TUESDAY 5 MAY     CAMP BLACKMAN TO COONABARABRAN   40kms

After we had packed up camp and hitched up the van, John jacked it up, first one side, then the other, so he could adjust the brakes. He later felt that it hadn’t made much difference, but at least he’d tried. The van brakes did not seem as effective, since a new brake controller unit was put in, last year.

The drive back to Coonabarabran was really pretty, with some lovely autumn coloured trees.

Again, there was quite a lot of gear work involved, on the narrow hilly road.

Booked into the John Oxley Caravan Park, on the northern edge of the town. It was still within the 50kmh town speed limit, so the noise from trucks in the night was not too great. It was a large, park-like place. $22 a night.

We cruised around and chose a site. Unhitched – and then realized there was no water tap on our site, or within reach. So we hitched back up again and moved to another – which was the site I’d preferred anyway!

John telephoned the local club and managed to get himself into a bowls game, this afternoon. He dropped me off in the centre of town, on his way. I got some supplies for tea, found a shop that sold heaters and had a browse. The walk back to camp, in the sunny afternoon, was uplifting. Just about all was well with the world.

John enjoyed his bowls and some beers with “the boys” after.

Tea was pork in plum sauce, with rice.

I heard on the news that it was one degree here last night, and I expected it would be similar tonight.