If you imagine life on a spectrum with lockdown at one end, a camping trip to Alia’s bush property in Colac is as far on the opposite end as you can get without your feet leaving the ground.
From Thursday to Sunday 15 students and 4 staff packed two minibuses to the brim and made the 3 hour drive out to the Stony Rises, an area of rocky hills and marshland 15 minutes past the town of Colac.
On the property, you’ll find nothing but bush and a tank full of scummy water we erected a few years ago. We carried everything in and carried everything out.
Mostly, we sit around and burn things on the fire, or take an axe to a fallen tree, or go looking for frogs, or get lost in the bush, or stargaze. The act of camping throws up problems and we solve them — How do we overcome hunger when the food hasn’t been laid out on the table yet, let alone cooked? (Do it yourself). How do we set up our tent when an hour has passed and it’s still not up? (Ask for help). What do we do when there’s nothing to do? (Whatever you want).
Then, when we hadn’t done much but we were all somehow dirty and tired and relaxed, we came home.