Taree was on the agenda today. We first heard of Taree when my former boss and his wife (who Liz used to teach with) moved to Bunbury and were therefore interested to see what they had left behind when they moved. We also had a range of small things we needed to sort out after almost three months on the road, so part of the day was going to revolve around ferreting out the types of businesses we really hadn’t worried about much since we left home.
First on the list was getting some washing done, so we dropped Liz at the Laundromat and then set off to find an auto electrician. We had been running with limited use of the car fridge for the past couple of weeks as the second battery wasn’t recharging and wanted to get this sorted before the weather got too much warmer. As in normal in these instances the fault had resolved itself and the battery fully recharged since we left for Port Macquarie yesterday (the last time I had checked it), so it was a cheap fix but we are left just hoping that the fault doesn’t reappear sometime later.
Next was the ubiquitous Bunning’s for some ‘R’ clips and a PVC pipe cap to replace bits lost in the past couple of weeks as well as some more screws and bolts for general repairs, followed by an auto spares shop to get some replacement globes and fuses.
Finally we went searching for a gas plumber. When we bought the camper Coromal through in a Weber Q as part of the deal. We also got a gas bayonet installed on the outside of the van to save needing to unpack a gas bottle for the barbecue every time we stopped. When we first went to link it all together we found that the wrong end was on the bayonet lead and it wouldn’t tighten properly onto the barbecue. Sadly, while I had checked that the barbecue worked and that the bayonet fitted properly, I had never checked this fitting before we set off.
A couple of times previously I had had a shot at trying to get the fitting sorted but we were always either in too small a town or too much of a rush to succeed. At a cam[ping store in Whyalla they advised that there were actually two different threads styles on that size of fitting (which was a learning experience for me) and we obviously had the coarser thread when we actually needed the finer one – but they weren’t able to help any further.
This time we go pointed in the direction of Pirtek while at Auto One. I wasn't convinced about this as I thought Pirtek only did fluid hoses but figured I could be wrong and even if I wasn’t they at least might have a better idea of where to go. As it turned out I was right but they were able to send me on to “The Gas Man”, who was just around the corner. This seemed to me to be a significant improvement, but when we got there he was no more helpful than anywhere else (in that he shrugged his shoulders and sent me onto a plumbing supplies shop). From here I got a little more joy – while they also were unable to help directly they referred me onto a gas business that they were sure would have whatever was required.
When we arrived at this business we suddenly found we were talking to someone who actually understood what was needed and what had happened. It turned out that a gas heater lead had been included with the barbecue rather than a barbecue lead and all that was needed was for me to purchase an entirely new lead and everything would be sorted. As they only had 3 metre leads on premises we now have the ability to move the barbecue within a 3 metre radius of the van, but at least should finally be able to save the need to unload one of the gas bottles every time we stop. This also removes the risk of running out of gas as one can now genuinely operate as a spare rather than having them both being used simultaneously. Another important development before we get into more sparsely populated areas across the top. Given the chasing around it did also prove why I hadn’t been successful in my more half-hearted efforts previously. Needless to say we also weren’t particularly impressed in Coromal Cannington providing us with a fitting that had no relationship to the appliance it was supposed to run – but not much we can do about that from this distance I guess.
after this we had a bit of a tour around the less industrial areas of Taree but decided that we couldn’t see anything more attractive than where we were camped so headed back for a late lunch.
The afternoon then consisted of a few repairs and plenty of footy – including Soren the Dane joining in for an international game much to the enjoyment and excitement of the boys.
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