The Gennie Chronicles: A Camping Misadventure

The day started off on a high note—blue skies and a fond farewell to Mick at the Toobeah Hotel. We thanked him for his hospitality (and possibly his patience), then hit the road, bound for Texas. No, not the one with cowboys and oversized everything—the one just 1.5 hours away, where free camping dreams awaited.

First stop? A paid water station, because nothing says ‘we’re prepared’ like topping up with a solid 150L of H2O for the bargain price of five bucks. Big shoutout to Goondiwindi Council for keeping our hydration and dishwashing needs met!

Upon arrival at our picturesque spot by the Dumaresq River, we found about 10 other campers already living their best free-camping lives. We set up shop like seasoned pros and, naturally, our first order of business was heading straight to the Stockman Hotel for a well-earned beer and a bite.

Great little pub, friendly vibes, and—bonus—it’s the only place in town that sells takeaway beer. This little nugget of knowledge would prove crucial for the chaos to come.

Day one of FREECAMPING! 💸🚐 Parked by the beautiful Dumaresq River, living the dream… until we remember ‘free’ also means ‘bring your own power, patience, and problem-solving skills.’ 😅🔥

All set to quench our hard-earned thirst with a Pure Blonde ale at the Stockman Hotel—because even hard work deserves a low-carb reward! 🍻😆

Enter: The Gennie Fiasco

Back at the van, we decided it was time to fire up our brand-spanking-new Gentrax 3500 inverter generator. Cue excitement. Cue the sweet hum of potential power. Cue… complete and utter failure.

This fucking thing wouldn’t run longer than a minute. One. Single. Fucking. Minute.

We frantically consulted the manual—because obviously, we’re responsible adults who read manuals. Everything checked out. So why was this thing acting like it needed a nap more than we did?! With the afternoon heat turning our van into a mobile sauna, we faced a grim reality: we needed power. Urgently.

Panic mode activated. The local caravan park wasn’t answering. Sweat poured. Tensions rose. WikiCamps became our best friend, directing us to the next nearest park—a casual 50km away in Glenlyon.

Then, like a hero in a cowboy movie, the caravan park owner finally called back. A site was available for $35, and we booked it faster than you can say ‘why did we trust this gennie?!’

When your brand-new gennie decides it's too good to actually generate... 🙃🔥 #OneMinuteWonder

The Art of Parking… Poorly

Of course, what’s a camping trip without a parking debacle? We learned our lesson (see previous blog The Great Caravan Caper: Two Rookies Hit the Road) park NEXT to the concrete slab, not on it. Simple in theory, sweat-inducing in practice. Especially when we realised the power and water outlets were on the opposite side of the van. More sweat. More tension. More creative cursing. But hey, turned out the hose and leads reached, all good!

And, most importantly, we were finally basking in the sweet embrace of air conditioning.

Now, we wait until Monday when we can call Gentrax and ask, politely but firmly, what the actual fuck is wrong with our gennie?

Stay tuned—this gennie saga is far from over.

This will bloody do… Power? Check. Water? Check. Sanity? Debatable.