Hi, my name is Chris and I am about to retire and once the house is sold start travelling. At the moment I tow a baby camper from Elite Products (can go behind a motor bike) with a Corolla Hatchback. I am considering upgrading the car to a RAV3 or an XTrail just to give me more ground clearance and a bit more versatility. Not interested in any real 4WD stuff but it might handle the odd dirt road better than the Corolla.
I have no real idea where I want to go or what I want to see. I just have this dream to travel around Australia. I am well equipped (I think) and can free camp if I need to or go to a caravan park if I want. Any suggestions on where to start would be nice. I imagine that as I hopefully will start in the first quarter of next year that going South might be more pleasant than North because of the heat. I would like to meet up with people along the way to share the day's activities over a cuppa at the end of the day.
I met a couple of lovely people at Macquarie Woods on the weekend who are Grey Nomads. One was Jonathon (Biggles) and Jeanette (JetJ) and picked their brains a bit. I love hearing people's stories of their travels.
I hope to get on this forum more frequently and meet some people that maybe I will say hello to in person somewhere in this great outdoors of ours.
Chris
yeoeleven said
12:23 AM Nov 21, 2012
Welcome to the forum Chris, you sound quite experienced and should go well.
After my Tassie trip I expect to be travelling north so we might link up at some point, hope so.
John
biggles said
12:52 AM Nov 21, 2012
Good on you Chris !
Good to see you getting involved .. best way to get a leg in ..
Jon
jetj said
02:20 AM Nov 21, 2012
Hi Chris,
Good to see you post. Hope you had a good trip home. Good forum for info.
Happywanderer said
02:58 AM Nov 21, 2012
Welcome Chris. The first step is to have the dream, doesn't matter whether you have planned a direction. There is plenty to see, just keep going.
Dougwe said
04:00 AM Nov 21, 2012
Welcome from me too Chris, enjoy here and out in the playground.
neilnruth said
06:35 AM Nov 21, 2012
Welcome bowlerbear from us too. Go the XTrail. We love ours.
Duh said
08:23 AM Nov 21, 2012
Welcome BB,
I am sure you will fit in well.
I had an Xtrail towing camper trailers and two smaller caravans (15' types) and it romped it in.
I was reluctant to sell it but needed to move on. Great vehicle, also more storage room than the RAV 4 inside (or used to be).
eureka said
05:27 PM Nov 21, 2012
I own an xtrail, it pulls my little caravan well on minor roads. I also hired a rav4 and took it across the desert (not towing) from Dubbo to Alice Wow! what an experience. You can't go wrong either way. Helen.
fireheart said
09:30 PM Nov 21, 2012
Welcome Chris, you will receive lots of friendly helpful advice here and have a few laughs along the way. Good luck with your planning and safe travels when it happens.
sarg said
04:30 AM Nov 22, 2012
Good on you Chris and welcome. It's exciting doin all the planning, I'm doing the same, and like you can't wait to hit the road. Hope to see you on it one day, Good luck & enjoy.
_wombat_ said
04:38 PM Nov 23, 2012
Chris
I suggest you pull out of your drive and turn left
bowlerbear said
05:22 PM Nov 24, 2012
I will be turning left as I pull out the drive and I will turn left when I get to the end of the road. Where I go from there is anybody's guess. Hope you meet you all on the road sometime.
Chris
bowlerbear said
11:28 PM Nov 25, 2012
This is all very scary. Four shifts to go................... Chris
Lawson said
05:42 PM Nov 26, 2012
Hi Chris, Have a look at a Suzuki Vitara, the same size and around price as a Rav4 or XTrail but its engine points (4cyl or V6 ) in the correct direction, primary rear wheel drive and low range (very handy even if you only use it to be able to to go through creeks or anywhere very slowly)
Dennis
JimnKathy said
02:37 AM Nov 28, 2012
Our plan is to go anti clockwise. The idea is to wind back the clock..
bowlerbear said
08:34 AM Nov 28, 2012
I have read that anti clockwise is the way to go. I have two shifts to go after tonight. It all feels a bit surreal though knowing that in a couple of weeks I'll get a final pay and then it's the pension. Bit scary.
beiffe said
03:34 PM Nov 28, 2012
My best suggestion is to get out there with the minimum that you can and then buy what you need when you are sure you cant do without it.
