We arrived early afternoon yesterday, opened the van and discovered the fridge had opened during our travels. The steaks were on the floor getting warm, the beetroot in a Tupperware container was on the floor but thankfully hadn’t come open, although it had leaked a little. And a full, unopened container of yogurt had hit the floor and cracked leaving a few blobs of yogurt here and there as it had rolled around, but thankfully it hadn’t burst completely. I think the fridge must have swung open, dispersed these three items, then swung shut and closed firmly again. It wasn’t a big clean-up, and will serve as a reminder that a back up closure is always wise on a fridge door when travelling. Paul fitted brackets at the side of the fridge in bigTravel Home a few years ago and we used ocky straps across the fridge as our second line of defence against the door swinging open during travel. He’s going to add Velcro tabs to this fridge.

With the mess cleaned up and the van popped up and set up for the night, it was time for a late lunch. With the steaks having been out of the fridge for a while, it seemed like a good idea to cook them. Steak and salad it was. There were a few flies around but that’s not unusual at this time of year. We didn’t fancy them having a share of our lunch though, so we ate inside the van.

Nerren Nerren is a large roadside campsite that would accommodate probably a hundred or more rigs. We’ve stayed here many times. We’ve never felt cramped in, the drop toilets are usually pleasantly clean, and apart from the distant noise of a road train passing on the highway occasionally, it’s usually quiet enough throughout the night. Last night there weren’t too many people staying here, so again we didn’t feel cramped in. However that’s all the good I can say about last night. The toilets had broken locks and were very smelly. We used them, but only once, feeling almost in need of a shower afterward. And there was a truck parked up near the highway who had some sort of very loud generator running all night. We’ll have to re-think this place on any future trips. But it was only for one night. Today we move on for Wooramal River Retreat.

Distance travelled between Dongara and Nerren Nerren: 256kms

The cost to re-fuel on the way $65 @ $2.17 per litre

Accommodation: free