Day 84: Mon 18 Jul - Julia Creek
10 (felt like 7) to 28 Deg. Another clear blue sky, starting out a little fresher than yesterday, and although the wind returned, it was another beautiful warm sunny day.
Greg and I were out for our morning wander around town experiencing another lovely sunrise, then we returned to our vans for breakfast. Noel and I booked our Dinosaur Trail Multi Pass this morning over 4 days, including admission to the Kronosaurus Korner in Richmond (Wed); the Flinders Discovery Centre in Hughenden (Thu); Dinosaur Stampede Tour at Lark Quary (Sat - 110km out of Winton); and the Ultimate Dinosaur Tour at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs in Winton (Sun). At $100 per ticket concession, it was a significant saving. Noel walked into town a bit after 09:00am, while Greg, Wendy and I rode in shortly after. First stop was 'At the Creek' - the very modern information centre with helpful staff to find out if there is anything in particular we should see in Julia Creek. We all then congregated for mornos at the bakery across the road in the main street - both coffee and eats were very nice. Noel even managed to get her hands on her favourite - cream bun with mock cream. We all wandered off for a look around, then returned to the van for lunch. When we arrived yesterday, my left hand rear brake drums on the van were very hot in comparison to the other three. It was more concerning because I hadn't been using the brakes a lot as it is very flat and didn't use the brakes much. After lunch, with Greg's guidance, I jacked up the van and backed off the brakes a few notches, then, while spinning the wheel to test for any grabbing or sound, there was a noticeable grinding sound inside the drum - indication that there might be an issue with brake magnet or the bearings. Upon removing the wheel and the brake drum, everything appeared fine, except for some uneven brake pad wear. Greg thought it might still be bedding in. There wasn't any obvious reason, so we cleaned away the residual brake dust and gave the axle and bearings another good coat of grease, then refitted everything. I'll check it tomorrow when we stop on our way to Richmond. It was a good exercise in testing the jack, and learning some first aid maintenance on the van, but hopefully it was just a once off. It's not the first time I've tested for heat, but it is the first time any of the brakes have been overly hot. Once cleaned up, I packed everything away in preparation for our short trip tomorrow. I even refilled the water tanks - it was very handy having a tap nearby (too far to keep connected though, and we need to catch all our grey water anyway). Before we knew it, it was time for sundowners, so we joined Greg and Wendy outside their van next to the pond, and we witnessed another magnificent sunset. We never get sick of these beautiful sunrises and sunsets. It was home made pizza for dinner again tonight, and it was just as good as our last effort, even nicer washed down with a glass of red. All in all - another very satisfying day.
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