Echuca to Coolamon

Day108 (Nov 1) Echuca Rotary Park to Green bank camping area Yarrawonga.

Went for a walk before breakfast to the nearest loo. We had the porta potti set up but we'd been trying to keep it for no.1s. My tummy is improved but still not 100%. Packed up and on the road by 11, after using the on-site dump point and filling the water tank. Did a bit of a loop up through Tocumwal, then back down to Cobram where we stopped to do some shopping. Stopped at Green bank camping area just before Yarrawonga, free camp right on the river that has toilets. Really nice spot amongst the red gums and we set up beside the river. 

Saw a sign later that said no camping within 20 mtrs of the river but it's obviously not enforced judging by the number of caravans set up right on the bank. If we'd known we would have set up further back but no one came to tell us to move. Checked the weather and it's not looking too good for tomorrow, with high winds and high temperatures expected. Spaghetti Bolognaise for dinner. 198.5km travelled.

Day109 (Nov 2) Green bank camping area Yarrawonga.

Spent the morning in the camper, reading and surfing the net. The supposedly bad weather didn't arrive apart from a couple of showers. Nice to have just a do nothing day though. A few more campers have come in and set up but not as many as I would have thought considering it is Melbourne Cup weekend with a public holiday on Tuesday. 

Leftover peanut chicken for dinner. 0Km travelled.

Day110 (Nov 3) Green bank camping area Yarrawonga to Corowa and return.

Had breakfast then went for a drive to charge up the freezer battery a bit. The short drives we have been doing lately plus the overcast weather mean its run flat. Crossed the Murray at Yarrawonga, then on to Corowa, and back across. When we got back to the main road there was a guy setting up cones and a sign, looking like he was blocking the road off but he let us through. A bit further on and we came across a police car blocking the road, so we had to turn around and find a detour. Looking on the internet, we think it was because of a fatal accident last night. It's nice country around here and looks to be quite productive. Back to camp about 2, set up the solar panels to charge everything up again. Even the camper batteries are down to 50% after having the computers plugged in all day yesterday. Steak and salad for dinner. 104Km travelled.

Day111 (Nov 4) Green bank camping area Yarrawonga.

Really nice day today, went for a walk into Yarrawonga along the river and through the caravan Park. It looks really full and lots of kids enjoying the water feature that they have. 

The town was very busy, lots of cafes and they all seemed to be doing a good trade. Had an ice cream, the blood orange gellato was delicious. Walked back to camp and had lunch. Carol started to feel a bit off colour and had a lie down. Not sure if she has got a bit of what I had, a bit worse if it is because she has vomited a couple of times. She didn't feel like any dinner so I cooked spaghetti on toast. 0Km travelled.

Day112 (Nov 5) Green bank camping area Yarrawonga to Lockhart Caravan Park.

It rained in the night, not too much but enough to wet everything. Carol is still not feeling to good, so we decided to pack up and head away from the Murray. We went through Wodonga and Albury, the last bit into Wodonga was on a free-way which we haven't been on for a while. Fuelled up in Wodonga, $1.479 which was 13 cents cheaper than everyone else seems to be. Drove through the town centre and it looks brand new. Over the bridge and into Albury NSW. Not an easy place to get through if you don't want to travel on the free way but we got there eventually. The countryside is very dry and badly needs some rain. Got to Lockhart about lunchtime and set up on a powered site, the battery for the freezer needs a good charge up. Small caravan park but nice facilities that were rebuilt a few years ago after a big flood. 

Did a big load of washing, the weather looks a bit iffy and even though there was a strong wind that would have dried it quite quickly we rigged up some lines n the camper and hung it up in there.

Sausages cooked on the camp BBQ and salad for dinner. 247.9km travelled.

Day113 (Nov 6) Lockhart Caravan Park.

Raining quite heavily his morning. Had a bit of a leak through the skylight again. Stayed in bed reading for a while, it's that sort of a day, then walked into town between showers and had a late breakfast at the cafe. Still raining off and on but it stopped just before lunch so we stripped the bed and washed the sheets. Leftover butter chicken for dinner. 0Km travelled.

Day114 (Nov 7) Lockhart Caravan Park to Coolamon Caravan Park.

Raining again when we woke up. Stopped enough for us to have a shake for breakfast and to pack up. We planned to stay in Wagga Wagga but decided to stay somewhere close and do a day trip into the city. We decided to go to Coolamon, a small town which is about 30km from Dubbo. We drove via The Rock, a local climbing place and also the town of the same name, which looks very nice. Got to Coolamon and set up on a powered site again. Nice park, it's been redone and the amenities are almost new and the sites are lovely grass and only $20/night for a powered site.

Had lunch of toasties and coffee, it's cold! The rain returned and after it stopped we went for a walk through town. Nice cheese factory, we wanted to do a tour but they weren't doing them today unfortunately. 

Tasted some cheeses and bought some and came back after walking around the rest of the town and Carol bought a chocolate biscuit she liked the look of. 

The weather finally improved, lamb chops and veggies for dinner. 128Km travelled.

