February Round Up

February Round Up

On the 1st of February we were at Taralagon VIC on the 28th of February we were at my parents farm near Wandoan QLD. 

Total kilometres travelled 3813km for the month. 

Total diesel bought 672.03L total cost $853.62 dearest diesel $1.30 at Miriam Vale QLD, cheapest diesel $1.23 at Rosedale VIC. 

Camping. Camped 16 nights in February, 12 nights staying with family. 14 free camp nights, 2 paid. Total cost $64 average of $32 per night for paid camping, or $4 per camped (16 nights). Only paid camping was at Taralagon at $32 a night for the caravan park. 

Best campsite - Jimmy Iversons Camp near Dargo in the High Country. 

Worst campsite - caravan park at Taralagon. 

Best experiences - the High Country, we fell in love with the whole area but especially enjoyed the Dargo area. Driving Blue Rag track. Driving over the top of Mt Hottham. Driving the loop between Khancoban, Thredbo, Jindabyne, Berridale, Adminaby & Cabramurra. Catching up with the families on the way home & when we got home. Seeing our dogs again. 

Worst experiences - driving home knowing our holiday was over. Having to come home a bit early because of cyclone Marcia & seeing the devastation it caused in our local area. 

Best camp cooked meal - roast beef, Apple & blackberry cake. 

Best bought meal - lunch at Dargo pub, a great experience. 

Things we are missing

Our holiday, we aren't quite back at work yet, but it's coming very soon. Peace & quiet of camping, freedom to do whatever we want. 

Things we are not missing

Work, work, work (we will have to be back soon, NO!), unpacking & packing the trailer (it was nice to not have to do this for a few days). 

January Round Up

January Round Up

On the 1st of January we were at Moorook Game Reserve on the Murray River SA on the 31st of January 2015 we were at Pardalote Camp on the Wellington River near Licola VIC. 

Total kilometres travelled 3494km for the month. 

Total diesel bought 501.1L total cost $644.56 dearest diesel $1.32 at Loxton cheapest diesel $1.23 at Shepparton. 

Camping. Camped 26 nights in January, 5 nights at Bordertown. 17 free camp nights, 9 paid. Total cost $184 average of $20.44 per night for paid camping, or $7.07 per camped night (26). Cheapest camp $10 a night for 2 people at Murray River at Moorook & Murray River at Mannum & Dearest camp fees $35 at Murray Bridge. 

Best campsite - Bruce's Beach, Moorook, Howqua River Noonans Flat. 

Worst campsite - Murray Bridge

Best experiences - All of the Murray River, the start of the high country including Craig's Hut & Lake Elidon. Exploring SA & VIC, some amazing free camps. Being on the summit of Mt Skene freezing cold & surrounded by fog & rain at 1570m above sea level. Getting surrounded by wild King Parrots as we left camp on the Howqua River in the high country. Using the fire again & cooking up some amazing food. Warm enough weather to enjoy swimming in the Murray River repeatedly. Mat catching a beautiful Murray Cod.  

Worst experiences - Crowds over the Australia Day long weekend. Crappy weather at the Coorong. Kids trying to steal stuff from camp in the middle of the night in the high country, repeatedly & the no sleep that night. 

Best camp cooked meal - Roast Pork, Jam Drops, Potato Bake, Rack of Lamb, camp oven pizza, scones, fruit bread. 

Best bought meal - lunch at Glenrowan pub, lunch at Loxton overlooking the Murray River. 

Things we are missing

Our dogs Milly & Robbo, the family, time (time is slipping away to fast). 

Things we are not missing

Work, work, work (we will have to be back soon, NO!)

How can January be over, it's not possible. We have had a fantastic month. We have seen so many new places & had some of the best free camping & weather for the whole trip. We have only just begun in the high country & it's fantastic. The Murray River everywhere was great. So much more to bring you on the blog before we are finished, just got to write it all up. Time please slow down!!!!

