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We are now at Castlemaine, at a caravan park which charges fiercely at $50 a night (peak season!). I didn’t realise the cost when booking, There is a story about the booking... Yesterday was an interesting day. Not for the right reasons. We had booked at a caravan park in Melbourne, for five nights. A Big4 we have stayed at several times before. Since our last visit, they have removed more van sites and put in more cabins, as they are wont to do. Our booking was made two months ago for a specific site which would fit our van, a 19 footer with a long drawbar. We arrived about 1.00pm after a fair drive, and entered a tension filled reception office. The staff were all frazzled, and it related to booking confusion. They said it had been a hard day. It looked like it, too. Anyway, we gave our name and booking reference. We were told someone else had been placed on that site but they would try very hard to find an alternative site we would fit. This took a looong time, with muttered referring to the computers by two staff. Eventually a site was found. We drove in to see it. It was among a pile of tents, next to a cabin and an impossible angle to get onto it. So we asked for our deposit back and left. It seems someone had before we arrived been accommodated at short notice, and took someone else’s site, who then took someone else’s site who then....you get the picture. All this was done by the park staff who probably just prayed we would fit the given site, or not turn up. Grrrr. So we rang Castlemaine and booked a site here. Another nearly two hours travel and we arrived. It is a delightful town and lovely park and we are now relaxing. The road detours due to closure of part of the Western Ring Road out of Melbourne did not assist either. Without a very good Hema navigator we would have been lost. As I said, it was an interesting day.

Hey Chris, Tassie’s better......it is an absolute pearler of a day here! Cheers Tony PS enjoy ‘ cassil mayne’

We are currently in Melbourne, and I would like to sing the praises of a company here that I have had indirect and direct contact with, BTA Towing Equipment @ Knoxfield. Approx 18 months ago I started doing research on the Air Safe Hitch to put on the back of my GMC/Chev. During my research I had communication with a Daryl at BTA and also another supplier of the same product in the Caboolture area, I supplied all the vehicle/van details along with informing them of my choice of coupling (McHitch Auto Glide) and both parties came up the the same conclusion as I had, that I should consider the Class 6 Air Hitch. Pricing was discussed and both companies offered similar pricing, due to geographical positioning I decided to purchase a Class 6 Hitch from the company at Caboolture. (I should state that this crowd are resellers of the Air Safe and BTA are the importers) I had no problem with supply from the Caboolture company, the hitch arrived on time and all was good, quoted price was the charged price and the tongue supplied was ‘suitable/adequate’ for for the job intended. Several weeks later, I used the hitch for the first time, a three hundred k blacktop trip from Maryborough to Cecil Plains (for the KOG, AGM) try and imagine my dismay when I got out of the vehicle at Cecil Plains to find the tongue and coupling bent at a rather peculiar angle. I was able to unhitch safely with no dramas, I tried to contact the supplier to inform them of my woes (of course it was a Friday afternoon just before 5pm) and they didn’t answer the phone. With the assistance of locals I managed to contact a metal worker/fabricator at Millmerran who would have a look at the ‘bent tongue’ the next morning. Arriving at Millmerran the next morning, the tongue was repaired and suitably strengthened and a lot stronger than the original supplied unit. The tongue was refitted to the hitch and we returned back home to Maryborough without incident. I contacted the crowd in Caboolture, supplied them with photos and a copy of the receipt for the repairs at Millmerran, after that I contacted Daryl at BTA to inform him of my ‘dramas’. From the moment I told him of what had transpired he ‘owned’ the problem, although BTA had not directly sold me the hitch and tongue, BTA had supplied it to the Caboolture company. Dartl, that afternoon dispatched a new ‘heavier/improved’ tongue to me at Maryborough which arrived in due course and I fitted it up. I have recently been in touch with BTA, re a query about the ‘new’ tongue, but to my dismay Daryl has left BTA, my communications at BTA are now with John who is just a pleasant and helpful as Daryl. Today, I called into BTA’s factory (unannounced) and introduced myself to John. He was just as keen and interested in my concerns as Daryl! John asked if I could bring my vehicle into the workshop and it was there that I was introduced to Anthony (Tony) Pendock the proprietor of BTA. Tony, listened to my comments and suggestions and then produced an even heavier version of the tongue that Daryl had supplied. I spoke to Tony & John about ‘possible’ improvements that could be done to the newer version, to which they agreed. Tony did suggest the problems they are having with the Auto Glide Mchitchs fitted to the BTA tongue are related to the load pivot point being ‘so far back’ from the mounting point onto the hitch. Tony, personally did the requested/suggested improvements to the new tongue, I was able to watch on, not that I was of much assistance....... but to be able to have direct contact with the manufacturer of this great product.....to me is fantastic & the service is second to none! Thank you BTA Towing Equipment for your outstanding service and seemingly endless customer support. I now have a hitch assembly that I feel (if needed) could tow the Spirit of Tasmania across the Bass Strait! In closing....it took two emails and about four weeks but I did get the requested refund from the Caboolture company. I have NO association with BTA Towing Equipment other than being an EXTREMELY SATISFIED CUSTOMER Tony H