This was just a prelude to Steph’s
first night camping in the open in the
Australian bush.
“Small noises can become very
amplified in a tent on your own and
Australia has many nocturnal crea-
tures. In my wisdom, I had also set
up on a bed of dry leaves. This would
give me extra comfort. Unfortunate-
ly, it also made anything that moved
VERY audible.”
“Within half an hour of lights out
I could hear shuffling right outside. I
reminded myself that it was probably
a tiny thing that just sounded big,” ex-
plained Steph.
“I tried to ignore it,” she went on.
“It continued and got closer. I
banged on the side of the tent to try
and scare it away thinking it could
be a mouse or similar. Nothing! A
few seconds later the side of my tent
TRAVERSE 36