Day 1 Thursday 27/5/21 Home to Tocumwal, we’re so stressed we don’t notice the weather

We were intending to leave home on Saturday the 29th of May for our winter sojourn and we’re happily ahead of schedule with our packing when a 4th Covid statewide lockdown becomes imminent. Woody has an eye test at Specsavers at 10:40 delaying our departure. Ever watchful, VeeWee has already whizzed up to Seymour a day ahead of us. At 11:00am the lockdown is announced, the state borders will be closed at midnight. We hitch up and leave as soon as Woody returns from his eye test.

It’s an uptight and stressful drive via Heidelberg in the northern suburbs to the Hume Highway. We’re tired and we don’t know what will greet us at the border or whether we’ll get through. Our mates Popeye the sailor man and his missus Crafty ring, they too have put the pedal to the metal and are about an hour behind us heading for Holbrook. They tell us we must complete a NSW entry form online, a requirement that has been in place since early May about the time this new outbreak started in Melbourne. Once again it seems that NSW is a little more organised than Victoria. It is announced at 3pm that Victorians crossing the border this afternoon will be obliged to ‘stay in place’ for 7 days. Double or Nuthin’ and his wife Shirley Temple (as in “I’m not drinking tonight my body’s a temple, oh ok just one”) are running late anyway (remember Qld? 6 weeks late) and decide to return home.

The Boomerang Way caravan park staff give us a bag of lollies to soften the blow that we can’t leave town for 7 days and frankly, looked shocked when I tell them that we’re thrilled as we love Tocumwal and have spent many Christmases here. They give us a one day discount on our stay. The weather is clear and warmer than Melbourne, the park is nice and well situated and yes, we have always loved this little town.

Funnily enough, because VeeWee arrived a few hours before us she is free to leave town but she’ll stay on with us. We have happy hour in the van, toast our luck at making it out of Victoria in time and all the stress begins to fall away.

Last night’s leftover lasagne having been quickly flung in the fridge becomes dinner and in fresh air and silence we sleeeeep.

Towing Kms: 316kms

Accom: $29.75 a good price for a nice park, well chosen VeeWee!