So today is Wednesday the 24th June. We were driving westward on the Victoria Highway, approximately 150 km west of Timber Creek. When all of a sudden at about 3:45pm (local time) disaster truck: My Uncle and Auntie’s car developed a rather serious problem.
A little back story first though.
Last year around the same time, in around the same place my mum and dad were attempting to have a nice top end holiday (in 2014). They were having a great 6 weeks of holidays right up until the end of the second week where the car developed a rather serious problem…
The problem, place and approximate time of day are eerily similar from that previous holiday to this one. The problem we know to be is that the 1KD-FTV diesel engine from Toyota has developed a hole in a piston. We know this is the fault because the exact (EXACT!!!) same problem happened to mum and dad’s car last year. It shows the same symptoms and signs as the previous encounter; lots of white/blue smoke (oil) out the rear, and exhaust gasses come out through the oil fill spout when open and the engine started.
This is of course a detrimental blow to both of our holiday plans and we have called it the “Mills Curse” corresponding to our family name. My sympathy is with them both right now.
Fortunately we are able to help them out here, since we passed a free camp spot 1.2km back from where they broke down; we towed them back to the camp site where we can all wait in a somewhat relaxed state. Dad and my uncle have gone back to Timber Creek (about one and a half hour’s drive back) in mum and dad’s car which is now unhitched from the trailer. Timber Creek has full mobile reception, so they will go there to organise a tilt tray to come here and pick up their car and trailer.
I must give credit to my uncle and auntie’s patience and resilience. Their calmness of mind allowed them to stay cool and collected throughout this entire ordeal. Not once did I sense them overly distressed, scared or otherwise out of sorts.
My mum, auntie and I are sitting at the rest area now as I’m writing this, having a cup of tea, talking about holidays passed. Talking about our adventures of this particular dilemma; some rather comical. We will wait here with them until they are able to get to a town with their other transportation.
However, not all is lost!
Where we (mum, dad and I) only have one particular goal for this journey (top end of Australia), my uncle and auntie actually have two major goals in mind for these holidays! Other than the top end with us, they aim to travel with other family to the very tip of Queensland. They are to do this in approximately three weeks; ample time to get the car and trailer to somewhere where it can be fixed. There will also be enough time for them to recoup and travel up to complete their second goal; Yes!
Pictures now.
Thanks for reading,
Trav.
