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Up to The Murray

First on-road hurdle, i stopped at the Wallan Nth roadhouse to check the tyre pressure. I need 64psi and the pump only goes to 60psi … oh well, a coffee and toastie should resolve the sadness Mon and mid 20s today but Wed/Thu forecast around 40deg along the central Murray. No fore ban today or probably tomorrow i expect it after tomorrow. Weighed the car on the Broadford multideck and came in at a round 3300kg which ironically is the Troopys original factory GVM. Ross had Troopys capacities increased before delivery with a Federal DOT second stage manufacturer modification. As [ ... ]
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Dalmeny Day 1

We brought foward the NSW sth coast getaway which was scheduled for next weekend to today. There’s been some challenges with finding a tow hitch for the car because of the cars height, and we had to wait for a component to arrive from QLD yesterday. Bit of a confident gamble, hinging a 2 week school holiday trip on an untested car, and untested mods including tow hitch and various electrics A nervous tow of the van home last night, via the empty local community centre carpark to measure the towball height and van levels We didnt get away till after 10am this [ ... ]
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Surfers day 2

Being in the apartment is very much like coming home after a long absence. Not in the romantic, calming comfortable sense … more in the ‘shit thats broken, thats filthy, wheres the bloody kettle’ kind of way. Theres a lot of maintenance and cleaning to catch up on … but we dont have this view when we’re fixing and cleaning at the other home You can probably see we have cleaned the windows so far but not the balcony glass. Yesterday we spent much of the day stocking up on groceries, and grabbing some stuf from Bunnings, and getting into some maintenance. But first [ ... ]

Surfers Paradise

We’re off to our apartment in Surfers for the first time in quite a few years. We’ve been mostly away in the van in recent years, and of course that included our 14mth caravaning lap of Oz The apartment was also rented long term for most of the time we’ve been absent. We’ve travelled through the Gold Coast and stayed at Main Beach in the van many times and we’ve often walk into Surfers and spied on the occupants of the apartment to ensure theyre looking after it. For the foreseeable future the apartment wont be back on the rental market, and we [ ... ]

Camp site check-in.

Sunday 0-04-2019 22.10 (Hit this Google Maps link if the map above isn’t visible https://www.google.com/maps/place/-28.005440974892608,153.430730532693) GPS accuracy 8.0 mtrs

Central Australia – lightning trip

Well well well, its 2.45am and we’re up and about partly woken by the alarm and partly by the wind and rain storm flogging Melbourne. Yesterday at the supermarket Ross had to take his swag off the roof of the car to stop it getting soaked before they even get out of Parkdale. A lot of work has been done and continues to be done to prepare “Neville” for life as the family tourer (Neville, that’s the early contender name Ross has bestowed onto the Troopy). A lot of work includes a mass of wiring, electronics and hardware for [ ... ]
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Lake Boga Mar 2019

We’re here with friends on edge of Lake Boga for the annual air show Yesterday morning Barb and Ross walked around the lake … all 13km of it. The walk started of well, on a good path for around probably 4 or 5km … then abruptly ended. Aside from turning tail and heading back, the only way forward was to head inland for about a km. That was the last that was seen of the lake until the highway just south of the caravan park. Barb was shitting herself walking along the gravel verge of the highway until one of the many multi [ ... ]

Camp site check-in.

Saturday 15-03-2019 14.32 (Hit this Google Maps link if the map above isn’t visible https://www.google.com/maps/place/-35.46185938426797,143.63509320619116) GPS accuracy 6.0 mtrs

Camp site check-in.

Thursday 24-01-2019 16.33 (Hit this Google Maps link if the map above isn’t visible https://www.google.com/maps/place/-38.14142508686712,146.79221279048292) GPS accuracy 4.0 mtrs

27 Mallacoota

It was cold last night. Bloody Victoria, we’re no more the 3ft over the border and the weather turns to shit We even put the diesel heater on this morning because it was 13 degs. The chicken (or more accurately roostet) was anouncing dawn at the top of hi 20 vehicles in camp last night ranging from tent, whizz bangs, caravans roof tops and motor homes. We only had 20km or so from the freecamp to Mallacoota, but check in at the foreshore caravan was 12pm according to a notice in the freecamp toilot block. The notice is a pretty good indication that [ ... ]

Camp site check-in.

