Updated:

6 AM and it’s hot already. Night photo taken from inside the van at the truckstop section of Waldrens rest area. Broken sleep.

5 PM

Strange day. Heat came very early, very troubling. Had breakfast down by the river at the quarry. From there to Sth Head for a swim in open surf – but in extreme heatwave air tbe water was icy. I could only bend over and dip my head in. Others also found it too cold.

Filled up with water, back for groceries and chasing shade. Showered later by attaching my hose and showerhead to a tap I discovered, near to my original destination of the Riverside fish cleaning taps. Cold water perfect. Very quiet around town then as the heat and wild very strong NW hot winds had done everyone in.

Now at Riverside Park having cooked dinner and read a big chunk of C’s book. Enjoying the cooler winds coming roughly from the south as expected.

Not sure where to eat dinner. The pest will be at Waldrens and the truckstop bitumen in full afternoon sun is always too hot and unpleasant.

So might eat here, and go there later.

Comfortable weather currently. Only issue is the pest, but I’m ignoring him and won’t confront him about disturbing me.

6.55 PM

Set up at the truckstop section of Waldrens. Flyzcreen up.

Only three concerns are louts using it for burnouts and hitting or harassing me, arseholes parking close, and trucks sitting idling.

Haven’t checked to see if Pest is there but I know his habits. He is.

Anyway, this is it. No one else in the truckstop section, so enjoy it while it lasts, which probably won’t be long.

Still hotter than expected, probably in the tarmac.

Burnouts, but spread over the whole place:

7.55PM

Four, maybe five, cars pull up, two of which were the PESTS OF WALDRENS SWAMP.

If it’s too packed out some might come here. Looks like they’ve brought friends for a full blown Saturday night Social Club and the hell with everybody else.

A sickening sight watching them, like me me me me invaders.

Parasite party. Appalling.

It’s a bad one. About two hours around dawn, 4 to 6AM, are bearable.

Went to Batemans Bay and had a swim – first for the summer and since last summer. I keep forgetting that I can do it.

Saw this in the Bay:.

Swim was quick but good. Late shower at Riverside Park then straight here, arriving Waldrens again at 4.15PM.

6.35PM

A Pest Of Waldrens Swamp – Arrived

Instantly I whipped down the windscreen reflector and drove around to here, the truckstop section.

Repugnant disingenuous parasitic bastard. Full of bullshit.

Don’t want to even see the bastard. Nor his mouthy slippery brother. Who’s not here and may not come.

A curse on the place that Daniel found it. Pest.

7.15 PM

See how it works? If you’re quiet as a mouse and considerate of others, any others that are arseholes ruin your stay while you let them have a good time doing what they want. Because the place isn’t managed, the best way to stop being negatively impacted by the arseholes is to move away. You lose. You go to the second choice spot which could be significantly worse, and the arsehole who turned up later than you and ruined your stay gets to stay.

In today’s case I’m in the truck zone in fullblast sunshine on the bitumen and the arsehole has the shaded quieter grassed area all to himself.

It’s so wrong.

And that prick thinks he’s smart, says so!, doing what he does. Treats it as a free fun house to socialise loudly however he likes. Tough shit if you want to use the rest area.

And the arsehole will be there tomorrow.

The flyscreen and open door. This is what I hoped would attract the disturbing rat back outside.

I woke at about 1AM to the recognisable noise if the creature rummaging and rampaging inside. I couldn’t spot him with a torch to catch it, but caught a glimpse of it to confirm.  Either bushrat rident or marsupial.

In a heatwave, when nigjt sleep is critical- I get this fucking thing.

Just when I nearly had fallen asleep, hence not a threat, the bastard would run again ensuring I’d stay awake, and angry or anxious.

With the heat, and others restless in the area, I was awake until after 4AM then got the dreams of the demons from being so out of peace.

Anyway, I didn’t hear it in the morning nor have all day, so hopefully it bailec before dawn.

Twice, so that’s not good. It can’t become a habit or I’ll never be able to sleep here.

Now, does it come tonight? And do the Pests Of Waldrens Swamp also arrive?

Last pair of bastards I want to see.

The scene this minute. 5AM. After 11PM, when some idiot’s music stopped, I managed to get some sleep.

8 AM

Had a coffee and NYT comments (every morning) here, the secondary spot for showers. Campers in the other spot.

Been quite pleasant but posting now because the heat is beginning suddenly to hit.

11.35 AM

Vehicles gathering around the shade at Riverside Park, where I fluked a spot and likely will have someone muscle in on me. Radios and caravan TVs are the worry. Gets to my head even worse when heat affected.

Breeze now, so I can knock out an hour before the shade moves on, quite comfortably.

Fridge is cranking and failing and nowhere up to it.

Bad fire danger everywhere, extreme in Vic and SA. So ‘lucky’ here.

A vehicle in the shade under every tree.

4.30 PM

At Waldrens on my own. So far. Neither of the two noisy vehicles, so they might have moved on.

After weeks I finally got Bluetti straightened out and the package in the post. Even then they made another mistake – sending packaging instructions after I’d lodged it with Australia Post. The company is off the planet.

It’s a load off because now I’m free to leave. Doctors in Canberra next week and car mechanic here the week aftet, but no dealing or waiting re Bluetti nightmare customer disservice. Notorious I see.

Helps with the heatwave, too, because I’m not trapped. It’s a shocker. Nowhere to escape to but at least I could if there was.

8.50 PM

Two girls in a rooftop arrived, ate on the chairs at the table problematic with the pillock from before after parking a very thoughtful distance away and were beautifully behaved and didn’t disturb anyone else. (Two others also in a rooftop nearby, across the way.)

So heartening. I feel I couldn’t do enough for them.

Then a large campervan zoons in, fluffs the park next to the rooftop across – then lines up the distance between me and the girls and drives in.

A bloke is outside, calling distances.

“You’ve got to be joking,” I say. There’s no room for that huge thing and the three vehicles look cramped stupid, with all other spots vacant.

“Hay?” the guy pretends weakly. Next thing they roar off. They knew they’d fucked it up.

I’m pleased I got the girls sone space.

Anyway, so hot it’s dangerous. Had a bucket wash, which I left outside- the water was HOT!

Two more days apparently, getting worse on each. Nights hotter than summer daytime temps.

It’s a bad heatwave.