A camping we will go

Just 3 short years ago if you had said that I would find pleasure in camping, or that as a part of our retirement journey I would be camping I probably would have laughed and said "you have to be joking".  I hadn't had a lot of experience with camping in my life except the school trips and the really cheap tent experience in my late teens, and to be honest I hated each and every one I went on. I had made it my life's ambition never to camp - to me 3 days in a 5 star resort was more of a holiday than 3 weeks camping.

So it's a strange feeling in my mind that here I am less than 3 years into retirement and I find I love the camping experience and now look forward to our next trip and spending money on being able to camp in a better environment.

We did start our retirement with a relocation van (looking for cheaper ways to travel - and this sort of set the ball rolling)  if you missed my blog on that here's the link  The Relocation Van Blog, at first I thought I enjoyed it so much because it provided just so much freedom and given we had only just retired it was such a great feeling to just be on the road, no plans other than to be in Cairns in 7 days and travelling with very little - just shorts, t's and thongs - it felt so good after years of constraints.

Now being settled in the new home and after our big trip around Australia  we started thinking about what we really want to do, yes we love the overseas travel and we love our cruising holidays, but you can't do this type of travel on our sort of self funded retirement money all the time - and we want to be able to pack up and go when the desire strikes, not planning for something in 3 months time, be more spontaneous in our adventures and to be able to do things more regularly.  So you have guessed it, we have bought ourselves a new pop top camper van.

Our first set up - well nearly setup!

Given we have limited space in our new house to store a van we had to be quite succinct in what we wanted ie:  we only have a limited width and a limited height we can go to - in our travels the most common van we saw were the Jayco Pop Tops - more than any other type, brand or style and those that had them seemed to have the best of all worlds - not too big, but with the convenience of internal sinks, beds, lounge areas and dining areas,off the ground, easy to tow and easy to setup.  So a few months ago we started on the journey of looking for our new home away from home.

Like all buying decisions these days, we try hard to take our time and do our homework - looking at as many possible options we can see - to ensure we are getting the best bang for our buck - so given we knew exactly what we were after (we hired one for a weekend first to make sure we did like them) and also to ensure it would fit into the limited space we have, and yes it was for us.  We searched for second hand ones to begin with and then soon found that most of these where of a similar price to a brand new one, so we did elect to buy a newbie (beautiful).

We have spent the last 2 months now just packing and going when the weather appears to be good (although that really hasn't worked out so well given our current weather patterns of late), but this hasn't fazed us at all, because one of the reasons we wanted a pop top caravan was so we were not limited by rain like we were on the soft floor/roof camper and it would appear we could possibly hire ourselves out as drought busters.

So yes we have experienced a lot of rain (in 3 trips over 300mm), but at the same time we have been comfortable when it was raining, we have had the luxury of being able to get inside and keep dry as well as be off the ground (which was a great thing in these types of situations).  We have been learning how to get the van up and down quickly, getting everything in its rightful place and establishing our living while away - so while the weather hasn't always been on our side (although in some places it was perfect), we have learnt about our new van which has been great, and so far we love the thought and of course the doing of just going - lets go!.

Our first trip was to South West Rocks - about half way between Brisbane and Sydney and we had a great camp site on the mouth of the river - it was a fantastic camp site with a ensuite (we always try to get an ensuited site if we can), on large sites and in a beautiful environment.  It took us a bit longer to setup than we originally anticipated that first time as we had to remember how to do everything and of course it was all new - but we got there and the first day was magnificent - sunny and warm and just so lovely to be sitting under our annex in the shade having a chat to people feeling pretty chuffed, but that night the heavens opened to 140mm of rain - but guess what - we didn't care and not one drop of water in the van and the site was still dry around us because of the annex (the things we didn't have before).  Overall it was a great first trip and we really enjoyed ourselves.  We did only have 3 days here though because of the rain - but that is what this is about, we don't have to be away for weeks now, more regular trips for shorter periods of time.  Derek of course continued on his winning way in the metal detecting stakes and had a fantastic time.

