Day 12 Domesticity

While Anna takes care of the route, riding and picking the places where we stay, Spike and I take care of more prosaic matters. In the mornings, after she has left, usually about 7.30am, we have to pack the caravan and move to the next spot. First there’s the washing up and tidying up. We take out the carpets and shake them outside, sweep the floor very thoroughly (there will be an inspection of our work later), wipe down the surfaces. Then we have to put away all of the exterior aids: grey water pipe to be disconnected and rolled up, electricity cable the same, water hose to be coiled, emptied and stowed, then the chairs, muck mat and ground sheet to be shaken and rolled and stowed. Next comes the stressful part which is to check that all of the cupboards are closed and latched, pumps, lights, and hot water turned off. Then we have to hitch up which involves jacking the trailer up to about the right height to accept the pin on the back of the Ford, backing up to it and dropping it on. This is made easy by the reversing camera in the truck which gives a superb view of the whole hitch mechanism. Once everything is in place, the (press-button) jack is lowered, the locking mechanism checked, chains attached, trailer plug and Anderson plug attached and breakaway for the trailer breaks attached. A slip here could be a problem – we know from experience (I’d rather not go into that!). Then it’s time to check everything again at least 2 or 3 times. It’s so easy to miss a part of this which could result in vital pieces being left behind or the contents of cupboards being strewn around the van during the trip – and all of this could lead to severe disapprobation from The Rider. It is all straightforward but it’s not a process where you want to leave anything out.

Then we hit the highway. Google maps makes navigation a comparative dream but the app certainly has its quirks. Left alone it occasionally decides to route us through tiny roads which may be slightly shorter but are inevitably more difficult for our 14 metre rig. So I’ve learned to review the route carefully before leaving and to reject some of the more peculiar choices Google comes up with. However, all that said, I can hardly imagine doing this the old way with a crumpled map on my lap.

The quality of the places at which we stay varies hugely. Some are crap, where we are jammed in cheek by jowl with others. The water and power points are too far away necessitating multiple extensions to our lifelines and the ground is dirt or gravel. Others like our spot at Maclean, or this one at Gympie are quiet, leafy, roomy and have grass. Whilst we are still in civilisation we are booking van parks but as we get further into the bush we will just free-camp on side roads.

Last night on the oval of the show grounds there was a show of local cars. Mostly they were Corollas with disco lights underneath but there were a couple of good old girls.