McCulloch Family Giant Leap: Unresolved Hot Water Dramas

As I had managed to do a few extra sessions of school on Monday we had planned to go and explore Whalers Way on Tuesday after Hamish’s on-air lesson. So I took Kayla out and managed to knock over a few odd jobs that we needed to do and then once Hamish had completed his on-air lesson we packed up a picnic lunch and headed out. Whalers Way is a scenic drive which is only about 14km one way and the start is only about 35km from Port Lincoln. I was a bit apprehensive about the condition of the road but it was all fine. Yes a little sandy in parts and a little rough but nothing bad at all. You need to get a key from the tourist Information Centre and it costs $30 to do.

Little bit of info.

The shed at the entrance.

Yep feeling the love.

The views off the cliffs can be quite spectacular, but it isn’t really a place to visit with young kids nor if you are scared of heights. I am not the biggest fan of heights but am okay with them as long as there is a railing. Well I think I only saw a whole two railings of which they could easily be walked around out of all the lookouts we went to so there was no way the kids were getting out of the car. Thankfully they were happy to watch a DVD and eat instead. So one of us would walk in and check it out and then swap over with the other. Mind you one of the ones I went into just seem to drop off, no warning and no real set path, so to me it was an accident waiting to happen and I wasn’t comfortable and hot tailed it out of there.

Lots of cliff edges with no barriers.

Beautiful scenery but glad the kids were in the car.

Such a rugged coastline.

They tried to build a road but this sinkhole formed right in the middle.

Check out this natural crack in the rocks.

More warning signs.

After a while we had seen the majority of the sights so we called it quits and headed back into town to return the key. Kayla fell asleep on the way home which meant we were going to face another late night and then when she woke up, Hamish fell asleep for the last little bit of the trip home. Yep it is definitely going to be a late night. So once home we decided to lie down and relax for a bit as it had been a big day. As we were lying down the power went in our caravan. I thought that was odd and just assumed the whole van park had gone. Jason checked the safety switch and didn’t think this was the case. This was confirmed by our neighbours who said they still had power. Just great, what was wrong now!

From the top of the hill in the caravan park looking down.

So we had to switch off and unplugged all the power points and slowly we plugged them back in, one by one. In the end it was the hot water system that was setting it off. Oh dear, had all those really long hot showers I had been killing it! On ringing the caravan people they said that it sounded like the element had gone which is disappointing because it is only five months old. Still it is a warranty fix so we thought we could get the same guys out to fix it. Unfortunately not as that proved to be another drama as even though the Brisbane shop recommended using them, they would charge us and we would have to try and claim the warranty. Instead it was recommended we go to someone who will directly charge dometic/truma being a warranty job! After a few phone calls Jason found a guy in town who would do that and asked if we could bring the van in!

Not really what I wanted to hear late on a Tuesday afternoon so we quickly rushed and packed up in record time. Mind you all the chairs and everything outside was just moved to one side so we could get the van out. I also quickly packed up the school books and some snacks as I thought it would be easier keeping the kids at the van park and doing another school lesson with Hamish. So off Jason set and I went and read up and did some school with Hamish. Jason called me within 45 minutes saying that they thought it was the element but because of the location of our hot water system it could take a while to fix and they couldn’t fit us in until Thursday so he was coming back. Oh and guess what they refer to these Truma hot water systems – trauma Trumas! Nice – I think they have had to fix a lot of them.

On a good note though we can use the hot water on gas, so we can still shower and wash up easily in the van, but it just means we have to pack up the van and take it back in on Thursday. I guess we should just be grateful that we are in a place where it can easily be fixed. Once Jason was back and we were set up again we decided on takeaway for dinner. It was just easier and neither of us was really in the mood for cooking something. We just really would love a month of nothing going wrong or needing to be changed. Still we are luckier than some and when you talk to everyone this is just another day in the caravanning life! Though really I could do without it!

A new day and I must admit I am a bit on edge with everything, just wondering what is going to go next! Though realistically there is no time to worry about it as there is school that needs to be done and today we have booked in for a tour of a fish factory. I wasn’t organised and did not prepare the night before, so I was a little slow in starting but eventually we got our momentum going and managed to get through a few sessions before his on air lesson. The on air lesson was good but trying to get Hamish to stay focused and listen is hard, but hopefully with time he will learn to be more attentive and not rush into the tasks.