Next we decided to head into country NSW at this time of the year the Armidale area is so beautiful with its Autumn leaves and we had another lovely camp spot and after a few lovely days here we headed for Stanthorpe - I love Standthorpe and there is so much to do there at this time of year with the wineries, lovely town center, bush walks etc (check out my Stanthorpe Blog for more info on this area).  We headed to Storm King Dam rather than the town parks because we wanted a more bush camp site and the caravan park here didn't disappoint, with exceptionally large sites complete with fire pits (absolutely necessary in Stanthorpe this time of year as the days are beautiful, but boy can the nights get cold), right on the dam and boats, bikes etc to hire - we will be going back here again.  Once again our trip was cut short by RAIN another 200mm in 2 days so it was a wet pack up which was also good to experience.

A few weeks back home - still getting things in their rightful places in the van so each time we go out the experience gets just that bit better, more organised and easier to setup, then we headed off to Rainbow Beach (I haven't been there for probably 35 years), again the Rainbow Beach caravan park is fabulous with views to die for, the weather was glorious for the 3 days we were here - but unfortunately we had to pack and go because we hadn't booked and on the 4th day we were told they where fully booked - bugger.  Headed up to Bigara Beach just of Bundaberg for a few days there (probably wouldn't go back here again, really not much to do and no beach as such so a little disappointing), but again we got to do the pack up and set up in one day and this is so helpful in learning how to use your van so we were not really all that upset.

We are now getting ready to take off for the Winter though, heading North for the sun and hope to be away for 4-6 weeks (this is sort of what we want to do, short trips during the year and then 1 longer trip in the Winter months).  We feel we now have everything in the right spot in the van, have all the things we need for a comfortable trip and we feel confident in the setup and pack up process.  At this point in time we feel this has provided us with a lot more travelling opportunities at a more affordable price and while we love where we live it is still nice to get away.

We are loving the Jayco Eagle, it suites us to a tee, it has all the comforts of a big van (sink, stove, fridge, lounge, dining and 2 beds - one queen and one double as well as an electric awning - we are hopeless with annex setup so with a push of a button we have our awning up and out with no fuss). Its easy to tow and you can still do the normal speed limits and now we have setup a few times we are doing this in about an hour from pull in to sitting down having a coffee under the annex, we could probably do it faster but we like to get everything out properly first up.  We are enjoying our small jaunts when we get the urge to move which is good, and yes we have been taking Teddy (but he really doesn't enjoy himself all that much - but we can take him if we want to so that is nice as well).

This is Australia - As a Grey Nomand: Part 14: Homeward Bound - The final Chapter

 We are sad as we know we are heading back – all good things must come to an end, and for the first time in the trip we will be doubling over places we have been through on the front end of the trip.  So now we leave Kings Canyon to Alice Springs – A Town Like Alice.  We got in quite early and spent the day checking it out, nice enough, but not enough for us to want to stay for any real length of time so off we go and begin the trek through Tennant Creek and Barkley Station heading for Cammoweal where we stop for the night after a big drive.

It is instantly noticeable the difference in the road as you hit Queensland again, no longer are the roads wide, well maintained and its sad to think our home State seems to have the worst roads, and the most agro of truck drivers, we have travelled now thousands of kilometres without any issues, but you hit Queensland and the driving is hard.  While we had to go through Mt Isa and Cloncurry again, we decided to take another route home so we were not going over too much of the same territory again.  We took the Julia Creek turn off to head to Hughenden which is a nice town, the heat is instantly noticeable – we didn’t do the dinosaur museums here, but if you missed out in Winton this would be another good place to see them.  We were pretty tired after a few days of big driving so took a cabin here and it was lovely, in fact the caravan park was really nice and we enjoyed it here recuperating.

