Helensvale

More Motorhomes have appeared on gumtree and Michael in Tweed Heads thinks he has the one that will be ideal for us .... well at least he communicates.

It appears that, in Australia, the highways department keep the weekends for doing roadworks. As we approached the main road we could see the almost stationery traffic. It gave us an opportunity to people spot in different vehicles plus Bun taking some artistic pictures of chrome wheels and the reflections of us as we went by.

The motorhome is a 1995 Mazda with a Winnebago body. 270,000kms with 4 litre diesel engine. Inside it looks a bit tired, but really well maintained and looked after. It feels wider and more airy than other we have sat in. The configuration will allow the bed to be a bed at all times and not have to put it away during the day. This may be the one.

While we expected to pay the cost of the van, plus insurance etc, no one had mentioned stamp duty. This is set as a percentage of the price determined by the state and based upon vehicle weight, size etc. Fortunately Queensland is one of the cheaper states.

The big blow was being told that it will take up to 2 weeks to prepare. All vehicles have to go through a test prior to sale to ensure that they are roadworthy. The test certificate cannot be older than 14 days so no one puts the vehicle through the test until a buyer is found. Any work required then has to be factored in .... not what we had hoped for, but let’s see what work is required.

We took the van for a test drive and it moves. Sorted.

On the way back to Brisbane we stopped off for some fish and chips (without the chips) for lunch. Met the pelican and seagulls, all of whom were well behaved and didn’t steal anything.

Drove back along the coast road through the Gold Coast on to Surfers Paradise where we stopped for coffee. Out of the window, several hundred yards from the beach, we saw a whale flipping it’s tail about. Not easy to photograph but wonderful to see. We weren’t expecting that and never really expected to see a whale from shore.

After that we rejoined the motorway. I managed to get the RWC England vs NZ on my iPad and then saw the end of it once home 😀, what a joy to watch.Read more