So we excused ourselves a little early from the lesson to get to the fish factory tour. We were all assigned a lovely white netted hat which we thought would be hard to convince Kayla to keep on her head but she didn’t seem to bothered. First we enjoyed a little explanation of the fishing area and what they mainly catch. I learnt two things, that Port Lincoln has the most millionaires per population in Australia and also has the largest fishing fleet. That might explain some of those very nice big houses on the marina (hence why one tuna fisherman could afford a very well known racehorse called Makybe Diva). The tour took us out the back and showed us all the different fish that come through. The King George Whiting are all caught on hand lines (no nets) so you gain an appreciation as to why they cost so much.

Stylish hats.

This is what we have been trying to catch.

The days price of fish (that they pay to the fishermen).

There was a tasting of Coffin Bay Oysters and then we moved into the room where they fillet the fish and peel the prawns. My gosh, those people are very skilled and I couldn’t get over how fast and efficient they were. Even though tuna is bread down in Port Lincoln, most of it goes overseas to the Japanese who pay top dollar for it. As it is so expensive, most of the shops like theirs can only sell the seconds, which are still expensive. So I am now guessing the really big houses with the massive boats are the tuna farmers! Okay I am just speculating here but still for how much money this town has, it certainly isn’t showy.

Hamish loved being able to touch all the fish and shark.

Jason trying a Coffin Bay oyster.

These guys were so fast at filleting the fish.

To end the tour we got to have a tasting of their different pickled and smoked products. I wasn’t keen to let the kids have the prawns and other shellfish so I ordered them some calamari and chips. What I did get to sample on my return was delicious, especially the smoked fish. Honestly if you are in Port Lincoln then I highly recommend this tour. It only goes for an hour but the kids really enjoyed it. We only had one toilet stop by Hamish of which Kayla cracked it because she could no longer see Hamish and so Jason had to bring her to the toilet too. We did have to convince Kayla a few times to keep the netting hat on but all in all it was a big success and Hamish really enjoyed getting to touch the different fish.

The girls in charge of peeling the prawns.

One of the tasting plates.

The afternoon was spent finishing the day’s school before the boys headed down to try their luck at catching squid. I thought I would take Kayla for another walk which obviously was a stupid decision as she fell asleep again. One day I am going to learn my lesson the first time. I did try to keep her awake but in the end it was hopeless she was out like a blown lightbulb. So I decided to enjoy the peace and quiet and return to the pier where the boys were fishing. Hamish decided to go down and play on the beach and collect a million rocks to load the stroller up with. I was not in the good books when I refused to take them all home. Mate we are trying to lighten the load not push our limits!

Could sit here all day.

The jetty the boys were fishing from.

Hamish having a break from fishing.

I must admit I saw the mobile caravan repair guy rock up to look at someone else’s van and you do find a bit of comfort in knowing you aren’t the only ones who have issues. Gosh you just have to talk to any other person here and they can list all the issues they have had. Even talking to the family near us, who are also travelling and teaching their kids, they have had heaps of fixes to their Jayco already, so it is just part and parcel of being on the road. I don’t even know the brand of the one next door but their oven fell apart the first time they took it off road (and yes it is meant to go off road).

I had been a little worried that I had may have been silly booking so long in Port Lincoln to complete the first week of school with on air lessons, but it has allowed us to complete it comfortably and work out a good rhythm. The other family are also doing the same as she is teaching her twins who are in year 5, so at least we aren’t the only ones getting our heads around it all. Mind you Prep sounds easier than their maths lessons they are doing! Tonight I had to pack up all of Hamish’s school work for tomorrow as we have to take the van in at 9am to have the hot water system fixed, so I thought it was easier to stay here and get a lot of work and the on-air lesson done. Fingers crossed that does not backfire, but there is always the library as a backup.

Thursday was a relatively quiet one in the sense we didn’t get out and explore much. The morning was spent packing up the van to go and have the hot water element replaced. Jason and Kayla took the van in whilst Hamish and I moved to the camp kitchen to do school work. Honestly I was like a pack horse all loaded up with a bag overflowing with items we needed and the laptop for his lesson. I was a bit worried that being in the camp kitchen would be too distracting but all in all it wasn’t too bad. Mind you I did try and push three sessions in a row (one being an on air lesson) and the last one was a struggle.

Jason and Kayla came back with the van so it was a great opportunity to have a break from it all and set the van back up. Before we set up we filled the water tanks and finally got the tow ball weight checked. We were very happy with the weight now. Unfortunately though we couldn’t get the back legs of the van down decently so had to re-hitch the caravan and move it a bit more forward. Still we are pros at this now and it really didn’t take much time at all. Relieved that the hot water was now fixed we sat down to enjoy some lunch and decided to finish off school and then try our luck at fishing.