Now off to Charters Towers where we had a lovely few days, and while CT is and was a major Gold centre, there is no public fossicking here and to be honest, no one wants to answer the question when you ask if there are any around, we would have loved to have done some here, but it is a lovely town, pretty up market, nice shops and good tourist walks, shops etc.

I am probably not as upbeat now, we feel like we are nearing the end and of course the Queensland country side is just so plain after WA, SA and NT, and while they are dry and baron as well Queensland just doesn’t seem to have a lot going for it – maybe its just us now.

After Charters Towers, we head to Emerald where we thought we would get some fossicking in, Emerald is a big town and while it has all the services you need we didn’t feel it was the right place for us, so we headed to Sapphire.

We loved Sapphire, it really is a fantastic place it feels like you have gone back 100 years, but it is pretty, friendly, and quaint.  Wanting to know more about sapphire fossicking we took a tag along tour, which was fantastic, and we got the bug for this, we ended up buying our own willoboughby and took up the art of sapphire fossicking for a few weeks.  We loved our campsite here as well, and every day, horses, cows, camels, birds would walk past our site.  It’s a great place and while initially the others in the camp ground where a little standoffish, once they knew we were here for a while they helped us in our endeavours of finding sapphires (not to the extent where they would tell you good spots to go, but helping establish the quality etc of stones found).  Everyone was up early here and out doing their fossicking until about 2pm, then home for a shower – it is dirty work and then it was an afternoon of drinking and show and tell, we loved it here and this is a place we will probably go back to regularly – the end of August is a good time not too hot and definitely no cold weather.  I can now say I can dig a grave because there is a lot of digging to be done in the hunt for sapphires.

From Sapphire we went to Rockhampton for a few days, then onto Gladstone and Tannum Sands, which had a lovely caravan park on the beach and log fire pits which was nice, it’s a lovely little area.  Didn’t really do much here, and we I suppose we knew it was all coming to an end – had to get back for things that needed to be done.  Our last stop on the way home for good was Woodgate, a place we had never been to before and just outside of Childers and Gin Gin so not far from home in the scheme of things (we had not that long ago done a road trip to 1770 etc so didn’t want to go there again at this point).  If you live in Queensland and are looking for a perfect beach area then I would say Woodgate is it, very quiet town, beautiful waters and beach areas and just close enough for day trips to Bundaberg (which we did again, have not been there in years).  Our last week was spent soaking up the sun and relaxing – very nice.

So home it was as the September school holidays were about to start, so there would be kids everywhere as well as everything becoming more expensive.

The Travel Stats:

So how far did we go, how much did it cost?

·         We ended up driving 21,400 kilometers

·         Total Cost of the trip including everything was $17,461 (that is absolutely everything we spent money on - food, petrol, accommodation, smokes, tours, souvenirs) - but not the price of the camper - so about 80 cents per kilometer - not bad 

·         We were away for 14 weeks in total

We sold our camper on Gumtree on our return put it up one Friday night and it was sold for the price we wanted (not much less than what we paid for it) by Saturday morning with cash folding in our hands.  It was sad to say goodbye to the camper, but while we loved our trip, I didn’t see us using it much in the future – not that we wouldn't travel again but maybe in hindsight a Jayco poptop may have been more comfortable for us and perhaps allowed us to do a bit more free camping - we didn't want to free camp given generally the ground was rocky and we had a soft bottom floor.  We did however love the trip and we did enjoy our camper from In2Campers, and the back up service and help we got from Kylie and Troy from In2Campers was fantastic, we got a lot from this experience and using a camper trailer was a fantastic introduction without a large investment.  We found we could live on less with less and enjoy life in a totally new and unique way for us, we met lovely people and had a blast as well as we got to see this special country Australia in all its glory and for that I am very happy - we have so much here in our own back yard and it was a gift to be able to see and enjoy it.