December Round Up

December Round Up

On the 1st of December we were at Albany on the 31st of December 2014 we were at the Moorook Reserve camped on the Murray River near Loxton in SA. We left WA on the 12th of December after almost 8 months of travel. 

Total kilometres travelled 4535km for the month. 

Total diesel bought 844.78L total cost $1259.21 dearest diesel $1.84 at Eucla, cheapest diesel $1.32 at Ceduna.  

Camping. Camped 31 nights in December. 5 free camp nights, 26 paid. Total cost $371 average of $14.26 per night for paid camping. Cheapest camp $10 a night for 2 people at Walkers Rocks, Lincoln NP & Murray a River at Moorook & Dearest camp fees $35 at Albany. 

Best campsite - St Mary's in the Fitzgerald River NP, Richardson Shack at Port Lincoln NP. 

Worst campsite - 4 Mile Beach at Fitzgerald River NP. 

Best experiences - Coast around Albany area, 10 days camped at Port Lincoln, day trip to Coffin Bay NP. 

Worst experiences - Wind!!! Cold weather. 

Best camp cooked meal - Spring Rolls, Doughnuts, Christmas dessert. 

Best bought meal - we didn't really eat out much this month. Probably pizzas at the pub in Whyalla. 

Things we are missing

Our dogs Milly & Robbo, the family, sunshine, shower, a lounge, Christmas with the family, an oven to cook Christmas treats, weirdly craft (just Jess on this as you would expect, Mats motto is "Craft is Crap"), growing our own veggies. 

Things we are not missing 

Work, Christmas shoppers & shopping. 

December is over & we are into the new year. Can you believe it? Time is flying. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas & that some of you got to get out there camping! December saw the end to our WA stay for us which was sad but still so much to see. Some more touring in SA & VIC for us before we have to unfortunately go home some time in March. We have lots more adventures still to come your way so keep reading & we would love if you could leave us any comments you have on our travels. We are almost up to 20000 page views & we would love you to keep following us. 

Goodbye WA

November Round Up

November Round Up

On the 1st of November we were at Point Herron South of Perth on the 30th of November 2014 we were at Albany.  

Total kilometres travelled 3674km

Total diesel bought 572.37L total cost $863.57 dearest diesel $1.50 at Manjimup, cheapest diesel $1.47 at Fremantle.  

Camping. Camped 30 nights in November.  0 free camp nights, 30 paid. Total cost $644 average of $21.46 per night for paid camping. Cheapest camp $10 a night for 2 people at Parry beach & Dearest camp fees $38 at Yallingup. 

Best campsite - Canebreal pool, Parry beach & Banksia camp

Worst campsite - Point Herron, due to small sites & to many people

Best experiences - Area around Denmark including Elephant pool, green pool & mad fish bay. Exploring the Margaret river, exploring Albany coastline. 

Worst experiences - Rainy weather, March flies, 

Best camp cooked meal - Lamb shanks, Apple crumbles, roast, corned beef. 

Best bought meal - lots & lots, we indulged way to much this month!

Things we are missing

Our dogs Milly & Robbo, the family, sunshine, washing machine, decent internet reception

Things we are not missing 

Wind has been pretty good this month, work, sunburn. 

November is over, can you believe it, Christmas is coming. Still don't know where or what we will be doing. I can't say I am missing the stress of Christmas shopping this year! We think we will finish up in WA in December, very sad, but we have had a wonderful time. Hoping to be able to do a glazed ham or something in the camp oven for Christmas, if we can have a fire. Sorry to the family, no over catering from me this year at family gatherings this year. 

Check out these cuties!!!!

October Round Up

October Round Up

On the 1st of October we were at Hamelin Station Stay near Denham on the 31st of October 2014 we were at Perth staying at the Woodman Point Holiday Point near Fremantle. 

