And with a simple smile, all my worries seem to evaporate!

It’s been a busy few days, not the sightseeing and meeting new people busy we like, but the stressed out Cam trying to plan the logics of an engine swap kind of busy. Yep, that’s right, another one! As I suspected before we left QLD a single part has caused the premature demise of what was, an otherwise perfect engine. I spent Friday (the 13th, hilariously) trying to rule out other causes but it quickly became apparent there was no chance of easy fix so I set about formulating a plan of attack.

Somewhat disheartened I suggested Jaiden and I go for a wander to see the animals and so I could enjoy the sunset. Elaine asked if Jaiden would like to feed Shaun (The sheep!) his dinner, so off we went armed with his bottle. I lifted out the very excited Shaun who instantly spotted the bottle and started (hilariously!) running towards Jaiden, little Shaun bypassed the bottle and started trying to suck on, well, the part of a 9 year old boy that doesn’t belong in a Lambs mouth.. By now I am in absolute fits of laugher, ya know the kind where your stomach hurts but you can’t focus on that because you’re trying not to wet yourself?! Jaiden manages to redirect Shaun to the bottle and I realise I’d missed the record button on the camera and instead had taken a photo of the ground, so I quickly took this snap, whilst both still in fits of laughter.

After we enjoyed the sunset I got back down to business and with the help of a couple of good mates, was feeling slightly better about my ability to get through it. Fastforward a few days and I’ve secured a replacement engine, somewhere to do the swap, park the van, hands to help and have the required parts on route from the USA. Whilst it’s been a bitter pill to swallow just 5 months after putting this engine in, I’ve handled it all surprisingly well, I must say! Largely due to the fact I have some great people in my life who both give me advice, lend a hand and listen to me rant on the phone and online when I feel like I am about to lose my shit. So props to you all, you know who you are!

The plan is to wait out the school holidays here at Barcoos Farmstays Bathurst, then we’ll head to Canberra and do the engine swap and check out all that Canberra has to offer. From there we’ll head to Newcastle to stay with and catch up with a couple of families who follow our journey, then decide if we want to head North for some warmth, West to do the Dubbo Zoo, or South and hope we can catch some snow!

The last few days have been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster ride, especially after a huge gust of wind sent our beloved camera flying to its demise; But that smile, the experiences we have and the awesome people we meet, makes it all totally worth it!