I hope you enjoyed my blog about this trip it was great and loved every minute of it, it was a great way to fill in our time while we waited for our new home to be built - we moved in on the 15th December, it didn't cost any more than renting and we had a great time, saw the best of Australia and had a blast, would highly recommend it.

This is Australia - As a Grey Nomand: Part 13: Ayers Rock, The Olgas and Kings Canyon Northern Territory

Another big drive from Coober Pedy to Ayers Rock over 700km’s leaving South Australia and back into the beautiful Northern Territory roads, with open speed limits.  It was funny you went through towns where the signs said slow down to 130kms/hour – that meant we had to speed up 10ks/hour lol.

You drive for so long and don’t see a car, then you get to Erldunda which is a cross roads type place and all of a sudden there are tourist buses, camper vans, motor homes, tents everywhere, this is the place everyone stops before getting to Ayers Rock. We got a great camp site, and of course everyone is excited around you to see The Rock – and we had a look out right behind our site, so it was good to see the sun set here on our first night without needing to get in the car.

Now I have spoken on red dirt in WA, but let me tell you this is the reddest dirt and its everywhere so not for those who don’t like dirt – to be honest I am now use to it, and not quite so anal about it being in the tent thank God, otherwise I would have been driven nuts (so maybe it was a good thing we changed courses months ago).  One of the things I loved about this camp ground was it was the first in all our travels to date that had open fire pits, which was so great to sit around at night with a drink and tell yarns with others – we really enjoyed this every night.  Although it was crowded at this time of the year, the best nice days not too hot and nights while cool, not freezing, so there are people everywhere.

I Climbed Ayers Rock

The next morning we were refreshed and keen to get out and see this place, we bought our 3 day pass and Derek immediately headed off to do the climb (not for the faint hearted let me assure you), and not really appreciated but still allowed.  He made it though and I enjoyed trying – but thought better of it, and talking to all the other peahearts like me that were awaiting a love one to return with their tales of making it.

The view from the top of Ayers Rock

We spent the rest of the day doing the various walks around the base which was beautiful it really is magnificent.  We also went to the proper night viewing area for the sunset – took our drinks and nibbles for a sunset happy hour along with 1000 others, but we got there early and secured a beautiful spot .

Next day The Olgas, they are also just fantastic, and in fact look better I think from a distance than the Ayers Rock.  Another big day of walks, and it was very cold and windy here unlike the day before where it was hot, we are in jumpers and freezing, but the views are spectacular.

The town center here is lovely as well, nice cafes, restaurants, galleries, souvenir shops etc, and Derek also began doing some metal detecting in the camp site – he found heaps here, with all the groups coming in with their swags, lots of money and jewellery being lost – he quickly found $50 plus a few rings and a beautiful opal pendant, couldn’t stop he after that – he was gone for days – I didn’t mind it was nice to sit, relax, read under the views of the area, and there was always someone to talk to as well.

After 5 days here, we finally decided it was time to head off to Kings Canyon – and WOW this is in my books even better than Ayers Rock – it’s a fabulous camp grounds with a 5 star resort and all the trimmings with it, in the middle of nowhere.

Climbing Kings Canyon is hard work though, something like 500 rock steps to get to the top – lots of huffing and puffing from us, but we made it – the rest of the walk isn't as arduous though and the views are to die for, magical in every way – such a lovely day walking up and through this area – make sure you take some water with you, at this time of the year they don’t police this so much, but apparently later in the season you are not even allowed to go up if you are not carrying enough water – it was hot up there. 

Our camp site with a view to Kings Canyon

What I loved about Kings Canyon is it isn't as restricted as Ayers Rock, you are encouraged to walk it, climb it, take it in so at the end of the day it feels like it is significantly more incredible than Ayers Rock as you truly get to experience it – there are good walking paths and steps throughout the entire area but it does take a full day.  For those who don’t have the energy or ability to climb, there are heaps of helicopter flights at reasonable prices (unlike at Ayers Rock), so I think generally people who experience King Canyon feel like its got a lot more to offer.

