The weather held out for us to pack up and move camp across to the other
side of the park. Soon after 10 am we set off into Mildura and spent an hour
standing in the mall listening to twenty minute stints of various country
singers before returning to rescue the land cruiser from the wrath of the
ticketing officer who was busy chalking tyres. It had been evident from the
bulk of the audience in the mall that deck chairs were the order of the day if
one did not normally get about with a walker, and so we drove down to the wharf
area and set off for the new sound shell like structure in Nowingi Place armed
with our chairs, eski and jackets. There we waited for the concert to begin at
midday and watched the crowds slowly gather. While there were eventually
several hundred keen fans, we were all very sparsely spread over the vast
grassed area, surely quite disconcerting for the performers.
As the afternoon progressed, the clouds continued to cover the sky and
the temperatures seemed to plummet rather than rise as one would normally
expect. Chris returned to the cruiser to retrieve a couple of his jackets which
we donned over the top of those we were already wearing. And then the sun came
out for about half an hour before a huge squall bringing yet another tease of
rain. The singer on stage, all very suave in his jeans, checked shirt and
Stetson, was suddenly revealed as an aging bald chap and music sheets blew
across the stage and into the crowds. It all became too much for us and so
after having spent about five hours all up, we retired back to camp.
Yesterday we sat over breakfast and mulled over yet more alternatives,
finally deciding to stay on yet another day. We booked and paid as we left the
park for the Centro Shopping Centre where we re-provisioned.
We then checked out a couple of stores selling televisions to suss out
prices and options coming away with a brand new appliance. Chris has been
quietly (and not so quietly) lamenting the randomness of the television
reception. Often we have not been able to receive Channel Nine and more
recently that along with the ABC channels. Given that most of our viewing is
via the ABC or SBS, this has meant we have missed much we would have liked to
see. I personally can live with that; my priority is the computer and internet,
with reading matter coming a close second.
At one point of the curmudgeonly grumbling, I retorted, “Then let’s buy
a new television!” And so we have.
A television came with our brand new van when we purchased it; a “Kogan”
which it seems would have been purchased in bulk off the internet for a song.
There are a variety of commentaries to be heard regarding these, many not that complimentary;
however they are far cheaper than anything you can buy in a shop. It seems that
they scan in gaps of nine whatsits instead of the normal eight; hence it does
not pick up the weaker signals. Given the conditions our television is required
to work with, this is frequently a problem.
I was most impressed with Chris’s negotiating skills; we came away with
the set 32% less than the marked price, which means the transition has not hurt
as much as it might otherwise have. We have the “old” one advertised for sale
up at the ablution block; hopefully someone else will not be as picky.
We returned to the caravan park with our booty, had lunch and then set
off back across the river to Nowingi Place and spent another afternoon sitting
in our deck chairs, wrapped in wind proof wet weather gear. During the course
of the proceedings there were interruptions by one of the backing guitarists
who amazingly seemed able to perform whilst listening to the score of the AFL
final. Given that each singer arrived on stage with their music score
unrehearsed, this was quite incredible. Most of the audience were obviously
torn between returning to their accommodation to watch the game live on
television and attending the festival which they had been looking forward to
since the last one. The running commentary provided a good compromise.
We stayed until the second to last performance and huddled in the
cooling wind listening to a couple of wonderful girls from Gore, New Zealand,
the Heartley sisters, before returning once more to camp.
It had rained during the previous night however the sun made
intermittent appearances all day, enough to keep the power supply up through
the solar panels. Chris was relatively happy to see the battery power levels
reading a satisfactory 13.7 volts.
Sunday morning dawned clear and cold at 4 degrees. We had slept well
under a mountain of woollen blankets, winceyette and duvets and so were not too
inconvenienced by the lack of electric heating.
Chris was keen to install the new television which included packing up
the old with all the accessories in a box for a hopeful sale. The accessories
proved a challenge, stashed away in corners of the caravan rarely visited.
Finally all was sorted and we posted “For Sale” signs on the walls of the men’s
ablutions in the belief that it is men who will be wooed by the promise of
television. Women seem to be happy with their books, crochet or computers.
After this we went for a wander along the river side beyond a gate on
the boundary of the camp, along to the weir and Lock Island, but on the
northern edge. There is absolutely no doubt that the water levels are high; we
are privileged to witness this wealth of water in the mallee country.
We set off into town and were set up with our deck chairs and eski full
of lunch by midday along with more than a thousand others. The entertainment
started at the Nowingi Place right on midday and the crowds kept on coming and
we enjoyed every minute of it all until we decided to head home just before
four thirty in time to watch the grand final of the Rugby League being played
in Sydney at 5 pm.
Alas the reception was not great, however we were able to get the gist
of what was happening and see the Melbourne Storm beat the Sydney Bulldogs.
Most days here in this wonderful country are just perfect and every day
with my husband touring is equally so, however there is sometimes a “but” and
today was such a one; as we started the vehicle to head into town to the
festival, the engine struggled to turn over; the battery has been sounding
dodgy for a few days. We have considered the likelihood of having to stay yet another
day and deal with this problem. The solution will include new batteries, thus
increasing our contribution to the area, one we could do without. However we will see what tomorrow brings.
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