Hello to you all.

We're not as brave as some of you, who are happy to pull up stakes and hit the road for a nomadic existence until whoever knows when, but Mrs. Catters and I have organised about 3 months to ourselves for later this year, and are planning to adventure our way around the coast for a while.  We're in the very early stages of confronting what's in front of us, and getting ourselves ready for the adventure.

We plan to do it as 'light' as we can, and I've written about it here, on a computer gaming forum where I regularly communicate with quite a few (younger) folk from various places around this wonderful nation of ours.  Please have a read, if it interests you:

http://pcpowerplay.com.au/forums/showthread.php?t=122417


I had a vague feeling that there was a book published which provides details of cheap or free places to pull up and camp for a bit, and when I found your wonderful forum here I started searching for mention of it.  After looking bemusedly at a few mentions of "the bible" it dawned on me what search term to use to find the information I needed!  So you've already helped me, even before I've said "Hello" to you.  Thanks heaps!   




If you were inclined to read the forum thread linked above you'll have seen that we have a bare skeleton of a plan emerging, and a 'project' in front of us renovating an old camper trailer in the meanwhile.  We look forward to reading of your exploits, adventures and misadventures, and taking really close notice of all the advice and tips you have to offer.

Cheers.  I'm glad that I found you.










Oh!  And 'Catweazle'?

It's an online handle which dates back to the relatively early days of the internet, when I got net connected to help keep in contact with family from afar.  In those earlier days of instant messaging it seemed that the ether was filled with geeky folks who were fantasy fanatics, so I decided to chuck old 'Catweazle' amongst the Faerie Folk and the Tolkeinien heroes.  I've a mischievous snese of humour, and it got more than a chuckle - it stuck!

'Catweazle' developed a life of its own, becoming a 4,376 year old e-wizard who is a 'figment of your internet', somewhat well-known amongst many computer enthusiasts and computer gamers, and even bloved by some!

(Besides, it's easier to remember the login details if you stick to the same handle and password!)






-- Edited by Catweazle on Monday 15th of February 2010 01:14:06 PM

Welcome to the Grey Nomads "Cats". I hope you enjoy your stay. The book I think you could be referring is Camps 5. You can buy it at books stores, newsagents and online at www.campsaustraliawide.com. It costs between $40 and $50, and once you have one you'll never need another map. You may still need a GPS in the townships where the street signs are hard to see, read or find. Safe and happy travel.

Welcome from us also. I think Granny has hit the nail on the head with the Camps australia 5 book, there is also a wb site that offers much the same info

http://ozcamps.net/

Good luck with the refurbishment of your CT, some before and after pictures would be good.

Welcome aboard from me too, Camps 5 is almost the bible for some travellers. They also do a caravan park guide as well. Both guides contain the Hema Australia road atlas so it's good value. The 5 in Camps 5 is just the (5th) edition number. You can also purchase a POI (or "waypoint") file of all the camps for a number of different GPSs from their website, see Granny's post above. Jim

Welcome to the forum Catweazle.

Five years ago we had 4 months off. Bought the van and headed off. After this time I was ready to come home. 18 months ago we had 5 months on half pay. Left 3 days into the leave and arrived home 4 days before work was due to resume.If we could have we'd have just kept going.

The hubby has now resigned from full time work, the house is in preparation to be rented out and the van is being packed. 

It's like an addiction. Once you start travelling it gets into your blood.

Don't say you haven't been warned!!!!

HAPPY TRAVELS

Thanks for the welcomes, folks. They've eased the nervousness. With the 'views' climbing and no replies forthcoming a bit earlier, I was kinda wondering if I'd maybe offended some curious local custom!



GPS? Do you folks consider those things a necessity? We've never owned nor used one, and hadn't considered doing so really. I've always sourced good maps and got by with those. But I gotta admit. I've kinda cursed the day 'privacy laws' stopped local country fire services from selling copies of their map books! Are the GPS units genuinely an added benefit when travelling around the place, or more akin to just a convenience?



Here's the camper:



It's not going to get a major reconstruct.  Nowadays it lives in retirement, at our permanent bush camp at Lake Tyers in Victoria, under a log frame/tarp canopy along with an old caravan, serving as spare accomodation.  It's being pulled out of retirement for our trip, and it doesn't really need much more attention than new wheels/bearings, really.  I'll pretty it up a tad, of course, but the major objective is functionality rather than appearance, coz it's going back into retirement again afterwards.

Here's the vehicle:



That photo is about 4 years old, and that's Mrs. Catters swinging the rake.  She's handy to have around!  My daughter (busy packing the vehicle there) has a new'n, and her hubby has been having a great time since the end of the summer break attending to a rebuild of the suspension and ensuring the mechanicals are all in great nick.  We helped them buy it initially, and they've given it back to us rather than trading or selling it, coz it's still a good goer.  We don't generally use a car much.  I have a much loved old Courier 4X4 ute (which is getting a new coat of paint while we're away), Mrs Catters has a company car and a thumper Honda Cruiser motor bike, and we both have pushbikes as well.




