Hi all, Esmeralda is on the road at last!!! No stickers though I left them at home with my sun hat - not that I need that at the moment
I spent last night at Holbrook - rained all night and I had to puddle around in the mud and rain to get moving this morning. Has rained all day. I am at Cowra tonight and there is lightning and it is thundering madly with light rain. Not very fond of lightning or thunder - (or rain at the moment). Make that heavy rain and it sounds like hail too!!!
Off to see the Japanese Gardens and other sights in the area in the morning on the way further north. If the rain stops I might stay in Dubbo for a night or two and go to the Zoo. I can't see the point if it is raining though.
Cheers, Es
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Esmeralda
It aint over until the fat lady sings, and I dont feel like singing just yet!
Hi there Esmerelda, bad luck about the rain, but the 1 thing in life we can't control is the weather so just go with the flow, though thunder and lightning is not nice. How long will you be away, and will it be a working holiday or just because you can Pauline
Great news Esmerelda. Have a great time. Thinking of you. Just keep going till it don't rain any more. I got stuck in Narrabri in a horrible thunderstorm. It's very scary when you only have a light lid above you, different to a house.
Hi there Esmerelda, bad luck about the rain, but the 1 thing in life we can't control is the weather so just go with the flow, though thunder and lightning is not nice. How long will you be away, and will it be a working holiday or just because you can Pauline
Will be away for 4 weeks altogether but wish it was longer
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Esmeralda
It aint over until the fat lady sings, and I dont feel like singing just yet!
I hope that you get rid of all the bad weather down south before we head that way next month.
Beautiful day here in Brissie. Was supposed to be showery but was a great day.
Had a BBQ for a friend visiting fron Sydney... Don't want to skite .. but ... I will anyway ..
For starters we had pieces of the snodger (626mm) flathead I caught last thursday, deep fried in beer batter along with grilled chillie & garlic redclaw out of the freezer from last summer.
Mains were grilled lamb chops with a crust of garlic & rosemary from the garden with sweet corn baked in foil with olive oil & wholegrain mustard. SWMBO made a great potato bake & rocket salad.
All washed down with lots of Sav Blanc & a bit of red.
Apple pie with custard followed with lots of fresh brewed coffee.
For dinner I had a piece of leopard bread & a couple glasses of water.
Just another day in paradice ... buggar the global financial crisis!
It is over 30 in the van at the moment ESMERALDA SPRANG A LEAK!!! Thank goodness for the heater that I bought in Canberra and also for all the extra sheets that I carry. I have dried out the doona, almost. I am now drying the wall where the water came through. I have taken the mattress cover off and will try to dry the mattress a bit too.
Found a large spider too - but managed to get it outside on the mattress cover. I hate spiders almost as much as snakes.
I can't understand it because Esmeralda has been rained on plenty - may be it was the sheer amount of water - it was very heavy. Thank God for the porta potti I bought in Canberra 'cos I think I would have drowned on the way to the toilets
Your damp friend, Es
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Esmeralda
It aint over until the fat lady sings, and I dont feel like singing just yet!
Don't you just love those internal water features? I thought I'd sealed up every leak in Roma but on the way south the pressure hatch over the bed leaked on to the bed, so I spread out a tarp, and a towel to soak up the water as I drove along. It doesn't leak when I'm parked. Go figure these damn vans. Try to find the leak, bearing in mind it doesn't always ooze out where it seeps in. Water travels along the seams of the aluminium and oozes where you least expect it. I'm good at fixing leaks with Sikaflex Marine and Auto. Selleys Roof and Gutter is also good as long as you're strong enough to use the squirt gun. Other than that, I hope you have a jolly good time after all the preparation. You didn't pack your gum boots though, did you? Safe travelling and watch for flash floods.
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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
In my experience van leaks are difficult to locate .. for the novice like me that is, that is.
My first one was evident when water dribbled out of a light fitting. Was easily located by the Jayco dealer, who fixed it without charge. It was from a small crack in the sealant on the roof just near the light fitting. His technique to test for leaks was to put a sprinkler on the roof for a while.
Another was water coming thru the rivet head on a window winder mechanism. A touch of silicon to it & all rivets fixed that.
I have had water either forced up by the wind or by capillary action, past the window rubbers.
Keeping the rubber seals supple with WD40 or similar seems to fix it along with ensuring that the slider locking catchs pull the window firmly against the frame. I am careful to ensure that all of the screws securing the window frame to the cladding are uniformaly tight but not overtight so as to warp the frame.
Replacement of he window seal looks to be realitivy easy, though I haven't tried it.
I had another problem with heavy driving rain blowing up under the roof mounted air conditioner and into the air intake. No fix for that I'm afraid.
I spent the morning in Cowra before leaving at the Japanese Gardens - there was even a bus load of Japanese school children to add to the ambience. I had a bit of trouble getting photos because of the sunshine. Also flat battery because of the fridge.
I took a back road through Canowindra, and drove down the main street to see the historic streetscape - I think the bitumen must have been the oldest thing in town - there were so many cracks each bit was about the size of a bread and butter plate!!! 40km/hr felt like I was speeding. I then headed the back road to Orange - it was mostly in pretty bad condition, but some stretches were OK.
Arrived in Dubbo late yesterday (Big4) and look the damp bedding to the laundry for a wash and dry (very clean laundry) on arrival and finished them off with the fan heater - it was nice to be in a dry comfy bed last night. Went to the zoo today and had a lovely time - I went on a behind the scenes tour and I was the only passenger and had a very knowledgeable guide. Brilliant to see the animals in the various breeding programs and to see some of the giraffes, zebras and rhinos so close up - only a couple of feet away. It rained a bit today so it was great to be able to drive your own car around which I did after the tour.
Also when to an art exhibition - it was a travelling exhibit put together from various NSW schools. If it is in a town you live in or are visiting, make time to see it and it was well worth it. There are some very talented students out there. But I think it is in Dubbo until October.
Still haven't decided where to head to in the morning yet, but it is a right hand turn out of the caravan park.
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Esmeralda
It aint over until the fat lady sings, and I dont feel like singing just yet!
Sounds like you are having a great time, The zoo is fantastic isn't it. Took my grandaughter there 2 years ago this month. We walked some then drove around the whole lot. Don't turn left when you leave the Big 4, you will be on your way home again.
I am in a van park and it is off main roads and seems pleasant (not over the top, just nice) - I joined Top Tourist parks at Holbrook so I get a discount and it ends up $25.20 a night. Met a lovely couple in a Hiace who are heading home tomorrow, and there is another solo in an Avan on the other side and I will try to have a chat tomorrow. They are having a fish BBQ tonight but I am too tired after such a long drive today.
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Esmeralda
It aint over until the fat lady sings, and I dont feel like singing just yet!
