In borrowed wheels, the road trip continues north...

With Rocky booked in to be towed to the Dealer, and plans already made for Mackay, I knew I had to continue to make ground north.  I might also have been just a little keen to catch up with the family, having missed them terribly over the previous fortnight.  Thankfully my parents were able to lend me their second car for the journey onward.

It was a good decision.  After driving 750km the previous day, I had another 600km to get to Caloundra, and 900km more to Mackay.  My brother had arranged time off work especially for our visit, meaning I didn't have the luxury of sitting in Tamworth waiting for parts to arrive from Sydney. 

After installing a pair of new rear shock absorbers in the old falcon, I pressed on.  Just north of Warwick, I pulled off the road for a break at the historic homestead of Glengallen.  This impressive residence was built in 1874, and has a strong link with my family.

In 1904 it was bought by the Gillespie family, and my Great Grandfather was the brother who ran the farm.  My Grandmother was just three when her father died, and the property sold in 1927.  They were the last a family to live in the house, which over the next 70 years fell into ruin. Thankfully a team of dedicated locals bolstered with a couple of grants have restored much of the homestead to its former glory.

In the family we have a photo of my Great Grandmother and her three daughters somewhere near the back door. I tried to take a selfie in a similar spot... I must remember to keep my chin up next time!

One last shot of the Bunya Pines, planted by the front gates in 1874, and it was time for me to hit the road again.  Having planted a few Bunyas earlier in the year, it was a salient reminder that we have a long term plan for our little patch of dirt at home. 

And then before I knew it I was back in the arms of my beautiful family. 

It was absolutely wonderful to be reunited with the family.  In an earlier life, I spent a lot of time away from friends and family.  Now, I find it really hard to be without them for even a day.  We were spoilt rotten by Jo's parents on a delightful rest day. 

After a great day catching up with Jo and the Little Helpers, it was onwards to Mackay.  The Bruce Highway north of Brisbane has to be one of the most boring stretches of highway in the country. Unlike my previous few days of panoramic vistas over productive farmland much of the Bruce Highway runs through flat scrub. It hasn't changed much since I first drove to Cairns in 1998.  We got away at 5am, and had a gentle run up the highway, with plenty of rest stops.  

We made it to Rockhampton for lunch, and I threatened the kids with a tour of all the bull statues in town. Rockhampton is definitely in cattle country and it seemed every park had been claimed with oversized statues representing every cattle breed.  

Instead the kids went nuts at a great playground with not a bull in sight.

Our last stop was for a scoop of delicious home made ice cream just over an hour out of Mackay.  We were in good spirits, with the end almost in sight!

And at last we made it to Mackay

In no time at all we were busy getting settled in at my brother's place and the Helpers were busy catching up with the cousins. It also gave me a chance to catch up on the news with Rocky.

The verdict with Rocky was pretty much as expected, a split CV boot, leaking shock absorber and a seized air conditioning clutch. The Air Conditioner was covered by warranty, but I was politely informed that the CV boot was not.  Apparently such items only have a 45000km warranty - must remember to read the fine print next time.  The shock absorber was aftermarket, and covered by warranty too, but I had to cover the fitting.  

Thankfully Opposite Lock in Tamworth were really helpful.  Once the VW dealer had completed their work, Shane from Opposite Lock picked up Rocky and in no time at all had installed the new shock absorber.  My parents picked up the car Friday morning - and confirmed it was ready in all respects to get back on the road.  Could I have driven it to Mackay - probably, with a bit of temporary repairs to prevent the grease from escaping from the cv joint, but I am really glad we picked up the problem and got it sorted promptly.

If my brother hadn't taken time off work, we would have happily waited until Rocky was repaired to continue our journey.  I was blown away by the kind offer of many friends who offered us the loan of their car, or camper, or floor to sleep on.  It was all very kind and much appreciated.  A huge thank you to my parents who allowed us to borrow the blue falcon.  It was the perfect vehicle for the highway miles.

And so, we had a week in Mackay to enjoy family time, and some of the sights of the region.  We had a ball... But that story is for the next time.....