12 November 2010 – Albury to Nagambie VIC

We had planned to arrive at Nagambie well before noon so we had intended to detour via the Brown Brothers Winery at Milawa and do a quick sample of the cellar door offerings however this would now need to be put on hold.

We arrived at Albury Wodonga Winnebago at 8:25am and were greeted by the very friendly staff. We were expected!

A quick look at the problem confirmed that the plastic at the base of the tap had actually split and that the tap would need to be replaced. We were told that this was a known problem and the tap assembly was the subject of a recall from the supplier (Dometic). The problem was said to be a result of pressure from the plumbing system subjecting the (plastic) base of the tap to severe pressure that could ultimately result in the tap fracturing as was the case with us. The fix was to replace the tap and fit a pressure limiting valve in the cold water line before the tap. We were informed that the problem would be rectified during our visit by either replacing the unit (if one was in stock) or a repair would be made to allow us to continue. If the latter was to apply, they would order a replacement part and fit it when we returned to Albury on either the following Monday or Tuesday. Winnebago is very good when it comes to spares and warranty and we were informed that parts are normally supplied by the next working day. This is comforting.

Today luck was on our side and a replace tap and pressure valve were available and were promptly fitted. We were told the fix could take up to two hours but we were on our way south just after 9:45am. Our GPS indicated our arrival time in Nagambie would be 12:10pm.

We must express a big “thank you” to Tod Reed and his staff at Albury / Wodonga Winnebago for the sensational service that they provided to us. Not only did they agree to look after us with very little notice, it was their intention for us to get to Nagambie with either a repair or replacement with a minimum time delay. I’m sure this dealer will do well.

This dealer was only recently appointed as a dealer for Winnebago and the following text is part of a press release has been taken from the Winnebago web site (I have not obtained permission to reproduce this but I’m sure it would be forth coming if I asked).

“Winnebago Industries has further expanded its Australian dealer network, the most comprehensive motorhome dealer network in Australia today, by appointing Albury Wodonga Winnebago as an authorised Sales and Service dealership. Albury Wodonga is located in a prime position on the NSW and Victorian border and is well placed to service customers throughout the Southern NSW and Northern Victorian regions. “We are excited about the sales potential for this area” said Max Mayo, Winnebago’s Sales and Marketing Manager “Albury Wodonga Winnebago are enthusiastic about the challenges ahead and they are looking forward to partnering with a respected brand as Winnebago is”

Also known as Wodonga Car World, the dealership is centrally located at 60 High St, in the main street of Wodonga and operates out of recently refurbished premises, displaying a range of Winnebago and used motorhomes alongside a number of new cars and quality used vehicles. Wodonga Car World has been a family owned and operated business in Wodonga since 1983 and for all of that 27 years, have prided themselves on great customer service and assistance and their reputation is second to none.

Founded by Brian Reed, the business is now managed by Tod Reed and has remained in family hands for all those years. “Motorhomes are a natural progression for us given our experience with motor vehicles” said Tod. “It seemed to us that more and more people are looking to travel Australia by RV and we felt we needed to be part of that.” To associate with such a well known and successful brand as Winnebago is a fantastic opportunity” Tod said.

Albury Wodonga Winnebago is located at 60 High St. Their telephone number is 02 60558555.

As was the case last year, our route to Nagambie took us back to the Hume Freeway where we travelled to Violet Town before heading west on a sealed rural road. We actually arrived at the Nagambie Lakes Leisure Park at 12:04pm, were allocated a site about 60 metres from the lake and by 1:00pm we were saying hello to friends.
The Nagambie Lakes Leisure Park is located adjacent to Nagambie Lakes which is a large inland lake on the Goulburn River in central Victoria. It is located between Seymour to the south and Shepparton to the north.

After sharing a sausage sizzle for lunch, we spent the afternoon renewing acquaintances (approximately 72 motor homes were attending the event) and then joined everyone for happy hour and then a BYO BBQ. As the sun set, we enjoyed an open air movie. We were warned about an approaching storm but it failed to arrive. The temperature was very pleasant and it had not rained. The motor home was very comfortable as we had left the air conditioning running on low power. We had a very comfortable sleep that night.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*