Total kilometres travelled 2766km

Total diesel bought 446.96L total cost $751.61 dearest diesel $1.79 at Kalbarri, cheapest diesel $1.55 at Geraldton. 

Camping. Camped 31 days in October.  0 free camp nights, 31 paid. Total cost $819 average of $26.41 per night for paid camping. Cheapest camp $15 a night for 2 people at Francois Peron National Park & Sandy Cape & Dearest camp fees $39.28 at Woodman Point.  

Best campsite - Murchison House Station

Worst campsite - None all okay

Best experiences - Point Peron, day trip to Jurein Bay, Rottnest Island 

Worst experiences - The Wind on the coast. 

Best camp cooked meal - Cottage Pie, Chocolate Mud Cake, fresh whiting at Francois Peron. 

Best bought meal - African Grill at Hillarys Boat Harbour, lobster at Cervantes, tapas at the Sail & Anchor, A sausage roll from the French patisserie at the Freo Markets. 

Things we are missing

Our dogs Milly & Robbo, the family (happy 30th birthday Josh), no wind, clean feet, free & quiet campsites. 

Things we are not missing 

Work, cold mornings

That's it for October. We can't believe how fast time is going & how far south we have got. We thought there would be a lot more to do on the coast above Perth. So now into the SW corner, looking forward to this part should be beautiful. 

September Round Up

September Round Up

On the 1st of September we were at Millstream National Park on the 30th of September 2014 we were at Gladstone camp south of Carnarvon 

Total kilometres travelled 3180km. 

Total diesel bought 494.94L total cost $870.09 dearest diesel $1.848 at Exmouth, cheapest diesel $1.679 at Karratha. 

Average fuel economy is still about 17-18L/100km when calculated per tank. 

Camping. Camped 30 days in September.  0 free camp nights, 30 paid. Total cost $573 average of $19.10 per night for paid camping. Cheapest camp $10 a night for 2 people at Ningaloo, Cleaverville Beach & 40 Mile & Dearest camp fees $37 at Carnarvon. 

Best campsite - Ningaloo & Red Bluff

Worst campsite - Warroora Station

Best experiences - a week of relaxing at Ningaloo, snorkelling at Cape Range, scenery at Red Bluff. 

Worst experiences - having a bad time at Warroora station, being disappointed with the amount to see at Millstream National Park. 

Best camp cooked meal - Roast Chicken twice! Fresh emperor at Ningaloo. 

Best bought meal - local fish & chips at Coral Bay

Things we are missing

Our dogs Milly & Robbo, the family (sorry we missed the wedding Stevie & Ethan, congratulations on your special day), a bath tub, washing machine, central Qld spring, no wind, free campsites. 

Things we are not missing 

Television, work, everyday bills. 

That's it for September, what a great month, to finally get to achieve going to Ningaloo, Red Bluff & Quobba was amazing, places we have wanted to see for ages. So onto October, a month of our birthdays, so I am guessing we will be a little homesick, but very excited to be heading down the coast towards Shark Bay & Kalbarri. 

August Round Up

August Round Up

On the 1st of August we were at Wyndham on the 31st of August 2014 we were at Balla Balla south of Port Hedland. 

Total kilometres travelled 3169km. 

Total diesel bought 525.97L total cost $915.34 dearest diesel $1.849 at Halls Creek, cheapest diesel $1.695 at Broome. 

Average fuel economy is still about 17-18L/100km when calculated per tank. 

Camping. Camped 22 days in August. 9 free camp nights, 13 paid, 9 nights at Anne Marie's house in Broome. Total cost $446 average of $34.30 per night for paid camping, average of $20.27 when averaged over the 22 days. Cheapest camp $24 a night for 2 people at Bungle Bungles & Dearest camp fees $40 at Gnylmarung & Port Smith. 

Best campsite - Langi Crossing & Gnylmarung. 

Worst campsite - Bungle Bungles & Palm Springs, but both only because of our neighbouring campers. 

