Getting Ready for Our South Coast Trip
I am ecstatic to report that we are hitting the road again, albeit only for a month. We will be touring the NSW and Victorian south coasts for the month of February.
Linda's sister Jan, and bro-n-law Ross will be accompanying us in their van. They have done quite a few trips with us now. We were last away in the van for just a week, again with Jan & Ross. That was a trip down to Tumut and Tumbarumba at the end of September last. A thoroughly enjoyable trip but as it was only for a week I did not bother doing a blog. Here are a few photos of the nice places we camped and went to on that trip.
The river beside the van park in Tumut:
Apart from that trip we have not been away since our three month trip to Tassie. We returned from that trip in mid April so it has been quite a while since we have had a long getaway, in my book anyway.
Our plan for this trip is to stay at Narooma and Eden which are two places in south coast NSW we have not spent time in and then to continue on down the coast of VIC and play it by ear in terms of how long we stay at places, depending on how we like them, the weather etc. The idea is that I want to make the most of the warm weather to enjoy beaches and fishing and see places we have never been before which is the whole of that VIC south coast area. We expect we will make it to Mornington Peninsular with enough time to have a good look around there and visit friends (two couples) who we have met on our caravanning travels.
If we go quicker than expected we may cross Port Phillip Bay and check out the Bellarine Peninsular and possibly the Great Ocean Road. The timing of the trip was about making use of the warm weather whilst being on the coast to make the most of the beaches and also being able to catch the sea breezes if the weather tends to be to hot. If we get some cooler days we will probably check out some mountain country around Omeo and Walhalla.
For those who want to check out our previous trips here are the blog addresses. First trip to NT, 2013, web address is www.firstbigtrip.blogspot.com.au; The web address for 2015 WA trip is www.secondbigtrip.blogspot.com; Web address for 2016 QLD trip is www.touringseqld.blogspot.com; and the 2017 QLD Gulf trip is www.qldgulf.blogspot.com; The last blog web address for our Tassie trip is www.touringtazzie.blogspot.com. The web addresses are the best way to look up the blogs but you can also do a search on ‘Linda & Pete’s Travels’ and the relevant year but the QLD gulf trip needs July/August 2017 added and the Tazzie trip will need ‘Jan to April 2018’ added.
Since returning from our Tumut and Tumbarumba trip I have added/repaired a few things on the van. On that trip we found that the TV cable coming from the antennae on the roof was badly corroded, virtually non existant in places and so Ross and I replaced the cable with a bit of effort. I replaced our awning on insurance as it was damaged at Merimbula during a three week trip we did over January and February 2017. Now that I had a new awning I wanted to protect it and not have to be so precious about it every time a breath of wind sprung up so I bought some deflapper frames and a couple of awning rafters. That then required a new 150ml pvc pipe attachment to carry the deflappers but also allow me to put a couple of fishing rods in without having to cut the fishing line off every time for the purpose of dismantling to fit them.
Next was fixing a leaking four seasons hatch. Yes, for those who have followed previous blogs my hatches have given me a lot of trouble with leaks. This time the one over the bedroom was still OK but the dining room hatch was leaking. Eventually I worked out where the problem was and sealed it. HAPPY DAYS.
I have installed wireless tyre gauges on the Landcruiser and the van so that I don't have the problem of tyres going flat on me and shredding them and possibly damaging the rim which has happened to me in Tassie and Mackay in QLD.
Finally after taking the cover off the van I found that the hatch on the shower roof had almost disintegrated in the heat and it had become brittle and cracked. I have put it back together with supa glue but have a replacement ready when it finally gives up.
In preparation for this trip I have left plenty of time for getting things ready, probably more than ever before but it always never enough. There are always plenty of jobs to do in getting ready and this time it was no exception. I would like to have got some time and got a better set of goggles for snorkeling but it looks like that will be done on the road.
So here it is now, Monday the 28th of January and we leave early in the morning to beat the 'back from school holidays' traffic. At least I am not working into the night to get things ready this time. I guess I must have left enough time to get things done and am fortunate I did not get called in to work. Being a public holiday I would have gone for the money, so I don't know if you call that fortunate or not. All I know is I am sitting here enjoying a beer at the end of a beautiful day and about to head off in the van tomorrow. I am so blessed.
