Oz Trip - Day 98

Day 98 – 7/8/2012 – Derby, The way I didn't want to arrive!

The flatbed truck was meant to pick us up at 12pm. We were up early so that we could pack everything up just in case it turned up early. Pat, one of the drivers from the company that was going to tow us, turned up on his way through to Mitchell Falls, and told us that our truck will be arriving at 10:30am to pick us up.

After we packed up and limped back to the roadhouse, we saw Pat there taking the wheels off his truck as something had broken in his wheel assembly.

The flatbed turned up and proceeded to winch the camper onto it. You just can't describe that feeling in the bottom of your stomach seeing your pride and joy being winched up onto the back of the flatbed.

Getting towed out :-( Also note Pat fixing the wheel on his truck - having a smoke under two big tanks of AvGas!

Jodie and I reckon that the place must be cursed because in the two days that we were there we couldn't believe the number of people stopping in to Nev's workshop to get things fixed, mostly replacing blown tyres. As the camper was being loaded up, Jodie was talking to another couple who had just pulled up. At that point they said that they hadn't had any problems. However after coming out of the shop they noticed some bits hanging out of the bottom of their vehicle.

Luckily for them it was only the plastic “bash plate” that had was hanging off. Easily removed and they were back on their way.

It was about lunch time by the time we ended up setting off to Derby. We found out from the people in the shop that the french guys had been picked up at 6:30 this morning.

On the way into Derby we passed Queen Victorias Head

Queen Victoria's Head just right of the centre of the photo

We arrived at Derby at about 4pm at the transport company premises and sorted out the paperwork. Before hitching up to go to the van park we decided to find a way through the back streets to to the van park and check in without the camper. This would just make it easier to get in once we brought the van back. It was about 6:30pm by the time we limped through Derby and parked the camper on site and set up.

Because it had been such a long and stressful day we decided to go to the Spinifex Hotel for dinner and quite a few drinks. At the pub we ran into the french guys again. They also had a bit of a story to tell. Their tow truck driver picked them up at 6:30am and was to take them and the wrecked Prado to Broome. However when the driver reached the end of the Gibb River Road and had to turn left to go to Broome, he turned right to head to Derby. When the guys questioned him he said that he was just going to get some fuel. But instead they ended up at the trucking company depot. When they questioned him again, he said that he wasn't going to take them to Broome until he had been paid! The guys basically said that they were being held hostage as it was the hire car company that was meant to pay him. So they left the wrecked vehicle there and were going to get a 4:30am bus to Broome to get to the hire car company to sort it all out. All of their diesel soaked swags etc were still in the wrecked Prado. They basically had nothing except the clothes on their back!

Davide, Francois and me

We had a few more drinks with them and then said our goodbyes and wished them luck.