Well poor Kiwi-as, Lorraine & Brandt are stuck on the side of the road between Kin Kin and Pomona with a dead alternator.
They were following Deb & I when we suddenly realised they weren't behind us any more. We waited for awhile, then turned around and went back to find them pulled over with the bonnet up.
Nothing we could do to help, so we kept going to Deb's place and Lee & I went back in their Patrol to see what could be done. It was getting late, so after a little deliberating it was decided they should stay put for tonight and I'll go back in the morning and take Brandt into Gympie to see about the Alternator.
Poor Lorraine was looking for a warmer night at TCB, but they are stuck in a cold valley instead!
It'll make for a good story to tell their family in NZ anyway.
Happywanderer said
04:30 AM May 22, 2012
Oh, what bad news Beth. Hope it will all get sorted out tomorrow. They must be so p....d off. Hope you enjoyed your quick trip back to Brisbane.
Beth54 said
04:45 AM May 22, 2012
They seemed to have taken it in their stride Marj. I'd have been pi**ed.
We had a lovely afternoon thanks, but I wouldn't like to do it again. I was totally st***ed by the time we got here.
Travel Bug said
05:01 AM May 22, 2012
What bad luck!! Poor bug**rs!!
It's good that you and Deb were able to double back and offer some assistance. Hope they can manage to get the alternator sorted tomorrow.
Happywanderer said
05:06 AM May 22, 2012
Mine went on Myrtle one day heading home from Greens Lake. Luckily enough it was making a strange noise but still working till I got to the mechanic the next day and had it replaced.
Travel Bug said
05:09 AM May 22, 2012
Ahhh Marj...the joys of travel!!
Having said that...I can't wait to be out there!!
Beth54 said
05:38 AM May 22, 2012
I forgot to say, they also have no network for mobile phone or internet in that little valley.
Cruising Granny said
07:26 AM May 22, 2012
Technology is a wonderful thing - when it works. It just goes to show we still can't fully rely on mobile phones etc. I hope they got going again.
Beth54 said
02:39 PM May 22, 2012
I picked up Brandt from their roadside camp this morning and took him to Pomona to see about the Alternator. It can't be repaired so now we're waiting for another to come from Brisbane...tomorrow. So they're stuck for another night, but keeping their sense of humour. I took a couple of photo's of their 'camp' but the wheel just keeps spinning as usual, so I'll try to upload again later.
I'll head back over tomorrow, and hopefully, they'll be here at Deb & Lee's by tomorrow night.
-- Edited by Beth54 on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 02:40:16 PM
Dougwe said
03:55 PM May 22, 2012
Ah, mobile phone coverage. Why is it that man walked on the moon many many years ago now and we listened to them live talking back to us earthlings BUT we can't get a mobile phone to cover in a gully or in the outback. In fact, you only have to travel not that far out of towns and not have coverage.
Grrrrr.
Gerty Dancer said
07:30 PM May 22, 2012
Doug, we have only 3 bars on Telstra in our house in Canberra's suburbs, and none at all on Optus. When travelling its very patchy indeed. The mobile coverage in this country is a disgrace! Glad Kiwi-as had some help... imagine how it would have been for them without you, not being able to phone for asistance.
jonathan said
09:51 PM May 22, 2012
.. after Cobb & Co I've had a little more luck than some .. somehow I dont think it will stop the adventures of KIWI-AS ..
Guess what chillen .. I arrived in Mareeba at 10 am today after an early start from Fletchers creek .. I was able to get through in the "dry" .. but if it even rains just a little, I wouldn't wanna be on those dirt roadworks .. so if any folk intend to travel north via the Gregory Developmental from Charters Towers, please check if it rained the night before ..
But Mareeba has had minimal rain .. still looks quite dryish out here at the Rodeo Grounds ..
Jon
Travel Bug said
10:57 PM May 22, 2012
Beth...thanks for the update on Kiwi-as. Hopefully by this time time tomorrow their mechanical problems will be solved and it will all become a "campfire story".
Jon...glad to hear that you managed to avoid the rain.
Beth54 said
12:40 AM May 23, 2012
Ditto Jon. Little chance of rain in Mareeba. You should be right now.
Enjoy!
Thanks Pam. Yes, they should be able to move on tomorrow.
I was hoping they'd get to see the new baby dolphin at TCB, but with this rain about, the dolphins don't usually come up the river.
Beth54 said
05:50 PM May 23, 2012
Gerty Dancer wrote:
What/where's TCB?
