Takes us an hour and a half to Murray Bridge (JJ does it in 50 minutes - in a car and knowing the road). Through the hills is hard work; lots of 3rd gear hills, and the exhaust brake is playing up, so I have to be careful to control the speed on the downhills... without running out of brakes.Once on the flat at Murray Bridge it is easy running; except we have a strong gusty crosswind again!!! We stop for a short break every couple of hours so are regularly refreshed a bit...
We have a idea of stopping at, or near Lake Boga and checking out the new Catalina museum. By the time we get there (and wind the clocks forward half an hour) it is closed. There is "no camping" and it doesn't open til 0930 tomorrow... We will keep going.
So 11 hours 45 minutes from departure and 865 kilometres later, we are home.
We have been away four and a half months - or 19 weeks - or 132.5 days... have spent all 132 nights in the bus.
We have spent $3400 on accommodation - caravan parks.
The bus has done 17,558 on the odometer. Which corrected (from calibration done last year) is 17,295 Kilometres... has consumed 3659 litres of diesel, at a cost of $5908. That works out to 21 litres per 100 kilometres, and 34 cents per kilometre.
It has used less than 3 litres of oil - about $20. Has had one oil change costing $210 including the filter... I have replaced several bolts and nuts, worth a few dollars, and the water pump replacement cost about $1000 all up... one of those things... Oh and we now need both windscreens replaced... not quite covered by insurance.
The poor old Suzuki engine change cost $2100. Another one of those things...
So we have had a brilliant four and half month holiday for about ten grand (which was the budget) - aside from food and drink, which we would have anyway. We have spent $3000 in contingency for repairs...
We have seen lots of great place - which would go to again. And lots of places where we have ticked the box, and never need to see again. We have traversed a lot of the nothing much... and met lots of really nice, friendly people. Taken thousands of photos - including some good ones!!!
Having the house - shut down and turned of still costs us nearly $100 a week for connections rates and insurance - but we are not ready to join the homeless or itinerant... just yet. So for now we will enjoy the summer at home - doing serious overdue work on the house, and some modifications and thorough service to the bus. Plus, very importantly, 'de-cluttering'.
We have spent four and a half months with a few boxes of clothes, kindle readers, phones and ipad/computers, video player and a Wii, in a 15 square metre bed-sitter, and survived admirably...
We have so much stuff we don't need cluttering up our life, it has to go! Maybe that is the enduring lesson of the last few months: 'Stuff' is unimportant and unnecessary...
And when it gets cold here next year... we will be off to where it is warmer! But, it will be less driving, more staying put and exploring by car... Karumba and Daintree are high on the list... and then maybe follow the east coast south - as the temperatures increase.
You may have discerned that we have a gap in the "RHHINO Coastal Tour" between the QLD border and Adelaide... Whilst we have covered most of that by car over the years, we have not been 'motorhoming'... And of course there is Tassie (and February is my favourite time for going there)...
But , meanwhile, and more importantly, we have lots of great kids and grandkids to visit and keep an eye on...
