A trip where things go wrong even before departure may be a warning to some, to others not so much. A clutch fault in the campervan required a repair! Oh well, we thought, it had to be done. What's a mere $2000 for peace of mind? The mechanic said he could do it the day before we planned to leave. But wait - the wrong part was delivered, and a new one had to be ordered, meaning a 3 day wait. Oh well, we thought, what's a few days in scheme of things?
Eventually departing, we headed off with a couple of containers of firewood strapped to the roof of the van. At our first stop, about a hundred kilometres away from home, a check of the boxes revealed that a polystyrene lid had snapped in half and flown into the wilderness. Oh well, we thought, polystyrene is not that heavy, and, if by chance it had landed on any unsuspecting vehicle following us, there wouldn't be much damage.
It wasn't long before a caravan park near Broken Hill provided an opportunity for another mishap. At the entry to the park there was a pole with a gate entry security code pad on it. Attempting to get within arm's reach of it, the side rear vision mirror of the van became wedged and it was necessary to back cautiously out. Oh well, we thought, the pole is not bent, and the mirror only marginally damaged, let's move on.
A short time later the Muntawintji National Park gifted us one of its finest gum trees to reverse into, smashing a tail light and denting the tail gate. Oh well, we thought, at least we can still drive the van - let's light a campfire.
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After clearing out some mud and driving a few kilometres we found ourselves stuck in a creekbed. Uh oh -- being in a creekbed didn't have a good vibe about it, given the prospect of more rain. After several attempts we managed to get out backwards, but we had lost enthusiasm for going forwards. Thoughts of news bulletins such as "Elderly couple die of starvation in remote area" emerged in our minds. No mobile phone reception, no passing traffic - just red mud.
Creekbed and tracks from reversing
But wait - it dawned on us that there was an SOS function on phones that are out of reception areas. Amazingly, this seemed to connect to a satellite and allow text messages to an operator who could report our predicament to authorities. We could be rescued. After about 3 hours, with darkness a lot closer than it had been when we made the call, and vultures circling overhead, we decided a follow up call was needed. Reassured that someone was coming, we relaxed for another hour and half until the SES arrived.
Making a cup tea while waiting
Rescuers
Our saviours cleared mud from the wheels of the van to get in a drivable state. They commented that one tyre seemed a little flat. Oh well, we thought, probably a slow leak. They then followed us for the 60 kilometre drive into White Cliffs and the safety of a sealed road. A glance back at the sign at this end of the dirt road revealed the words "White Cliffs -- Muntawintji Road - CLOSED".
Van when it reached White Cliffs
We booked a room at the White Cliffs Hotel, which had country music blasting throughout from10 am to 10 pm, and woke the next morning to find the tyre that had been a little flat was now a lot flat. No mechanics or garages in sight, but there was an air compressor at the general store. We pumped the tyre up, and it got us the 93 kilometres to Wilcannia, but still - no garages, no mechanics and no mobile phone reception. Oh well, we thought, we should be able to get back to Broken Hill. The van was driving a little roughly, but maybe it needed a wheel alignment.
About 80 kilometres outside of Broken Hill we were shaken out complacency by a sudden explosion. A tyre (not the one that had a slow leak) had completely disintegrated. Here we were again - in the middle of nowhere with no phone reception. But - we did have a spare tyre. Attempts to undo the bolts holding the spare tyre were unsucessful, as were attempts to release all the bolts on the damaged tyre. Surely we couldn't call the SOS centre for a second day running? Then a thought - there was, at least, passing traffic. We hailed down a truckie (named Jason) who stopped and provided some much needed tools and muscle to change the tyre. The operation teetered on disaster when the vehicle fell off the jack and almost crushed Jason's hand. After the heart stopping moment, we sprayed a bit of antiseptic on his hand and persuaded him to complete the task.
Decimated tyre
Jason's truck
Jason and Helen moments before the car fell off the jack
Arriving at Broken Hill just before the close of business, we found a tyre repair facility where we could fit a new tyre. It seems that accumulated mud had led to the mudguard liners detaching, causing some friction.
The following morning the "slow leaking tyre" was down again. Oh well, we thought, at least we had phone reception to call the NRMA to change it. The mechanic who arrived did not appear to be a man in love with his job (as witnessed by his opening statement "I'm too old for this shit"), but he did change the tyre. Later that day the staff at the Tyre repair station were amazed to see us back again. They were even more amazed when, as we departed, we caused a loud bang by driving over a concrete parking divider outside their premises.
Dozens of phone calls to repairers for the mudguard liners led nowhere - too busy, staff shortages etc! Oh well, we thought, we'll just have to take our chances, but first let's visit the Railway Museum. As we parked opposite the museum we noticed we were right in front of a building proudly displaying the sign "K and J Crash Repairs". What did we have to lose? The proprietor took pity on us and agreed to do a temporary repair the next morning. When we finally picked up the vehicle Helen rewarded him by responding to his statement that he had two grandchildren who were both "Rev heads" with "Oh yes we've got a couple of grandchildren who are red heads".
Temporary repairs to mudguard liners
Eventually we headed south to Mildura and immediatley purchased a "Starlink mini" kit to allow satellite Internet connection in remote areas. Oh well, we thought, it could be useful should we ever have the courage to venture into the outback again!
