Day 38: Wed 2 Aug 23 - Mackay to Finch Hatton (Neem Hall)

August 02, 2023

Wed 2 Aug 23 - Mackay to Finch Hatton (Neem Hall) (Towed 69km)

Weather: We woke to a very mild 19 Deg at 5.30am in Mackay, and it reached 24 Deg, clear and sunny at Finch Hatton. Some clouds rolled across by mid afternoon with a solid 25km/hr SE wind, but it cleared again to become a lovely clear evening with no wind. At 7pm, it was 19 Deg and clear sky with a beautiful bright full moon.

As planned we got up, packed up and set off for the 3km drive from Andergrove Caravan Park to Yard 5 Caravan Repairs, arriving on time at 7am to have the caravan wheels / bearings checked out. After meeting with Mitch to explain the issues that I have had for the past 12 months, I unhooked the van, and he moved it into his work yard with a forklift, then lifted it onto 4 large steel stands to check all wheels. Once off the ground, he checked, and agreed the sideways movement on three wheels was excessive and needed further investigation. His diagnosis included a combination of several factors including, brakes were adjusted too tight on two wheels and too loose on another, handbrake was adjusted too tight, brakes were not releasing after activating on a couple of wheels (due to build up of brake dust, rust, dust, mud etc), and two axels which have holes drilled diagonally through them for split pins to hold the bearings in place are drilled off-centre and therefore the pin won’t go through at the ideal point of adjustment. Therefore the bearings have always been backed off too much to allow the pin to go through, and eventually the bearing loosens which brings about the sideways movement (wobbles).

Two bearings are now adjusted tighter than would be normally done, but I am told, they will eventually wear in, and hopefully run true. Overall, three blokes worked on all wheels at the same time, removing and readjusting all bearings, cleaning out all brake drums and lubricating key moving parts, and readjusting all brakes. They even repacked the tow hitch with grease. 1.5 hrs of labour and some very helpful tips for future preventative maintenance cost me $260. It’s good comfort and fingers crossed, this annoying issue is now resolved.

After reconnecting the van, we eventually continued on our way to Finch Hatton by 8.45am. Thankfully it was only a very short distance to drive (63km), as there was a lot of traffic and road works.We stopped at the small township of Marian with intentions of finding a cafe and having an early brew, but we discovered the only cafe in town recently closed, so we made our own in the van parked at the back of the shopping complex. With a piece of Noel’s Date and Walnut cake, it was a very enjoyable coffee.

After our brew, we continued on our way arriving at Neem Hall camping ground about 3kms short of Finch Hatton township. At $25 per night with power and water, it is a lovely location amongst the cane fields and backing onto the pristine Cattle Creek. There were already a few vans set up when we arrived at 10.30am, but shortly after another 8 arrived and set up around us, but not too close - there is plenty of room to spread out. We even have our own gazebo on the offside of the van for a change of scenery if we decide. Apart from the occasional sugar cane harvest train that rolls past the side of the grounds, and a bit of nearby road traffic during the daylight hours, it is a very peaceful setting. There are a lot of fancy looking chickens, three turkeys and some ducks on the property, along with a few dogs that drop by occasionally to say hello and get a pat or play ball. After setting up, we had lunch, then I had a bit of a nap (more a deep sleep for about an hour), then we had a cup of tea and a wander down to the creek, and a quick drive into Finch Hatton and back. Afterwards, I went for another 3km walk along some tracks through nearby cane fields to a historic local cemetery and down to a nearby creek crossing. Back at the van we had a very enjoyable chicken schnitzel and steamed vegetables for dinner, followed a quiet night.

Lifting the van onto stands to investigate the issues

Getting down and busy - all very helpful (no PC here though, I'm glad Noel waited in the car)

Adjusting brakes on the left and bearings on the right

An interesting looking devise (looks like home made) used to check the electric brakes

I used Yard 5 a couple of years ago when our fridge fell out along the Bruce Highway. It was very good of them to fit us in this morning and do what they did at such short notice.