Cervantes 2

10:45

Note the date and we are also in site No. 66 so the alignment of the stars wasn’t good but then again maybe the stars were shining down on us. We were heading off this morning but our neighbour was ahead of us and chatting when he pointed out we’d lost a wheel stud then said he thought another one looked loose. When Alex touched the second one it came away in his hand so we have 2 sheared wheel studs and they are next to each other. The local mechanic advised against driving to Perth so we’re now waiting for the RAA guy to come from Jurien and expect him to tell us he can’t fix it and we can’t drive the car. I thought since we were going to be here for the day I’d do much needed washing but there’s no electricity today because ETSA’s equivalent is doing something out on the poles. Don’t know if the whole town is out or just the Caravan Park. Luckily this isn’t a bad place to be, there isn’t any wind, we have shade and we just might learn to fish!

Evening

What a day of phone calls. Our choices with the RAA ended up being either be taken to Jurien Bay with the camper, to a lovely man at the garage who didn’t have the parts, had no faith in the parts being delivered as promised & didn’t want to take on a job he suspected would involve removing the axle. We could have up to 5 days accommodation and a hire car for up to 5 days but hire cars aren’t available in Jurien Bay and they guy suspected it would be much longer than 5 days before the parts even arrived.

Choice 2, the car would be taken to the Jeep dealer in Perth & for $200 the Camper too, we’d go by bus and everything was up to us from then on. No accommodation, no hire car, as far as they were concerned that was us being delivered to our destination. We would have no way of taking the Camper anywhere, just hopeless.

In exasperation Alex phoned Jeep Assist and on Thursday we will go with the Tilt truck & car to the Jeep dealer, be taken by taxi to a hotel for the night & provided with a hire car for 5 days. The Camper can stay here, free, and if everything goes perfectly we’ll come back for it on Friday after the car is fixed. We’re prepared for it not to happen like that but the Pinnacle Caravan Park people have been excellent, never getting fazed as our plans chopped and changed so if we’re not back on Friday it will still be OK. Since Jeep  have booked us into the Rydges Hotel in Perth itself, if we have to stay longer we’ll be finding a different place to stay.

So, although most of our day was spent either on the phone or waiting for the next call we did have a lovely lunch, I walked on the beach and Alex walked on the Golf Course. He decided there were far too many trees and the Course would benefit from a couple of lumberjacks with chainsaws being let loose over a weekend. He really fancies himself as a Course designer!!!!

Offending studs.

Tern in flight

Pacific Gull, the largest gull in Australia. Has the biggest beak of any gull in the world. Thanks Rhonda.

You tell me!

Big, speckled gulls