'Wherarwee' in Oz: Log 15-03-14 On the Way to Robbinvale

Usually, the first day of our trip is pretty boring. We just try to get away from the ratrace, but today it was all excitement. We had only travelled 40K’s down the highway when a passing car yelled out that our car was on fire. We stopped & smoke was billowing out from under the bonnet, we tried to detach the car but we were on a steep hill & very soon fire started to appear. I threw a couple of buckets of water at the fire that did nothing, never thought of the extinguisher.

Within minutes tow trucks appeared closely followed by the police, it took the fire brigade over half an hour by which time the car was totally engulfed in flames. I would have removed all our gear from the rear of the car if I thought they would be so long but we lost all sorts of things as the back of the car was full.

Fortunately there was a slight breeze which blew the fire away from the Winnie so the damage to the motorhome was only slight. After disposing of the car & realising nothing could be salvaged we tossed up whether to go home or continue.

We decided there was nothing to be gained by going home so decided to continue, we stopped at Robertson for lunch & continued on to a rest stop just North of Goulburn for the night. Next day it was shopping for a new BBQ to replace the burnt one & then continuing on to Tumut where we found a nice rest stop overlooking the hills & valleys.

Day 3 saw us only progress slightly, travelling through the hills that make up the Kosiosko Mountain region, fantastic scenery around every bend, visiting places like Paddys River Falls & stopping at small country towns like Tumbarumbah & Coryong before deciding on a nice grassy area at Towong Reserve on the banks of the Murray River. We have had a storm every night but this was by far the worst, gale foce Westerly winds buffeting the van & torrential rain, we felt sorry for the 4 young people camping nearby. The storm passed quickly & there was only drizzling rain for the rest of the night, it’s amazing as each day has been clear & hot till evening.

Day 4 we only travelled 80K to the very, very small town of Jingellic, once again, another great spot on the bank of the Murray, only this time in NSW. It’s a popular little place with a mix of around 20 vans & motorhomes spread over this level, grassy area. The pub sits just above the area so it’s very easy to get to & has hot showers for a fee, better than our little bathroom but not as elegant. We stayed for 2 days lust soaking in the atmosphere but then our fridge stopped working so it was off to Wodonga for repairs. By the time we arrived the fridge was working fine so we pulled into a caravan park for the night, this gave us a chance to do some washing, top up our water, empty the toilet & grey water, it was also good to have a nice long shower in clean & spacious amenities. It was difficult to get into a caravan park as Wodonga is holding it’s annual “Chryslers on the Murray” festival this weekend

So far, apart from the car with the boat seats, oars, anchor & rope, outboard motor, dolly wheels, BBQ, crab & yabbie nets, the TV aerial has broken, the fridge hiccupped & Liz has lost her prescription sun glasses, we keep saying, things can only get better.

Leaving Wodonga we drove to Rutherglen for a look around & morning tea, they are holding a food & wine tasting weekend but we saw no evidence of it.

& so, Day 7 finds us stopping in beautiful downtown ???, we are 9K’s West of Corowa in the Collendina State Forest, still on the banks of the Murray. It was 31º today followed by the usual storm this afternoon, I’m loving the solitude, the bush & the water, Liz says, another gum tree & more water.