Bashed and robbed......
Submitted: Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 16:35
ThreadID:
81265
Views:
6517
Replies:
6
FollowUps:
12
This Thread has been Archived
bluefly
Recently we were coming to the end of our annual trip, and decided to visit
Cobar before heading to the
Menindee Lakes for a few days. I’ve passed through the town many times over the years, but had never stayed the night.
After a good day, we had a couple of drinks in the caravan
park and went to bed relatively earlier. At approximately 11.30Pm something woke me up, which happened to be a person exiting the camper van.
What I didn’t know was there another person in the van at the rear. Obviously his only way to out was to go through me, which he did in a bit of a rough manner. Being half asleep there was no contest.
Luckily the injuries were minor with a bit of swelling in the face and a blood eye.
The local coppers were great, but with the loss of cash and bank cards my focus the next morning was on how to get home. Luckily the ANZ agency helped out.
On reflection I probably made it easy for them to some extent, but it’s highly usual to be bashed and robbed whist a van is occupied (in a caravan
park).
The door on the camper van has always been difficult to lock, and on this occasion it wouldn’t lock no matter what I did. First mistake!
The second mistake was to leave valuables in the van, rather than the car (which I normally do).
Later on in the morning we discovered I was only one part of a crime spree that night, which led to others being robbed. The perpetrators apparently were not locals. I say this because
Cobar is a safe town and I don’t want to put anyone off from visiting there.
Cheers
Reply By: petengail - Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 16:46
Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 16:46
in retrospect your probably lucky - it could have been a lot worse.... dead shame though
AnswerID:
429992
Follow Up By: Roughasguts - Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 17:12
Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 17:12
Mate might not hurt to put one of those simple bolt locks through the door when your inside, cause you never know.
FollowupID:
700820
Reply By: Sir Kev & Darkie - Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 17:20
Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 17:20
bluefly,
Maybe it is time to start travelling with a dog that likes to be fed when it is dark ;) Just make sure it knows who it's owner is first hehehehe
Cheers Kev
| Russell Coight:
He was presented with a difficult decision: push on into the stretching deserts, or return home to his wife.Lifetime Member
My Profile My Blog Send Message |
AnswerID:
429994
Reply By: Gazal Champion - Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 17:44
Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 17:44
Hi Bluefly,
i have stayed several times, 4 times in all, in a particular caravan
park in Dubbo and while we were there each time someone was robbed in a campervan. The vans that are half canvas and half aluminium. I cannot tell from your post which type you have. My advice is sleep on your valuables that way they have to roll you over to get to anything important. That is what I do even in our full van.
Could have been worse I suppose.
Next time you plan to stop near
Cobar try the
rest area about 60 K west of
Cobar called
Meadow Glen Rest Area. It is very good and you can have a fire.
Good to hear you got off somewhat lightly. Someone also suggested getting a gun club sticker and putting that on the van in a conspicuous place. Sounded like a good idea to me.
All the best, Bruce.
| At home and at ease on a track that I know not and
restless and lost on a track that I know. HL.Lifetime Member
My Profile Send Message |
AnswerID:
429996
Follow Up By: bluefly - Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 18:17
Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 18:17
No doubt some of the above suggestions have gone through my mind since.
Normally I travel with the dog, but on this occasion it wasn’t possible to take the dog with us.
Yes the camper trailer was half alum and canvas. Hardly a secure unit when you think about it.
As the coppers said; ‘wrong place at the wrong time’.
Cheers
FollowupID:
700822
Follow Up By: BrownyGU - Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 18:52
Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 18:52
Can also vouch for the
rest area Meadow Glen west of
Cobar, especially at the moment it's so green around there, spent 2 nights there last week couldn't believe how green averything was!
Sorry to hear of your bad luck though bluefly, you'd reckon a Caravan
Park would be fairly safe especially with you being home at the time!
Cheers......Browny
FollowupID:
700823
Follow Up By: Member - Old Girl (QLD) - Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 22:02
Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 22:02
Bruce, You couldn't give me more info on the Dubbo
park. Were heading there tomorrow.
Sharon
FollowupID:
700845
Follow Up By: Gazal Champion - Tuesday, Sep 14, 2010 at 19:35
Tuesday, Sep 14, 2010 at 19:35
Hi Sharon, Sorry to be so long winded in getting back to you but I just checked my emails and got your request for more info. A bit late I agree.
The van
park I was talking about is the one nearest the Western Plains Zoo and is just down the
hill from the Bowling Club on the Newell Highway just as you are heading out of town. Nice
park, rates not too expensive, pretty full most nights,
well when we were there in OCT, 2 years running.
You would have thought it was one of the safest in town but the buggers climb the security fence from the
park which follows the river along side the van
park.
Couple staying next to us stepped outside there van one night to have a ciggy about 2 am and saw one of the buggers sneaking around the
park but could not get a good look at him.
This is probably too late to be of any benefit to you so I apologize.