It was quite windy, as per normal, out on the main jetty but a few people were having luck. I even managed to hook a fish on its side but it safely bounced itself back into the ocean before I could pick it up. No idea what type it was, but it was only small. The family beside us caught a few and the kids kept going to look at it which I think annoyed the father and on top of that there was Hamish’s one million questions, so I decided I should take them back to the beach for a bit of a play and let Jason fish in peace and quiet for a while. It didn’t help though; he only caught two puffer fish. Still the kids had a wonderful time playing down on the beach. A gentleman even gave us a few pieces of bread to feed the seagulls. They loved that.

Still keen to keep trying.

The view from the main jetty.

Filling in some time waiting for Dad to catch a fish.

It is amazing how long this entertained them for.

Finally it was time to go back and work out what we were going to have for dinner since it obviously wasn’t going to be fish. I then had the great task of converting all the work we had done for Hamish over the last fortnight into a document to email to his teacher. I love this idea as it saves having to mail it back in and we can get faster feedback. I thought the whole process would take me into late in the night but I managed to get on a roll and got it done in a few hours. With that emailed off to his teacher I breathed a sigh of relief and then set up his books all ready for the next fortnight. I had a great night’s sleep that night – believe it or not but the wind has died down.

Waking up on Friday it felt like everyone (and I mean the whole caravan park) had an extra bounce in their step. The wind was gone and to make it better, it was meant to get quite warm. I can’t remember what the prediction was, but I believe it was meant to get into the 30’s. The smile on everyone’s face said it all and slowly all the awnings started coming back out. We did a quick load of washing and headed out to Tumby Bay which is just under 50km away. This weather probably won’t last so we wanted to make the most of it and get out on the water with the kayak and take the kids for a swim.

Because where else would you find a bike on a wall.

Loved this bakery.

Probably not good for the waistline but it was yum.

I don’t think we could have picked a better spot than Tumby Bay. It was beautiful and we had a ball spending a good half a day there with eating at an awesome bakery, doing a bit of kayaking and relaxing on the beach. Kayla even attached herself to another mother and daughter who were enjoying the beach. Where ever they went Kayla was right there with them. I think she has found her replacement family. Luckily the mother didn’t mind having a third wheel. Eventually we dragged ourselves back home for lunch. Jason and I finally set up our awning and were sitting outside relaxing. Kayla was asleep and Hamish was watching the TV.

Just perfect.

Lucky they have put in some new poles for the jetty.

A seagull coming in to land.

However our relaxing afternoon was soon dashed when Hamish asked me to come inside and look at something. The TV was off, and I quickly glanced at the fridge and yep it was off too. I knew straight away it was our hot water system throwing the power again! Great, just great! Obviously being late on a Friday afternoon this can’t get fixed today and we are heading off tomorrow. We rang our ever helpful friend in Adelaide just to make sure it would be fine running it on gas long term until we got to WA to fix it and he said it was.

We have no idea what is doing it and so many thoughts running through our head. Was it the work we got done with moving the water tanks, but both our Coromal mate in Adelaide and the local repair guys here don’t believe it would be that. I guess we just have a faulty electric hot water system and will have to get another Dometic specialist in to look at it and if it means the whole system needs to be replaced then so be it as it is all under warranty. Best of all we asked to be recommended a Coromal service centre and Mandurah was the response. Right where my sister lives, so that should be relatively easy to entertain ourselves whilst it is looked at properly and in more detail, so if they need the van overnight we should be fine (right Jodi)!

As frustrating as it is we mustn’t let it get to us as there are a lot more people out there who would love this to be the worst thing they are facing at the moment. Until then we just need to remember to switch on the gas for the hot water about 20 minutes before we need it. If we forget then we just have to wait a while until we have showers! Still I managed to catch up on my blog that afternoon, whilst Jason washed the car and kayak. Slowly we packed away items in preparation for moving onto our next destination. Hopefully our luck will turn around there. I have to admit, it does make me a bit nervous when we are facing the Nullarbor in about a weeks’ time.

As it was our last evening we enjoyed happy hour at the neighbours caravan and chatted about all our travels and where we were each heading next. Thank you Port Lincoln for our wonderful stay and turning on beautiful weather for our last day.