Several people from home, fellow travellers ad other travelling families we've blogged with have asked what we are travelling and living in and how it compares with other options (like caravans or tents). We are not sure how our setup compares with other options but we have provided some details and photos of our truck and camper trailer here for those who are interested in doing the same sort of trip or for those who can't quite get their heads around how we can actually live out of a trailer for over a year.
The choice of vehicle was easy, Rob loves his Toyota Land Cruisers and the best we could hope to afford on our budget was an 80 series. We opted for diesel due to the better fuel efficiency and towing power but didn't get a turbo. If we had the money we would have put in an after market turbo but funds haven't stretched that far. Rob fit out the back of the truck himself with shelving that fit several boxes for tools, recovery gear and mountains of other stuff. With regards to four wheel driving gear, we put on a winch, snorkel, built in air compressor, steel bull bar, dual batteries, cargo barrier, light force spotties (made in Oz) and off road tires. We also had the shocks replaced and the suspension increased to give extra clear ace and to accommodate the load of the camper trailer.
For our home away from home, we decided on a Kimberly Kamper. The reasoning behind this decision was that we wanted the extra space a comfort that a camper trailer could provide (over a tent or swag) but didn't want to limit our ability to get into 4WD access camp sites. A caravan or even a camper trailer with lesser quality suspension would have made this difficult. The camper has been great. It takes 10 minutes to set up for our "overnight" set up and an extra half hour or so if we want the full setup. Packing up takes a little longer but that's mostly time spent tidying up all our stuff and Jarvis' toys. You can get an annex and all sorts of add ons for the Kamper for more room but for the three of us, the standard setup is perfect. The camper has a kitchen with double gas burner, grill, fridge, sink with running water (no hot water though) and heaps of storage space. There is a 130L water tank, large underbid storage for clothes, 6 batteries (210 amp hours all together). We can make the water and power last about a week if we're careful. By which stage we're pretty keen for a hot shower and the use of a washing machine so a few nights in a caravan park are very welcome as we power up and fill up the water tanks.
We also decided to take a boat. We have a 3.5m tinny with a 15hp motor. The Kimberly Kamper has a boat loader so we can swing the boat up on top of the camper when it is folded away or off to the side while we are camped. The limitation on this is that we don't have a boat trailer separate to the camper so we either need to be camped right next to the water or drop the boat in the water and tie it up before we set up camp.
We also decided to take a boat. We have a 3.5m tinny with a 15hp motor. The Kimberly Kamper has a boat loader so we can swing the boat up on top of the camper when it is folded away or off to the side while we are camped. The limitation on this is that we don't have a boat trailer separate to the camper so we either need to be camped right next to the water or drop the boat in the water and tie it up before we set up camp.
On the Road
Overnight Setup (no awning, just flip it open)
Normal Setup (awning but no walls)
Wet Weather Lockdown (full awning with walls)
Dining Room and Kitchen
Outdoor Kitchen Tools
Bedroom
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteYour setup looks great. We were just wondering what sort of communications you have. We're thinking of HF versus a Sat phone. Do you have either?
Hi. We only have a hand held UHF radio, which doesn't have great range so not very useful. We have telstra mobile phones and an antenna on the car which boosts the reception but this is still fairly limited. We met several people with Sat Phones, seems like a good option. HF can get very pricy.
DeleteHave a fabulous time on your travels.
Em
Thanks Em, shame we're not on the road yet. We have a 3.4 year old. Safe travels!
ReplyDeleteOh Yeah, I forgot to mention, we do have an EPERB. It's really for the full on life threatening emergency, but with a 3 year old, it seemed like a good idea. Also, some states require you to have one if you're boating in open waters (which we have been doing quite a bit). It is a shame you're not on the road yet, we don't meet many little kids (mostly 6 years +).
DeleteEm
Hi Em,
ReplyDeleteI thought I sent you a message the other day, but it hasn't seemed to have worked. How did you add your map to your blogspot page? All I have been able to do is add a link :(
Thanks Carolyn
Hi Carolyn, I think you message went onto "The Kimberley" post. Here's the response again though:
DeleteYour trip sounds great and it is awesome that you have the bonus of previous experience travelling round oz. My husband had done a trip round oz ten years ago and we have found his memories of that trip so useful (although sometimes a little bit disappointing as many places have changed for the worse, but a lot of good changes too).
I set up the map on our blog using Blogabond. If you click on the bottom tab of my map that says "more…" it will take you to their site. Once you have set yourself up as a user, you go to "My Stuff" and then "Add/Rearrange Stops". The map doesn't follow roads and is a bit limited as you can only use the locations already in their system so some of the smaller out of the way places aren't there. But as you move along your trip, the exact location matters less and less because the image zooms out to fit in your trip (i.e. if you've only travelled through VIC, then it will only show VIC in the view). Once you have set up your stops, hit save and it will take you to the next screen where you can copy the text string to paste in Blogspot. You past the text string into the text window that you have set up in your blogspot template.
