Well it was - in the word of Will I am - freeking cold last night!! As expected way inland.When the ice had started to melt, the RHHINO was fired up... for heat! Also to pressurise the cooling system 'cos yesterday we were loosing coolant! Quite a bit!
After half an hour one of the overnight neighbours... did I mention we had two when we stopped and 5 when we woke - came to check if we had a problem (with the engine running for half an hour and no movement). I explained Iwas warming up and pressurising the cooling system to look for a leak.
You may remember fro Fitzroy Crossing drama that it takes a LOT of coolant with the radiator 7 metres from the engine AND the inter-coolor is huge! Anyway found an leak to the right of the engine in small 1/2" pipes going... well I don't know where! Tightened clamp, leak stopped - or greatly reduced, time will tell.
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| Condamine Pub |
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| Change to Shorts at Taroom |
So north to Moonie, The Gums! Condamine, Miles - never been this way before; never! We got 10 KM before we had to get of the 5.5 m bitumen for 2x 8m yes 8m wide loads (mine truck buckets!!!) Miles is on the Warrego Hwy (Toowoomba, Dalby, Chinchilla, Miles, Roma etc Charleville) Crossed the Highway - it's a freeking X road - with warning signs for a KM!!! We stopped a looked 3 times!
Wandoan, Taroom (saw the NDB) Theodore. We are still on the Leichardt Highway (did I mention that leaving Goondiwindi?) And serious mining country - every second ute has a yellow beacon!
This is a big day new stuff, same lot of very little (AKA the GAFA).
Was going to take a pic of Banana - but the was roads works, I blinked and it was gone!
Here we had some DRAMA. Coming to a very f''ing narrow ford crossing 5+M - not a bridge having no sides and 5m to the bottom !!! with a road train coming the other way! Shit, he's sliding over our half! I head for the edge - close to the edge. Someone has den this before.. and the armco corner has been his and is hanging... We missed the road train, but not the bent armco!!! Ding on the front right bar, hubcap, bin cover rear hub and just the rear rim... Close; really close!
Then we arrived (and left) Dululu seeing a sign saying something like Mt Morgan road not recommended for caravans etc... heart attack in the navigator's seat... So we detoured via the gentle Westwood road for Rocky!Yes - somewhere around Rockhampton is out target for the day...
So... we arrive at the Rocky out skirts at peak hour (so it seems?). Yeppoon says Maz, place to go. It's north on the coast Rocky is up the river...
So at Yeppoon it's on the phone. Third time lucky a place to park at Klinka (10km south around Keppel Harbour) we are in a nice place for $40 grass powered site - it is school hols, peak!We are in, stuffed, ready for Hicks chicken soy honey and veges - beer wine, and a good nights sleep.
We only have 350 to Mackay so can be at Aardvark early Friday, no drama.........
OH and Happy Birthday Ali!!! XOXOXO
