How quickly plans change........

We drove along the highway for a few km trying to decide which way we would head after we shopped in Toowoomba when all of a sudden the car jerked a couple of times.  Bill slowed and checked behind and his next words were just a little scary "I think the van has come off the car".   And indeed it had!

He stopped immediately pulling up on the side of the Warego Highway and we got out to see what had happened.  The entire tow bar had come off the car and was still attached to the van.  It seemed that we had lost both the pins that hold the tow bar in place.  A man travelling behind us stopped to help and congratulated Bill on pulling up so well without any further incident.  It could of been so much worse!  He also suggested that the only way this could have happened was that someone had removed the split pin and then the larger pin had worked its way out in the few km we had travelled.

At first look we thought all was OK and we could just replace the pin and continue on but a closer look proved that would not happen.  The tow bar was damaged as was the front of the van with small slits where the jerry can holders had pierced the front checker plate as it bounced on the A frame.  There were also some dimples in the frame under the van so there was nothing to do but ring the RACV who we are insured with and they organised a tow truck to come and rescue us.  

When the tow truck arrived the driver, Geoff, was so concerned about what would happen to us.  As we were living in the van he did not want to lock us in the holding yard where it would normally go.  Other than organising the tow, the insurance co. was closed until Monday making it difficult to know what the next step was.  At that point Geoff decided to take us home to his place and park the van on his front lawn.  That way we were able to stay with all our stuff until we knew what was to happen next.

This I'm sure was absolutely above and beyond anything he needed to do and we will never be able to repay him for making our lives a little bit easier at such a difficult time.

And so we had a very unexpected week in Flinders View, a suburb of Ipswich.  Geoff's partner Abi made us as welcome as Geoff did and we were able to concentrate on getting the insurance sorted without the worry of where to go.  The assessor came out and the decision was made to return the van to JB in Melbourne where it would be fixed.  It was picked up a week later and travelled to Melbourne on the back of a truck.

And so just four weeks into our four month trip we were returning home to the cold, cold winter we had been escaping from.  Not really something to look forward to but we'll be back on the road as soon as the van is fixed and be off in search of the sun once more.

until next time........