Staying Positive Out On The Tracks

Isn’t it funny how one camping trip can be completely different to the next. I mean, spending a few nights under the stars relaxing in the great outdoors is pretty darn hard to beat, right? But what happens when things don’t go to plan? Is it game over? Do you pack up and call it quits? Well, I bloody well hope not! I mean don’t get me wrong, I know first-hand how easy it is to chuck a tantrum when things don’t go as expected, but you know what? I reckon it all comes down to your frame of mind. Yep, it’s a glass half full vs glass half empty kind of deal if you ask me.

Put it this way, I’ve just spent the last few months planning and preparing to hit the road for a few months of off-road fun. It was all planned out; the first week would be spent exploring an old cattle station that I used to visit as a kid, but it’s been raining cats and dogs since the day we left and the roads are all closed. To top it off, we’re smack bang in the middle of a cold front (coldest it’s been for around 110 years at this time of the year they say).

Now I’m not going to lie; being cold, wet and stuck in a boring bloody caravan park for a few days had me a little stroppy for a while. Then I started to look at things a little differently. So, instead of sitting around winging and whining, I thought it’s about time I made the most of my little predicament.

What did I get up too? Well, I made friends with the local miniature horse called Mia, and got a little creative with the camp food menu; nacho corn chips with BBQ sauce, black olives and melted cheese is a real winner by the way!

Then there was the sneaky little pub I found right on the banks of the Bogan River, and the home-made raft I helped a few local kids get back into shape. When you think about it, the most incredible feats in history all come down to one thing – a can-do attitude. Yep, amazing adventurers like Burke and Wills, Charles Sturt, Matthew Flinders all had that never-say-die approach to life. Heck, even the Leyland Brothers had it!