5 April 2011 - - Robert Martin Memorial Family Centre, Londonderry, NSW

We woke through the night to the sound of rain, and still again when daylight came, although most of the dripping had been from the overhead trees rather than direct rainfall. The site was wet and muddy; a condition we abhor when it comes to packing up and hitching on. Taking advantage of the few fine gaps, we were ready soon after eight and after saying goodbye to the neighbours we had got to know too late in the piece, which sadly so often seems to happen, we headed for the last time out of Lane Cove River Tourist Park, at least for this season.

Whether it’s the workers or the school traffic, or the shoppers or leisure seekers, traffic in any city on a weekday is a challenge, and particularly in Sydney when one is towing two and a half ton of caravan. However unlike the roads into Sydney three weeks before when the lanes seemed so very narrow, the roads to the south west were more suited to trucks and vans, and so to us.

We arrived at Barnes Caravan Spares in Lansvale soon after nine thirty and they were able to get on the job immediately. We had the computer 12 volt plug in the dinette lengthened at the same time the awning was replaced, and this was all completed well within an hour. I had expected to catch up on the weekend and Monday newspapers, but this was not to be.

We set Tomtom for the Napean River Holiday Village in Emu Plains but found on arrival, that they were fully booked, with one space for tomorrow night. That didn’t help much, so we consulted the CMCA bible and found this place where we are camped tonight, the Robert Martin Memorial Family Centre at Londonderry close to Richmond. It is situated in a lifestyle rural, area; ten acres of open gum bush, with an on-site elderly caretaker couple and a large building which houses toilets and showers, a meeting hall and a chapel. Apparently last weekend there was a rally for a CMCA chapter comprised of twenty four motorhomes, however tonight there is just us and two motorhomes. One of our neighbours came over soon after we were set up to make our acquaintance, one half of a couple who have been on the road for the last three years after a heart attack reminded them that they were not immortal and that time was running out for dream realisation. This power site is just $16 for the night, half the price of what we have been paying over the past three weeks.

We have spent the afternoon inside the van sheltering from the rain that has hardly let up all day. Hopefully tomorrow morning will dawn with clear blue skies and we will venture out to investigate Richmond, Penrith and the Nepean River on which both those towns sit.