Not much happening - off to a show!

Over the past few days we’ve been keeping our fingers crossed that Bertha (the motorhome) will be ready by Friday. The challenge is that the road worth certificate (RWC) for a motorhome covers it both as a vehicle and a home. Bertha failed on the gas compliance for the new fridge that the previous owners had fitted and the part won’t be in until early Monday. Hopefully Bertha will be ready on Monday afternoon .... at the earliest.

Insurance has been quite straightforward as there are specialist insurers for recreational vehicles (RVs). Their approach is more laid back than the UK and the process is quicker. Those may be famous last words if we need to make a claim.

Unfortunately roadside assistance hasn’t proved so easy. Anyone who has driven a motorhome may be quite familiar with the problem. Many roadside assistance companies don’t want to cover them because they don’t fit on a standard recovery truck. They either set size limits or simply just don’t cover them, Then there’s the cover. How far will they tow you to a garage, 50, 100 or 200 kms? After you have reached that distance, the owner then pays for the tow. These distances are not a problem in the UK or Europe, but is a real issue in Australia Then there is the issue of putting the family up in accommodation is they break down more than 200kms from home, for how long if parts have to be waited for? Bertha has double wheels on the rear, so I’m not sure that I will be able to change a wheel if we get a puncture. We have some cover through RAC Victoria, fingers crossed that we don’t need it, or, if we do, that it actually comes to our assistance. How do we contact them in an area outside of mobile phone coverage? We hope that someone will pass by.

On Friday we visited the “Brisbane Caravan & Outdoor Expo”, just to see what gadgets and gizmos we needed. Unfortunately it rained for much of the day, exciting for some of the Aussies who have forgotten what rain looks like, but all too familiar for us. We loved the OzPig for outdoor cooking https://www.ozpig.com.au/ and also a device for working taps on sites when the tap handles have been removed. Walking bak to catch the bus, we stopped at a bar to sample some of the beer.Read more