiculous.

Teams previously drawn for the great volleyball play offs take their positions and the battle begins. After meetings, driving and setting up, it’s great to see people interacting in this way. Lots of laughs and many appeals to the ref later the team of Matt, Chris, Peter & Tony come out victorious. A great time is had by all. The play of the day was a spectacular double rebound off two separate trees which returned a wayward ball back into play and was successfully returned by the defending team.

I finally remember I had agreed to be scribe this weekend and begin to write this brief account as the group sit around the central fire pit and throw a few more jokes around.

We finally stir into motion again and head to the falls for lunch. On foot all the way this time we wander off in the glorious heat of the day. The falls are a popular spot today and I’m sure more than one tourist thought we must have been a football team. Down at the base it’s nice and cool again and we hook into some fab prepacked ham rolls. It was our intention to have a meeting but it’s too noisy and crowded with other people. We head back instead and have free time for the afternoon. Four of us go into Halls Gap briefly for a drive and then go back up near the camp to Wartook Lake and find a spot for a quick swim. Only two of us go in and not for very long as despite the heat of the day the water is still pretty bracing. We spend most of the time talking about where we are at and where we have been and I get the feeling that though we are not sure where we are heading we know that this fellowship is our map and compass. We head back to the camp and everyone mills about.

We have a feed, clean up and settle into another meeting around the fire. As it gets dark the cards come out again and people just talk around the fire. Most people head off to sleep fairly early but I sit up and talk with Chris till around twelve to make sure I sleep solidly.

Sun 16th Nov

In the morning everyone is up pretty early and gets breakfast down so they can start to break camp. The day is a stark contrast to the last couple and is quite a bit cooler and overcast. We have our last meeting and finish packing up. While the last few things are tucked away into the trailer the football is kicked around and before long we’re all back in the cars and on our way home. We have a few laughs, talk about the weekend and listen to an AA tape. Time slips by quickly and we are back in Melbourne.

Chris drops me home and I dive into the shower. I didn’t realise how much the smoke had gotten into my clothes and hair. It’s good to have a hot shower after just having a quick wash in a basin for the last couple of days. Later on I’m off again for our normal Sunday night meeting and it’s good to see the guys who couldn’t make it to the camp. Everyone who went seems pretty jovial and content and a few people mention how settled their heads feel. I felt a bit fuzzy as I was tired and sore but it was a good sort of tired where I knew a good night sleep at home would see me more than ready for the new week ahead. It is also mentioned what a miracle it is that a bunch of blokes (a bunch of alcoholics at that) from diverse and convergent backgrounds could survive a weekend without any agro.

To some this may not seem a big thing and my description of the weekend not a big deal but knowing where we have come from, a simple trip away like this has been quite a step for some of us. My descriptive talents are poor but I hope if you are interested enough to be reading this you will see it’s a pretty basic weekend about getting your head straight with a bit of support and fresh air. No mystic chanting, no initiation ceremonies, no sermons from the mount but there is a bit of magic which is only experienced by suspending your disbelief and getting involved.

John K.