Tin Can Bay. Kiwi-as is camped in my sisters front yard. We're all going down to the bay to see the new baby dolphin in the morning.
-- Edited by Beth54 on Wednesday 23rd of May 2012 05:51:30 PM
kandagal said
07:37 PM May 23, 2012
I so hope their problem sorted out ok. After being 'stuck on the side of the road' I know how frustrating it is.
ROWDYRABBIT1 said
08:01 PM May 23, 2012
you could have used your new u beaut generator to charge the car battery to moove on to a spot where you had the internet and phone at least ROD
ROWDYRABBIT1 said
08:02 PM May 23, 2012
Soz kiwias could have
Kiwi-as said
11:04 PM May 23, 2012
Thanks for your concern. Thanks to Beth we are at TCB. It only took two days to get here. Guess that is called traveling slowly and stopping to smell the roses.
Cruising Granny said
11:58 PM May 23, 2012
Are you in Mareeba for the rodeo Jon? Do you help out around the grounds? Friends of mine from Pt. Lincoln have been up there for a couple of years, and in 2008 I met up with them at the rodeo grounds where they were camping and helping out. Have fun.
Gerty Dancer said
12:48 AM May 24, 2012
What/where's TCB?
jonathan said
12:52 AM May 24, 2012
.. yes .. enjoy coming here each year for the rodeo .. its good !
Kiwi-as said
02:42 AM May 24, 2012
Hi all Kiwi Brandt here, Lorraine put the previous post up. Yes we were following Beth along, had to stop for some roadworks, and heard a scraping noise as we started off, which then turned to a squeal every time I accelerated, then I smelt rubber burning and all the warning lights came on on the dash and I realized the fan belt had broken. Coasted down the hill and the Lord must have been watching over us because at the bottom there was a nice grassy driveway to pull off into. Lifted the bonnet and belt was broken but looked at the alternator pulley with all black rubber on it and it was frozen solid. But the car behind me stopped to,see if I was OK or needed help and then a little while later one of the trucks carting dirt from the roadworks also stopped. He had seen Beth waiting for me down the road. All in all about five local people stopped to see if we were OK. That says something for the rural people. The people whose driveway we were in offered us water or anything else we needed as did a neighbor just up the road. When I got the alternator off, the rear bearing was really munted and had totally seized with the outer race gauging into the housing which necessitated a new one. One of the locals said that was the only suitable place on the whole stretch of road to be able to pull off. So here we are at Beth's sister and brother-in-law's near Tin Can Bay. Really enjoyed the hospitality and everything at Cob N Co. My apologies for having to do all the work on the cruiser instead of socializing I can't understand why the alternator was not squealing like mad when we left Cob N Co, and I did have my hearing aids in and they were turned on
Travel Bug said
03:17 AM May 24, 2012
Wow!!
Kiwi-as...all I can say after that is ...all's well that ends well! Pleased to see that you are mobile again.
Thanks goodness for Beth and all of the other nice people who offered assistance.
Hope your travels from now on are lots of fun...and incident free.
Cheers.
neilnruth said
04:21 AM May 24, 2012
Well Kiwi-as I'm glad to hear people stopped to see if they could help you and others nearby too. That didn't happen for us in the first 2 hours we were stopped when we had caravan woes the other week. Rather, stupid idiots were overtaking trucks as the trucks went past us on the edge of the road! No sense at all. Glad it all worked out and you see it as a 'smelling the roses' experience.
Beth54 said
06:58 PM May 24, 2012
Finally got this to upload. This is Lorraine & Brandt, Kiwi-as, at their makeshift camp between Kin Kin & Pomona.
Welll you two know how to do things don't you? You look quite comfortable sitting there - Billeeee and I are int he Boonah showgrounds, grandsons 18th birthday here tomorrow night!! Heading north mid next week - might see you along the way somewhere. Take care.
ken thomas said
10:49 PM May 24, 2012
Looks like a nice place to break down Might have to submit it to the camps book 7 Ken
ROWDYRABBIT1 said
11:13 PM May 24, 2012
Looks like a pretty hard place to take i think it is about a month stop if neccessary
rod
justcruisin01 said
04:29 AM May 25, 2012
Good to see you on the road again Kiwi, like the old saying in the trade mate, If it can , it will.
Well poor Kiwi-as, Lorraine & Brandt are stuck on the side of the road between Kin Kin and Pomona with a dead alternator.
They were following Deb & I when we suddenly realised they weren't behind us any more. We waited for awhile, then turned around and went back to find them pulled over with the bonnet up.