Day115 (Nov 8) Coolamon Caravan Park to Wagga Wagga & return.

Nice day today. Before we drove into Wagga Wagga, I rotated the tyres on the passengers side. The drivers side had been done when the car was serviced in Port Pirie. Put the spare on the front and put the front tire to the rear. When I got the rear one off I discovered 2 splits on the inside of the tire. In the same place as the one that was found when the service was done, so it looks like I might have been going a bit low with the rear tire pressures. 

Drove to Wagga Wagga and got a new tire. Went with the same tires as I have at the moment but I think we will be changing when we need a new set.

Did some shopping, then went to the farmers market that was on at the showgrounds. A little bit disappointing but we bought some sausages, chops, strawberries and other fruit and veggies. Stopped in a park near the river and had some of the strawberries which were delicious, then back to camp and repack the car. Sausages and veggies for dinner. 82Km travelled.

Berri to Echuca

Day100 (Oct 24) Martins Bend Berri to Overland Corner Hotel.

A cool morning this morning, called in to Bunnings after breakfast and packing up. Hoped to get some new bolts for the camper shock absorber bushes but they appear to be an odd thread. I'll see if there is a bolt place in Mildura maybe, or else just reuse the existing ones.

Took the scenic route to the Overland Corner Hotel, it's an old historic pub, with lovely gardens and has free camping out the back, they just ask that you buy something if you stay. We had a coffee and a scone, then set up, made sure I got the solar panels on to both the camper and the freezer battery in the car. Just one other caravan there, so lots of room and you can go down the track and camp by the river if you want to. We were going to have dinner at the pub but because of their trading hours we would have had to have it at 5:30 so we decided to have lunch instead. Has salt and pepper squid between us and beer.

Did the river walk after lunch and found another camp spot just down river a bit which looked to be really nice. 

Some Monash butcher sausages and veggies for dinner. 94.8km travelled.

Day101 (Oct 25) Overland Corner Hotel to Buonga Riverside caravan park Mildura.

On the road by 9, stopped at Renmark on the way through and filled up the water tank. Disappointed to cross into Victoria and not be able to stop by the sign and take a pic. Again we had to stop and have an early lunch when we re-entered the fruit fly free zone. Had to bin some fruit which is annoying but you have to do the right thing don't you? Chatted to a couple travelling in a truck towing a 5^th wheeler who were from North of Newcastle. The flies were terrible so we didn't stay too long. Crossed the bridge at Mildura to the camping ground on the other side which means that today we have been in 3 states, SA, Vic and now NSW! Kind of an odd situation really but looking at the map it seems that the Murray is the border between Vic and NSW for most of its length so we'll be jumping back and forth a bit from here on I guess. Set up right on the river by 1:30.

We walked back across the bridge for our dinner on board the PS Mundoo. We could see the wharf where we had to be and could have swum there, even me who swims like a stone, but there wasn't any water taxi so walking it was. Lovely moonlight night to spend on the river, we were seated at a table with 6 others, but 4 were a family group from Dumbleyung in WA who'd been on a rally and once the boat got underway, they moved to another table with another couple, so we had lots of room.

We decided to get a taxi back to camp and just over the bridge we go pulled up by a RBT. The driver had to count to ten and the machine registered alcohol, so then he had to do a breath test which was negative. Apparently the ones you talk into are very sensitive and may have picked up the fact that we had shared a bottle of wine with dinner. Didn't realise they were THAT sensitive. Roast on board PS Mundoo for dinner. 199.8km travelled.

Day102 (Oct 26) Buonga/Mildura.

Carol's birthday!! Cooked breakfast in the camp kitchen. Turns out the white pudding we bought in Monash is not suitable for frying and turned to mush. Never mind, the bacon and eggs were fine.

Went for a drive to explore Mildura a bit. It's a really nice town and good things have been done down by the river. Drove to lock 11 and our timing was good as there was a paddle boat just coming into the lock as we got there. Quite a height difference and good to watch it going through. 

Had lunch in the Mildura brewery pub, then up to the shopping centre where Carol finally found some new Scholl thongs. Her old ones had broken around about Karijini and she'd been wearing some that she bought in Kununurra! I bought some insoles as well and seeing as how it was Carol's birthday, we had an ice cream from 48 flavours. Found a bolt place online and went and got some spare bolts for the shock absorber bushes. They had the right ones and I got charged the grand sum of $1! I think it was just too hard for the guy to get the paperwork printed out. Pizza on the Ziggy for dinner. 

25.1km travelled

Day103 (Oct 27) Buonga/Mildura/Wentworth.

Went for a drive to the Inland Botanical gardens to have a look at the markets. Pretty disappointing and we didn't stay long. Called in at Orange world and nothing to see here, unless you pay ! Carried on to Wentworth where the Murray and Darling rivers converge. No sign of Malcolm. 

Back to camp via Mildura and some shopping and fuelling up. There are major road works on the bridge over the Murray and it's causing BIG delays. Carol was driving and did a couple of back streets which saved us quite a bit of time getting across. 81.2km travelled.

