Today we were heading into Victoria and to Beechworth, where we were to meet some friends who reside in Melbourne. We met L & T in South Australia during our first trip to the centre and we had kept in touch and met several times since.
Our intention today was to have a quick look around Albury before the short trip to Beechworth. Our plans were destroyed when after starting Blue Snoopy our rear looking camera commenced to do strange things. Initially we thought that it may correct itself but that was not to be, so we left the Hume Freeway and headed into Wodonga to find a safe place to stop and make calls.
We called our son in Sydney and asked him to “Google” for a motor home or caravan repairer. Much to his (and our) surprise, the fourth hit for “motor home” and “Wodonga” was our web site. He did however locate several possibilities and we found ourselves heading back to Albury to Strathfield Car Radios where we would seek assistance from a specialist. With the aid of our GPS, we arrive at the door of Strathfield Car Radios only to find the business had either closed or relocated. Several more telephone calls later we were heading back to Wodonga to a caravan repairer.
The proprietor of Albury Wodonga Caravan Repairs through the aid of a ladder had a look at the rear facing camera and we were able to be relatively sure that the problem related to either the wiring or the internal screen. A call was made to Sydney RV Centre to endeavour to determine where the front connections were located but they were unable to help as the location was dependent on the installer.
We opened the rear curtains to assist visibility and left Wodonga and headed towards Beechworth. We did have some rear visibility and decided that our overall safety would not be compromised but it became apparent very quickly that the rear camera was more than useful. Fortunately the reversing camera was still working. We have a frenzel lens that can be attached to the rear window to aid visibility but unfortunately this was sitting at home in a box that was considered surplus to our needs for this trip. We will fit the lens upon returning to Sydney.
We arrived at the caravan park at Beechworth a few minutes before our friends and we were both provided with relatively large camping sites with heaps of shade. The shade did cause some problems with parking Blue Snoopy as we were very conscious of fowling any of the items on the roof in the low branches. Whilst waiting for lunch and deciding what would happen in the afternoon, “He” pulled off a large portion of the front dash but was unable to locate the connection where the rear cameras and the viewer are connected to power. Next hope was that someone at the Winnebago Christmas Party would have Iveco knowledge and be able to assist.
Shortly after lunch we headed into Beechworth courtesy of transport provided by our friends.
Beechworth is an historic town with ties well back into the 1800’s and associations with gold mining and the infamous Kelly gang and Ned Kelly. It was at the local courthouse that Ned Kelly was remanded for trial to the Victorian Supreme Court where he was ultimately sentenced to hang. The local courthouse still exists together with several other important buildings that have all been the subject of restoration. We visited the courthouse where one’s imagination ran wild when visualizing Ned Kelly standing before a magistrate and jury knowing very well that he was hung and become and Australian icon. (By chance whilst we were visiting this area it was announced in the media that all the Kelly gang armour would be returned to Beechworth next August where it would be exhibited. It was also announced that a skull that was believed to be Ned Kelly has been surrendered for DNA testing).
We also took refreshments in the famous Beechworth Bakery before booking for an evening meal at one of the local hotels.
During our walk through Beechworth we observed another Winnebago heading towards the caravan park. The Winnebago did look familiar and we renewed acquaintances with the occupants when we returned to the caravan park. They were camped on the adjacent site and were also heading to Nagambie.
We returned to the caravan park for happy hour before returning back to Beechworth for our evening meal. “He” experienced the delights from the local brewer in the form of a pint with the evening meal. Our venue for the evening meal was well chosen as we all enjoyed our meals.
After returning to the caravan park, we shared a nice port with our friends, looked at some photographs on the computer before heading off for what was to be a comfortable night.