Falling asleep listening to the pitter-patter of the rain falling on my little tent. That’s how I spent my first solo travel night! I couldn’t have asked for a better start.
I had spent Christmas & New Year’s exploring Kangaroo Island and Adelaide with a friend. We then parted ways in early January, her to her real job and me travelling along further North into South Australia. My first camp would be at the beautiful Clare Valley – a region known for its lovely wine. But, before that, I needed to make a quick pit stop at Bunnings. I needed to pick up a few camping essentials – like a camping stove and an extra storage box to organise my things. I roamed around lost for a while, noticing how effortlessly the droves of men navigated their natural environment. We are but simple creatures.
Once I got what I needed I made the drive to Clare Valley. It was sometime in the afternoon when I got there. The camp manager and her cute shepherd dog came to greet me and help me check in soon after. She was kind, thoughtful and reassuring – she knew it was my first time camping solo. Equipped with a map of the campsite, I drove on to do a lap of the property. I finally settled on a grass spot in front of a large tree where other campers were close by. Camping in secluded spots does have its allure. However, as a first-time solo camper, I felt safer around other people and everything turned out just fine.
I then proceeded to set up my tent – with the help of YouTube of course! I had bought a hiking tent that was pretty easy to set up. Although, I did lose a couple of flimsy pegs to blunt force hammer trauma. If you’re camping in South Australia, especially along the limestone land mass across the Nullabor region, I highly recommend getting some sturdy steel pegs. Which, is what I ended up doing in the end.
After a quick dinner of leftovers that I devoured in the camp kitchen, I showered and retired into my tent as the sun was setting. It had started to rain and the birds that used the nearby tree as shelter chirped loudly before finally settling in for the night. I unwound with a book and fell asleep both excited and a bit anxious about the journey ahead.