There has been some talk on these pages about a van
park on the Newell on the Northern side of Dubbo which is a bit further out of town but the posters said it was a good
park and away from the problems. Try a search on Dubbo van parks and it might bring it up.
Regards, Bruce.
| At home and at ease on a track that I know not and
restless and lost on a track that I know. HL.Lifetime Member
My Profile Send Message |
FollowupID:
701161
Follow Up By: Member - Old Girl (QLD) - Thursday, Sep 16, 2010 at 21:14
Thursday, Sep 16, 2010 at 21:14
Thanks Bruce, we did stay there and luckily had no problems. It was suggested to stay out on the reserve on the northern side but the alternator decided to call it a day so we headed straight to town to replace it. When leaving Dubbo we noticed a
park along the Macintyre on the
Bathurst road that looked pretty dodgy. Were currently freezing our buts off at
Lithgow and heading to
Wisemans Ferry in a couple of days. Thanks anyhow
Sharon
FollowupID:
701366
Reply By: Wilko - Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 20:03
Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 20:03
Hi Bluefly,
Thats not good but at least it was only "minor injuries" It coulda been a lot worse.
I hope they catch the person and break their fingers, Cant stand thieves and hope they get whats coming to them.
Cobar is a great town with very little crime. I spend 3-4nights every fortnight out there, Your a lot safer in Cobvegas then the majority of other towns.
Cheers Wilko
AnswerID:
430012
Follow Up By: Member - david m2 (SA) - Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 20:29
Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 20:29
its about time these theiving mungrels get the punishment they deserve instead of a fine and a pay on the head. how many times do you watch the news to see some old person being bashed and robbed in their own home, the police need to start kicking asse instead of picking on someone doing 5 km over the speed limit. you should feel safr in you own home/caravan.
FollowupID:
700836
Follow Up By: Member - david m2 (SA) - Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 20:29
Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 20:29
pat on the head sorrry
FollowupID:
700837
Follow Up By: Hairs & Fysh - Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 20:43
Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 20:43
Hi David,
Unfortunately the problem lays with the courts.
The coppers do their jobs and the courts let them off for minimal consequence for their actions.
Which in turn sets a precedence for then next piece of scum.
Anyway
bluefly,
You guys are
well, bit of a scare, Hey.
Mkaes you think twice now about some things.
Anyway, we learn and move on. Thanks for bring it to our attention, security of both us and our gear.
Happier travels to you.
Cheers.
FollowupID:
700839
Follow Up By: bluefly - Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 20:46
Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 20:46
Wilco
I couldn’t agree with you more. The town is clean, friendly and has all the
services you could wish for, unlike others that are almost ruined through anti social behaviour.
Naturally I was a bit peeved off, but that’s life. You take the good with the bad.
The coppers rang me yesterday, and said they’d taken a bloke in for questioning up in Burke, but none of my stuff was found on him. I do however feel sorry for the guy that had his car burnt out.
To the other resondent, I don't agree with what you said about the coppers.
You could'nd come accoss a better police officer, than Joe Palmer in
Cobar.
Cheers
Cheers
FollowupID:
700840
Follow Up By: Gazal Champion - Tuesday, Sep 14, 2010 at 19:43
Tuesday, Sep 14, 2010 at 19:43
Bluefly I agree, the poor coppers are going to work each day with both hands tied behind their backs. We the public have to get more vocal and tell the pollies we have had enough of the snivel libitarians and we would like the police to have the authority to kick ass once in a while.
Once these buggers got the message "Game Over" they would think twice about trying it on again.
I'll get off me soap box now and get outa your way.
Cheers all, Bruce.
| At home and at ease on a track that I know not and
restless and lost on a track that I know. HL.Lifetime Member
My Profile Send Message |
FollowupID:
701165
Follow Up By: Member - david m2 (SA) - Tuesday, Sep 14, 2010 at 20:32
Tuesday, Sep 14, 2010 at 20:32
not only the courts. A lady was murdered in the last couple of days because no one responded to her calls to 000. This is wrong . My town at the same time as she was killed had a blitz on vehicle checks and had at least 6 police cars harassing innocent old ladies for not having there groceries secure in their cars.
Mobile tax collectors
FollowupID:
701170
Reply By: Member - Bruce T (SA) - Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 21:06
Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 at 21:06
We've stayed in
Cobar many times with no dramas. Last time in fact we discovered in the morning that we had not locked the car - left the windows of the Troopy down, but locked the car. No dramas. What a shame for you.
Bruce and Di
AnswerID:
430022
Reply By: Honky - Monday, Sep 13, 2010 at 10:31
Monday, Sep 13, 2010 at 10:31
If Staying in Dubbo do not stay at the
park just of the main street of dubbo near the river.
It is common for caravans and their cars to get broken into in dubbo including cars at the motels along Cobra street.
Take your belongings into your motel room and make sure your caravan is locked.
Cobar is a fairly safe place most of the time because it is not situated on a river.
You would most likely find that as it is such easy picking in dubbo and the surrounding towns that it was people from these areas.
Honky
AnswerID:
430172