Hope that all makes sense. It would be great to see you on the road. I'll keep an eye on your blog to see if our paths cross.
All the best and safe travels.
Emma
Thank you so much Emma. I really appreciate the run through and will definately have a go. We hope to see you on the road too. We are following so many people on their blogspots and internet sites, so I'm hoping that once we leave there will still be lots of people to meet with. Take care and enjoy your travelling :)
DeleteHi. We have a kimberley kamper and was wondering what type of bed you have for your son and where you bought it from?? Cheers.
ReplyDeleteHi there. We bought a full size (adult) cheap old style canvas stretcher bed from a camping store (I think it was BCF). It had four legs with connecting rails so we took one section off the end and the extra canvas then just folds under the bed. We also bough a single bed thin foam mattress from clark rubber and just cut it by hand to the size of the stretcher bed. We take the legs off the stretcher when we pack up and the whole lot (including his sleeping bag, sheets and pillow) go on top of our bed before folding up the camper. We picked up a coleman kids sleeping bag online - warm, cheap and seems to handle going through the washing machine.
DeleteHave fun in your kimberley, we're 13 months in and still loving it.
Thanks so much for the info - my three year old will have a new bed set up (so we can access the ensuite door and fit the port a cot too). We did cape york last year. We are going to do Springsure Qld to Perth in five weeks over xmas ... rushed but we'll see a fair bit. Tassie next year. Hopefully 6 months straight travelling the following year. Fingers crossed. Love your blog by the way. Happy travels!!
DeleteHi, I have a few questions...
ReplyDelete1.What was your budget for a trip like this?
2.Do you think we could do it in a big bus with 4 children, towing a 4WD, or are we best taking a tent/camper trailer, or maybe both(parking the bus and taking the tent for off road)?
3.Do any of those lovely places allow pets?
Sorry about all the questions, I just think what yous have done is amazing!
Also, would you be able to tell me what time of year you were in which places?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Hi, our budget was an evolving one.. Basically because when we started we thought we could do it for $500 / week but really it was $500 / week plus petrol and other car needs (rego, replaced tyre, hole in the camper water tank etc). If you were able to have $1000 / week that would be perfect (enough for the swims with the whales and other little luxuries along the way) but I guess it depends on how tight you can be with money along the way.
ReplyDeleteYour bus idea sounds great, the comfort of the extra space plus the 4wd for around town and getting into those secret places. But it will definitely chew through the fuel. We met quite a few people doing that sort of thing and it seemed to work well. Sometimes it means a bit of back tracking but not too much.
Not many of the places we went to allowed pets (well generally not the best places) as they were often in national parks. You would be very limited in your travels in northern WA and NT. But a lot of the free camp sites allow pets (or there's no one there to check) but they can be pretty basic and not always in the nicest places.
We travelled across the south of oz (east coast to west coast) in the winter and spring), arrived in Margaret river and stayed all of summer and into autumn (waiting for the wet season to ease up north), headed up the west coast in April across the top end and reached cape York in August, then down the east coast for a few months.
Hope that helps, always happy to answer questions.
Emma
Thanks for replying, I just answered another of your comments in another blog. All of this information helps, so thanks so much! We will be towing our 4WD on a car trailer behind the bus, and trying to park it while we go off road with the 4WD and car trailer and tent. How many nights did you stay at each camp? And do I need to get permits before we get there? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteOh, and about pets...does that mean no camping with pets or no visiting the parks at all with pets? Is it the national parks that have all the swimming holes?
ReplyDeleteSome aboriginal land requires a permit but usually you can just get one from the community or a tourist office beforehand. Some national parks accept booking but mostly it's just first served basis, except for qld where you now have to book all camp sites (usually a day in advance is fine). You'll figure it all out as you go. There's plenty of people to ask along the way. Or length of stay at each camp varied from 1 night to 1 week depending on the place. We tried to always stay two nights or more to avoid the set up pack up (even on one night stay it seems stuff got spread from one end of the camp to the other). But we mostly played it by ear. Generally at the best spots we were eventually forced to move on due to our food, water or fridge batteries running out.
ReplyDeletePets are generally not allowed in national parks at all (even if they stay in the car), but there are some exceptions. Yes, most of the swimming holes we came across wee in national parks (but not all of them). The best ones in NT were all national parks, most in northern WA were national parks or aboriginal land (in those cases it would be p to each community whether they allowed pets). Pets will also limit your choice of caravan parks which could make it tricky in the peak season in places like Broome, Darwin etc. you would just need to be organised and book in advance into places that accept pets. We fund booking ahead to be a bit annoying as you just don't know how long you will stay in one place or another until you get there. But sometimes it's just unavoidable.
Thanks for all the help Emma!
ReplyDelete