A total fire ban was in place across the eastern part of Australia. There were fires burning near Adelaide in SA. There was smoke in the direction that we were travelling. What would today bring?
Up relatively early for breakfast and showers. Our problem with the shower is back as there was water noted on the floor just before we left. As there has been no rain, we assumed that the water has come up rather than down but the only thing that could contribute to this is the draining of the grey tank which was done today. We need to get this sorted out!.
We departed at 9.00am heading east for what actually turned out to be an exceptional boring drive. The Princes Highway follows the coast but surprisingly, there was no view of the Pacific Ocean between Lakes Entrance and our destination of Eden. There was a fair amount of traffic on the road including logging trucks. It was noted over the UHF radio comments being made by the truckies about the number of “f—ing” tourists on the road.
We passed a controlled burn-off that was probably the cause of all the smoke we had seen yesterday and during parts of the trip today. Considering a total fire ban was in place, one questions the rationale of the authorities in their action as this area had been subjected to high temperatures over the past week.
As a result of a motorist who was cruising just below the speed limit and slowing to about 80 kilometres per hour when descending long straight hills, we actually missed the signs indicating we had returned to NSW.
Eden is a pretty town on the ocean and has its roots tracing back to the whaling industry many many years ago. It is also famous for “Boystown”.
Our first task when arriving was to look for fuel with a variation of 5 cents per litre noted between the first 2 garages we passed (amounts to several dollars when purchasing 90 litres of diesel). In our endeavour to find another garage, we passed an RV repairer and decided to ask them about our shower problem.
After an inspection “underneath” and 2 hours of time, the source of the problem had been located and repaired. Unfortunately, as a result of the repair and the refilling of the fresh water tank, the sensor on the fresh tank actually “blew-out” of the side of the tank. “He” spent several hours attempting to affect temporary repairs but it appeared there is a problem with the water pump as there was no pressure. A trip needs to be made back to Newcastle sooner than later.
We met John and Linda, an English couple who arrived in Australia in mid February and are travelling in a motor-home before joining their daughter in the Hunter Valley shortly. We shared some muscles with them and ended up chatting until 10.00pm.
“He” had a late shower and we finally made it to bed by 11.15pm.