Once again Derek found heaps at the Kings Canyon camp grounds, in fact enough for us to have a beautiful meal at the resort all paid for in $1 and $2 coins hot off the camp ground (but I did wash them first, but it was funny counting it all out and them saying where did you get all of these from  and us laughing saying just outside).

Some of Dereks finds in Ayers Rock and Kings Canyon

This is Australia - As a Grey Nomand: Part 11 Carnavon,Denham, Kalbarri and Geraldton Western Australia

Red Bluff Panorama where red dirt meets sea

We loved WA it is really a beautiful place,  and they  cater so well to the tourist, everything is well sign posted, tourist offices provide heaps of good information on things to do in the various local areas, and no matter where you go here there is a fantastic view, beautiful scenery, incredible drives that take you to spectacular coast lines or incredible mountain ranges plus this part of the drive had prolific wild flowers, this is where you see them everywhere you look.  I have to move this journey along a bit so will put a few places in together.

Murchison River Panorama

From Coral Bay we headed to Carnarvon,  and once again there were fantastic day drives (some however were quite long on sandy tracks, but they provided some great experiences, including blow holes (only a few kilometres from the town center), to Red Bluff – quite a drive but worth it.  This is the Gasgoyne region and Murchison River a major food bowl for WA and crops abundant so a very pretty landscape oh and I cannot forget the space station – a lovely exhibition here.  

Panorama of Denham foreshore 

 Denham, was our next stop and a lovely seaside town, again there is heaps to do here (but this is where we first hit rain), we had been lucky to date that everywhere was dry.  Again a lot of great day drives coming into Denham – all with lovely walks and exciting things to see – it is a place that you could spend a significant time at. 

Shell Beach

From the stromatolites (the oldest living thing on earth), to shell beaches (that are so white, and the shells go forever),  fantastic broadwalks that show you the beauty of this World Heritage listed area, the aquarium  and of course wild flowers everywhere, there is just so much beauty in this area.  The only thing I will say that disappointed us was Monkey Mia – you see this place all the time on TV etc and it was a real let down for us – would recommend if you want to spend time with dolphins, you go to either Tangalooma (in Queensland) or I was told Bunbury was better for this activity.

  

I think this is what we loved about WA is the coastal views coupled with the inland views all magnificent.

Panorama of Natures Window Kalbarri

Lets talk about Kalbarri – such a beautiful place again many days were spent here on this water front town,with again spectacular inland and coast drives, viewing platforms, walks and we finally saw our first whales frolicking off the coast line, bird sanctuary, but the walk to natures window in the national park was probably the best for us, just beautiful.  The national park has several great walking trails, viewing platforms etc, but again the coast road does as well, you can either walk the entire coast or drive to the various smaller walks dotted along the coast.

Unfortunately for us, the rains where now beginning to set in, so off we had to go, camping is fun, but not when it is pouring – we headed for Geraldton  to get the car serviced and ready for the drive across the Nullarbor – more on that in the next blog.  It was pouring in Geraldton as well so cabins it was – this is quite a big town center and one that is good for a general stock up.  Generally though this whole part of the trip was full of the beautiful wild flowers , and coming into Geraldton you got the back drop of the canola fields as well providing the most incredible yellow and green background.

We have been travelling now for 9 weeks and while some people say WOW you did that quickly, we felt we stayed in most places long enough to see and do everything in the area, there were definitely times however in this drive where there was nothing along the way other than a petrol station, and given we didn’t want to do the free camping sometimes you just had to suck it in and do the 800k days from one place to the next.  Also the beauty of a camper trailer is you can go the speed limits so you just get places faster than those in a van.

More of Dereks finds - he has been having a great time with his metal detecting.

I suppose the only regret I have is not doing Karijni National Park – we were told it was 4wd only access, but after having long past it, many others in 2wd said we would have made it.