Delivered at last .....

The weekend that we received the phone call that the dream machine was ready, we flew to Melbourne to check everything was as it should be. It was also the weekend before the opening of the Caulfield Caravan Show - hundreds of vans on display in the one huge venue. And, of course, it was the weekend of Melbourne’s most damaging hailstorm on record. Every van at the show was damaged but ours, which was in the dealer’s yard a few kilometres away, was undamaged.

The arrangements for picking up the ‘van in Dandenong brought their own dramas. Getting a booking on the Spirit of Tasmania was not as simple as we thought and we had to pay a bit more than we anticipated. However, by this stage we were so anxious to take delivery and start to plan our adventures, we didn’t count the cost.

We were booked on the boat on Tuesday, 9th March and could not return until the following Tuesday, 16th. That gave us the chance to have a few days in Albury to see Karen and Tony, have the car fitted with the appropriate gear and take part in a Tow-ed course.

We are great fans of the Victorian Government’s cheap fares for Seniors. $3.40 bought us day tickets for unlimited travel on metro trains and trams. It was only about $26 for a return ticket to Albury.

It was great to see Karen, Tony and Montana. Samara is studying at Wollongong University so we missed her this time but we had lots to talk about. Their house in Baranduda Range is a delight with a wonderful ambience and nooks and crannies everywhere. When we were there, the carpets had been ripped up and were being replaced so Karen had booked us into a motel in town. Perhaps she thought we were too precious to put up with a little bit of untidiness. Anyway, we enjoyed the visit and want to get back there as soon as we are on the mainland.

The Tow-ed course was a hard day’s work. It was about 35 degrees, we were on a tarmac carpark and it was difficult to concentrate on the instructions. The techniques are very helpful but it will take years before we have the experience and confidence to deal with all eventualities. Still, we now have our certificates to prove that we know what we are doing.

So, back to Devonport on the Spirit and the pleasure of seeing the ‘van sitting outside the house ready for our first trip.