Note
(injured)
All 48 controls for the relays at Rocky Paddock went out in fairly straightforward fashion (the last couple as a night stroll from the campground) accompanied by a regular "ow" and the occasional "f'n ow" from my knees but the setting up nearly struck a massive snag when I got there at 11am to find a 2-family group, with caravans, ensconced on "our" site!
It's unfortunate that campsites can't be booked up there, otherwise we would have done so - but I hadn't expected anyone to be there from the Friday night, and I didn't even realise that Forestry has designated a couple of extra campsites in the open space in front of the gate (I'd have thought you wouldn't be allowed to block the gate) which we of course needed for our assembly and changeover area. I explained as politely as possible that we could set up around them, but that there would be 120 people in the morning, and they said "the ranger didn't tell us any of this!" I'm sure that the weekend ranger wasn't the one who processed the permit, and even if he had been, probably wouldn't have realised that we wanted precisely that space.
By the time I came back from putting out half the controls they were mostly packed up and Phil Hazell, my controller, who had arrived to start checking, said they were heading for Kuitpo. I felt pretty bad though as they'd already paid for a second night's camping. But also relieved, because now we could set up a graveyard. When I came back from putting out the rest of the controls the guys had not only set up the graveyard, they had ring-fenced my tent with the leftover stakes!
Fern & Tyson, Phil & Anna and I camped overnight and once the mizzle cleared and the fog set in, it was quite pleasant around the campfire.