Brass Monkeys Camping @ Lake Lyell
19 - 21 July 2024
Photos by Alistair Palmer, Steve Morley and Phil Guilfoyle
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The third VSCCA Brass Monkeys Camping Weekend at Lake Lyell (Lithgow) lived up to its name again. It was freezing cold, wet and blowing a gale.
We had Peter Weir (Vauxhall 30/98), Alistair Palmer & Lex (Lancia Lambda), Todd Barker (MG-SA), Graeme Louk (MG-A), Brian Wilson & Josh (BMW 125), Steve Morley & Sam (Jeep & Highway Hilton), Phil Guilfoyle (Mazda MX-5).
First mistake - I booked sites on the bluff above the lake. Second mistake – I chose the coldest and windiest weekend of the year. Third mistake – I forgot my ski clothes.
Fortunately, Peter Weir, Steve Morley and Todd Barker brought a huge amount of firewood, which was a life saver – as were a few single malt whiskeys. Steve brought his amazing glamping trailer which served as camp kitchen. Alistair and Todd cooked curry dinners and Steve cooked bacon and egg breakfasts. Warwick Gordon-Smith, being a local and no fool, politely declined my invitation to join us for dinner in the freezing rain.
The roads around the lake are much better than previous years. Some tarred roads are under repair and currently perfectly graded dirt - superb driving if you don’t mind a bit of mud on the underside.
We drive to the conditions so, on the Saturday morning we headed out towards Brewongle, Limekilns and lunched at Sofala. We encountered sleet and slush north of Lake Lyell but it cleared. We returned to camp via that fantastic run along Sodwalls and the railway viaducts to a warm gluhwein and log fire at the Tarana Pub.
After a howling wind all night, Sunday dawned still and cold. We had an “everything must go” breakfast, packed up wet tents and had a very enjoyable drive home.
I’ve made it sound more of an ordeal than it was, and everyone enjoyed it for the excellent driving and the good company. What is it that mountaineers say? “An adventure is a hell you survived.”
All up, the event was just over 500kms (measured from Sydney). The eligible cars all ran like clockwork, with the only failure to proceed being the 1998 MX-5. This was eventually fixed with a little persuasion from Alistair and a 12oz hammer (an essential tool generally carried by those with SU fuel pumps).
Lake Lyell is a great location for camping and the perfect hub to access many excellent roads and villages in the district. We are now proven to be slow learners and plan to do it again next year. It was great fun, with the communal dinners and breakfasts being a worthwhile improvement.
Phil Guilfoyle