Day 53 - Chinchilla

There’s something special about waking up in the bush…….no artificial or mechanical sounds…….just nature.

Off grid adds that little bit of anxiety to each of us. Not the fact you don’t bath regularly but how much power is being consumed and will Mother Nature replenish the used amount the following day.

But, as one gets to know what uses what power you become that little bit more relaxed. And most of us have portable solar panels we can add to the mix if need be.

After a cuppa and some toast and Peter and Stevie doing their exercises, it was into town for a look around. The “toast” was one of those more relaxed factors.

I’m no sparky but I do understand that off grid relies on 12 volt power. The toaster is 240 volts so I need to engage the inverter. Doing so draws considerably more power from the batteries with constant use seeing the batteries completely drain in a matter of hours.

Chinchilla was another town that surprised us in terms of size and services available.

We were wandering the streets looking like bedouins lost in the desert and one kind local acknowledged this by offering a few suggestions of where to go. I do mean nice suggestions here. The tourist centre, the botanic parkland and the big melon. So off we trotted.

Before arriving in Chinchilla the Cottons presented the fun fact that this area produced around 25% of all the melons in Australia, so the big melon was a must.

Sometimes the smallest things can trigger giant responses (well to me they do). Given the big melon is such a big tourist attraction, the council in their infinite wisdom, erected a very simple steel pole about 750mm high with a bracket at the top, at an appropriate distance in front of the melon. The first ever tourist attraction I’ve seen with a purposefully built holder for a phone so you can take a selfie. Kudos to the council.

Next was a visit to the gold repository…..sorry I mean to fill the cars. The amount you hand over these days to fill your tank almost makes it feel like that.

A short drive out of town was the Chinchilla Weir, where the dogs were once again able to relax and run amok. All 4 absolutely love the water. Graham managed to get his drone up for a few awesome photos.

Lunch at the pub where Peter and I found our first Guinness on tap for quite some time. It would definitely be rude not to…….so we did…..twice. Unfortunately the Guinness drought has seen the “Split the G” skills dwindle somewhat. Both attempts were dismal failures. Once again another lovely country pub meal.

I managed to find a car wash so my chariot got a bit of spoiling before I headed back. Navigating back to camp saw me having to turn at Wambo St. A fun parody that Wimbo was seen on Wambo St. (For those not in the know, I have private plates)

Although not fully recharged, there was much relief in the power department upon our return……Mother Nature had done well.

It was my turn to ignite the camp fire this evening using Julie’s flint. I struck it lucky (get it?). I managed to ignite the accumulated lint from the dryers at Tewantin after 2 attempts.

A few games of Kahoots, an awesome apricot chicken for dinner, an even better apple crumble style dessert, a few calls to the family and everyone was happy seeing the end of another day.Read more