Day 4

It was very cold this morning but my doona was up to it and as I was on power I used an electric heater to warm Yemmy's interior before I got up. I was on the road by 8.30 and the weather was lovely and sunny with a cloudless blue sky. Sprinters of Yemmys vintage had fixed sun visors but my clever friend Eric fabricated a mount for a swiveling one and boy was I glad of it today as the sun was dazzling.

It was a shorter run today and there wasn't much of interest on the way. Trees lined the edge of the road reserve for much of the way so there wasn't much view past them.

Straight roads with a few road works hold ups

No lines? So what are those things in the middle of the road?

I looked hard but didn't see any horses anywhere near here at Nyngan!

Yemmy's by the water again! Near Brewarina

I walked a fair way along the river this afternoon 3,253 steps today and chatted to a few neighbors for a while. Tomorrow I'm heading for Eula and another free camp. So far it's been 50/50 - 2 caravan parks and two free camps.

Day 4

It was a very different day today for travelling - my swivelling sun visor came into its own as the sun was shining very brightly in from the drivers window. Sprinters of Yemmy's vintage didn't have a swivel and my clever friend Eric fabricated a mount for a swivel - so good this morning. It was a good run and I was in Wxxx by lunchtime.

There was plenty of wildlife about - roos, emus, etc. The roos can't read because I saw some before the sign that said roos for the next 90km!

Signs today were interesting

Day 3

I had planned on driving to Brewarrena today but my plans changed when I realised I'd be passing through Trangie and I'd heard excellent reports about the caravan park from ACC members who had stayed there.

I pulled up in the town and tried to ring my editor to see if he wanted a caravan park article and couldn't get him on the phone. The number started with + but I only put 0! It was not connected the lovely lady said. When I woke up that you had to hold the 0 down to change it to +) I got his answering machine. Finally he replied to my email and yes, he'd like the article.

Then I went to the wrong caravan park and he's never heard of the Australian Caravan Club - it must be the other park he said. I didn't know there were two parks in Trangie  but all was well when I rocked up here to be met at the gate by Andrew, who owns the park with his wife Debbie.

It was freezing cold here but I was brave and wandered around doing a photo shoot. I spent the afternoon writing the story and then showing it to Andrew. It's happy hour soon and I'm told the camp kitchen is quite warm.

Here's a few of the pics I took today.

Andrew won a competition with a pic of someone sitting on the dunny, pants down reading a book while a queue waited for their turn!

Day 2

Last night I camped in Paradise but this morning it was different story! It had rained in the night and the lovely hard standing had turned into sticky clinging mud so that every step you took raised you about an inch.

I scuffed most of it off in a puddle on some concrete but the rest found its way into Yemmy
 It rained on and off most of the morning but it cleared up by the time I got to the Peak Hill caravan park. This afternoon park owner Leighton helped me fix a very dodgy hinge on Yemmy's gas locker  . He and I go back a long way - we stayed here back when Vi was alive and I wrote the park up for Caravan World. The cutting of that is still on the laundry wall.

There wasn't much worth pictures today and I was past this one before I realised what it was about. I pinched this pic from their website!

Both days so far have seen me do about 450km but I don't know about tomorrow - I know it will be north but haven't worked out just where,

Day 2

Last night I camped in Paradise but this morning was a much different story! It had rained  during the night and the lovely firm ground had turned into a quagmire. Each step I took made me as inch taller as the sticky mud raised the height of my shoes! What a mess it was but scuffling about in some water got a lot of it off.

There was no telly reception so a went to bed early and read a bit before sleep.That meant I wolke early and I was on the road by 7.30. Off and aff rain but driving was pleasant enough and I was at Peak Hill caravan park  by lunchtime.

My gas locker door hinge was a bit fragile and I broke the pop rivets when changing the gas bottles over this morning. With Leighton's help it now has much sturdier fastenings and shouldn't break again. I first met Leighton and Pauline back while Vi was still alive . I wrote an article about the park in Caravan World and the clipping is still on the laundry wall.

I didn't take any pics today - there wasn't much special to snap. I was too slow to realise but I did pass a 'Roadkill Restaurant' and that would have been worth a click.

Day 1

The clock showed 335,000km leaving home. It will be interesting to see the reading is when I get back

Crossing the Nullarbor is certainly flat but today's journey through the Wimmera, Mallee and across the Hay Plain had no sign of a hill. Boring!

I'm camped at the Hay Weir - a lovely spot on the 'bigee' (Murrumbidgee) and I'm on my own tonight. I've got pictures but my wifi is weak and so far they won't transfer from my phone to the laptop.

Today's journey started off with patchy rain but it cleared up by lunchtime and this afternoon the sun was shining. It's only 5.30 as I'm writing this but it's getting dark already.

Ha! The pics are loaded so here goes loading them to the blog!

Yemmy loves being near water!

A boom across the river

Yemmy wasn't going on the water - he says he's not a boat!

A lovely spot but some people have no regard for their surroundings and just litter at will. BTW - yes I did pick them up and will dispose of them later.

Sat 26 May
 Two more sleeps! The scooter's loaded and lashed down but this trip I've decided to carry my Hot Ossie Barby inside Yemmy because I can't open the back doors wide enough to get it out with the scooter on.










 I had nine lamb chops that I bought and didn't use so today I turned them into a lamb stew and divided it into meals for three nights on the road. I'll probably be baa-ing by the end of the stew but it will be a nice meal on a cold winters night after a longish day's travel.

My friend Paul came to stay overnight with me today and it was a great reunion. We travelled together many years ago to do a round Oz trip of 33 days including up and down the Centre.
He's been adventuring over in WA on his bike but arrived today in Molly - his restored Morris Minor Van.

We had a lovely time together and my daughter Sue and son-in-law Shaun shared roast lamb I'd cooked for dinner. Paul has been cycling the trail in WA and had one more day to go to return home to Mornington where we had once been neighbors.

Five months worth of medications to keep me fit on the journey collected and now stored in Yemmy

One step nearer!

It's starting to feel like I'm going travelling. 180 days coverage added to my Satphone - I only use it for emergencies but people can send messages to it and I'll get them when I use it next. Mostly though I'll have mobile coverage at some time each day.

The scooter batteries are fully charged and I took it for a test run today - boy was it cold!

My friend and one time neighbor Paul is calling in on Thursday on his way back from adventuring in the West. He and I did a round Oz trip many years ago in 33 days including up and down the Centre. The trip was to check content for my 'Australia Calling'  book - and yes we did see a lot of Australia.

Last weekend I had nine Australian Caravan Club Lone Trekkers here at my place and we had a great weekend.

My 2018 Blog will start one week from now when I set off on my fourth round Australia Trip. It's getting cold at Illawarra so I'll head north from here - probably camping on the Murray near Hay the first night but my plans are always subject to change.