Day 107 Monday 19/9/2022 Woomargama to Home, cold

We’re up before dawn and we have short showers because we’re low on water and don’t want to top up the tanks. There is enough water to wash last night’s dishes so that is a bonus.

We say goodbye to VeeWee and Nic and hit the road at 6:30. Leaving the highway at Albury we grab a bite to eat, coffee, and fuel. The Murray River is flooding the surrounding paddocks and parklands.

At Euroa, we pull into the Service Centre for a break and who should be there but VeeWee and Nic. As we leave the servo we give way to a truck emblazoned with the name Henry the Third, there’s no doubt that waste liquid is his business.

Central Victoria is lush and ablaze with green and gold. Cape Weed daisies, canola, wattle. And sheep.

A sign for the Tallarook Hotel announces “Things aren’t crook in Tallarook”. Why? You ask. Well, Tallarook is just another of those highway towns that families on long car trips always joked about. Things are crook in Tallarook, you’ll see more in Seymour and kill more in Kilmore, and so on all the way to Sydney.

And thus before we know it we’re back in town, we’ve left the bush behind for our other life, our urban life.

Fuel: $86.01 (213.9 c/l) plus $49.27 (193.9c/l) on arrival at home

Towing Kms: 430kms

Footnote: We did make it home in plenty of time for the funeral.

Summary

Because of the heavy rains and flooding across Eastern Australia we saw very little road kill and far too much evidence of flood damage. It was cooler this year and we were still rugged up until we reached the Capricorn Coast. Whether by luck or good judgment we missed most of the rain. Until, we got home then Victoria started flooding.

We certainly noticed more new caravanners on the road this year and a lot of young families on long trips and home-schooling the kids. I guess that this is one of the positives to come out of the Covid pandemic. People seem to have learned to live in the moment and not put their lives on hold for another day.

107 Days

8725kms in total

Accom Avg: $28.41 night ($4.00 per night cheaper than last year)

Fuel Avg: $18.56 day ($3.06 day dearer than last year)

Breakdowns: Two. The Toyota was towed into Narromine when it failed to draw fuel from the second tank. The Jeep was towed to Mundubbera when a badly fitted transmission hose came loose.

I’m glad we didn’t stay home because of rising fuel prices!

Towns that captivated us: Lockhart, Goovigen, and Marulan.

Places we’d like to explore more: Murwillumbah and the Tweed Valley

Memorable Pubs: Toogoolawah Hotel, Marulan Hotel