Arrived at Gemtree caravan grounds about lunch time then the boys spent the afternoon looking around, climbing trees and playing cricket while I made a choccy cake. Once it got close to dark we lit a fire and warmed our bones for a chilly night ahead. The next morning we woke at sunrise (shock horror!) to be up and ready to collect our fossicking gear for the day ahead. We went on a tag-along tour with a group of others out to a nearby garnet field to fossick for garnets. After a quick lesson from the guide from the Gemtree park we (well, the boys) got stuck into it; digging and shovelling, sifting and washing, Then picking through the rocks for the garnets. I was HR, Site and Catering manager! After a good few hours of dusty and dirty work we almost filled the tin we were given! The boys had a ball! We took our gems back to the park and had them appraised. We had 33 stones of varying size that could be cut and made into jewellery, which was a good haul! That evening we went over to the main area for a camp oven roast dinner. It was a beautiful evening, sitting by fires and heaters chatting with other campers, then we had the most delicious camp oven roast dinner ever! They fed 40 people last night which was no mean feat but then it was probably nothing compared to when they host a ball and feed 300!! After tea, the host, Kate, spoke about her family history, how they came to the area in the twenties, then showed a movie from the 60's which was basically an ad/fundraiser made by the parish that were planning to build the first boarding school in Alice Springs. It was significant because the main character of the movie was 8 yr old Charlie, the hosts uncle, and the first student to be enrolled in the school. It was a fascinating and amazing family history.