Quiet water lapping the shore, the soft chatter of the children playing at the waters edge, the sharp calls of rich birdlife occasionally piercing the stillness, a soft breeze ruffling the pages in my book as I sit soaking up the warm midday sun… this is a delightful spot. We literally came here for three days to rest and recuperate from a bout of the flu, but it was such a lovely place that we ended up staying three weeks.
Theresa Creek Dam is south west of Clermont. A friend recommended we check it out and I’m so glad she did. We managed to get a fabulous camping spot right up from the boat ramp and close to the playground. We had lovely views, great neighbors and the children could come and go from the playground with safety and ease throughout the day.
They also enjoyed casting a fishing line into the dam (not that we caught anything), climbing trees, waking early every morning to light a fire, and going for walks to gather firewood where we would often spot some shy rock wallabies.
At night the green lawn around the playground would attract pademelons – cute little marsupials that would eat the grass and dig in the ground for food… I presume insects or grubs. Every morning when we woke up there were fresh scratchings where they had been the night before. We had a couple of rainy days and one very windy day but other than that the weather was perfect.
It was a busy spot too. Dozens of caravaners from all over Australia (mainly from the southern states, trying to escape both Covid and the cold) were camped around the dam. A little kiosk stayed pretty busy most days and they had good clean toilets and showers. They were all unpowered sites but we had plenty of sun to power our solar panels.
The other great attraction here was the thriving, friendly community we discovered in Clermont. Through visiting one of the local churches we met some beautiful people and our children were invited to attend a local holiday camp they were hosting. It was a fabulous opportunity for five of our kids who were old enough to go.
They had horse riding, fort building, sock wrestling, team building exercises, and all kinds of other fun activities, while learning more about God and his Word. We found the people friendly, vibrant and very hospitable. This and the quiet peace of Theresa Creek Dam have made this a very memorable part of our travels.
First posted July 13, 2021
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