Carnarvon to Dongara

538km today at an average of 80kmh.

Pretty much a straight forward run from Carnarvon, through Geraldton, and on to Dongara Sea Spray caravan park. The wind and rain came up around 3pm and despite good intent, once we’d arrived at the caravan park the allure of a cabin was too much. Putting up a tent in the wind, and cold, no thanks.

The evening ritual of refueling the VeggieCruza with canola is a potentially messy task, but generally there are no major spills or overflows. This trip I loaded 24 drums of used canola oil into the trailer. Most were 20 and 25 litre, with a few 22.5 litre. I made a frame up ages ago so each drum was stored in its own box so they wouldn’t rub against each. Some matting on the deck protects from underneath. This trip I loaded the bigger drums on the floor of the trailer in the frame, and stacked the smaller containers on top. To keep them a little clean, and keep rocks, mud and prying eyes, i cover the lot in shadecloth and tie it all down. To access and empty them, I lift the lid on the trailer and insert a hose into each drum in turn.

This is all okay until I have emptied all the top ones, which need to be moved to access the bottom layer of drums. They’ve inevitably got covered in dust, drops of oil, and it’s all a bit inconvenient. A better system is needed! Something involving fuel bladders is in mind. They collapse as they empty, making storage easier at home.

But as for this trip, refueling is over. The onboard tanks are full and give me a highway range of 850km. We’re 356km from after another epic trip into the great Australian outback. The sky is clear tonight, so it’ll be cold. Another bonus of having a proper house to live in!