FRIDAY 7 OCTOBER   BENDIGO TO HOME   245kms

It was a routine trip home, though John said he could feel the extra weight of the wood, when going down the range to Yarra Glen!

It was a real relief to get home again with the rig intact.

All was well at home. The house sitters had done a competent job of looking after the place for the months we were away.

The old cat seemed to be appreciative that we were back. I was happy he was still surviving.

So then it was the bigger than normal job to get the van and Truck unpacked and cleaned out – over the space of several days.

Statistics for 2005 trip:

* Kms travelled:    10,533kms

* Kms van towed:   6,304kms

* Cost of diesel:   $1,050.00

* Dearest diesel:  $1.70  Mungerannie Roadhouse

* Cheapest diesel:  $1.09  Longreach

* Accommodation cost:  $633.60

* Accommodation discounts gained:  $16

* Dearest accommodation per night:  Broken Hill Tourist Park  $28 (en-suite)

* Cheapest paid accommodation per night: $8  Adels Grove (special arrangement)

* Number of different places stayed at:  17

Note: these stats are skewed by the way we lived this trip. Had no way of calculating litres put into Truck from fuel drum, so no consumption stats for that time. So we have not worked out the usual averages. Likewise, accommodation data is affected by the months of free accommodation at Pungalina.

THURSDAY 6 OCTOBER   BIRCHIP TO BENDIGO   175kms

W finished the last of the repairs. The wheel was replaced. His bill was $560 – extremely reasonable, we thought.

Left Birchip about midday.  Decided to go only as far as Bendigo, partly because of the time of day, partly to catch up with daughter and family there.

The drive was slightly tense, hoping that all the repairs were good. We still had the weight of the offending wood on board!

Booked into the Central City Caravan Park – $24. Unhitched Truck from van.

Drove into the centre of town and wandered about. Bought some shoes for John at the Rivers store.

As we drove about, John realized that the speedo on Truck was not working. He found somewhere that could look at it, there and then, and was able to get the cable replaced.

We had a brief visit with the family. Grandson had grown so much. The difference between just two years old, when we last saw him, and getting on for three now, was really marked.

Through our time away, I had been regularly writing postcards to him and sending them out on the mail plane. Had taken a stock of cards with me, mostly of Australian animals and birds. He had carefully saved them all and brought them out for me to go over again with him. So it had been worth the effort.

WEDNESDAY 5 OCTOBER     BIRCHIP

The required parts had come in from wherever, and W worked on our repairs, in amongst the other jobs he had booked in. Our problem had disrupted his schedule!

We went for a walk along one side of Birchip’s main street, and back the other side. It seemed a very pleasant little town.

TUESDAY 4 OCTOBER     BIRCHIP

W had to order in parts, so only some of the work on the wheel could be done today.

I spent some time chatting with A, especially about the quilting work she did.

Apart from that, just filled in time at the van.

SUNDAY 2 OCTOBER     GOL GOL

It was now the month we originally thought we would be leaving Pungalina. Leaving when we did was better in that there had been some time to take breaks from travel on the way home.

Spent much of today seeing the places that John wanted to visit. Spent a couple of hours at the rock and gem shop, just out of Mildura.  John was more engrossed in the displays than I was.

Amused myself by taking photos of pigeons on a power line. They were amusing to watch.

Odd bird out….

Some negative body language here?

He also wanted to find a roadside stall that he thought he remembered from ages ago, that sold good citrus fruit. So we cruised around the town outskirts, in several directions, without finding what he had in mind. But we did find a stall where we were able to buy oranges and grapefruit.