Sunday 20-01-2019 13.08 (Hit this Google Maps link if the map above isn’t visible https://www.google.com/maps/place/-37.55719583686668,149.759397325986) GPS accuracy 6.0 mtrs

26 Genoa

We were on the road a bit after 9am, heading 40 mins south over the border and back into Vic to Genoa. Genoa is the first area south of the Vic/NSW border. Genoa has an old run down pub on what was many years ago the old highway. There are two other derelict buildings but nothing else. Genoa is much more famous and more simply known as the turn off from the highway to head to Mallacoota. We’re camped in a freecamp on the banks of the Genoa River. We’ve stayed here a few times before and Ross took Max for a [ ... ]

Camp site check-in.

Saturday 19-01-2019 10.10 (Hit this Google Maps link if the map above isn’t visible https://www.google.com/maps/place/-37.47218951068162,149.59109859441773) GPS accuracy 6.0 mtrs

25 Eden

Hot and windy today. Today was ear marked as fishing day in the kayak, but it should have been yesterday instead We drove into Eden for a cafe breakfast … well, cafe breakfast for Daniel. Shared vegemite toast for Ross and Barb Max was very keen to participate more in the actual physical sense Forecast severe thunder storm started heading our way. Our resident meterologist Barb was monitoring from Weather Central, and call a code blue which when called the night before we leave a camp means all outdoor equipment must be immediately packed up dry and stored. NSW storm warnings are almost [ ... ]

24 Eden

For no particular reason, for the first time this trip we left the aircon on last night. Neighbours arrived late yesterday afternoon in long single axle Bailey Pegeant caravan. Its an older van and very euro looking. The small sites place their van very close to us, where our car should normally be parked The van is low, they have 5 kids and no aircon. Ross is up at 6am, all their windows and curtains are open and the windows are lower than eye height. Ross had to reverse out of the van, and walk backwards out of camp to go to [ ... ]

23 Eden

Misty and damp air overnight. Very little breeze but it was to bad. We did have the fan on for a while. The mass exodus from the caravan park continued, including us. We were 80% packed away late yesterday afternoon. We played a round of Daniels Zombie Apocalypse game last night before Daniel went to bed and then Ross and Barb watched the tennis The Aust Open is a bit of a summer travelling tradition which started when Barb was 9 mths pregnant and like a dwarf whale just before Daniel was born. Unable to do much but wait, we watched the Australian [ ... ]

Camp site check-in.

Wednesday 16-01-2019 17.03 Crusty is right here (Hit this Google Maps link if the map above isn’t visible https://www.google.com/maps/place/-37.07724920033031,149.87564815318302) GPS accuracy 3.0 mtrs

22 Merry Beach

The wind eventually dropped off last night, but it then became still and humid. Cant have everything … apparently Daniel got an escape room game for Xmas. The game uses a tablet App and a series of numbered cards to replicate one of those physical adventure games. Its really well done but its a one shot game which takes about an hour. Theres one timed path to a successful end and once its done, its done. Daniel’s special gift was firing on all cylinders and he was in his zone. He was picking up clues neither Ross or Barb could see. [ ... ]

21 Merry Beach

Bit of drizzle early evening, but not much wind Forecast today is for a very warm day with 50km winds developing after lunch After all the angst created over our initial booking here if 6 days and being moved off and then back onto the beach front site etc we were asked politely if we would consider moving one site left to allow the people booked either side of us to be together … which we ablidged Those two sites have remained vacant for 4 days. We can only imagine the arse reeming that would have occured had we found ourselves in the [ ... ]

20 Merry Beach

Muggy warm night, with a slight breeze Wind the over abundance of roos, they seem to be banging into our satellite dish and buggering up our evening tv No exercise today … nobody could be bothered. Ross is usually up around 6am, and out enjoying a morning brew under awning he spied this …… some kind of brick structure and a pole !!!! A better view of the congestion The Tarp Mahal. We are always astounded by the size of the tarps we see in every camp we stay The picture isnt great, but the BBQ location is pretty impressive. When these guys decided to go camping they [ ... ]