I noticed that there was free camping, clean toilets and a couple of nice flat grassy campsites with the best one [refered to by the ranger as the penthouse suite] being up close to the road at the end of the small camping area.
I was working at Toowoomba on friday so decided to camp at the dam after work and invited Jo and Ron along to share.
>The dam is only 14kms from Beaudesert and has excellent phone coverage.
Link to larger map:
http://www.seqwater.com.au/public/sites/default/files/userfiles/file/pdfs/WD_RecreationalFacilities__Trail_Network_Overview_110606.pdf
Straight after work i headed directly to the site and was lucky enough to grab the Penthouse suite...
Jo and Ron arrived soon after and we set up our swags on the short green grass.
My swag was a brand new one so it was to be its maiden voyage [I had lost my custom Red one on 30-12-11 up in the Victorian High Country]
The Darche AWOL has a full length cover and mesh so it can be opened right up.
After setting up Ron and I walked down a bit closer to the wall for a look.
Looking back over the camping area was not a very welcome sight ...
We headed back to batten down the hatches as the first of the very large drops started to hit ... then it bucketed down ...
The swags were drenched in seconds ... for mine it was getting a good seasoning as it had not been wetted down as yet...
The sun was soon out again and the swags were dry a short time later...
It wasn't looking good for sunset shots as the the next lot of showers headed our way
We had a couple of instances of colour as the sun went down but mainly it was just grey.
We spent most of the evening in the shelter of the BBQ shed with our cheese, meats and biccies just chatting before retiring to the swags ...
I was pretty happy that mine seemed nice and dry inside.
After testing it out overnight i found it very comfortable and easy to use.
I came from a Custom Built Swag so this swag has a lot to live up to.
Being extremely picky i found a few niggling things that are not really a problem but more a product of the design and are more a compromise that a problem.
.The mesh is very tightly woven and restricts air flow. keeps everything out though.
.The cover and mesh will touch your shoulder if you lay on your side, mossies might bite through it.
The head piece is hard to velcro shut to the top cover unless the mesh is zipped shut and the rope is loosened up ... may not be a problem from the inside though but i didn't test it from that side.
All in all it seems like a great swag that doesn't pool even with the huge downpour we had.
Price was excellent at $239:00 including High Density mattress and a free swag bag.
Next Morning Ron found a Green Tree Frog when he opened up the back door of the Prado ...
After brekkie we wander down to the base of the dam and noticed hundreds of birds lining the wall ...
I moved in for a closer view ...
As we headed back to the cars all the birds took off at one creating a unique spectacle...
Then it was time to head for home.
Even with the rain it was a great night away from the hustle and bustle :)
