Monday, October 1, 2012

30 September 2012 - Buronga Riverside Caravan Park, Sunraysia, NSW


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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