Best experiences - catching up with friends, a week in Broome. Domes walk, Cathedral gorge & echidna chasm at the Bungles. 

Worst experiences - getting chased out of camp at Palm Springs, a lot of Cape Leveque being not accessible. 

Best camp cooked meal - beef ribs in the camp oven, risotto, charcoal peri peri chicken. 

Best bought meal - wood fired pizza at the Mango Place in Broome. Lunch at Cygnet Bay Pearl farm, a tasting plate of pearl meat in sushi, tempura, salad & sashimi, yum. 

Quotes of the month

We have had heard some cracker comments from our fellow travellers, so we have decided to bring you "Quotes of the month" to share. 

"There's no need to fire up mate" as the local tried to light his fire a metre from our tent at Palm Springs.

"Run for your lives, it's everyone for themselves" said jokingly by a camper when the fire was near camp at Gnylmarung, it terrified a already scared 8 year old. 

Things we are missing

Our dogs Milly & Robbo, the family, clean feet, washing machine, gardening (weird I know), salad, the farm. 

Things we are not missing 

Cold weather, routine, work. 

That's it for August. Can't believe we are about to go into September, time is flying & we are a little sad to have reached the half way mark. 

Keep reading the blog in the next few days for our first ever GIVEAWAY, make sure you don't miss out on the chance to win a great prize. 

Four months of travel - how much has our "big trip" cost

When we started planning to travel for 12 months we found it very hard to find any information on how much it would cost to tour around Australia in our camper trailer. We did find various estimates that ranged from $1000 a week to $1 per kilometer travelled. We have tried to keep you updated in our month round up posts, to give you an idea of the cost of fuel & camping fees. Now we have completed 4 whole months of travel (April to July inclusive) we wanted to give you a more detailed look at what the cost has actually been. 

A couple of things to note

- there are just the 2 of us

- our tow vehicle is our beloved 2012 model 76 series landcruiser "Ruby"

- we have items on our roof rack (chainsaw box, spare tyre, spare jerry can, swag etc)

- we are towing our 2007 Trackabout Off-road Overlander camper trailer

- we try to sit on 95-100km/hr when highway driving 

- we drive to conditions when driving off road

- we try to free camp as much as possible, but if it means we have to pay to stay somewhere convienent to a certain attraction then we will

- it's worth noting that during this time while we were obviously conscious of our spending, there was very little if anything that we didn't do that we wanted to do, based on cost. At this stage we are still under our budget & aren't limiting our plans. 

- we are hoping our diesel & camping costs will be lower in the following 4 months as we move south & drive less kilometer & hopefully more free or low cost camping options.

- we understand we could definitely travel cheaper. For those on a tighter budget we suggest, planning your stops where you can find lower cost camping, eating out less & being selective & research the tours you want to complete. 

In our calculations

- for our week calculations we used 17 weeks for the 4 months (based on how many Sundays there were during the 4 months)

- for our days calculations we used 122 days for the 4 months

- the "other" category is all sorts of things from doctors appointments, pharmacy items, clothes, books, hair cuts etc

- the repairs & maintenance category is any repairs or maintenance on the car or trailer including servicing, wheel balance & alignment etc. It also covers any resupplies of butane gas, LPG gas, consumables etc. 

- Bought meals includes anything we haven't cooked/made ourselves. From breakfast at a servo or bakery, to lunches or dinners out at the pub, cafés or restaurants, this total cost also includes alcohol consumed at the same time. 

So here are our costs for 4 months of travel. When worked out per kilometer of travel it has cost us $1.24 per kilometer. 

Thoughts

- the cost per night of camping has been higher than we hoped for. This was especially evident at any coastal place & within the Kimberley. 

- the amount of free camping available in Northern WA was less than we anticipated. 

- we are using about 5-10% more diesel than we originally estimated. We put this down to carrying bulky items on the roof rack, & being very conservative about having full water tanks as much as possible, so carry a lot of weight in that. 

