Carked it from Canberra

When you go away to Canberra during #Heatwave2017, returning back home to Sydney sometimes doesn’t always go to plan!

Ya see, after a lovely 40 hours in Canberra, I decided to be a responsible adult and head home early.  This would give myself a few extra hours to go for a much-needed run, and get my meals sorted for the week.  But, nothing says ‘adulting’ like having your Hyundai Getz break down whilst in fifth gear off the Hume Highway!

I downshifted into fourth, then third and it seems that the gears just weren’t grabbing… so I coasted onto the shoulder and the car stopped.  I didn’t even make it into the emergency shoulder.  The car just carked it.  So close.. yet so far – just like how far I currently am from Sydney – 41k.

I turned off the engine believing that perhaps the little engine that could just had enough of the crazy heat!  Welp… I tried to restart the thing and the engine said NO.  The dashboard lit up like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree in all it’s glory.

Just a few weeks ago, I had the car serviced.  This car has been driving like a brand new car ever since!  It’s been shifting gears like a champion and doesn’t make those weird bed spring sounds whilst going over speed humps.  This car acted like a brand new car… however… turns out, it was probably all wrong, because only 41k’s from my house, the car decides it had enough.

Luckily roadside assistance came out to save the day!  My new best mate took one look at the car… waved some technical instruments under the bonnet and mentioned the words “alternator” and “really bad.”

He called the tow truck company, gave me a a wave of good luck and bid me adieu…. then, drove off into the Australian sunset.

I, then, did the most Aussie thing I could do at that very moment – whilst sitting on the side of the road, I WATCHED a marsupial rat SUCCESSFULLY cross four lanes of highway just like Frogger… Then, as I waited for the tow truck to arrive I started thinking… this car might go to car heaven.

Ah well… nothing I can do really… Looking back, bicycling seems like a more trustworthy option but as soon as I arrived in Canberra, I’d have to turn back.