Here We Go Again - Chapter 72 - Kununurra to El Questro

The twenty-four hours the port of the phone number from our previous provider to telstra proper has passed – and guess what – no joy. Why doesn’t that surprise us. 

We are supposedly on the move again today but given we do not technically have to be out of the park until 10.00am we could got early to Retravision, come back, pack up and go, or alternatively, pack up now and park right in front of the Retravision shop, there is van parking there adjacent to the shop and we can advertise our two businesses whilst we sort this out.

The fridge in Silver Leaders van appears to have met its end. He asks us to keep an eye out for a replacement on our Retravision travels this morning. The shop has quite a selection of car fridges and I send pictures of a sale they are presently advertising. Checking out the numbers he thinks a better selection might come in Broome. He can live with the not so cold fridge until then for like us he only uses it for libation storage.

.

Shelley the Telstra lady is happy and unhappy to see us. We sit and the saga starts again.

After proving who we are to the previous account holders, the conversation goes something like this. We tried once using the account number we are billed on, that didn’t work. Thats right says the operator, you need the account number specific to the phone. We know this, thats what you gave us yesterday Shelley retorts. With this the two representatives go over the information they had shared just in case a number had been transposed or such.

Shelley is not done with the other operator yet. She has a system she can get to that instantaneously port numbers and enters our account data on her computer. Inputting the information, now checking twice for correctness she tries again. 

No joy.

What is the problem?

The operator at the other end of the phone is flabbergasted and wants to go through the information  Shelley has input, in minutia. Shelley will hear nothing of it. She knows her input of the information is correct. Nice to have that sort of confidence.

The operator goes away to consult with a superior. Sheepishly he returns with the following. Oh we purchased that database some 10 years ago and we updated your account to our system and numbers but the actual account for the number you want to port is quite different. So different in fact , we had to verify yet again addresses from 10 years ago before he will allow us to have the information. 

Shelley gives him a piece of her mind before I have the chance. How the hell were we supposed to know not only did the account number we had paid all our bills on, was not the number for the phone and then because of their ineptitude or laziness, the upgrade of their purchase of another provider, we have to find out through painful enquiry, whilst having no telephone we needed not the information they had previously given us.

His response is only the apology he can give. Shelley is not done with him yet. Armed with this new and more correct information she quickly runs the port. She gets confirmation it has been successful and she releases our other caller with thanks. I think he is happy there had been success as well.

Sheeley has won this time, we should have phone reception very shortly. Profusely we guardedly thank her. The service levels here are as they should have been, we stay at it until the job is done. Not simply work the line to the next sale as in Darwin or offer alternatives that simply will not fix the issue as we were treated by the online representative but nose to the grindstone, work until the job is done.

In fact as we are walking out the door the phone begins to ping, and pings all the way to the Cruiser with the back log of messages damned up in the period since we took the new plan in Darwin. Except that Silver Leader and Rose are waiting on us, parked across the street and Shelley had other customers waiting, we almost went back into the shop for a much more heartfelt thanks.

What we did do was pen a glowing reference of our experience at that shop for the world to see.

Back along the road of yesterday’s travels we come to the turnoff to El Questro. There is a 90kph section of bitumen for a start where floodways engulf vans as you quickly drop in and out of them. There is another sign which heralds the final part of the journey into our destination.

At this point in the travel two years ago we learned of Silver Leaders inexperienced with dirt roads. Reducing speed to a crawl he drove in and out of every crevice in the road, making the 10 kilometre trip on the gravel road into El Questro from the turnoff excruciatingly long as we were unable to get around him and increase the speed because of the clouds of dust being created by the leader.

Today though I am in the lead. I attack the road, which I have to admit is in much better shape than when we were here last, and increase speed to almost the speed limit, where the Cruiser and van seem to glide over the corrugations. The road has been graded recently The corrugations are not so much the issue as the odd l;arge rock, still in the middle of the road, having escaped the graders blade.

As oncoming traffic passes I relay to Silver Leader so he is prepared. There is enough breeze to clear the road relatively quickly and except for one missile on the road, most travellers are moving at our cautious pace. We were to find out later this missile was being maneuvered by an El Questro employee/manager.

Our research of the van has pointed us to opening a vent to create a positive pressure inside the van. This will assist in the alleviation of the red dust problems of past driving experiences. As we pass oncoming vehicles we wonder just how well this vent seemingly opened in the direction we are travelling is going to cope with the dust blooming up into the air.

