PETROL

The road across the Hay Plains.

I left Sydney and spent three days in Parkes getting lights and CB fixed on the car, getting a new laptop (spilt coffee on last one) and organising camping gear. I had to go to Dubbo to buy the computer because nobody sells Apple products in Parkes. However 10.30 on Saturday I set out on the 900 kms trip to Scotia Sanctuary. I had between a half a tank and a quarter of a tank of petrol. So I thought I would fill up at West Wylong, 150 kms away. 

As I was driving along the highway I suddenly remembered that I had filled the tank when I arrived back from Dubbo, and I had only done a couple of trips to the shed since then. Why did I have less than a half a tank of petrol left? I began to consider the possibilities. Was the gauge stuck? Did they break the gauge when they were putting in the radio? Had someone stolen my petrol? Even stopped to see if the cap was missing or showed signs of tampering. Maybe the tank has a leak. All of these and more passed through my mind.

What if the petrol keeps leaking? Or if the gauge is wrong and there is even less petrol? Will I make it to the next petrol? I was watching the gauge carefully. I would know once I filled up and then I would have to keep track of how far I go so I don't run out way out in the scrub. I kept thinking about the possibilities and the consequences for the next 100 kms. If only I had a trip meter to tell me how much further the car would go on the remaining petrol. Actually that's how I am certain I filled up when I got back from Dubbo because I was watching the meter go down to only a few kilometres of petrol left. 

AND then the penny dropped. I was watching the trip metre. My van does not have a trip metre. Thats right I had my van in getting the lights fixed. I drove a different car to Dubbo and so it wasn't my van that had a full tank of petrol after all. Ah early stage alzheimers.