Albury/Dubbo/Bathurst/Canberra/Myrtleford

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Day 1 (4/4/2021)Temps: Max 30C, Min 11C

Departed Cranbourne at 7.55AM.

Traffic fairly light since most people are away for the Easter break. Decided that we would get a 2 day head start with fine weather & found a place to free camp that was not flooded with noisy campers.

We only had 4 semi trailers pass us on the whole drive, which included regular stops to rest, stretch & have a mental break.

Arrived at Jindera at 1.35PM. Jindera is a small town with a population of 2,200. At the local sporting ground they have a free camping area set aside for self contained RV's. The area adjoins the local oval, tennis courts, pool, skate park & wetlands.

After setting up & enjoying Happy Hour & relaxing, we strolled across to the Jindera Hotel almost straight across the road. We ordered the 400g Rump Steak & Seafood Basket, which were both gigantic meals. Three people at the next table did not even get through half of their meals. There was definitely no room left for anything else, except a cuppa which we headed back to the van for, followed by a well earned sleep.

Total kilometres for the day 381.



Day 2 (5/4/2021)Temps: Max 29C, Min 11C

Woke up at 9AM after a good nights sleep. After breakfast, we walked about 200M to the Jindera Pioneer Museum. This museum is beautifully set out with fantastic displays that talk about the German heritage as they travelled from South Australia which had little land left, to forge a fresh start. Definitely a few hours worth of time to take everything in as there is a lot to see. $7 adults, $5 concession is great value & you are supporting a small town. The Devonshire Tea in the adjoining tea rooms is a great way to top off the museum visit.

The heat here is dry & 30C feels more like 35C. On return to the van, we noticed that our charger was not putting power back into the batteries. Not much we could do as it was Easter Monday, but the Auto Electrician 500m up the road would be open tomorrow. The battery had enough in it so knew it would not be an issue.

We cooked roast chicken & roast potatoes for dinner, along with Happy Hour version 2.0!



Day 3 (6/4/21)Temps: Max 28C, Min 12C

After breakfast, walked down to the Auto Electrician to have a chat about our charger issue. About an hour later he drove down on his way to another job. The Redarc BCDC1240D Charger had basically crapped itself & while power was being received from our solar panels & the 4WD alternator, it was not putting any of it into the batteries. As the charger was about 2 months out of warranty I was less than impressed, but I knew we would be on power that afternoon & we would be fine until it gets replaced. The auto electrician refused to accept any payment at all despite going out of his way; exceptional country service!

Made the short 14 kilometre drive into Big4 Albury Tourist Park & got the power plugged in to bring the batteries back up to 100%! (MISSING)We set up the van & walked 2 blocks to the nearby shopping centre to get food for the next 3 days. We enjoyed Happy Hour (again!) & wanted to go swimming in the pool at the caravan park but it was maxed out with kids.

Went out at 6PM to the Albury Trots, where food is sold by the local Lions Club. Good food, well priced & served with good banter! We only stayed for 4 of the 8 races as we were feeling quite tired, so returned to the van for a cuppa & a good sleep as we would be searching for a new charger tomorrow.

Day 4 (7/4/21)Temps: Max 28C, Min 14C

Drove around both Albury & Wodonga (twin towns together either side of the Victoria/NSW border) visiting several places searching for a new charger. Wanting another brand other than Redarc due to it's early failure, all of these dealers only sold Redarc or unknown brands. What they did recommend was contacting Redarc despite our charger being out of warranty to see what they could do.

Decided to drive into Albury CBD first & think about our options whilst topping up our alcohol supplies. Went to the SS&A Club in Albury for lunch. Joined as members for $2 each, then saved more than that on the food & drinks! The Seafood Basket & the Crumbed Barramundi were both absolutely perfect. Then came Dessert with a Cherry Ripe Slice & Chocolate Mud Cake with ice cream.

Satisfied from our excellent lunch, we returned to the van to contact Redarc to see what they would have to say about the charger. After leaving a message for a tech to contact us, they called back. I advised them of the issue & they listened about our failure, before asking for some readings from the auto electrician when he tested it. I called them back with the information they needed & despite it being out of warranty, they would replace it at no cost. Further to that, they contacted several auto electricians to arrange for one to swap over the faulty unit at a time that fitted in with our travel itinerary. I was most pleased to hear that they gave the job to the first auto electrician that tested it, mainly because 1) he was a top bloke & 2) they wanted to give him the job because he deserved it after not charging me, plus he was local & changed around his work to fit us in.

So the charger is going in tomorrow once the new unit arrives, most likely in the afternoon. With that off our mind & no kids in the pool, we hopped in to relax until hordes of them turned up & took over the pool.

After a good lunch, we were not hungry so just had a light snack for dinner. A bit of TV & into bed for a satisfied sleep.

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