Cruising up the New England Highway, halfway between Tamworth and Armidale, and decided to have a break on Bridge Street in Uralla. Jump out of the car to see a completely flat tyre. Spare in the boot, jack somewhere under a pile of gear, and two slightly panicked travellers staring at a very dead wheel.

Enter David, who appeared from a little shop called Old Memories (49D Bridge Street). No hesitation. “Flat tyre? Hang on, I’ll sort you out.” Within minutes he’d found a local mechanic, who organised the spare to be fitted, and then… refused to let us drive the rest of the way to Armidale on a space-saver.

Helen at the local mechanic shop calmly took charge like a roadside fairy godmother. Helen called ahead to a tyre place in Armidale, booked us in, and had a brand-new tyre waiting by the time we rolled up 25 minutes later. Spare swapped back, new rubber on, bill sorted, smiles all round.

Total strangers. Zero drama. Just pure, classic country kindness.

So here’s to David at Old Memories, who dropped everything to help two randoms on the side of the road. Here’s to Helen, who turned chaos into a five-star rescue mission. And here’s to Uralla, a tiny town that now has a permanent spot on our “must stop and say hi” list on the New England Highway…

Sometimes the best detours aren’t on the map. Sometimes they’re a flat tyre and two of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.

Moral of the story: If you ever break down near Uralla, you’re actually the luckiest person on the highway that day.

(And yes, the thank-you cards are already in the post.)

Safe travels, everyone – may all your flats come with angels attached…