Our time in Adelaide should have come to an end by now. We should have been exploring the south coast of South Australia but circumstances have changed over which we have little control.

Emergency Unit

Catherine ended up being taken to the Emergency Unit at Flinders Medical Centre by ambulance with anaphylaxis following a serious allergic reaction to some unknown source and then a second visit when the symptoms returned. Hopefully blood and allergy tests will be able to identify the trigger. In the meantime she has to keep an EpiPen with her at all times. And then it was my turn with my back going into spasm leaving me in severe pain for at least the next week.

Out of stock

And then there’s our troublesome car and the main reason we’re temporarily stranded in Adelaide. Our MY19 Land Rover Discovery 5, billed as the most capable 4WD drive car ever, though reliability, in our case at least, is not among its best credentials. Having had the transmission cooling system replaced when just a couple of weeks old, a failed turbo cut-off valve on the very first day of our trip around Australia, plastic wheel arch trim falling off and now we have another failed turbo cut-off valve. But this time it’s the end of perhaps the first Disco 5 attempt of the Big Lap of the country in one go.

We’ve been advised there isn’t a single replacement cut-off valve and its associated parts available anywhere in the world and one would have to be sourced from the production line, which, if possible, could take weeks to make it over to Australia. So it looks like our just 1-year old car will be returning to Sydney on the back of a tow truck… again.

We have no intention of giving up on our trip after 9-months on the road. Land Rover are trying to supply us with a suitably equipped replacement vehicle being shipped half way across the country so we can continue our trip, and in the process prove to all those naysayers with Toyota Land Cruisers that a Land Rover really can make it around Australia. As they say, time will tell.

Bush Fires

And finally, the devastating bush fires, although changing our travel plans considerably, have made us even more determined to complete our trip through the remainder of South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. More than at any recent time the people and towns affected by the fires need support and one way, personally, we can help is to visit and spend locally; buying from the small shops, cafes, restaurants and markets along the way.

All the funds being raised via charities and online donations will help to rebuild what has been lost but visiting the affected communities that rely on tourism and passing trade is equally important.

Again, our heartfelt thanks go to all those brave people in the RFS and CFS who are repeatedly putting their lives in danger to protect us and people’s property.