Day 14 October 4 - Coachman Caravan Park to home.

We were all up and sorted ready to go prior to 8.30 departure time. Goodbye’s said to John, all aboard and on the road at 8.20.

Today we head for Melbourne, John is heading home to Echuca via Balranald and Moulamein etc, might get some fishing in.

Kerri is going to an Alan Jackson concert and will meet some family members in Melbourne for that, so the key aim for today is to ensure she is in Melbourne at Rod Laver prior to the 7.00pm start time.

Mary, Phil and kids are diverting via Lower Plenty to drop Lachlan off and maybe head home. Steve has Ro and will be heading home to Drouin where Ro’s car is. Ro will then take himself and Reve home. At some stage I need to get some of my stuff out of Steve’s car before finally heading home.

Just some other musings for the trip.

Finally, it seems we got Ska right, my car that is. With the addition of new longer rear springs, the tail end actually sits up fully loaded, rather than sagging and reducing clearance as it has in the past.

The new Snow Peak cook set gear I purchased from Drifta Kitchens, have worked a treat.

The only hiccup any of us really had was a flat tyre here and there, Stef sustained one overnight at the Caravan Park in Broken Hill and was able to get it repaired that day, Col copped one on the car and problems with the camper tyres too, which he sorted out in Birdsville and I got one going into Mungerannie and got it repaired there, without having to put the spare on…so all good really.

Ooops!!! I must have typed that too soon - We have just pulled up in Sea Lake, as Steve needs to replace his fuel filter, must have got some dud fuel somewhere evidently. After replacing the filter, which was incredibly dirty, the filter light remained on, so off it came again and the bowl and bits around the filter were removed and cleaned off. Still the light stayed on, so off we went to see if it would turn off after a good run, if not then a drive by Toyota in Bendigo. Along the way Sarah found a ‘wiki’ fix for  the filter light, so plans made to eat at Inglewood, do the ‘thing’ with the light (requiring removing plugs, turning car on and off and replacing the plugs or something like that). Anyway the light was quickly fixed, some fresh rolls purchased for lunch, Kerri did a quick coffee and saugage roll for lunch and even managed some shopping while we made our lunch at the park near a lovely town hall and old house. Mary and Phil, stopped briefly to visit some friends and we never caught up again. We sailed into Melbourne and intended to tackle Rod Laver Arena drop off via Power Street, however the road up to Bolte was clogged, so we diverted through the city and had a good run, got Kerri to her drop off about 4.15ish, then the challenge of getting home in peak hour on a Friday night. We first decided to avoid the Monash and headed out Swan Street, but then it seemed like traffic was flowing OK onto the freeway, so we took that option, which was OK for about 10 minutes…2/12+ later we made it to Drouin.

Not only was traffic really congested, Steve’s back tyre was getting flat, so we pulled off the freeway to pump it up. Quite a different place to have car troubles, the traffic was almost at a standstill, so we got back onto freeway quite easily.

The tyre was still losing pressure, but we made it slowly, very painstakingly slowly to the Service Centre at Berwick – Steve pumped up the tyre again and headed for home to order Pizza on the way. I filled up again and grabbed a ‘wake up’ coffee.

We stopped briefly at Steve’s to eat the pizza and transfer Reve and Ro to Ro’s car and my stuff in Steve’s vehicle to my car, then finally made it home to Moe about 8.30. Ro continued on to Morwell to take Reve home.

Around Ernst Wanke Rd, I clocked up 5000kms for the trip, with the final total at home to the carport is 5102kms.

Meg and Stef left us on Thursday lunchtime at Chambers Gorge, they made it to Orreroo Thursday night and finally home on Friday about 10.30pm, with a lunchstop at Mildura and dinner at Ballarat. Well done Stef on a huge drive.

Turns out Steve's tyre issue was actually the WHEELS leaking, a weld on the rim was causing leakage, so four new wheels for Steve next week!!

New fuel filter in hand, ready to replace. Good planning that we carry these spares.

Ro and Sarah helping out.

That's the OLD filter, check out the brown base. That is dirt and stuff, the new one is white where this one is brown.

Finished...for the second time.

The town of Wycheproof. The train line runs down the middle of the main street. That's Steve, fully loaded in front and cool clouds too. 

So train crossing signs at every intersection.

A beautiful old house in Inglewood. Mary and Phil have been watching it over the years, it was becoming quite dilapidated and evidently an elderly woman lived there in one room. Someone else has brought and is bringing it back from disrepair.

Yep, stopped in the Middle of the Monash Freeway, traffic was pretty much at a standstill. Ska is behind the Toyota here. Steve is just topping up the tyre in the hope he will make it to the servo.

Everyone was on hand to help/watch etc.

With reports of shocking weather at home, including high winds, cool weather and rain, we were not sure what we would find on returning home. Steve had a small tree down in the driveway, I came home to a lovely house, with lights on and milk in the fridge, gotta love having the house and pets sat, rather than locking and leaving. I had a branch hanging off my little tree out the front and the lemon tree chocked up with an outdoor chair. Thanks so much to Janine for a fabulous job with Snug and Aero and the house too.

So another journey or meander comes to an end. Everyone is a bit different and we see some more of this great brown land of ours. Thanks to all the crew we travel with, good company and fun times, here’s to many more.

I forgot to mention that our "f word" swear jar raised at least $100 for Royal Flying Doctor Service. It was a good fun thing to to. Well done to Lachlan for thinking of it.

and here is the SPOT map of our travels.

If anyone is interested in any other blogs I’ve done so far, you can find them here:

2012/13   Antarctica and Beyond: http://antarcticaandbeyond.blogspot.com.au/

2012        Goog's Track - Heave away, haul away, Bound for South Australia: http://googstrack.blogspot.com.au/

2012/12   Deddick Trak Trek: http://deddicktrek.blogspot.com.au/

2011        Simpson Sojourn: http://simpson-sojourn-2011.blogspot.com.au/