Fuel Issues

Tuesday, 25th June

Tropical setting 

Enjoying some sun and the view 

Nothing worse than sand in a sandal

Our morning started out well, but started to slide downhill a bit when we attempted to hitch up. There was no way that the drawbar could be raised high enough, using the loaned jockey wheel, for the tow ball to go underneath the hitch. The jacks on the front of the caravan had to be lowered onto chocks and then raised as high as possible while I slowly let the Pajero slide backwards and then the hitch wouldn’t engage. Himself eventually became a little frustrated and swore at it! Obviously the magic word, because the hitch immediately dropped of its own accord onto the tow ball.


Our next concern was fuel. We planned on refuelling at one of the roadhouses between Sarina and Mackay; pulled into the first one (on the wrong side of the road) and discovered that, due a tight turn being required, there was no way we could fill up at the normal bowser and not wishing to use the high flow truck bowsers, pulled back into the traffic and continued to the next servo. Easy drive through but then realised the diesel pump was at right angles to the others. Again, it was impossible to pull up alongside. In the process of leaving the service station, an overhanging sign leant outwards and downwards and removed a section of the edge strip along the roof line. Not happy chappies, as we now had a slightly damaged (but easily repairable, thank goodness) caravan and still no fuel. With the highway (or Doris, rather) bypassing Mackay, we were starting to think we would need to turn around and head back to Mackay when a big roadhouse appeared and had plenty of diesel pumps. As we were pulling across the road (wrong side again!), a police car (lights flashing) followed a car into the service station and proceeded to book the driver. The police pulled out immediately before us, heading in the same direction, and only went a few hundred metres before stopping another car – they were obviously on a roll!

The remainder of the drive to Bowen went well, the road was good and the roadworks were came across didn’t hold us up to any degree. We did have the misfortune to follow a bloke driving a campervan very slowly and without any thought or consideration to other road users. It wasn’t long before we had three large trucks on our tail and some time before we were able to pass the campervan – with a long glare which the driver ignored. We were then amused to listen to the truckies’ chatter about the driver – I think they eventually intimidated him into pulling over and letting them pass.

We are staying at the Big4 Coral Coast Caravan Park; we stayed him on the same date last year and we are actually on the same site! It is a lovely tropical park, with lots of palm trees and tropical plants, right on the beach front – very pleasant with such beautiful, warm weather. Apart from the annual Bowen Show, nothing much is happening in Bowen today, so this afternoon we simply enjoyed a walk along the beach and returned through the park, which is next to the caravan park.

Question: Why do people in caravans who like to listen to the radio and/or thump thump music, think that everyone else wants to?