Note: this is a long entry, as we didn’t have wireless access for most of the time and therefore couldn’t update as we went along, so there’s a couple of weeks worth of updating here! I hope we can work out computer access on the road or I’m going to be suffering severe withdrawal symptoms!
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Well, the big day finally arrived and we are now the proud owners of a new 31 foot fifth wheeler – our new home! What do you think?
The lead up to actually going and picking up the van was very hectic. As most of you know, we saw the van in early February, and paid our deposit with the plan being to pick it up the first week in March. First however, I had to finish work, and we had to have a couple of things done to the F Series, and more importantly, we needed for me to get my final payout from work. I must admit, we didn’t think we would make our original timing as there were a few delays with the money side of things. However, it all worked out ok in the end.
We left Melbourne on Sunday, March 11 to drive up to Gympie, and we took some basic supplies with us (crockery, cutlery, linen etc), and arrived at Queensland Corvette on Tuesday, just before lunch. We had another look at the van and everything was fine. We were spending Tuesday night in a motel and planned on staying another 2 nights in Gympie in one of the caravan parks so we could check out the van properly, making sure everything worked ok.
We had to leave the F Series with the dealership on Wednesday morning so they could fit the hitch onto the tray and Queensland Corvette were loaning us a vehicle for the day (not a Corvette though, don’t know why not!). We were told the F Series would be ready by about 3pm that afternoon, so David and I used the time to look around Gympie and buy some fresh food and a few other bits and pieces for the van.
We got back to the dealership a little early – too excited and impatient to wait any longer. Kevin Thoroughgood, the sales rep we were dealing with, was very patient with us, answering all our questions, even those he had already answered.
Finally the truck was finished and was brought out to us. Kevin took David through the hitching up process – which took all of 5 minutes. Very easy!
By the time Kevin had given us a hand over, it was 5pm, and everyone was finishing up for the day. David and I had met a few of the staff members over the course of the afternoon, and were very impressed with how professional they all were – nothing was a problem for them.
Now it was time to take the rig out onto the road. It seemed awfully big when hitched up to the truck! First, David had to test the brakes, so we needed to find a relatively flat, straight section of road. Easier said than done. No flat or straight road in the vicinity of the dealership (or Gympie - I didn’t realise how hilly the area is until we needed a flat section!). However, David managed to get the brakes set nearly right, and any minor adjustments could be made on the way to the caravan park.
I was a bit nervous as the rig seemed so big and long, but David didn’t have any problems with it and said it was really easy to tow, with the F Series handling it well. We got to the park in a few minutes and found a good, drive through site to set up on. It only took us probably not even 10 minutes to park, unhitch, and hook up to water and power. Brilliant!
I’d planned on cooking our first meal in the van, but since it was now nearly 6pm and we still had to unpack and store stuff in the van, we decided take away was a better option. After eating we made up the bed, packed away dishes, cleaning stuff and food stuff. David then checked out the sound system and set up the tv. We spent 2 nights in Gympie so we could check out all the electricals, appliances, shower, etc. We thought if we found anything wrong we could get the dealership to look at it before we left. However, everything works fine and we didn’t need to go back to the dealership.
Driving through Gympie, no one seemed to pay much attention to the rig, probably used to seeing them around town I guess as Queensland Corvette sell quite a few of them. However, as we drove to Brisbane we started to get people looking at and waving to us, and every time we stopped people would come up to us and ask about the van. Fifth wheelers are only just becoming popular in Australia. When we first started researching them here we were told by a number of van and motorhome dealers that they would never take off in Australia. Fat lot they knew! We are starting to see them on the roads now.
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We stayed at David’s brother’s place near Ipswich for 3 nights which was great, as we hadn’t seen Rick and Carol for a few years, so we had a chance to catch up.
We started heading home down the Newell, taking our time, giving us a chance to get used to the van. We now have a routine in place and it seems to be working fine. David usually handles all the outside stuff (connecting/unconnecting power, water, gas, hitching/unhitching) when we arrive and leave, and I handle all the inside stuff (open/close windows, hatches, slides in and out, breakables put somewhere safe etc) and so far everything has gone well and nothing has been broken, so that’s a bonus!
We stopped at Moree for a couple of nights then went on to Dubbo where we were meeting up with Peter and Irene who we met on the CMCA forum. We ended up staying with them for 3 nights and had a great time. Peter and Irene plan on being on the road in a few months, so we will meet up with them somewhere else next time. While there, we also visited the Dubbo Western Plains Zoo which is worth spending time at.
A town we had passed through many times but never stayed at was Forbes, so this time we decided to stop for a few days. We checked in to the Apex Riverside Caravan Park, located right on the Lachlan River. This is a lovely little park in a natural setting, and we spent 3 nights there.
While we were staying at Forbes we went out to see the “Dish” the radio telescope at Parkes – it’s been about 12 years since we were last there and since then the visitors centre has been updated and enlarged, and a café has been added. It’s well worth the drive (26 kms from Parkes) and it’s still free.
We also had a game of golf at Forbes Services Golf Club – it was a perfect day for golf and the course is nice and flat – just as well since I hadn’t played for just on 12 months. My muscles were yelling at me the next day, so I obviously need to get out and exercise more.
After Forbes we headed for Corryong – to stay at the Colac Colac (pronounced Clack Clack) caravan park where we have stayed a few times before. This is a lovely park in a natural setting. There are new owners (Lorna, and her daughter Brenda, who are really nice) since we were last here, and without us knowing about it, the Man From Snow River Festival was on and the park was totally booked out – over 900 people were going to be there for the weekend. However, since we weren’t actually staying around for the festival (we had other commitments) Lorna and Brenda found a spot where we could park for a couple of nights. It turned out to be a great couple of nights too – the first night there was entertainment in the park by some of the festival performers – bush ballads and poetry and it was really very entertaining. The following morning there was a morning tea near the reception office and for a gold coin donation we got to have tea or coffee and scones with jam and cream (great job on the scones Brenda!) and more entertainment. One of the performers (and I believe she is also a judge at the festival) is Carol Reffold, otherwise known as The Patchwork Poette. Carol recites and pens her own bush ballads and poetry and is also a patchworker, and has composed a terrific poem called The Fabric of Australia. I loved this poem and had to buy it. However, I’ve left it in the van (which is now parked in a storage facility for a couple of weeks), but if anyone is interested, send me an email and I’ll give you the details.
The final part of our trip was to Baranduda (just outside Wodonga) to stay a couple of days with David’s sister and her family. That weekend was also their 34th wedding so we all went out to a great dinner to celebrate.
We arrived home on Monday afternoon and David parked the 5th wheeler on the nature strip for a couple of days while he played around with lights, check over various things and measured others so we can fit some accessories that we want. More on that later..