Highway Dreams

- Hide & Seek with a twist- a fun activity travellers may enjoy Have you ever heard the term “geocaching” before? Many people have but are unsure what it means exactly. To try and make it simple, geocaching could be considered a game or activity where individuals or groups seek to find hidden treasures (the geocache) by means … Continue reading »

Whether you plan on being a budget traveller or are lucky enough to not have to count the penny’s as much as the rest of us- saving a few dollars here and there is always a nice thing. And as they say “a dollar saved is a dollar earnt”. We always look out for ways … Continue reading »

Small, Simple, Reliable- 3 words that make up the foundation of a great portable power solution. These 3 words would definitely be used to sum up Genquip’s latest solar kit. Recently we got hold of one of Genquip’s Ecoboxx 120 solar units and put it to the test recently on our travels . What’s in the box? … Continue reading »

Most campers and travellers take along an LPG bottle or 2 for a happy time on the road. Mainly for cooking and running 3-way fridges or perhaps to heat water for showers. Most of us can’t live without LPG. I know we can’t. Generally LPG is fairly cheap and i personally would consider it a fairly economical fuel source, … Continue reading »

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, one of the best things about travelling in a caravan or camper is meeting fantastic people either at campsites or in caravan parks. It was during our stay near Melbourne where we met another great couple who were slowly making their way back over to … Continue reading »

A 90 minute drive south east of Melbourne is beautiful Phillip Island. It has been made popular with a rich history of motorsports and of course the very cute little penguins that call it home.  The Island was full of surprises and we were able to jam pack a week full of different activities. So that … Continue reading »

Planning a road-trip? Are you about to head off on an extended travel holiday? Or do you just love hopping in your car and seeing the country side? We are all too familiar these days with the range of GPS navigation systems on the market. Most modern cars have simple units built in, but most … Continue reading »

Hi Folks The first month of this year has absolutely flown by. We can’t believe its February already. But in one respect we are glad January has come and gone (except the fact ive had to turn another year older). Mother nature really gave our great country a workout in January, devastating bushfires in the south, cyclones to … Continue reading »

Ironman 4×4 Fridges (because summer = Cold Beer!)  Sitting back in a comfy camp chair overlooking the beach or a nice river somewhere, a packet of chips in one hand and a HOT beer in the other…….hang on….that’s not right. Hot beer? This summer is looking like it’s gonna be a scorcher and we will … Continue reading »

Well, I have to admit Melbourne surprised me big time! I wasnt sure what to expect exactly from this city but it definitely wasnt the “family friendly”, exciting, clean and fun city that kept our family busy during our week-and-a-bit stay. We chose to stay a little way out of the city at the BIG4 Dandenong. Nice and … Continue reading »

We have seen and heard all too often the effects of the actions of lazy campers or irresponsible people not attending to their campfires in a proper manner. Hot and windy weather, lightning strikes and rogue trouble-makers make the job of fire-fighters hard enough as it is. So it’s paramount that us campers and travellers … Continue reading »

The ultimate guide for the budget-conscious traveller. After the runaway success of five editions, Camps Australia Wide has produced their sixth edition, with more sites, informative symbols and in full colour. This “Mega B4 size Camps 7 with Camps Snaps”, has 440 pages and has been revised and updated with 3,900 sites and over 2300 … Continue reading »

Photos compliments of Ramona Clark For us, one of the best things about being on the road full time is being able to visit so many great places Australia has to offer. Another aspect of travelling is meeting all the great people along the way. Recently we had the pleasure of meeting some fellow travellers in the … Continue reading »

Who doesn’t like a good campfire when they go camping? They not only keep you warm and provide a place to toast your marshmallows, but using a campfire is a great method to cook a delicious a camp meal for the family. BUT, you are going to need some heavy-duty cookware that will handle the … Continue reading »

Car Batteries To understand why a deep cycle battery should be used in certain applications, we can compare a deep cycle battery with a standard car battery. A car battery could be called a “shallow cycle”, providing a high burst of power for a short period of  time, just long enough to start a car’s … Continue reading »

What is GPS and what can it do for you? Over 200 years ago when Captain James Cook sailed for Australia, a clock accurate enough to calculate his position from the stars cost the equivalent of one-third of a ship. Today we have the luxury of affordable and accurate Global Positioning that we can put in our … Continue reading »

Adequate preparation before undertaking a journey or accepting employment in the outback will lessen the chance of jeopardising human life. There have been many cases where loss of life has resulted from a lack of foresight into the problems involved. If you are considering heading away for a bit of travel on the roads and … Continue reading »

(before reading please consider that everyone has a different idea of what is acceptable, what is considered polite and what etiquette should be followed when camping. The following list is only to be used for some “food for thought” next time you head out camping and its not a set of rules that WE expect to be … Continue reading »

