Testing The Brakes!

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Friday 6th – today PIE was going back to the Nissan garage to have her front brake pads and discs changed. We arrived promptly at 10am and left PIE in the (hopefully) capable hands of Chris, one of the Service Advisors. Although the day had started chilly, it had warmed up nicely so we had a very pleasant walk to the Westfield Shopping Centre. After wandering around a few shops it was time for a break so we sat with a cup of tea and some raisin toast, mulling over what our on-going plans might be. We seemed to come to the conclusion that, if possible, we should go all the way round, coming back down the Queensland coast. We are still harbouring an ambition to visit Coober Pedy but feel there will be an opportunity to do that before we return to the UK. We chewed over various other options but could only guess at the timings and distances to be travelled as we didn’t have the laptop or my spreadsheet with us! Still Graham soon came up with a monthly itinerary which seemed quite feasible and with my diagram, scribbled on a bit of paper, we were sorted!

We wandered some more and then had lunch which comprised of jacket potatoes. We had just set off on the walk back to the garage and were crossing the walkway over the main road when Graham remarked that it was at this very point last time that the phone went telling us PIE was still being worked on. Spookily, the phone went again and it was Chris telling us that PIE was still being worked on!! It would probably be another hour before things were completed so we continued our wander back but called into a couple of huge stores on the way. The first one was called Cash Converters where people sell new or good quality goods to them and they sell it on, at a good profit, no doubt. It was interesting as they had some really good stuff but we didn’t need anything – we were just in there to pass the time. It didn’t stop Graham studying the large array of beautiful and very expensive guitars they had. The next shop was a charity shop to beat all charity shops. It was run by the Salvation Army but it was 100 times bigger than the charity shops we’re used to back home. It, too, had some really good stuff, along with plenty of ‘tat’, but it was fascinating just wandering around and I actually bought a couple of things. We eventually got to Nissan with about 10 minutes to spare, just enough time to make ourselves a cup of complimentary tea and for Graham to polish off a couple of their complimentary biscuits. He was very good – he could have had a huge muffin as well!!

Unfortunately, there was a problem fitting the new pads on one side as a bracket was bent and a holding bolt corroded so PIE would be even later than we thought. Chris was good though, in that he offered us a courtesy car which, if we had chosen to, we could have kept overnight. We took the car – a Nissan Navara which Graham had often admired but agreed that we would be back later in the day. It enabled us to do some much needed grocery shopping and for Graham to secure one month’s supply of tablets using his new Aussie prescriptions. We returned for PIE later in the day only to find that she was still being worked on – a road test had shown that the brake on one side was gripping longer than the other when the pedal was released – pulling the car to one side. So the release mechanism needed attention. Graham was concerned about how much this extra work would cost but, to his credit, Chris agreed that it would all be included in the original quote. Having settled everything at last, we were just about to pull away when Graham noticed that the hand brake was not holding PIE on the slope she was parked on yet the hand brake was fully on. He went back in to talk with Chris and, again, PIE was taken back to the workshop. After a while she was returned to us but with the warning that the handbrake cable was now at its fullest extension so would probably require attention or replacement at the next service.

So now the car and caravan have both been fully serviced and we feel confident about our ability to complete a full circuit of Aus, if that is what we choose to do. But our next small adventure involves travelling back down the west coast, without Sweetie, to spend a few days in Bunbury. Sweetie will go into storage until we’re reunited on Wednesday of next week, back in the same caravan park, where we will prepare for our on-going journey UP the west coast. Now, though, we need to identify what is essential for us to take to Bunbury and what we can leave behind, stored in Sweetie.

We had a bit of a disturbed night as the strong, gusty winds we had experienced a few days after we arrived in Forrestfield, returned with a vengeance. We could hear awnings and other pieces of camping equipment being blown about but, fortunately, none of it was ours. Graham had securely pegged down the awning since the last time when we were both up in the middle of the night putting it away. He got up a couple of times last night just to check but everything was fine. The gusty winds carried on into Sunday morning but we continued our preparations for our mini-break in Bunbury. I defrosted the fridge as I was afraid that if it was left to defrost naturally while we were away we would come back to a flooded caravan, and it was a good thing I did judging by the amount of ice that came out of it! I did some washing and hung it out, keeping my fingers firmly crossed that it would still be on the line when I went back later! Graham decided to put the awning away early rather than risk the continuing gusty wind doing some damage and he oiled the caravan roof brackets to make the raising and lowering of the pop-top go a little smoother. I ploughed on filling a hold-all with what I thought were essential clothing and, as we were well ahead of ourselves in our preparation, we decided to go to Mundaring for a short while. The hairdresser had told me it was well worth a visit and a book of walks in the Perth area that we have, often featured Mundaring as a start or finish point so it was always on our list of possible visits.

So with the sun shining strongly and the wind subsiding substantially, we drove the 25 kms or so to Mundaring. Like Kalamunda, it’s a Perth Hillside town and, also like Kalamunda, it is a very attractive place. We called in to the Information Centre to see if we could identify the location of a short walk that had been recommended. It was at Mundaring Weir and the IC had leaflets detailing that specific walk so we drove off in search of the Perth Hills Centre where the walk was due to start. We found the centre easily enough but the actual walk was more difficult to locate. Signage was poor so after two false starts we had to visit the actual centre to ask for directions. Once the initial markers had been pointed out it was fairly easy to follow but we would have never found the starting point without help. The walk was very good as it followed the edge of an escarpment with frequent views through the trees across the Mundaring Reservoir. It followed the Bibbulman Trail, a well known Aboriginal track of many thousands of years standing, and we went as far as a lookout over the Mundaring Weir which was a huge dam. What the aborigines would have made of this massive intrusion into their traditional way of life heaven only knows. But the dam was essential for the supply of water for the local area. Even so, despite the massive construction, the water level was very low and rain is desperately needed to replenish stocks. We chose to make the lookout our return point and went back to the car to drive to the actual dam wall. From the lookout we could see people walking across it and decided we would like to do the same. The walk was enjoyable though not spectacular and we soon began the drive back towards Mundaring. We deviated slightly to take a look at The Weir Hotel – one of the oldest buildings in the area – and would have been tempted to stop for a cuppa but there was a wedding ceremony taking place there. So we completed the trip back to the town and strolled around the shops.

Like Kalamunda, Mundaring is a pleasant hill town with a lot of interesting shops. Many of the cafes had tempting “Coffee and Cake” deals but, in the spirit of our (Graham’s) new “resist it” campaign, we decided against them and returned to the caravan for a slightly healthier combination. We continued with the preparation for tomorrow’s departure and, all being well, we should be well placed for a reasonably early get-away in the morning. It’s quite strange planning to travel without the caravan as you need to be specific about what you want to take and we can’t take everything! But we think we have it sorted and we look forward to our adventure in Bunbury.

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Photos

Looking very smart inside PIE
after getting a second vacuum in one week!
Let's hope the brakes work OK now!

Graham getting the awning down
in case the gusty winds come back later in the day

The 'Golden Pipeline'
stretches 650 kms from Mundaring Weir to Kalgoorlie

Crossing the dam
which was finished in 1890