After having extended our stay in Adelaide for another two weeks while waiting delivery of a replacement car, kindly being supplied by Land Rover Australia, we just received totally unexpected news. Out of the blue, a call from Land Rover in Adelaide informed us that a set of replacement parts had just arrived for our car – as much a surprise to the Land Rover dealership as it was to us. We could soon be on our way again!
All fixed?
The faulty turbo shut-off valve has been replaced and the car road tested but for a real world test we need to take the caravan back on the road again to try and simulate the conditions that previously left us in ‘Performance Restricted’ mode.
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.
Our plan today was to head 220KM south from Adelaide on the Prince’s Highway for an overnight stop at the town of Keith. This was our first move back on the road since our Christmas break in Adelaide but our Land Rover Discovery 5 car had other plans and we now find ourselves back in Adelaide.
Here we go… again!
Oh, not again!
We had managed to drive 120KM south and just overtaking a very slow moving car and caravan when the engine decided to go into ‘Performance Restricted’ mode… again. It couldn’t have picked a worse place – in an overtaking lane with vehicles behind us and oncoming traffic not far ahead. The only thing we could do was hope the car didn’t slow down too quickly so we could try and pull off from the road.
Fortunately we had built-up just enough speed to continue overtaking and move over onto a gravel strip. Almost certainly the same turbo valve issue that had caused us much grief the very first day we set-off on our Big Lap last April and from discussions with fellow Disco owners and a Land Rover technician – a known issue.
Towed again
So, we ended-up having both the caravan and car towed back to Adelaide and waiting on the Land Rover dealership to fix the issue once and for all. And this comes just days after the car had been serviced and the valve issue notified to them. Full marks to our tow assistant, though, who not only got us safely back to Adelaide but managed to reverse our caravan back onto the site – uphill, at an angle and with the car still onboard.
Coonalpyn Silo
By coincidence…
However, all was not lost. The small roadside town of Coonalpyn, where we had waited to be towed, just happened to be the place we had intended to stop on the way to Keith for a break from driving and for a coffee and bite to eat at the Silo Cafe.
Not by chance the Silo Cafe is located directly opposite the silos and a good spot to take a photograph without having to cross the busy road.
The cafe was certainly a good choice having just been extended and serving excellent coffee too. Highly recommended and very friendly staff.
Coonalpyn Silo
In the same way that many country towns are choosing to paint their local grain silos to attract passing trade, Coonalpyn took the decision following the double financial hardship of the millennium drought and the global financial crisis of 2007/8. And it appears to be paying-off with the Silo Cafe at least, which opened in March 2017 on completion of the artwork and has just opened its latest extension to the property.
The silo painting is unusual in being black and white in an amazing hand-drawn style. It looks almost as if drawn with charcoal or pastel but on a gigantic scale.
Painted by artist Guido van Helten using 200 cans of spray paint, it depicts five local primary school children but, instead of more typical portraits, it has been created with a sense of movement as if the children are interacting and exploring their way around the silos.
Looking to the future
Guido designed the artwork under the banner of ‘Hope for the Future’. It is hope for the future of these young children and the hoped for rejuvenation of the town.
Guido’s still painting
Just across the road and next to the Silo Cafe is a statue easy to miss and more so if you don’t look upwards.
Guido still at work
Using many of the LoopColour spray paint cans, Guido himself has been turned into a work of art and stands raised on a platform as if still painting the silos. It’s a pity he hasn’t been placed in a more prominent location closer to the silos.
Wishing everyone a Happy, healthy and peaceful New Year in 2020.
A special heartfelt thank you goes out to all the Rural Fire Service volunteers who have given their time away from their families this year to fight the horrendous bush fires around the country. And our thoughts especially go to the families and friends of those we have lost who, by repeatedly putting themselves in the face of danger, have helped protect us, stock and property from tragedy. Thank You.
We’re taking a break over Christmas and New Year in the Adelaide Hills with fellow travellers. Being from England I doubt I’ll ever get used to an Australian Christmas with sunshine and temperatures in the 30’s along with daylight until 8PM… but I’ll keep trying!
We still have so much more to see and do as we make our way through South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales in 2020.
So many National Parks still to visit, country towns, cities, beaches, painted silos, markets, cheese makers, vineyards, distillers, orchards, galleries and, of course, coffee and cake shops!
We both wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and New Year and thank you for following us on our travels around this great country of ours.
Discovery Down Under 