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Published: September 12th 2017
Stranded
Yes, there really is a road there...We packed up and headed out of Mt Augustus just before 7am - heading towards Meekathara with Cue being our next planned overnight stop. The road was dry and there were only a few damp patches that were no problem.
Just past the Landor turnoff (about 100km from Mt Augustus) we heard a noise and stopped to check it out. The wheel bearing on the left side of the camper had collapsed (gone). This is something that cannot be fixed on the side of the road (unless we had a spare bearing - which we don't). We were in the middle of nowhere! It is an extremely remote road. The only thing we could do was call for help. When we were preparing for the trip, because we were planning on travelling in a lot of remote areas, we decided to buy a Satellite phone - now I am extremely glad we did. We used it to call NRMA. It was frustrating explaining (over and over) what had happened and where we were, but finally arranged for a tilt tray to come and pick us up and take us to Carnarvon (the closest town that
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Oops, can't fix this one has a tilt tray and a repairer). They couldn't send anyone until the next day tho - so we had to camp at the side of the road overnight. We managed to limp into the bush next to the road and set up the camper for the night. Knowing that the tow truck would be there in the morning meant we could relax a bit and enjoy the peaceful night away from everything. We watched the birds preparing for the night and Kevin cooked dinner, then we star gazed for a while - the stars seem to be much brighter out here. Kevin pointed out the Southern Cross to me and explained how to find South using the stars (someone showed him the night before). He was also told that the stars that don't twinkle are planets (not stars) - I must remember to google this...
The next morning we moved back onto the road and got ready for the tow truck. We moved some things from the camper into the car, including the fridge - things that we would be needing while the camper is being repaired. The truck arrived just after 12 and they loaded up and
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Nothing to do but wait for the tow truck - good thing we have a satellite phone to call one... we headed back into Carnarvon. We stopped at Gascoyne Junction for fuel, and called the NRMA to arrange accommodation for the night at Carnarvon.
We spend the next day arranging repairs and calling the camper manufacturer to organise the parts needed. The hub has also been damaged by the collapsed wheel bearing - being a Chinese import meant that the hub couldn't be sourced locally. We finally arranged for them to air-freight the parts to the repairer - we'll be in Carnarvon at least another two or three days...
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