Thread: Right Oh, Brisbane.

How often do you find two parking spots, together in your local shopping centre.
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Thanks for a most enjoyable evening, fellows.

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Really sorry I had to pull the pin on this.

So were we, Steve.

That was an interesting week or so.
For starters Brisbane is just plain mad. I got lost about 6 times trying to meet up with Ian, he finally told me to stay where I was & he came to us. The roads just don't make any sense, & they just divide into other roads & head off into a different direction! Even with the GPS I was continually lost, very frustrating. The kids & I went to Indooroopilly (How the hell do you spell it?) shopping center, ended up parking on a street because I could not figure out where the car park was, then when we got in there I got lost again, after a large spend up we finally found our way out. Phew!

BTW A big thanks to Ian for taking us to BCF somewhere, then home to his place for a meet the Missus, coffee & a chat. While at Ian's I had a flat Tyre on his goat track driveway but he had all the gear for a quick change. Tyre apparently pulled the bead, $40 fix. Then a nice pub dinner half playing a trivia game. BTW The photo's make me look shorter, balder & older than I really am.

Took the kids to Sky Zone (& found it first go) & they had a ball, they are good on trampolines anyway, loved the rock wall climbing & racked up a small fortune playing Laser Tag. They really had a good time.

Then to pick up the Camper. Arrived at 9:00am, finally drove out at 12:30, a lot involved. Drive towards Toowoomba & when some clown cut me off when & changed lanes I got the nice surprise that the trailer brakes weren't working. Continue to drive carefully to Toowoomba, up the range very slowly watching the Nanocom temp like my life depended on it, did exceed 100 but not for long & it dropped back fairly quickly. In Tooowoomba straight to an Auto Sparky, Trailer brake controller had been hooked up to pin 2? 10 minute fix & another $40.
Spent the night with relatives & had a nice evening, the kids played mini golf for the first time.

The next day was just a horror! Set sail from Toowoomba at about 10:30, very heavy traffic & I'm still getting used to the extra weight of the camper + gear. Anyway the traffic was holding me up & annoying me when we hit heavy rain just after Roma, slow down & take it real easy then, the hail started! Besides scaring the proverbial out of me I could not see a thing, finally managed to pull off & sit it out, it was soft hail so no damage I could find. I did discover the car has 3, yes 3, leaks along the top of the windscreen, not happy. Then 2 of the boys wanted a whiz, so I pull over into a truck pull off area, the kids climb out & find a Kookaburra that can't fly, so we rescue the bird & put it in the car squawking like a mad thing. In Mitchell I make some calls & found a local wildlife carer, it's still pouring rain, get very wet dropping rescued Kookaburra off with carer.

Now, between Mitchell & Morvin it is hilly, not big hills, short steepish little hills, we are cruising along, light rain, CC set on 105 when up a hill the car drops into 3rd but won't rev? Would not rev over about 2800rpm. I muck about with the gears, throttle, foul language. It seems to be ok, back to normal after a while, go to pass a Road Train & NO REVS!! So I struggle on to Morvin where I stop, turn off the car & curse the Gods of Land Rovers, Hilly Roads & Heavy Campers. Decided to push on because I wasn't getting it fixed in anywhere near there & low & behold, all is good again, never did it again the whole trip. Anyway we get into Tambo after dark & find a Motel because I wasn't setting the camper up in the rain & dark first time out.

Next morning & we hit the road again headed for Cloncurry, pretty goods days travel except one of the bags strapped to the top of the camper disappeared about 20k out of Barcaldine, an hour or so driving back the way we had come found it in good nick & a stop in Longreach to buy better straps solved the problem. It is a long way from Tambo to Cloncurry, especially when you have to find a bloody bag, so, again it was after dark when we arrive & we had to motel again.

Then the final, relatively short 400k or so to Doomadgee, there was a huge amount of tourist on the road & some weren't even very painful. Got home mid afternoon & pretty much collapsed.

The camper trailer towed really well, once the brakes were fixed & despite the few dramas I really enjoyed the drive, Brisbane? Not so much.

I started writing this when I first got back but unfortunately a whole lot of stuff happened while I was away that needed immediate sorting out & unfortunately, sorting that out has left me short handed at work so this is the first chance I have had to complete the saga.

I have now been there & done that.

Jonesfam
PS Ian I haven't forgotten the shirt.

Originally Posted by jonesfam

Now, between Mitchell & Morvin it is hilly, not big hills, short steepish little hills, we are cruising along, light rain, CC set on 105 when up a hill the car drops into 3rd but won't rev? Would not rev over about 2800rpm. I muck about with the gears, throttle, foul language. It seems to be ok, back to normal after a while, go to pass a Road Train & NO REVS!! So I struggle on to Morvin where I stop, turn off the car & curse the Gods of Land Rovers, Hilly Roads & Heavy Campers. Decided to push on because I wasn't getting it fixed in anywhere near there & low & behold, all is good again, never did it again the whole trip. Anyway we get into Tambo after dark & find a Motel because I wasn't setting the camper up in the rain & dark first time out.

Moisture from the windscreen leaks getting the fusebox or electrickery wet?

Pleased the boys had a good time.