Oh Lord it’s a miracle.

Day Five: Burdekin Dam to Charters Towers and Townsville.

We’re not sure what today was going to be. We knew we had to head into Charters Towers, but with the news that Peter and G’s van fridge had decided to re-identify as a hot box, we had some decisions to make. For the next few days Richard and Denise and Peter and G would travel independently of Ron and Julie who had chosen to stay another night at the dam.

Topping off our start with a quick number plate light fix turning into a major rear light mounting plate failure on G-String, we were behind time before we began. Still the journey into The Towers via a quaint and spotlessly clean servo at Ravenswood was a ripper. Zooming through beautiful country, dodging cattle of all shapes, sizes and breeds was great fun.

We arrived in Charters at lunch o’clock. Finding the somethingorother café just up the road from the council building we ate well. The servings, no matter what were massive. Richard and I fought hard to defeat our club sandwiches whilst Denise and G just managed to win the battle over quiche and a pie.

Peter and G needed to be in Townsville as they had lucked upon a bloke to fix their fridge; or at least look at it early tomorrow morning. Denise and Richard had also managed to find ‘Mick’, who it appears is Townsville’s go to man, to look at their fridge but later on Friday afternoon.

We parted ways, pointed Panther and G-String east. With the wind behind us we pranced along at a good clip munching up the 140 odd ks quickly. We found the shed where our friends Elle and Terry were letting us park the car and van. We set up and did pretty much nothing.

And then a miracle.

We jumped for joy as we’re sure Denise did as well. The message told us that Ron and Julie had somehow found Hindenburg. It was undamaged and ready for another mission. We can’t wait to catch up and hear a blow by blow account of how against all odds the little flying machine was located after spending a freezing night all alone in the wilderness surrounded by howling dingoes.