We set the alarm for 7:00am and struggled from bed at 7:15am. The temperature was around the 12 degree mark which was surprising as we are in winter.
We departed just before 9:00am for our short 180 kilometer leg to Hay. The GPS told us the arrival time would be around 11:00am and “He” started to question to wisdom of staying in a small NSW town with little to look at (other than the Shearers Hall of Fame – $20 admission) and we soon made the decision to drive through to Mildura which would actually give us a full day in that town. The drive would also be close to the longest drive we expect to undertake during this trip and would be a good experience to further understand the art of caravan towing.
We actually stopped in Hay for a comfort stop and then headed back on the Sturt Highway about 30 minutes later. A quick check at the visitors centre confirmed our thoughts on what there was to see.
The drive across the Hay Plains was boring and the only highlight, if you can call it that, was the highest amount of fuel consumption we have experienced since owning the caravan. The terrain was flat, we maintained a constant speed of around 85kph but we did have a head wind coming in from the south west. Our consumption did reduce slightly later in the day when we slightly changed the direction of our travel.
We made Mildura just after 3:30pm.
Being lazy, we had a wonderful pizza (chicken & cranberry) from Dominos and then took the opportunity to do some washing before heading to bed.