Day one did not go to plan.
Somewhere out on the highway, the Range Rover's intercooler hose let go. Then it let go again. And again. Each stop was the same routine: pull over, pop the bonnet, wrestle the hose back onto its junction, and drive on until the next time.
We are travelling with Jo's sister Monique, her husband Craig, and our niece and nephew, Riley and Zoe. Fortunately Craig knows a thing or two about diesel vehicles. After one stop too many he produced a metal bracket and a handful of zip ties, and MacGyvered the hose into submission. It held, and we rolled on.
The offending hose junction, circled and annotated mid-diagnosis.
The annoying part is that the car went in for a full service immediately before the trip. That service came to $6,700: two timing belts, new brake pads, and the resolution of 27 internal error codes. You would hope that kind of money buys a trouble-free run to Dubbo, at the very least.
The Range Rover is now officially on notice. A shortlist of potential tow vehicle replacements is being drafted, and there will be an article on it in due course.
Despite the delays we made it to Dubbo and pulled into our Hipcamp just out of town. The zoo is on the agenda while we are here, before the run to Gunnedah.