10.       To experience diversity. Australia is a diverse island country. The eastern states boast pristine beaches and lush sub-tropical rainforests. The Top End is so unique where nothing can prepare you for the amazing sights and natural arid landscapes, the heat, the humidity and the remoteness you encounter. But it doesn’t stop there- Western Australia … Continue reading »

No matter where you are or what you are doing (holidays or not) certain domestic duties still need to be done. As a traveling family, one of our never ending chores seemed to be attending to constant loads of dirty clothes. For us 3-4 loads of washing a week was not unusual taking into consideration … Continue reading »

The decision to travel around Australia is a big one. There are so many variables and things to consider, it’s a huge endeavour.  Australia is a big and unforgiving country, hence there is lots to think about to make sure you are ready to do “the big lap” Things like where and when to visit certain … Continue reading »

Used with permission courtesy of: East Coast Car Rentals Australia has plenty of ‘Big Things’ to offer. The question is: how and where will you experience your first big thing? A cult phenomenon and Australian tourist trap, the Big Things are a set of large structures located on major travel routes between popular destinations. Thought … Continue reading »

Going to the Prom! After taking up the generous offer from Tony & Anne-Marie (friends we met in Nelson Bay) to let us park our camper at their place in Venus Bay we ventured a huge 30 minute drive from Foster to their place and setup camp on their block of land. Anne-Marie had prepared … Continue reading »

Mallacoota, VIC It’s amazing how fast OR slow you seem travel when you don’t have a plan or an itinerary and best of all no set time to be anywhere in particular. We had already stayed longer in Eden than we first planned to and our next stop was only really an idea on paper and … Continue reading »

Well, there is no real exact answer. Everyone travels differently, have different needs/wants and have different overheads to calculate into their budgets. Obviously a few kids can add a few extra $’s to the budget and it all depends on where you are and what activities you decide to do. And of course WHEN- for example … Continue reading »

On the last week of September we started our adventure down the south coast of NSW. A section of the map that had been highlighted a “must do” for quite a while. The Princes highway threw a few hills at us to tackle both up and down and in a few spots needed to use low … Continue reading »

Last week on our journey down the south coast of NSW we called into the Bodalla Dairy Shed (in Bodalla). A town known for cheese making (although the original factory has since closed down). The Bodalla Dairy shed is a retro-style milkbar cafe that has an ajoining cheese shed where they make their own varieties of dairy products such as … Continue reading »

I remember when I was a kid; I would be on the count down to the next school holidays from about the 2nd or 3rd week of the school term. They were exciting times for me, particularly the Easter and October Holidays- where the weather was still warm enough to go camping. The Christmas holidays were … Continue reading »

We have travelled the Pacific Highway from Coffs Harbour to Sydney many, many times over the past years. It’s really only a 6 hour trip, only a few short rest stops needed and if we left home early we could be in Sydney by lunch time. Although the highway has a very poor reputation for black spots it’s … Continue reading »

The start of August saw us say goodbye to family once again. We pointed our car and camper southbound and headed to a favourite little coastal town of mine- North Haven, around 30 mins south of Port Macquarie on the wonderful Mid North coast of NSW. This short stay was really a “shake down” trip for us to … Continue reading »

A warm welcome to all our followers, “likers” and visitors to our website/blog. Over the past few months you may have seen our website grow into something that we hope will not only form a valuable online diary of our travels for our own personal reference, but may also become a useful resource and an insight into how our … Continue reading »

We have had a very busy few weeks and every time we seem to get things under control, another thing pops up! However things are really starting to take shape and are falling into place nicely. We have had a few delays to us starting our trip but they have all been for the better. … Continue reading »

We’re Famous! One of the perks of our Whats Up Downunder Travel Saver Card is that we also get a subscription to their quarterly magazine. The latest edition arrived in our post box this morning- and we were eager to bust it open and read an article about our travels. Their latest magazine has a great … Continue reading »

Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock………… Only a day or 2 away from the month of June, which means its only about 2 weeks till our initial planned set-off date. It’s safe to say that mid June is a bit out of the question at the moment, mainly because our single biggest consideration is not yet parked in … Continue reading »

My previous 4×4 had a snorkel and I always knew it was a good investment, but my previous 4×4 was setup for more serious off-roading than what my Rodeo is- I do more towing and touring these days. I used to do plenty of creek crossings and playing in the mud- the snorkel was very handy for … Continue reading »

January brought about the start of our first major project- building the new canopy. We needed more storage in the back of the Rodeo before we head off in June. We bought the vehicle with an ARB Fibreglass canopy which we thought was very tidy and practical but after so long on the road travelling, it really made … Continue reading »

Christmas came and went quickly, 2012 was welcomed in with a bang and our excitement is building more and more  everyday. Now its just under 7 weeks till our baby is born. We have been rattling so many baby names in our heads with a bit of help from Cooper (who suggests mainly names of … Continue reading »