Lysterfield - Melbourne

June 21^st…..

Just time to get one last ride in on the Commonwealth games MTB circuit. My nephew (Cory) knows the area really well. The Sun was out, not a cloud in the sky... what a day!

Tracks with names like Tramway, Rocky Garden and Aneurism are indelibly etched in my brain... 



It has happened, we are finally on our way. We actually left a day early as Melbourne’s forecast for the next few days is for thunder and hail, winds to 65 km/h, and rain falling as snow above 600m. Would you want to be around to experience that lot… no way!

We’ve sorted out most items. We fitted some resistors to help the car recognize electrically that it has caravan lights to service. “Bows” have been fitted to the awning, anti-flap clamps, as well a shade screen has been fitted which is now stored rolled up into the awning. I fitted a 150mm PVC tube with screw on end caps across the rear to carry longer items.

The car has some new rear heavier duty coils and the whole rig now sits close to flat and rides very well with only minimal assistance from the torsion bars.

Rose had her first drive today. She handled the van very well indeed and seemed very comfortable behind the wheel. Mind you, I went from feeling slightly drowsy it instantly awake for about 40km’s. Sugar had absolutely nothing to do with my state of alertness!

We parked just outside Bendigo Sunday night in a recreational reserve with 3 other vans and a motor home. The drive up from Melbourne was exceptional traffic and weather wise. We are camped on a large grassy recreation reserve just off the Calder highway. Two of the campers fired up their generators, so we didn’t feel at all concerned when we flicked on our diesel heater on. It sounds like a turbine when it starts up and until it settles.

We broke camp really early on Monday. The weather once more was un-seasonally exceptional, but from about Charlton North the wind picked up and was on my nose or just off to my left all the way to Mildura. Fuel consumption went up to 18.5/100, it’s normally between 10 and 13.5/100. We pulled up at Sea Lake for an hour around midday just for a break and the van was rocking in the wind. From Sea Lake to Mildura we were down to about 75km/h, we’re normally sitting between 80 and 90. 

We’ve had a great day in Mildura today. The weather has been good (not great), fairly windy, but we’re pretty well sheltered. We’ll still be here tomorrow. We’re heading off to Renmark the day after tomorrow, possibly spend a few days there, and then make our way to Wilpena Pound…. that’s the plan anyway…..!!!

We bumped into a guy from Tassie driving a Touareg (3 weeks old) today. He is towing a 24’ van. He had one like ours and ran it for 160,000km’s without touching it so I’m a little happier with our decision to buy one. The current cost to take a van to Tassie from Melbourne and return is ~$1500 which includes a cabin. Something to note for Tassie next year.

We're off for a bike ride along the Murray tomorrow morning, weather permitting...

A couple of tips whilst I think of them...

Have 2 or more 110 a/h batteries fitted. I have 2 and 1 will definitely not be enough.

Have at least 300w of solar. A single 100w panel is enough to run very basic facilities, but you will need to be very frugal in what you use, when and how much.

Have a compressor fridge fitted. If you pick a 3 way make sure it is Class “T” for use in a tropical environment.

The best accessory item we’ve had fitted is the diesel heater. It’s costly but we’ll not now nor evermore leave home without it. 

If you have 2 water tanks, ensure they operate independently of each other, and one is dedicated to potable water, the other for other purposes. This will help extend the time you can stay independent. You don't need to shower in potable water if you know what I mean.

Make sure a jack is provided. The RVMA requires a Jack is provided, but only if the van is sold retail.

Run an Andersen plug from your car to top up your vans batteries as you drive.

Caravan manufacturers will provide the basic minimum of everything. Basic spec fridges, single batteries, limited solar, little water storage. Upgrades after manufacture can be costly. Be prepared to spend a little more now or much more later.