Linda's sister Jan, and bro-n-law Ross will be accompanying us in their van. They have done quite a few trips with us now. We were last away in the van for just a week, again with Jan & Ross. That was a trip down to Tumut and Tumbarumba at the end of September last. A thoroughly enjoyable trip but as it was only for a week I did not bother doing a blog. Here are a few photos of the nice places we camped and went to on that trip.
The river beside the van park in Tumut:
Blowering Dam and Talbingo Dam:
Our free camp at Tumbarumba:
Our plan for this trip is to stay at Narooma and Eden which are two places in south coast NSW we have not spent time in and then to continue on down the coast of VIC and play it by ear in terms of how long we stay at places, depending on how we like them, the weather etc. The idea is that I want to make the most of the warm weather to enjoy beaches and fishing and see places we have never been before which is the whole of that VIC south coast area. We expect we will make it to Mornington Peninsular with enough time to have a good look around there and visit friends (two couples) who we have met on our caravanning travels.
If we go quicker than expected we may cross Port Phillip Bay and check out the Bellarine Peninsular and possibly the Great Ocean Road. The timing of the trip was about making use of the warm weather whilst being on the coast to make the most of the beaches and also being able to catch the sea breezes if the weather tends to be to hot. If we get some cooler days we will probably check out some mountain country around Omeo and Walhalla.
For those who want to check out our previous trips here are the blog addresses. First trip to NT, 2013, web address is www.firstbigtrip.blogspot.com.au; The web address for 2015 WA trip is www.secondbigtrip.blogspot.com; Web address for 2016 QLD trip is www.touringseqld.blogspot.com; and the 2017 QLD Gulf trip is www.qldgulf.blogspot.com; The last blog web address for our Tassie trip is www.touringtazzie.blogspot.com. The web addresses are the best way to look up the blogs but you can also do a search on ‘Linda & Pete’s Travels’ and the relevant year but the QLD gulf trip needs July/August 2017 added and the Tazzie trip will need ‘Jan to April 2018’ added.
Since returning from our Tumut and Tumbarumba trip I have added/repaired a few things on the van. On that trip we found that the TV cable coming from the antennae on the roof was badly corroded, virtually non existant in places and so Ross and I replaced the cable with a bit of effort. I replaced our awning on insurance as it was damaged at Merimbula during a three week trip we did over January and February 2017. Now that I had a new awning I wanted to protect it and not have to be so precious about it every time a breath of wind sprung up so I bought some deflapper frames and a couple of awning rafters. That then required a new 150ml pvc pipe attachment to carry the deflappers but also allow me to put a couple of fishing rods in without having to cut the fishing line off every time for the purpose of dismantling to fit them.
Next was fixing a leaking four seasons hatch. Yes, for those who have followed previous blogs my hatches have given me a lot of trouble with leaks. This time the one over the bedroom was still OK but the dining room hatch was leaking. Eventually I worked out where the problem was and sealed it. HAPPY DAYS.
I have installed wireless tyre gauges on the Landcruiser and the van so that I don't have the problem of tyres going flat on me and shredding them and possibly damaging the rim which has happened to me in Tassie and Mackay in QLD.
Finally after taking the cover off the van I found that the hatch on the shower roof had almost disintegrated in the heat and it had become brittle and cracked. I have put it back together with supa glue but have a replacement ready when it finally gives up.
In preparation for this trip I have left plenty of time for getting things ready, probably more than ever before but it always never enough. There are always plenty of jobs to do in getting ready and this time it was no exception. I would like to have got some time and got a better set of goggles for snorkeling but it looks like that will be done on the road.
So here it is now, Monday the 28th of January and we leave early in the morning to beat the 'back from school holidays' traffic. At least I am not working into the night to get things ready this time. I guess I must have left enough time to get things done and am fortunate I did not get called in to work. Being a public holiday I would have gone for the money, so I don't know if you call that fortunate or not. All I know is I am sitting here enjoying a beer at the end of a beautiful day and about to head off in the van tomorrow. I am so blessed.
Yay. Look fwd to seeing you. Safe and happy travels
ReplyDeleteIt has been such a long time since we last saw you guys in WA. So looking forward to seeing you.
ReplyDelete