That permanent bush camp?

I haven't updated this much in the past coupla years, but amongst the prattling with the young'ns there's lots about it here:

http://pcpowerplay.com.au/forums/showthread.php?t=90377


A lot of it has been improved since the photos there were taken.  It's an ongoing project which grows along with us.  We do family Xmas there with whoever shows up, and spend lots of time there whenever we can.



Pricey43, we've a pretty strong 'addiction' to the region where we live.  Mrs. Catters is a traditional owner of the area, and we have a rather profound attachment to it.  That, and a very close family network.  We'll wait and see how that bug hits us, though.





-- Edited by Catweazle on Monday 15th of February 2010 08:48:53 PM

I travel alone and "Tom" is very handy in and around the bigger towns where's there's more than one main street. It's hard to read a map and drive at the same time, especially with a 20ft van on the back. So I "hired" Tom to be my off-sider and co-pilot. The dirty little bugger sometimes tries to mislead me into the bushes, but I'm awake to his little ploys now, and I refuse to comply if it looks dodgy. No bush tracks for this old girl. So, GPS is probably not an essential piece of gear, but it can be handy in a strange land.

Hello Catweazle and welcome.GPS navigators are not a necessity on the open road but they are superb in strange cities etc. I Would also suggest a UHF radio. Great for letting trucks know you are there and will help them pass if it is safe to do so. Also good for getting to know other nomads on the road. This is a personal choice but I also carry a personal epirb. Hope to never use it but it gives me hope if all else fails help will be coming after it is activated. Safe traveling. Jack Cherie and the four legged kids.

Of course a GPS is absolutely essential........aren't all toys essential????????

Greetings Catweazle!
I think I may be one of those geeky fantasy fanatics from the early days as my first computer was a 1978 Atari 400(which I still have stored away) & I was a mad Dungeon & Dragon fanatic in the old days plus I still have a soft spot for fantasy & SciFi books & my alter ego on some sites is Dragonshard.
We rented out our house & hit the road for a couple of years without any trial run of us or the caravan on the open road. I don't know if it was brave or as many people would say...foolish, but we have been doing it now for 4 months and loving it, the only drawback is Hylda misses her friends a lot.
Ps: The others are right, a GPS is a must, Hylda gets carsick reading in a car so doesn't make the best map reader, we rely on the GPS(mixed with common sense & a map sometimes) In towns they are a godsend sometimes because when towing a caravan it can be a major problem sometimes if you pick the wrong street.
Pps: Camps 5 is a must and you can get the Camps 5 sites put on your GPS also.

Jon

We've added a UHF radio and a GPS unit to the list of things to consider. It may or may not happen, and it'll depend upon the budget anyways. But one thing definitely WON'T be happening, for definite certain sure. That's Mrs. Catters doing any navigating! Maps and her thought processes just aren't in sync. The trip is intended to be for enjoyment, not for argument.

Do you think you may regret that comment someday "Cats"? You don't want to rephrase it? I'll tell. Maybe a little forward planning would prevent the argument factor. LOL. It does pay to do the homework before setting out, but you have to be prepared for contingencies such as alterations to the planned route. Even the map makers and GPS folks can't keep up with highway and street modifications. Good luck!

As the others have said,the GPS is a 'must have' but the silly things can try to send you up a dirt road to nowhere but you can work out it's wrong but I love the things in a big town where everything is a mystery tour

Cruising Granny wrote:

---

Do you think you may regret that comment someday "Cats"?
You don't want to rephrase it?
I'll tell.
Maybe a little forward planning would prevent the argument factor. LOL.

---

heh heh...

Why?  What's wrong with her being the most wonderful person in the world but yet a person for whom the mysteries of map-reading are an arcane and unsolvable riddle?

And by the way.  If you dob on me I'll come let all the air out of your tyres! 

All my tyres? No! No! Not all my tyres! Not any of my tyres! No! No! Please no! Alright you win, I won't dob. Maybe I could help her with map reading instead. Will that do? I'll have to show her how to hold the map. eg from the top.

-- Edited by Cruising Granny on Wednesday 17th of February 2010 03:20:37 PM

lol I've made a start. Went out today and purchased 'the bible'. We're now one step closer to "It's really happening!"

H'ey Catweazle ,in my younger days I was called Catweazle,(late 70s) cause I look like him, (well did) I'm not Catweazle anymore, but I'm still a cat, so one cat to another,BUY a G.P.S. It does make for an easyer life, & besides these days there very cheap,(inexpensive) Cheers

Oh bugger! Damn, blast and "I hate the whole world today!"


Mrs. CW got to work this morning and started attending to the 'formal' paperwork of taking the long service leave in readiness for the trip. She's shattered. Human Services section had somehow advised her incorrectly, and it seems her LS leave isn't due until next year. We've a whole 'nother YEAR to wait!!!!!!