So we set forth from Orbost to Sale with flat caravan batteries; starting to feel like we were travelling in Apollo 13 and searching for a solution to the shattered oxygen scrubbers. More on this in the Battery Saga Concludes section…
The drive was pleasant enough apart from a memorably bad coffee in an otherwise excellently decorated cafe in Bairnsdale. We stopped in Bairnsdale for a break and to do a quick battery check, noting that the combination of driving and some sun had put some charge back in… wry smile.
We only planned on two nights in Sale and pulled in at the Sale Showground, which also doubles as a caravan park and campground. The Showground is very well kept and has dozens of big grassy sites with power and water at very reasonable prices.
By now Jo’s head cold was a thing but Rob was in full recovery mode with just the lingering effects when waking up each morning. The battery saga continued to be the all pervasive issue occupying our minds as we wrestled with causes, effects and whether or not we were going to have cancel forward bookings and head for a repair centre. More on this in the Battery Saga Concludes section…
Aside from the battery saga… Sale surprised us both in terms of its size and bustle. It’s an attractive, well kept town with a range of cafes, businesses, pubs and clubs that belie its population of around fifteen thousand. The main CBD is a little weird with a very narrow street that’s barely wide enough for two lanes and not quite a pedestrian mall either… quirky design probably describes it best.
With the conclusion of the battery saga in Sale and Jo starting to get past her head cold we celebrated our last night in Sale with dinner at Jack Ryan’s Irish Bar. Jack Ryan’s is your typical Irish themed pub with a quality bistro attached. The ‘beef and guinness pie’ was top notch and washed down with a couple of Kilkenny’s (on tap)…
Although we only had two days in Sale they were full-on for more than one reason and it’s a place that we wouldn’t mind returning to in the future. We continually find, much to our surprise, that we really like Victoria…
So… the batteries!!! On the afternoon of our arrival in Sale we ducked into town to get some groceries and noticed an automotive battery shop (Triple M Repair Centre / Sale Battery Centre & Oils). Rob pulled in in the off chance that we might be able to get some advice and/or help.
The owner, Mitch, listened patiently to our story and suggested that the problem was most likely that our batteries were on the way out even though they were only two years old (you should expect about five years from these batteries). He did, very graciously, say that he would be in his shop on Sunday morning, when we were leaving, and that he would be happy for us to pull by and he would test our batteries for us. That was thankfully noted by us as something to cling on to.
We spent another night in the van watching the batteries slowly drain down from 12.2V to 10.0V using as little electricity as possible and converting all cooking, fridge and hot water to gas operation. Thankfully the night was not cold again so the heater wasn’t required even if we could have run it.
The next morning we stopped by an Auto Electrician just to see if they could provide any help or advice. In a nutshell… No was the answer. They didn’t know anything about caravan battery systems… but Rob did mention that we were carrying a battery charger and whether it would be worth pulling the batteries out and charging them from a separate power point (caravan power points are different to household power points). ‘Tracker’ the auto-electrician suggested that I could simply connect the charger to the caravan outlet and then to the battery (without removing them). Rob was skeptical because the mains power didn’t seem to be getting into the caravan in the first place.
In any case we returned to the van and plugged said charger into the vans outlet and connected it to the battery… Good new!!! the battery was taking charge. Not a final solution but probably good enough that we could keep doing this until we got somewhere where we could get it looked at properly.
With some weight off our shoulders Rob continued to ponder the problem trying to determine whether the batteries were at fault, the battery management system or the wiring. With one last desperate thought Rob opened up the tunnel boot and took one last look at the battery management box… There was a little blurb about a ‘red’ and a ‘green’ LED and what they meant… What red and green LED was this??? Where were they? I can’t see any red or green LED!!!
So getting my head down as flat on the floor as possible I noticed in the small gap under the unit… not an LED but a small black piece of plastic protruding from the metal case… Putting my phone camera in ‘selfie’ mode and carefully sliding it under the bottom of the case… Oh look!!! An On/Off switch… shit, shit, shit, shit… shit!!!
I disconnected the external battery charger and flicked on the battery management switch and… VOILA!!! Problem solved. Batteries immediately sucking in the mains power and all electrics back online… Shit, shit, shit, shit… shit!!!
It would seem that the portable gas stove box was just slim enough to slide under the battery management box and probably bounced up after hitting a bump on the way to Orbost flicking the battery management switch off…
With our sphincters collectively relaxed Rob re-organised the tunnel boot to prevent this from happening again and we celebrated with a cup of tea made on the electric hot-plate and enjoyed a spot of electrically heated air that night…
Having solved the battery saga we were able to relax enough to do some afternoon sight-seeing around Sale. First stop… the historic Sale Swing Bridge…
Built in the 1880’s it is a very elegant piece of engineering thats opens horizontally around a set of central support pillars that allows boats to pass around either side. It is now closed to traffic but is still opened a few times a week after having been restored and repaired from vandalism a number of years ago.
The bridge is surrounded by a well kept park area that includes a sculpture, in metal, of an aboriginal bark canoe. There are also well kept wharves a short distance upstream and downstream from the bridge,
Across the road from the bridge is a decent sized billabong set amongst the gums. It is notable for the brown algae (?) layer covering the entire surface making it look a little surreal as a flock of swans glide along what looks like a solid brown surface producing no ripples or wake.
The swing bridge area is a really peaceful place and would be ideal for lazy afternoon picnic with wine and cheese…
Returning from the Sale Swing Bridge we stopped in at the Sale Botannic Gardens. These tranquil gardens are beautifully laid out and we were welcomed by a pair of very tame peacocks at the entrance. The gardens are surrounded by a broader wetland area and pack quite a bit into a relatively compact area.
The gardens themselves are very well maintained and present a wide variety of plants and trees. The weather was a bit overcast and slightly dismal during our visit but this actually seemed to enhance the gardens in full autumn hue with displays ranging from evergreens through to fiery oranges and auburns of the deciduous trees.
The gardens are laid out in a series of areas interconnected by gravel paths with lush green grass areas, pergola style structures and mini-forests that have a functional aesthetic containing a number of bright orange sun lounges.
The star of the Sale Botanic Gardens is a fair-dinkum Wollemi Pine; the famous living fossil, thought be extinct until a small number were found outside Sydney in 1994. The location of these relics is kept secret but it’s comforting to know that they can still been seen in places like this having been cultivated as part of a re-generation program.
Another (literally) striking tree in the Sale Botanic Gardens is the lightening tree, which bears a massive open scar down the length of its trunk having been struck by lightening. The tree itself looks perfectly healthy despite the trauma of the strike.
Another pleasant aspect of the gardens are the scattered wooden sculptures found in some areas that provide a bit of extra visual interest. They’re skilfully executed and serve to draw your eye into areas that are otherwise a bit plain and less visually exciting.
We highly recommend a visit to the Sale Botanic Gardens as a soothing way to pass an hour or so… especially if you’re recovering from the trauma of… say… travelling in a caravan with non-functionaing batteries…