What you travel in and how you travel matters little on the road. We all mix in when we stop for the night (or most do as you get some in all walks).
Some of us bush camp some only stay in parks and some use a mix so try it all don't decide one way against the other without giving it all a good go first.
You may decide later to get a bigger van or a MH or stay as you are.
We have many who are happy with their little campers and Toyotas etc and good on them while some have small buses and MH's and some have palaces on wheels.
We are all after the same thing, to see our country and enjoy the final years of our lifes and to spend our money before the kids can get their hands on it. LOL
Regards Brian
jetj said
09:33 PM Nov 28, 2012
-- Edited by jetj on Wednesday 28th of November 2012 09:34:30 PM
Allara said
11:55 PM Nov 28, 2012
howdy Chris, Been there, done that, still happy. Allara
pawsoz said
12:37 AM Nov 29, 2012
Hi Chris
The moment you start the motor you have begun the adventure! Doesn't really matter then which way you go, you are out there doing it! I still have to work a bit + I am studying (on line) so I get tied down a bit every now and then, like now tied to a caretaking role in Bendigo area for a bit, but after that who knows where? I try to follow music orientated festivals and of course a bit of work so that helps me decide which way to point the front wheels!
Enjoy! Annie
jetj said
05:38 AM Nov 29, 2012
bowlerbear wrote:
I have read that anti clockwise is the way to go. I have two shifts to go after tonight. It all feels a bit surreal though knowing that in a couple of weeks I'll get a final pay and then it's the pension. Bit scary.
Sorry about empty post, not scary as long as you live according to your means. A pension should allow about $50 a day. If you pay $35 for a CP site then might be a bit lean.
bowlerbear said
06:51 AM Nov 30, 2012
Thanks Janette. Will certainly keep that in mind although I hope to avoid cp's as much as I can. Hope to meet up with you again someday. Tonight is my last shift and I can't decide if I am excited or terrified. But I know the best is yet to come, it's just the uncertainty at the moment which is a bit daunting.
Chris
jetj said
08:55 PM Nov 30, 2012
Truly only daunting for a week or so. Looking from within the humdrum, looks different looking from outside of it. Good luck!
bowlerbear said
02:21 AM Dec 4, 2012
I am now unofficially retired so officially on holidays for two weeks then officially retired. Had a farewell breakfast and the girls gave me some interesting things to take with me along with some things usually found in a maternity ward that I don't really need to take with me anywhere (use your imagination, I'm not elaborating any further lol). No real plans yet but enjoying doing things with grandchildren. Will discover tomorrow what a Tuesday is like during the day as I am usually asleep.
Nomad246 said
03:04 AM Dec 4, 2012
Congrats on your new "profession"
Let the first task be to get out of bed and then decide on what to do.
btw ,,, what are you going to put on your tax return now,,, "home duties" or "caravan duties" or just simply "x-maternity ward nurse with tools"
enjoy
bowlerbear said
05:44 PM Dec 17, 2012
Today is the first official day of my retirement and once I get my separation certificate from where I USED to work I can get it into Centrelink and they can start paying me the pension. Not sure how I will go on that but I will have to learn quickly I think. Hope to be on the road going somewhere in the next few months.
Bucko said
09:11 PM Dec 22, 2012
Bowlerbear,
You will do fine, I'm on the same and it is cheaper to live on the road than I thought it would be, as long as you like "Home brands" and mostly I do, with the free camping your able to stop and let the money catch up when ever it gets on top of you, good luck and welcome. Bucko
Thanks Bucko. Maybe we will meet somewhere in the great outdoors.
Bucko said
04:36 AM Dec 23, 2012
Bowlerbear,
That would be nice, I'm off the road until late Feb, I have a bush block near Delegate in NSW and will be there until the fire season is over and then back on the road, perhaps I'll see you on the road, where are you spending Xmas.
Hi, my name is Chris and I am about to retire and once the house is sold start travelling. At the moment I tow a baby camper from Elite Products (can go behind a motor bike) with a Corolla Hatchback. I am considering upgrading the car to a RAV3 or an XTrail just to give me more ground clearance and a bit more versatility. Not interested in any real 4WD stuff but it might handle the odd dirt road better than the Corolla.
