Friday marked the start of the Easter weekend, and the road south was alive with movement — long streams of cars towing caravans, roof racks stacked high with tents and gear, everyone chasing their own escape. Just west of Newcastle we found a free campsite tucked deep in the State Forest, quiet and sheltered beneath tall trees.
It would have been perfect, but the weather broke. Rain settled in for the evening and stayed with us through the night, drumming on the tent and soaking the ground until everything felt damp around the edges. The wet brought out a few unwelcome visitors too — leeches inching their way up our legs while eating dinner, slow and determined. Not exactly the peaceful night we’d hoped for, but part of the adventure all the same.
