Before bed, pouring over the touring maps seemed the ideal thing to do – just to put all that new found knowledge down on paper somehow, because there was sure to be more to add tomorrow – absolutely everyone is so enthused, whether it be local or visitor.

Saturday morning was time to go for a walk around the town. Sounds of ooohh – ahhh at many beautifully kept little houses and manicured gardens and lawns. There was a post office with a few basic supplies, including bread and milk, a hotel, which served meals, a few crafty type outlets, and quite a few B&B establishments. Of particular interest was the old cemetery, attached to St Mary’s Church, established 1839, next door to our camping spot. There was even one of a member of the first fleet, Elizabeth Flexmore. When you see the young ages at which some died, it re-enforces how fortunate we are to live in this generation.

The local school was putting on a BBQ fund raiser on Saturday night so that meant no discussion on what to have for tea – at $3.50 per head – it was an excellent cause and an easy way out, especially when one had forgotten to take the necessities out of the freezer.

We thoroughly enjoyed the burgers, sausages and salads. The ladies were even given daintily wrapped little cellophane bags containing half a dozen chocolates, as it was Valentine’s Day – how many of the husbands remembered??? – not many by the reaction when the girls gave us our little present. The extended daylight sort of throws us northerners – 6 pm and the sun is more like 3 pm or 4 pm at home. You can sit around outside till 8.30 or 9 pm when the sky finally darkens. It wasn’t too late a night because we had a big day coming up – the Kempton Festival.

Fortunately the few rain clouds the next morning soon blew away and we were blessed with cloudy but fine weather conditions for the big parade. We assembled at the local camping area. The Blue Gum Rovers always march under their chapter banner, so we boat people decided to do the same. So in the 15 minutes I had left between talking (how unusual) to some old mates from the Casino Rally and the departure of the march, I dragged out the sewing machine from its hatch, raided the fabrics which had been designated for another project and created a sailing boat of sorts, so that the boat people had a flag to walk behind too. I didn’t know there was a vinyl banner made by a couple of the Road Runners so we put the two together and about 80 boat people (with a couple of ring in’s from the island, who joined under the guise of being our interpreters) walked very eagerly, even if we were a bit of a rag-tag bunch.

Fortunately the pipe band was in front of the Blue Gum Rovers, so we had music to sort of stay in time and with Robyn Proctor leading with her Baton out front. Her antics caused enormous frivolity and I think we can safely say that Kempton won’t see another Festival March like this one – there were some very concerned faces. Who are these people? questioned their furrowed brows. We called out our explanations as we passed and they soon joined in the merriment of the occasion.

By late afternoon, the festivities were winding down. It was time to get on the road again – this time we had to go a huge distance – all of 300 metres up the road to the official free camping spot which the Council had prepared for the friendly motorhome invasion of boat people. They had also put in a beautiful dump point with easy access for even the largest vehicles.

The camping area is about 10 acres but that will be subject of another story elsewhere on the Website. Water and limited power are available and maximum stay is 48 hours – very generous and much appreciated.