- on a plus side we have definietly spent less on repairs & maintenance than expected & have been lucky to be in larger towns when those repairs or maintenance services have been due. 

- we have also spent less on meat on this trip, as we have been able to supplement a lot of our supply with fresh fish. Also by running a freezer we are are able to buy meat when it's cheaper at the bigger towns. 

- our 12V power system has been fantastic. By using the solar panels we very rarely need a 240v power source. If we stay at a caravan park it is almost always for convenience (for a decent shower or to do laundry) or there is no other option for a place to camp. 

- a lot of the time when you pay to camp somewhere you are actually paying for the security of your gear. Yes you can stop at a free rest stop on the side of the highway, but most of the time you won't be comfortable leaving your gear at camp while you go away for the whole day exploring. At least at a paid campground you have that extra security. 

What would we do differently if we started from scratch

- carry less items on the roof rack

- take less clothes (we shipped a whole bag full home)

What will we do going forwards for the rest of our trip

- need to justify why we would stay anymore than 3 nights at one place. 2 whole days & 3 nights should pull most places up. If staying longer there needs to be a good reason. In the first few months we probably overstayed at a few places, which did significantly increase our camping costs. 

- actively choose unpowered campsites when available, instead of paying for power just because it's convenient. This can save $5-10 per night, if we have to stay at a caravan park. 

- do more research on free camping options

- be more restrained with eating out, take the time to make our own lunches on the road. Be selective when you do a eat out, some places have been disappointing & expensive, use TripAdvisor. 

July Round Up

July Round Up

On the 1st of July we were at Kununurra on the 31st of July 2014 we were at Diggers Rest Station near Wyndham.  

Total kilometres travelled 3107km. 

Total diesel bought 674.22L, total cost $1189.47, dearest diesel $1.96 at Kununurra, cheapest diesel $1.66 at Katherine. 

Average fuel economy is still about 17L/100km when calculated per tank. 

Camping. Camped 29 days in July. 4 free camp nights, 25 paid.  Total cost $685.20 average of $27.40 per night for paid camping.  Cheapest camp $6.60 a night for 2 people at Keep River national park & Dearest camp fees $41 at Shady Lane caravan park Katherine (we got some of this back from our roadside assistance for Ruby). 

Best campsite - Easily Diggers Rest near Wyndham, right on the King river with no one else for 4 nights, heaven.  

Worst campsite - Keep River National Park, lovely location but ruined by bollards. 

Best experiences - catching up with some family & friends, Shady camp we didn't get that keeper Barra but it was a pretty cool spot especially with the crocs at night, Dundee beach, Diggers Rest near Wyndham a slice of the Kimberley all to ourselves for 4 days. 

Worst experiences - Ruby blowing a transfer case seal leaving us stuck in Katherine for a week. 

Best camp cooked meal - lasagne in the camp oven, chocolate chip biscuits, fresh fish from the fishing charter. 

Best bought meal - lunch at the Sailing Club in Darwin (best seafood platter ever), lunch at The Lodge Dundee, lunch at the Parap tavern Darwin, Chinese for dinner from the Palmerston night markets. 

Quotes of the month

We have had heard some cracker comments from our fellow travellers, so we have decided to bring you "Quotes of the month" to share. 

"Where does the sun go down??" A middle aged man taking photos at Lake Argyle saying this while looking directly east as the sun is setting behind him. 

There were lots of quotes we could share from our family catch up, but what happens on tour, stays on tour haha. 

Things we are missing

Our dogs Milly & Robbo, the family, clean feet, washing machine. 

Things we are not missing 

Whilst sitting at Diggers Rest all by ourselves we are not missing caravaner's or caravan parks. Traffic, computers, cleaning a house (I just realised it has been over 5 months since I have cleaned a bathroom or toilet or vacuumed or mopped!)