Day Eleven of a Camper Holiday! - Returning the Vehicle

We were allowed to take the camper over dirt roads only when accessing a camp site. Otherwise we were required to keep the vehicle on sealed roads.


Despite our compliance with these policies, the camper was filthy - the camp sites at the end of dirt roads had been accessed in the rain, and on the Oberon - Goulburn road we had crossed some dirt roadwork sections.


Figuring that a clean vehicle was better than any arguments, I washed the mud and dirt off using a hose and broom - it came off easily enough without using car wash soap.


I also had to empty both the toilet and grey water tanks, and ensure the freshwater tank was full. Topping up the freshwater tank was simple enough, and the few litres of grey water went straight to the front garden. After realising that no public sewage dump points exist in the ACT I utilised the inspection shaft on my sewage system at home to deal with the toilet tank.


After double checking that everything had been cleared from inside the camper, I gave it a last sweep, and all was ready.


X had decided to come with me to drop the camper off, so I booked an extra ticket with Murrays Coaches, and we headed off to Sydney.


X and I had some good conversations about life and the world on the three hour drive, and it occurred to me that this was still part of our holiday.


As we approached Sydney we drove into substantial rain; confirming that abandoning the coastal leg of our trip was the right decision.


When I arrived at the Apollo Campers yard, I was asked if we had any troubles with the vehicle. I rattled off our troubles:

• The fridge wasn't cooling
• The back door didn't lock
• One of the seat-belted seats in the back would frequently fall apart - it had screws loose, and the velcro securing the seat cushion was missing.
• The dinette table between the two seat-belted bench seats would randomly detach and fall on to the passengers
• The plastic cover on the base of the front passenger seat kept detaching
• There was no plug provided for the kitchen sink
• The toaster would only accept one slice of toast
• The shower cubicle leaked a little bit into the main area of the camper
• The hot water heater was a real bugger - it needed frequent resets

The view of the very heavy traffic in front of the Murrays coach.
I am sure glad I wasn't driving through that mess!

To Apollo's credit I was provided with a refund for a full day's rental without argument.


X and I then enjoyed an hour eating our packed lunch and wandering about Sydney Airport before joining the Murrays coach back to Canberra.




And that was our Camper Holiday!