Here We Go Again - Chapter 50 - Mary Kathleen Day 3

The power went off at 3.00am. No idea why. The dials we were looking at seem to suggest everything was full. The generator and the new panel seemed to be doing their thing.

Enough of this. Kevin and Colleen’s neighbour has moved on so we are going to grab their total sun spot. This is done quickly and efficiently and without waking Forbsy our closest neighbour.

Again I have done a stick run and again I have left a pile of logs by the fire pit.

No mucking around this morning, I put out the new solar panel and get the generator going to no avail. We have no power in the van, or at least no 12 volt power. This means no power, no lights, no water and no steps movement. This is a huger problem than we had at Gregory River. Robyn’s attempts at reset don’t work.

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This is beyond any of us so we enlist the help of the Missing Link (an electrician – retired, who owns a van the same as ours) and amte Speedie, a marine electrician in an attempt to diagnose the problem. Speedies has the best result in pointing us towards a diagnosis but we are not having much success. Everyone is weighing in, even reverting to studying the manuals in an attempt to find the issue let alone the solution.

Speedie has a suggestion having seen pictures of the set up. He can walk us through a bypass of the isolator given the diagnostics we have done suggest power is getting to it but not past it. But that means me and electricity, a recipe for disaster if ever there was one.

First we ensure there is no power coming into the van. The inverter is off. I even throw the switch for the circuit breaker to be sure. Not a lot I can do about the power coming in via the solar panels but that should be at most a tickle of 12 volts.

Tentatively I undo the first wire unde instruction on the phone from Speedie. I undo the second wire and I get a spark. Speedie is happy with this as it means power is coursing through. Putting the 2 together and we have lights – a cheer is heard all over Mary Kathleen. I quickly screw the bolt back in place for now and we sit back able to breathe again.

Speedies advice is to get the whole thing replaced ASAP.

Kevin knows a guy in Mt Isa – Leigh – who has helped him in the past with electric issues. We should call him and go through the issue again with him as he is down to earth and easy to talk to and MOBILE. In a pinch he can come for the drive if need be. 

The call meets a recorded message tells me Leigh is on a break (it is Sunday) and will be back on Monday. I leave a message. He calls back quite quickly and I admonish him for taking time from his break to deal with a Grey Nomad. He is back and was not on a break he was on a call out into the countryside.

We talk about the issue and he suggests although it is not unheard of it is very unusual for an isolator to fail. We talk about our issues trying to maintain charge and he offers significant amounts of advice, much of which is common sense but common sense of someone who knows what he is doing, not us Silver Schoolies, is at a premium.

Of course we have been looking at the wrong dials, interpreting the wrong information, and where we thought we had good numbers, they were actually irrelevant. They were prominent, they seemed important but evidently not. He works us through some of the issues he sees as important. The first is our fridge. If we are free camping as we are here in Mary Katchleen, as much as possible we should be “on the car”. The fridge is drawing an amazing amount of power. 

The solar panel will be important then, as if we do not use the car to charge the battery, it can be charging that battery in the car and take the pressure off the van batteries. Leigh suggests a regime of checking the “required” usage gauges to work out how much we “need” come sundown each night. This we will do by turning everything off except the Cpap machine and see what consumption is used. The van fridge can stay on the car tonight as the run into Mt Isa will have charged it fully.

Now we know what we need to watch, it will be a lot easier to maintain levels that will see consumption be less than supply. On a powerpoint nothing matters as the power comes in regardless, but while free camping everything is about ensuring enough power remains to run the Cpap machine overnight.

All this has happened before lunch. Almost a full day of activity centered around what could have been catastrophic should we had to get in assistance, has now left us with a better understanding of our equipment and a repair job to see about sooner rather than later.

Lunch is downed and its time to explore the mine. The town is some distance from the mine entrance. The road is bitumen but unmaintained, meaning there are many deviations for potholes that have now developed in it. There are a steady stream of vehicles heading into the hills.

We come to a fork in the road. Much like Professor Lindenbrook in theJules Verne classic,  Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Silver Leader immediately makes an executive decision and turns left. This track is the wrong option for the mine but it does take us to a look out where we all marvel at the vista. Unlike Lindenbrook we don’t have 4 days walk back to the fork with 2 days rations, and we head back to continue the plan to the mine opening. 

Sure enough we find the parking area adjacent to the mine and alight for the short walk in. Mark Kathleen was an open cut mine. A big hole in the ground if you will.

Walking into a place where you can view the hole, your breath is immediately taken away by the colours. The ochres of the rock, contrasting the white ores against a matte of an azure sky and turquoise water. There are ripples around in the rock, a testament to the ore trucks struggle to bring the ore out, but not a ripple on the water in the shaft. Protected on all sides the water mirrors the sky as the mill pond changes hues as it captures different shades of rock and sky.

The hole is deep. Probably close to 100 metres from the viewing level to the water. It is far wider than it is down. As you move around the crater the scene changes. There are places where you can get close enough to attempt to hurl a rock into the water, or so you think. Many times I throw only to fail to reach the water.

I move around further where the water appears almost directly down. Here I am able to directly into the shaft. A rock from here strikes the water well away from the edge. The ripples pervert the tranquil vista of the water’s surface. The bubbles extracted from the air as the rock slows from terminal velocity to somewhat slower speed through the water are easily seen in the crystal clear water.

Again and again with gusto and recorded for prosperity rocks end up at the bottom of the shaft.

Rocks you say – that’s Forbsy’s cue. Stacks begin to appear. Cairns signifying the intrepid stacker graced this place with his presence begin to appear. They are photographed.

Heading back towards the car park I see others have managed to traverse around the other side of the shaft. Following a track I soon find myself looking across the shaft at the others. The view has changed again. Its still full of the ochres and azures but now looking into the sun the starkness of the sunlit face I am standing on is contrasted by the pastel like coolness of the shaded face of the shaft.

I take what I think is the shot of the trip so far, of the water against the stark shaft with the sky behind.

Its hot, and I know there are drinks in the car, but unbeknown to me the others have the keys and have diverted (read here engaged in significant conversation led by Silver Leader) to a spot in the shade still on the shaded side of the shaft. I felt sure I saw them, even taken a picture of them, walking back to the Cruiser. Evidently not.

There is also the ceremonial last rock stack by Forbsy they had to witness and record for prosperity as well as describe the significance to all and sundry in earshot.

Its back along THAT road and as we come into the township we divert off the main track and take the street to the town centre. A little four wheel driving is required  but we end up coming back to our campsites as the sun is setting. A check of the gauges sees the batteries are full and I quickly attach the van fridge to the car and swap over the input. Hopefully we will be OK tonight.

Its Forbsy’s last meal with us, as it is a parting meal with Kevin and Colleen. Nothing sombre about it though as we crank up the fire and eat and drink to our hearts content.

Tomorrow may see us part but for now we are together and enjoying each others company.