Camping at South Cape Bay
You either have to want to do it or you are so used to this kind of camping it’s not an effort. My partner is a surfer, and, for several reasons that don’t interest non-surfers, was strongly motivated from the beginning to camp here.
I am not a surfer. More, I’m the kind of ‘bush walker’ who is happiest carrying only a liter of water, snack bars and a sandwich. As such, it took several visits to South Cape Bay before I could be talked in to even trying a night of camping here.
He made it very easy for me too by carrying the tent and ‘dinner’ but even so, this is what I found out:
- One liter of water isn't enough for an overnight stay.
- Even a light sleeping bag becomes heavy after a few kilometers
- A walk that took me an hour and a half at the time suddenly turned into over two hours.
- The walk out the next day was torture.
Things to Take:
- A flashlight.
- Some kind of earth mat.
- Toilet paper is good.
- Consider taking bug repellent.
- In winter, a warm sleeping bag.
- Enough food and water.
You’ll need a flashlight. This place gets so dark sometimes you can’t see the person next to you. In summer the ground is cold. In autumn and winter if you don’t take some kind of earth mat you will be very sorry.
There is a public drop type toilet at South Cape Bay but I’ve never seen it with any toilet paper.
There are March Flies. I have gotten away with a long sleeved white shirt but it depends on the year. The warmer it is the more bugs out that bite.
When we stay for more than a night we leave a lot of water in the car. Easier to go back and get some than carry it all in at once. In fact we always keep a lot of water in the car, even on a day trip.
So why does someone who is happiest walking in with not very much do this more than once? Maybe it is the Southern Ocean itself. That voice whose song is not beautiful but compelling instead.
I am not sure. Inside the deepest black of night though, with each seperate star so unfathomably far way, I understood it was the closest I’d probably ever come to knowing what it’s like to be in space.
