RadioRoryIn Adelaide, I got to use one of the best pieces of travel advice I’d ever receive.
While Australia’s Great Ocean Road is a major draw for tourists, they only need to see it once and they don’t drive round trip. Rental car companies have a problem with drivers who pick up vehicles in Melbourne, drive the scenic highway to Adelaide, and then leave behind their hired cars, RVs, and campers. Rental companies will give you the car for free (or a token $1 a day) if you pick it up in Adelaide and drive it back to Melbourne or another big city.
Enter Hammerhead:
This tricked out minivan had a full camping setup, complete with extendable bed, cookware, water tanks, etc. Everything you’d need to make the 700 km trip.
As part of the deal, you get a set number of days to complete the journey at no cost. Just bring it back with a full tank of gas. In my case, adding extra days were just $30. It even included full insurance. They gave me three days to make the trip, but I tacked on two so the whole five-day rental cost me $60.
Perfect, right? Not quite. You are picking up a used rental car that hasn’t been cleaned, processed, or turned around again for its next client. Worse, this was a camper van where people ate, cooked, and slept. When I found her, Hammerhead was parked outside a repair shop, caked in pollen, looking like she’d been waiting for me for quite some time. When I told a garage employee that I was there to pick up the rental, I was told the key was on the counter as he walked away.
That was it. No paperwork, no ID, nothing. It made me a bit nervous to be honest. I’m used to America’s more litigious ways and wanted the deal in writing.
A quick look in the back and you could see that it was a mess. The bedding was tossed around, I could see bottles and cans of food in storage lockers underneath. Honestly, I didn’t look too closely. Even before I started the drive, I knew I wouldn’t be sleeping in the van, opting instead for hotels and hot showers.
The other issue was the missing radio. Actually, the face-plate of the radio was missing. You know, the part you can remove if you don’t want it stolen. There was an auxiliary audio input that let me plug in my phone, but I wanted real English-speaking radio for a change. Only later, when I couldn’t find the damn lever to open the gas tank door, did I find the missing radio part in the glove compartment.
Hey, once a radio guy…