Nothing we could do to help, so we kept going to Deb's place and Lee & I went back in their Patrol to see what could be done. It was getting late, so after a little deliberating it was decided they should stay put for tonight and I'll go back in the morning and take Brandt into Gympie to see about the Alternator.
Poor Lorraine was looking for a warmer night at TCB, but they are stuck in a cold valley instead!
It'll make for a good story to tell their family in NZ anyway.
They seemed to have taken it in their stride Marj. I'd have been pi**ed.
We had a lovely afternoon thanks, but I wouldn't like to do it again. I was totally st***ed by the time we got here.
What bad luck!! Poor bug**rs!!
It's good that you and Deb were able to double back and offer some assistance. Hope they can manage to get the alternator sorted tomorrow.
Ahhh Marj...the joys of travel!!
Having said that...I can't wait to be out there!!
I forgot to say, they also have no network for mobile phone or internet in that little valley.
It just goes to show we still can't fully rely on mobile phones etc.
I hope they got going again.
I picked up Brandt from their roadside camp this morning and took him to Pomona to see about the Alternator. It can't be repaired so now we're waiting for another to come from Brisbane...tomorrow. So they're stuck for another night, but keeping their sense of humour. I took a couple of photo's of their 'camp' but the wheel just keeps spinning as usual, so I'll try to upload again later.
I'll head back over tomorrow, and hopefully, they'll be here at Deb & Lee's by tomorrow night.
-- Edited by Beth54 on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 02:40:16 PM
Ah, mobile phone coverage. Why is it that man walked on the moon many many years ago now and we listened to them live talking back to us earthlings BUT we can't get a mobile phone to cover in a gully or in the outback. In fact, you only have to travel not that far out of towns and not have coverage.
Grrrrr.
The mobile coverage in this country is a disgrace!
Glad Kiwi-as had some help... imagine how it would have been for them without you, not being able to phone for asistance.
.. after Cobb & Co I've had a little more luck than some .. somehow I dont think it will stop the adventures of KIWI-AS ..
Guess what chillen .. I arrived in Mareeba at 10 am today after an early start from Fletchers creek .. I was able to get through in the "dry" .. but if it even rains just a little, I wouldn't wanna be on those dirt roadworks .. so if any folk intend to travel north via the Gregory Developmental from Charters Towers, please check if it rained the night before ..
But Mareeba has had minimal rain .. still looks quite dryish out here at the Rodeo Grounds ..
Jon
Beth...thanks for the update on Kiwi-as. Hopefully by this time time tomorrow their mechanical problems will be solved and it will all become a "campfire story".
Jon...glad to hear that you managed to avoid the rain.
Ditto Jon. Little chance of rain in Mareeba. You should be right now.
Enjoy!
Thanks Pam. Yes, they should be able to move on tomorrow.
I was hoping they'd get to see the new baby dolphin at TCB, but with this rain about, the dolphins don't usually come up the river.
Tin Can Bay. Kiwi-as is camped in my sisters front yard. We're all going down to the bay to see the new baby dolphin in the morning.
-- Edited by Beth54 on Wednesday 23rd of May 2012 05:51:30 PM
you could have used your new u beaut generator to charge the car battery to moove on to a spot where you had the internet and phone at least ROD
Friends of mine from Pt. Lincoln have been up there for a couple of years, and in 2008 I met up with them at the rodeo grounds where they were camping and helping out.
Have fun.
.. yes .. enjoy coming here each year for the rodeo .. its good !
When I got the alternator off, the rear bearing was really munted and had totally seized with the outer race gauging into the housing which necessitated a new one.
One of the locals said that was the only suitable place on the whole stretch of road to be able to pull off.
So here we are at Beth's sister and brother-in-law's near Tin Can Bay.
Really enjoyed the hospitality and everything at Cob N Co. My apologies for having to do all the work on the cruiser instead of socializing
I can't understand why the alternator was not squealing like mad when we left Cob N Co, and I did have my hearing aids in and they were turned on
Wow!!
Kiwi-as...all I can say after that is ...all's well that ends well! Pleased to see that you are mobile again.
Thanks goodness for Beth and all of the other nice people who offered assistance.
Hope your travels from now on are lots of fun...and incident free.
Cheers.
Finally got this to upload. This is Lorraine & Brandt, Kiwi-as, at their makeshift camp between Kin Kin & Pomona.
Might have to submit it to the camps book 7
Ken
Looks like a pretty hard place to take i think it is about a month stop if neccessary
rod
Good to see you on the road again Kiwi, like the old saying in the trade mate, If it can , it will.
JC.