PORT AUGUSTA TO ADELAIDE

Some of the beautiful pink lakes south of Port Augusta

Beautiful old farmhouse ruins

We even saw the Loch Ness Monster

800 kms from Melbourne - a day and a half - this can't be happening

My beautiful Prado

Towing the van to the caravan park

DAY 95 – PORT AUGUSTA TO ADELAIDE                     Wednesday, 5^th October

Well, today did not go exactly to plan.  We started off well with dear Kevin rushing to Woolies to buy the kids a selection of breakfast cereals!  What a gem!  So we all had breakfast and then a shower (with fresh, white towels!) and said our farewells (again!) and headed off in the rain for Bordertown or hopefully even further.  Best laid plans ….

The kids did quite a bit of journal work in the car and we got to Adelaide, filled up and then decided we would have lunch somewhere on the other side of Adelaide on the way to Murray Bridge.  We got part way up the hill to Mt Barker and then the engine started to rev very high and there was a terrible smell of burning.  We did not get any further up the hill.  The stench was overpowering.  So that is where we stayed while we rang RACV and organised for roadside assistance, discovered that it would need to be towed to a mechanic, that we would need accommodation for the next couple of days, etc etc etc.  It is probably the clutch but we don’t know.  Could cost anywhere between $700 and $3000.  Great!  

Anyway, things could be much worse.  We have RACV Total Care so the towing, taxis, hire car, accommodation are all covered (a bit extreme to go to these lengths to get some free accommodation but oh well!!)  Yesterday we were driving between Nullarbor Roadhouse and Port Augusta with no service and pouring rain.  That would have been a nightmare.  We are in possibly the best caravan park we have EVER stayed in – the kids are in kid heaven – and we are right on the beach.  We are so blessed in so many ways.  Just have to wait a little longer to see all those we love.

So tomorrow we will investigate a bit of Adelaide and hope and pray they can fix our precious Prado quickly.  As David says, it is a good thing we bought our painting yesterday because there is absolutely no way the Chancellor of the Exchequor (me!) would have allowed it now!!  Anyway, things always look better in the morning.