And there is no shortage of opportunities or people to do some teaching. As you may know, ATGANI stands for All The Gear And No Idea, but I’m thinking about re-naming it EDIALD, for Every Day Is A Learning Day.

Lots of the learning involves additional “gear”. For example, we really do need some awning tighteners and at least 3 awning battens. We need a cover (preferably dayglo) to put over our tow hitch when camping. We can’t survive without guy ropes with springs and indeed, without drill-in tent pegs. We need a different water hose. We need a better sullage connection. We need a step or a ladder – both really, etc etc etc…

Some of these items have been acquired and already, ATGANI needs to go on a diet. Many other learnings have been of the autodidact variety.

For example, everything is arse-about when reversing. Stuff gets lost in tunnelboots. The baby Weber needs a bayonet connection. Slant the awning when it rains. It’s only that ATGANI is so big, that the swimming pool in the awning didn’t tip it over. And, what’s the key learning from the picture below? Helen Ritchie says “always park between the flags”; Richard Miller asks if I have a fishing licence.

We’re nearly half way through this first small journey. We’re camped in the genuinely lovely Riverside van park (near the drain!) in MUDgee where we had 45mm rain in a day, most of it while we were on the golf course. The day before, in bright sunshine, we had the best wine-tasting of our lives at Lowe Family Wines.

Tomorrow, we head for Dubbo to free camp on the top of a hill 10km outside town. What could possibly go wrong?