Wednesday 10^th February 2016

With only 15km to drive from Richmond to Sorell we made it in good time for Steve’s appointment with the dentist.  The good news was that the tooth was repairable, but needed a root canal filling, so was not a quick job.  Once sorted, we set off in the van for the fifteen-minute drive to the Cambridge Memorial Park to visit the dump station. 

We found it in a very pleasant setting just off the main road, and so after doing the business with the toilet cassette, we pulled over into a shady spot under the trees to clean up the van.  Don’t worry about the outside, they had said, but the inside needs to come back as clean as when you took it.  Okay then, off we went with the dustpan and brush, J-cloths and spray cleaner, and in no time at all she was sparkling. 

Next job – collect the hire car.  So we drove the sparkly clean camper van to Hobart airport, where we parked her while we went to collect the car.  For the next leg we had booked an SUV for comfort and any unsealed roads we might happen upon, and when we blipped the car key in the Europcar collection area we were delighted to find the lights flashing on a lovely red Mitsi.  There was plenty of space in this part of the car park so we rather cheekily drove the camper van in and parked it next to the car while we transferred our belongings from one vehicle to the other.  What fun!

Then...I drove the car and Steve drove the camper van back to the Apollo depot just around the corner, after stopping on the way to fill it up with petrol.  The place was completely empty of vans.  Not a one to be seen.  Handover was a doddle and completed in double quick time, so we bade the Apollo guys farewell and drove off in our new chariot in the direction of the Tasman Peninsula and Port Arthur.  The car was booked for two weeks – we still had plenty we wanted to see here – and our return flights were still not booked, so we were both excited to be setting out on this next leg of the trip.

Our lovely new chariot.

We arrived at Port Arthur Holiday Park late afternoon after a lovely first drive in the Mitsi, and checked into our home for the next two nights.  Not exactly five star luxury, but the cabin was self-contained and had all we needed, so it would do.  Tomorrow – Port Arthur Historical Site.  We were very much looking forward to it.

Our cabin was a little dated, but perfectly adequate.                                       The cooker was a little high, but Steve managed!