It was a matter of going through the motions again this morning. Me outside, rolling up the awning, rolling up hoses and power leads. Bec on the inside, making sure all of our bits and pieces are securely and safely stowed, then checking to ensure that all of the cupboards were secured. We’re getting right into the swing of packing up camp now, and it’s getting easier and quicker with each move we make.

Bec, her cousin and our little visitor.

Almost before we knew it, the van was mated up to ‘The Beast’ again, and we were ready to hit the frog and toad. Goodbyes were said, as well as promises to not leave it another 6 or 7 years before catching up once more, then with a final check of the van, we were on our way. And only 5 minutes late to boot. So you can expect to see us back in Melbourne at 7:50PM on the 11^th of October.

Getting out of the property wasn’t quite so bad at least, as getting the rig in, as Becs cousin had opened up a side gate. So rather than a slalom course of trees, we had just to negotiate a tight bend through a gate and then the drainage channel onto the road. We bottomed out only ever so slightly, as the van dragged its rear end, managing to get out onto the main road with a minimum of fuss.

Then, for a change, the clouds parted, and the skies lit up a luminous azure, thanks to a shining sun, and what we hoped would be only a short hop up the road to Mackay, was exactly that.

We would end up doing a few more kilometers today than what we did on our day from hell enroute to Rockhampton, and yet it was like a walk in the park today. Roadworks were non-existent, the roads were for the most part well maintained and easy going, and apart from an occasional spittle of rain, the weather was great. If only every day could be like this.

It was only a little past 2:00PM as we rolled into Mackay, having driven without the need for a break, all the way from Rockhampton. That meant we had plenty of time to unhitch the van at the caravan park and head out for a little bit of a look around town. Since we are moving on again in the morning, we wanted to make the most of what time we do have here.

Naturally, you will all by now be familiar with one of my often used phrases about wheels and how they tend to come off at the most inopportune moments. This was one of those times.

We had been planning on free camping tonight, but given that our water tanks are dry after our stay at Becs cousins, we decided to check into a park and avail ourselves to their seemingly never ending supply of the wet stuff to re-fill our tanks. Nothing like adding another 180Kg of dead weight to ferry around, but handy for those nights we are staying off grid.

Anyway, the van park we have selected, in which to spend the evening is rather more busy than expected, with quite tight little sites, set amongst lovely looking, but difficult to maneuver around foliage. So, with quite a number of onlookers, we launched into our Bec and Marcus reversing show, which we may yet entitle: ‘How not to park a van’.

Attempt number one saw us parked up nice and straight, but right bang in the middle of the concrete annex pad. Not ideal, so out we went for attempt number two.

Attempt number two, saw us parked mostly off to the side of the concrete, but on an embarrassingly acute angle that was far from ideal. Then it was like a sing song of the Hokey Pokey, as we put the caravan in, then took it out, put it in, took it out, then turned it all about. I have been telling Bec, that as the observer, she is effectively driving the show. I can’t see a great deal from the driver seat, so she has to be my eyes, while I purely follow her instructions. Therefore, if it’s not working out, it’s on her head. I have drilled this mantra into her. She is the boss. In charge of the move.

Then something scary happened. Bec screamed over the radio that she’d had enough and that she was going to do the driving, while I could stand out and get wet under the suddenly darkening skies, to guide her in. This was petrifying, because now I had to prove to her that it was indeed the task of the observer to make the right calls and give the right directions. And wouldn’t you know it, just like that, before you could blink, ‘The Beast’ was facing one way, the van another, and neither of them anywhere near right. Oops. Talk about a giant feed of humble pie as Bec climbed down from ‘The Beast’, an icy stare on her face and a grimace of “Told you it’s not that easy.” What could I say?

For attempt number three, I again took over the wheel, and tried coming in from the opposite direction, after turning it all about just like the line in the Hokey Pokey song. Strangely enough, reversing against the drivers side made the whole operation that much easier, and we looked like pros, as we expertly worked together to glide it up into the perfect position. It only took us about an hour to manage this I might add.

Even in the right spot though, we had to negotiate the swamp like surrounds on foot. In the worst spots, we sank almost an inch with every step we took. And then, just to add insult to injury, we found that the slight bottoming out this morning had bent our entry step enough to make it difficult to use and our water hose was to be too short to reach the taps. With the step beaten roughly back into shape, we looked longingly about for our water connection finding that we had a choice of two, one to each side of our site, and both about 15 metres distant. Not an issue, apart from the fact that even stretched to its limits, our water hose is only 10 metres long. I wouldn’t usually care for the sake of just one night. I’d normally just turn the pump on and use our tank water for the stay, but given that the whole reason for booking in at a park was to replenish our empty water reservoirs, it was to be a major issue. One that would necessitate an emergency excursion to the nearest Bunnings to purchase a longer hose.

So, with the van mostly set up, we lumbered out of the park in search of the hardware store. It’s probably not the best idea to rely on the services of country towns, late on a Sunday afternoon, but thankfully the bigger stores were open, and we were able to successfully obtain a new hose. As well as the hose, I needed a new coffee pot, having found this morning that my current one had cracked. So our next stop was at a ready to close for the day shopping centre, where I thankfully managed to find what I needed. Then it was back to the van for dinner. So much for seeing the sights of Mackay, unless you call the shopping centre an attraction.

Well, it has been a big day.

Then, back at the van, thankfully with our water storage now topped to the brim, I managed to rip open one of our pillow cases. So you can rest assured that in the very near future, you will be reading all about us shopping for a whole new set of pillow cases. You can’t just buy one you know. Then they won’t match. And Bec calls me anal.

Until next time, stay safe, have fun and don’t forget to write.