Thats a thought that for now will have to wait. From the dust of the track so far we are now faced with a water crossing. This crossing, last time we were here, was just a mud/dust hole, but with the late rains and the earlier entry this water course is still flowing. Its not deep but it is quite long. We enter and traverse with ease. 

I radio back to the oncoming Silver Leader of this new obstacle. 

We are not far from the station now. We will be fording the Pentecost shortly, our last obstacle before the reception area. Given there is water across the previous creek, will the water there be much higher than the previous trip. Will the Forbsy opening of the back door exercise actually let water into the Cruiser? This time that thought brings a little trepidation until we make the turn into the crossing and see the water levels are similar to the last time we were here. 

A couple of vehicles are leaving as we approach and whilst we are waiting for them to finish their crossing Silver Leader looms up behind. Slowly we direct the Cruiser and van into the water and meander across to the otherside. We video Silver Leader as he follows, starting once we have safely finished.

Booking in done, we have no trouble finding our allotted sites, they are the same ones we had last time we  were here. The only trouble is the next door neighbours have a very liberal attitude to their space. I have room to drive straight in from the site behind almost hitting some of their equipment and narrowly missing their vehicle.

Silver Leader moves in on the other side, within less than a metre of his boundary. We are so close that when I lower our awning it almost hits their van because I have had to position the van well into our designated area to miss our neighbours. They are home and apparently oblivious to the chaos they are causing, in fact almost have a go at me when I check the van surrounds but refrain when I am standing right beside the site marker, well inside the expanse they have created for themselves. 

There is no offer from them to move and I refrain from repositioning the van so everyone is “happy”.

The van is settled, leveled and ready for service. Opening the door brings a squeal from Robyn. During the trip down the corrugated road the screws to one of the larger cupboards has rattled out and pots, pans and plastic containers now adorn the floor. Now I am responsible for the outside and this is an inside issue inst it? Robyn finds the offending screws, there is only one on the floor and remembers a similar one found some time ago which she had placed in a drawer because, given its unusual shape, thought it important.

The door is quickly repaired (with both screws) and the contents restacked. Everything is all well and good with the world.

These neighbours of ours have just finished a jaunt along the Gibb River Road. One of the pair of women injured herself and is recuperating in a folding chair. Her partner is off showering. They have lost a part of the bull bar protection on their vehicle, broken several items in the camper trailer and generally disliked the experience. They, like me, are unsure why people subject themselves to such torture.

For the first time this holiday, Robyn feels at ease in a familiar place. El Questro has a lot to offer and we have plenty of time to relax or follow in the heat of the tourist battle. Her phone will work here, she will not feel as cut off as she has.

I text Shaun our ranger friend from the last time, with whom I have kept in contact that we were here. He is pulling a double shift. He will hopefully be able to track us down after happy hour

The demands of the nomadic are just as evident here. El Questro is under new management, back in Australian hands after many years. They, like many other tourist businesses are suffering, filling demand. Shaun told us recently the numbers here had swelled to over 1,300 guests. Now at around 300 it is apparently a little less hectic. One of their signature restaurants, their steak house is closed, unable to secure a chef and staff. This is disappointing as we were looking forward to a night there.

Happy hour tends to suggest half price drinks. Not here under new management. The discount is reduced to only 20%. It does not stop us from wetting our whistles. Regardless of the “poor” discount the numbers swell quickly once the period starts. The full extent of the present residency is seen as children begin to amass in the grassed area as their parents settle in to order food from the shed and imbibe a little.

One of El Questro’s busses comes back in. Shaun is driving it. He will relieve himself of his passengers, park the bus and join us. It is great to catch up with him. He looks tired after his double shift. He talks about the teething issues the new management are having and the added pressures the present situation compounds it. 

He too has been looking forward to fishing with us. He has a day off shortly and will work something out which sounds ultra promising. Some of the stories he has been telling us prior to our arrival have been enough to whet the appetite of even the most jaded of fishermen. Seeing just how tired he is makes us wonder if he wouldn’t be better off having a real day off than dealing with us. Its not that El Questra doesn’t have a lot of other things to offer.

There is no TV reception here in the wilderness of El Questro. Faced with no “idiot box” we are forced to binge watch good series of shows like the West Wing (1999 – Aaron Sorkin). So far we are midway through the entire seven seasons. I suspect we will be much farther through by the time we leave.