22/7 From Cunnamulla to Narrabri

It was nice to wake up in the warm Motel Room for a change!  At least it didn't take long to pack and leave.  We left it open as to how far we would get today, but in the end got all the way to Narrabri via Bourke and Brewarrina.  We still saw a lot of Emu's along the road, sometimes large flocks.

About 134km out from Bourke we left Queensland and entered NSW.  The border crossing was very low profile in comparison with some of the outback ones.  We stopped in Bourke to take fuel and also have some lunch at a cafe.  After that we headed to Brewarrina aiming to get to Narrabri.

As we approached Brewarrina the alternator began making squeeling noises again.  Thus it was clear the belt tension had dropped again.  In Brewarrina I saw a sign for a mechanic and we drove there but it was closed, obviously a long time ago!  I thought we could make it to Walgett, but as we came out of Brewarrina it was clear the alternator was having problems charging.  I had a quick look and saw it had to be fixed.  We turned around and we went into a public park on the banks of the Darling River.  There I opened up the hood again and inspected the problem in more detail.  The rear of the alternator bracket was broken so it had moved away from the engine and thus the belt tension was next to nothing.  I had a spare alternator in my toolkit, but new it would take some time to get it out and replace.  So I found a strong tie down strap with a ratchet, which I attached to the engine block, both above and below the alternator at the rear.  I then simply ratcheted it back in place.  Thus the problem was fixed.  A typical bush mechanics!!  It hasn't failed yet, although I need to take the alternator out and have the bracket welded back.

After the repair we left Brewarrina and drove to Walgett.   We didn't stop in Walgett but decided to get to Narrabri.  When we finally got to Narrabri it was already dark.  The sun had set between Wee Waa and Narrabri, which is around 40km.  We didn't feel like camping, so we found a motel for the night!

The nice Motel in Cunnamulla

Endless truck traffic

Lonely Emu

Leaving Queensland and entering NSW

Checking the Alternator just outside Brewarrina

Bushmechanics, using tie down strap with a ratchet!