On the road at last

31/05/2011

We said “good riddance “to cell 105 at the dilapidated Mountway Holiday Sheds and set off with Greg to pick up our motor home from K B Campers. A quick refresher course followed on how to wrestle with an awning, sort out the insurance and we were off----------2 hours later, we were back, with a strong smell of gas which didn’t seem quite right . We had stopped at one of the enormous shopping malls that they have here, for food and essential supplies, $70 for 48 bottles of V B compares favourably with $10 a pint in the city and it was here that we smelt gas. No dramas, a new hose fitted and off we trundled one more time pulling in at a campsite , out of Perth, not far from the Airport. Even under the flight path it was quieter than it had been in Hotel Babylon! Spent some time stowing our gear in the very limited storage space we have, experimenting with putting up the bed and stowing it away. This van is a good deal longer than our last one, at 6.6M long, but slightly narrower. Whatever, it home for the next 18 months and we are beginning to feel like the Roaming Riley’s at last!

01/06/2011

Spoke too soon, as at breakfast the toaster blew up fusing everything . Another phone call to Greg was required! We did manage to sort it without having to return to base. More shopping in the rain( new toaster required) in another, even bigger, shopping mall, and managed not to lose the van in the car park! Elevenses in the Mall and Jane is now a member of “the Muffin Club” (overseas!) Shopping done and we are now the proud owners of not only a new toaster but also an all singing, all dancing new Gorilla, plus other bits and pieces.
We press on north thro the pouring rain to the ancient town of New Norcia settled in 1846 by Benedictine Monks. Her we intended to stay the night and explore the Monastery tomorrow but the are no electric hook ups left at the site. What good is a brand new toaster and grill without electric. We move on. Eventually we arrive in the small town of Moora where you pay your fees at the petrol station then drive to your site which turns out to be superb and very quiet. Still can’t use the grill as we haven’t got an extension lead as we have to fire her up outside. Did our chops on the camp barbeque and the veg on gas.
02/06/2011
Moora is a typical Australian country town where you can get pretty much everything you require from the few shops here, everything, that is except bread from the bakers. They bake once a fortnight now ever since a supermarket opened selling bread. At the local hardware shop we bought an extension lead and a double plug as there are only 2 sockets in the van. We have decided to stay another night here as it is cheap, clean, quiet and the laundry is free of charge. Spent the day reorganising cupboards sticking up hooks and repairing cupboard hinges. There are still a few thing we need but will have to wait until we are in a bigger town.
Lot of rain about, we are having to duck showers. It will probably stay like this until we get north of the tropic of Capricorn.