Day104 (Oct 28) Buonga/Mildura.

Walked over the bridge into town after breakfast and to the markets. Still roadworks happening so still cars lined up both sides but not as bad as yesterday. Treated ourselves to another ice cream from 48 flavours, this time from the one in town, who wasn't as generous as the lady at the shopping centre a couple of days ago. Walked down to the lovely park on the river bank, almost opposite our camp and ate the ice creams while watching the river sliding by.

Lunch back at the camp, then I changed the shock absorber bushes. Not a hard job by any means, the bushes were certainly showing signs of deterioration, surprising given that the camper is only just over a year old. Sure we've been over some pretty rough roads the last few months but isn't that what the Mitchell is built for?

Took the car for a drive to see if I could pin point a rattle that we have in the back. I thought it was the hitch receiver, especially with the arm for the stone stomper attached, so I took that off before I left. Rattle is still there, I jumped underneath but everything seems tight as. We decided to give the car a wash seeing as how there was a wash bay at the camp. I got Carol to walk beside the car to try and see if she could see where it was coming from, but she couldn't hear anything. I could still, which makes me think that it is something inside the car at the back. We'll have to check it again once we get to Brisbane and get everything out of the back. I was feeling a bit off colour, something in my tummy not quite right so I had toast and jam for dinner while Carol had Cruskits and tuna. 

5Km travelled.

Day105 (Oct 29) Buonga Riverside caravan park Mildura to Reedy Lake RV stop.

Up at a reasonable hour but delayed getting on the road because the jockey wheel has seized. It's been a bit stiff to wind the last couple of times but this time it is jammed. I got the jack out of the car and managed to get the weight off it but it didn't improve its operation any. Lucky in a way that it happened here in Mildura, we went up the road to BCF and bought an Ark one. We had a look at one when we were in Broome but didn't buy it, mainly because I wasn't sure whether the shaft was the same size as the Alko one. The guy we spoke to at BCF said he thought they were the same, they certainly looked it and indeed it fitted fine when we got back and tried it. The added advantage of the new one is it has 3 positions height wide whereas the Alko one only has 2 which had been a bit of a pain a couple of times.

On the road by 11, stopped for lunch beside the Murray and got to Reedy Lake about 2. Only one other caravan here, so lots of room. It's quite a nice spot with a toilet nearby that looks fairly new and is obviously well looked after. 

My stomach still isn't 100% so we had spaghetti on toast for dinner. 282.1km travelled

Day106 (Oct 30) Reedy Lake RV stop to Rotary Park Echuca.

A late start this morning. I'm still getting stomach cramps and not feeling right and very tired even though I feel like I slept well enough. Not far to Echuca, we checked out a golf club in Moama across the river but it didn't feel right to me, plus it was only a 24hr stay and we wanted to have a bit of a look around town. Went back to Rotary park and it looked fine, with lots of room. There are toilets here but they're not open so we have to set up the en suite and use the porta potti which is no big deal seeing as how there is a dump point on site. Set up on a nice site by the river, not the Murray but the Campaspe. Drove in to town and had a look around. Found a shop that sold black pudding so of course we had to buy some. Carol had a doctors appointment, she's had a sore ear and also a bladder infection. Seems we're both a bit under the weather at the moment. Sausages and salad for dinner. 144.5km travelled.

Day107 (Oct 31) Echuca.

Spent the morning at the port area in town. It's quite historic and preserved pretty well. Went through the discovery centre and had a guided tour around the area which was very informative and included a look at an underground bar that also had an escape tunnel and was used back in the time when alcohol had been banned in the town. There would be a lookout posted and when he gave the signal that the law was approaching, everyone would escape through the tunnel to another part of town and then return when the all clear was given. Also had a cruise down the river on the PB Pevensey which was used in the TV series “All the Rivers Run” under the name of the “Philadelphia”.

Went back to camp and I had a lie down for a while. I'm thinking that the cause of my ailments may be my water bottle. It hasn't has a washout since we have been on the road so it got a good one this afternoon. Have to see if I get any improvement. 10Km travelled.

Here are some figures for the month of October:

Travelled from Yulara (NT) to Echuca (Vic)

Days travelling 31

Kilometres travelled 4416 (18494)                                                                               142.5/day

Diesel 590.26lts (2538.96) $958.67 ($3766.66)                                                          $30.92/day

Camping fees $506 ($2563)                                                                                         $16.32/day

Tours etc $395 (Coober Pedy,Mildura,Echuca) ($3017.94)                                     $12.74/day

Other Expenses $1790.42 (Food, alcohol, hardware, chemist)                                $57.76/day

Pajero Costs $858.80 (Service,wheel/align,tyre)                                                       $27.70/day

Mitchell Costs $1245.10 (Service&Shock, charger,J/wheel)                                    $40.16/day

Total costs/Day                                                                                                             $185.60/day

Mitchells Spotted 0

Dearest fuel   $2.08/lt Erldunda Roadhouse