It always feels like the worst timing. Getting away right before Christmas makes hardly any sense. But then every time we do, somehow, it just works.
After a year that tested every limit and pushed us right to the edge, it was difficult to even think about planning a pre-Christmas getaway, but one night Dave tilted his screen towards me and asked, ‘What do you think?’
It was a quaint bungalow with plenty of character (which is my foremost characteristic of importance when choosing a place to stay!) so I shrugged and said, ‘Why not?’
It turns out that the end-of-year rush was even more hectic than we had anticipated, with Dave’s workload soaring to extreme levels in those last few weeks. He was spending every spare moment at his computer, squinting at the uncooperative timetable – dragging himself out of bed at dawn and working far into the night. Then there was the staff Christmas Party that we had agreed to host the day before we went away. It was a whirlwind of bon-bons, platters of food, teary hugs and cheery laughter – I couldn’t imagine a better way to end an emotional year.
The day of the trip, Dave was still deep into time allocations and class codes, while the rest of us haphazardly packed our things. The mound at the front door grew precariously and we studiously tried to eat our way through the perishable contents of the fridge so as not to have to waste ingredients while we were away.
Then we were off.
The trip was fairly smooth – despite the fact that we had forgotten to pack for easy access of snacks and couldn’t remember which bag the iPads were in, or that we had to pull over for Dave to check last minute timetable conversations and that I received some disappointing news out of the blue just as we were heading off, which sent me unpredictably into rivers of tears in the back seat.
Considering all that, the kids were amazing!
Before long, we had cruised into Camperdown, done a quick drive-by of the main street and then we found our bungalow. It wasn’t much to look at from the outside, although the enchanting English cottage garden at the front was humming with life. Then we stepped inside and it was as though a veil of calm had descended.
The place was cool and spacious, with decadent carpet and warm wood everywhere. The ceilings rose above us, with intricate patterns adorning them, a decorative anchor into the past where craftsmanship and artisans reigned. The kids raced to check the rooms and claim their beds, while I unpacked our things and threw together a cheese platter for us to enjoy. Dave was still in stress-mode, plonking himself on the dining room table and plunging back into the soul-sucking world of the timetable, while we joyously explored and marvelled at the space that was to be ours for the next week.
The first morning dawned bright and hot, and we decided to explore the town. After a quick trip to the bakery (to satisfy Eli’s obsession with pies), we celebrated being able to enter op shops again with a substantial haul, including the find of a Vera Wang dress in exactly my size!
Then panic hit. On our way to Port Campbell, we received news that Eli had been exposed to Covid on his last day of school that Monday and he would need to be tested. Mid-trip, we changed course to Warranambool, and navigated many complicated conversations and pleading sessions with a very unhappy 10 year old along the way. Thankfully, after several failed attempts at finding a testing station, we finally managed to get an appointment at a drive-thru clinic and the deed was done.
Meanwhile, Mum and Dad had arrived at the cottage in their van, and set themselves up in the backyard until we heard the news of the test results. It was a strange experience not being able to properly greet them and the waiting stretched into the afternoon and past dinnertime – every ping of the phone setting off another cascade of questions (‘is that it?’ ‘have the results come yet?’ ‘urgh, this is taking so long!’).
And then the moment came, along with a huge sigh of relief and wave of exhilaration. Mum and Dad could finally come inside and explore the cottage and we were so thankful that our holiday didn’t have to prematurely come to an end.
With that behind us, we set about navigating the coastline thoroughly – stopping at every lookout and checking out the local sights. We sampled the gourmet delights on the 12 Apostles Food Trail – cheese at the local dairy, ice-cream from Timboon, coffees from artisan shops and the sweetest strawberries plucked straight from the farm. We marvelled at the rugged cliffs, gaped at the sapphire hues of the water and hopped out at every playground we passed.
We had a close call when, during a sunset trip to Mt Leura, my Dad (the intrepid explorer) disappeared into the night with all the kids and told us to pick them up at the other carpark. Unfortunately, it turns out that there was no other carpark and Dave had to go and help them struggle back up the hill in the dark! We barely made it out of the place before the heavy blanket of night had fully descended (by that time it was past 9:30pm). The kids felt as if they had been on a real adventure.
Using Camperdown as our base, we explored the many little surrounding towns: Port Fairy, Port Campbell, Timboon. The kids threw themselves into the ocean at every chance, collecting shells and treasures along the way. We climbed trees, raced around the lake in some motorised boats, bounced on a wooden bridge, enjoyed a picnic in the Botanical Gardens, scooped up foam from the crater lakes, rescued a poor calf with its head stuck in a gate and met a fascinating man named Allan, who was touring the country in his Jesus van. Our nights were filled with movies (Oddball – with the Warrnambool connection, of course, and the quirky but funny film ‘The Mitchells vs. the Machines’) and boardgames (Uno, Monopoly Junior, Sequence and Azul).
Before long, the time had passed and we were already packing up to return home, although now the timetable was a distant memory and that bone-weary exhaustion had thankfully faded. We felt ready to tackle the merry chaos of Christmas and thoroughly rejuvenated for the new year.
We are so thankful for a wonderful God for sustaining us and looking after us during this crazy year, and for meeting our every need.
