Day 1
Best laid plans are there to be broken, our 9.00am departure was actually about 9.45am after refuelling the motorhome at Drummoyne. We paid $1.72 per litre which turned out to be a good buy and the cheapest we passed during the day. One good thing about the late departure was that we did miss the peak hour. We also believed that the teachers’ strike may have impacted as well.
For the first time our departure from home was tearless as we left our family behind.
The trip to Tamworth was uneventful with fuel consumption being a surprisingly low 12.65 litres per 100 kilometers. Our average on long trips is in the high 13’s to date.
We were surprised to experience some very light rain during the trip but to our surprise, the overcast sky disappeared as we crossed the Liverpool Ranges.
It never ceases to amaze the scars that are being left on the landscape from the coal mining in the Hunter Valley. Progress leaves us with masses of waste from the coal burning giant power stations plus plumes of steam being shot into the sky. Surely this country must consider another form of energy.
We refuelled at Tamworth at $1.76 per litre before arriving at the Paradise Tourist Park (Big 4) for the overnight stay. This park rates high in our experience to date and the amenities are very good and the staff helpful and friendly.
We decided to eat out and had an excellent meal from a chinese restaurant located about 100 metres from the caravan park. We also met another couple in a Jayco motorhome. They are on a two year trip around Australia just going where they feel like. Both are recently retired and are enjoying their new found freedom.
Without too much fuss, we managed to set up the satellite dish and watched TV until 9.30pm.
We had a couple of minor issues today. The Ipod is dead, hopefully it can be revived from the application of a battery recharge but without a mains adaptor, we will slowly have to revive it with power from the USB port on the computer. “He” happened to pack “his” Ipod so all is not lost. And there is a rattle, coming from the casing around the speaker on the driver’s side. We will find out tomorrow if some hasty repair work has been successful.
10.20pm now, time to post this to our website and time to hit the sack. Gunnedah for lunch tomorrow then on to Moree. It should be a good night tonight as it is relatively cold.