213 - Is This End Of The Retro Roamers

O'h no not the Val

 

Is this end of the whole show!!!!!!!! The Retro Roamers, the adventures, the fun….….we must have run over a Chineman.

For whatever reason after our six nights at Copeton Dam, our future movements, were surrounded by a haze of doubt. Was it 20 star camping? Was it a sense of further rotten luck? Was it an another option for the bride to get to Sydney and Melbourne?

Don’t know……….but instead of heading west to destinations and excitement unknown…Na…didn’t do that. Believe it or not, with the pending possible gloom and doom, it was decided to return to the mid north coast, back to Glenreagh. Now go figure that one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So we packed up, taking our usual two hour episode, and then headed east, not west. So we just simply just back tracked the same route we had just taken two weeks earlier, with no stops. So three hours later we were back at Glenreagh. Now go figure that one as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well with great expense of fuel, just gotta win lotto and retire the Val, we arrived at Glenreagh. Did the usual two hour set up……… over this packing and unpacking big time, and just sat and wondered, why did we do all that!

To continue on, I did notice the Val expressing its disgust, in doing a torturous journey, up and down mountains, and was complaining with bubbling, groaning and farting. Put it bed however, with the bride and me settling in for the night. In saying that, I dreamt of that Chineman…mmmmmmmm.

The next morning guess who knocked on the door. Yep you guessed it, the Chineman we must have run over, and said the Val wouldn’t start. Sure enough, plenty of fire in the starter motor, but from there nothing. So with enormous amount of testing, with the help of others, it felt the problem was the coil. Now you just don’t buy a coil at Glenreagh do ya.

So we decided the best bet was to get the NRMA out to the property. Surprisingly they arrived within an hour of the call, coming from Coffs Harbour, however after much testing, it was decided the Val needed to be towed into Coffs…………feeeeeeeeerk!

To cut a long story very short, the Val was towed into Coffs, with the repairer, giving us a loan car, thank heavens. Twenty Four hours later, the verdict….a burnt out electronic ignition system, stuffed coil and a few bits and pieces for the dizzy. With great expense to the management here, the fantastic plastic groaned under the weight of the out going funds, coupled with the cheering of the banking moguls, ripping more interest out of us. The Chineman kept laughing, the bank account hemorrhaging big time.

 

Was this the result of the haze of doubt? Was it the 20 star camping scenario? Was it the sense of pending problems? Was it the other option for the bride to get to Sydney and Melbourne? Or just the Chineman with the shits.

Whatever it was, the end result was expensive. We are going no where extra fast, but as the bride said, it could have cost us big time if we were out in the scrub. We can argue that one, till the cows come home…..ho..he.. ho.. hum.

So at the time of writing this blog, we have come to a dead stop.

To be continued maybe., cause now I've got the shits!!!! 

212 - Inverell & Copeton Dam

Having a bludge @ Inverell CP

 

We headed off to Inverell, as our plan was to go west then down the Fossickers Way to Tamworth, then maybe onto Sydney. Well the later part of the plan as per normal, didn’t happen, however let’s talk about Inverell and Copeton Dam.

Well what can I say about Inverell. A nice friendly country town, and about 10 degrees warmer than Glen Innes. When we left Glen Innes we were given a few tips on places to stay, albeit no free camps, “not having a bar of that,” said the bride in tones that one has become very familiar with. We checked into Inverell Caravan Park, nice spot, small and sunny. We had about five days there and scouted around the town as we do. Did the usual walk up the streets, checked out the newsagents for the bride, went to the pub, and do what we always seem to do, is sit in a CP. I am sure we are doing something wrong here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

A gazillion flying foxes, that nicely shat over the cars and vans.

 

During our stay, were told about Copeton Dam. That seems good to me!!!! Now Copeton Dam is very popular with locals, campers, geriatric gypsies, fisherperson etc. The long side as they call it, is for the rich people, very expensive, and has all the bells and whistles. The short side is for the poor people like us, and then there is the other side, where there is nothing but bush camping. “Ain’t goin’n there” was the cry from the 20 star camper. So a couple of days before we were to leave the CP, we took the 14kms drive out to the short side, you know the poor people’s side to check it out.

 

The view from our camp site @Copeton Dam

 

My my! what a neat joint. Bush camping with power and water, a couple of dunnies and showers, for both sexes, and the views were to die for, and only a tenner a night. So we had a bit of a chat to the other campers, well spaced apart may I add, and it was decided, to head there for at least four nights before heading west. Even the 20 star camper was impressed, well, as impressed as a 20 star camper can be. (he he!)

Great spot

So after our five days at the CP at Inverell we headed to the short side of the dam, for the poor people, and 4 nights went to 6. What did we do? Nuth’n!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Just lazed around like a couple of couch potatoes, sat in the autumn sun, checked out the awesome view, joined the odd happy hour camp fire, and consumed copious amounts of chateau de cardboard. Gotta stop drinking this stuff. Now is this what we should be doing???? Even the 20 star camper is comfortable.

Cranking up the fire for happy hour

A bit chilly dear

 

Can't beat a good campfire and the odd red or 400

 

After six nights it was time to continue our journey………………………………..but as per normal with the Retro Roamers, there is a twist, and that twist is bigger than the plot out of Downton Abby, and I hate that show!!!

So stay tooned

211- Glen Innes New South Wales

Once again, we are way behind on our blogs, and where we are at the moment, just can't get any photos up because of poor internet reception. Hopefully the story will post and will try to up load photos when we get to a better spot.

For those who like old buildings, there you go

Anyway enough of that! After our last post we limped into Glen Innes into a CP. However the choice was a good one, after all the poor decisions made of recent times. A neat park, quite small, very friendly, but “Stone The Flam'n Crowe's,” it was bitterly cold. So cold in fact, all the brass monkeys had their unmentionables frozen off. How anybody can live there, beats me! But I am a sook, anything below 30 degrees, and it is good night dick for me, let alone trying to find it.

A bit fresh dear!!!!

 

So two nights, and one day was more than enough in Glen Innes. We did the traditional walk around the town, a little tired to be kind, and not being into old buildings as such...the walk around was quite boring. We have been to Glen Innes quite a few times, traversing the New England Highway from Brisbane to Sydney. Of course Glen Innes has a very strong Scottish heritage, known as Celtic Country.

 

 

The bride a bit warmer now, hang'n out at the Australian Standing Stones

 

We did however visit the “The Australian Standing Stones.” They are known as the national monument to Australian Celtic pioneers. If one wants to look up their history, “Google It” as I won't bore you with the details. However it was so cold while we were wandering around, even though the sun was out, my bloody teeth were rattling so hard, every time I spoke to the bride, the dribble coming out froze like the mist of the English Moors.

Now if I can get this sword out of here, You're going to wear it Pauly Poos

 

After two nights of temperatures that were unbelievable, we high tailed it out of the thriving metropolis of Glen Innes, and headed to warmer country @ Inverell.

More on that next, so stay tooooooooooooooned