I have no real idea where I want to go or what I want to see. I just have this dream to travel around Australia. I am well equipped (I think) and can free camp if I need to or go to a caravan park if I want. Any suggestions on where to start would be nice. I imagine that as I hopefully will start in the first quarter of next year that going South might be more pleasant than North because of the heat. I would like to meet up with people along the way to share the day's activities over a cuppa at the end of the day.
I met a couple of lovely people at Macquarie Woods on the weekend who are Grey Nomads. One was Jonathon (Biggles) and Jeanette (JetJ) and picked their brains a bit. I love hearing people's stories of their travels.
I hope to get on this forum more frequently and meet some people that maybe I will say hello to in person somewhere in this great outdoors of ours.
Chris
Welcome to the forum Chris, you sound quite experienced and should go well.
After my Tassie trip I expect to be travelling north so we might link up at some point, hope so.
John
Good on you Chris !
Good to see you getting involved .. best way to get a leg in ..
Jon
Hi Chris,
Good to see you post. Hope you had a good trip home. Good forum for info.
I am sure you will fit in well.
I had an Xtrail towing camper trailers and two smaller caravans (15' types) and it romped it in.
I was reluctant to sell it but needed to move on. Great vehicle, also more storage room than the RAV 4 inside (or used to be).
You can't go wrong either way.
Helen.
I suggest you pull out of your drive and turn left
I will be turning left as I pull out the drive and I will turn left when I get to the end of the road. Where I go from there is anybody's guess. Hope you meet you all on the road sometime.
Chris
Chris
Hi Chris, Have a look at a Suzuki Vitara, the same size and around price as a Rav4 or XTrail but its engine points (4cyl or V6 ) in the correct direction, primary rear wheel drive and low range (very handy even if you only use it to be able to to go through creeks or anywhere very slowly)
Dennis
What you travel in and how you travel matters little on the road. We all mix in when we stop for the night (or most do as you get some in all walks).
Some of us bush camp some only stay in parks and some use a mix so try it all don't decide one way against the other without giving it all a good go first.
You may decide later to get a bigger van or a MH or stay as you are.
We have many who are happy with their little campers and Toyotas etc and good on them while some have small buses and MH's and some have palaces on wheels.
We are all after the same thing, to see our country and enjoy the final years of our lifes and to spend our money before the kids can get their hands on it. LOL
Regards
Brian
-- Edited by jetj on Wednesday 28th of November 2012 09:34:30 PM
Been there, done that, still happy.
Allara
The moment you start the motor you have begun the adventure! Doesn't really matter then which way you go, you are out there doing it!
I still have to work a bit + I am studying (on line) so I get tied down a bit every now and then, like now tied to a caretaking role in Bendigo area for a bit, but after that who knows where? I try to follow music orientated festivals and of course a bit of work so that helps me decide which way to point the front wheels!
Enjoy!
Annie
Sorry about empty post, not scary as long as you live according to your means. A pension should allow about $50 a day. If you pay $35 for a CP site then might be a bit lean.
Thanks Janette. Will certainly keep that in mind although I hope to avoid cp's as much as I can. Hope to meet up with you again someday. Tonight is my last shift and I can't decide if I am excited or terrified. But I know the best is yet to come, it's just the uncertainty at the moment which is a bit daunting.
Chris
Truly only daunting for a week or so. Looking from within the humdrum, looks different looking from outside of it. Good luck!
Congrats on your new "profession"
Let the first task be to get out of bed and then decide on what to do.
btw ,,, what are you going to put on your tax return now,,, "home duties" or "caravan duties" or just simply "x-maternity ward nurse with tools"
enjoy
Hope to be on the road going somewhere in the next few months.
Bowlerbear,
You will do fine, I'm on the same and it is cheaper to live on the road than I thought it would be, as long as you like "Home brands" and mostly I do, with the free camping your able to stop and let the money catch up when ever it gets on top of you, good luck and welcome. Bucko
Thanks Bucko. Maybe we will meet somewhere in the great outdoors.
Bowlerbear,
That would be nice, I'm off the road until late Feb, I have a bush block near Delegate in NSW and will be there until the fire season is over and then back on the road, perhaps I'll see you on the road, where are you spending Xmas.
Kevin.