After a long break between posts I thought I had better do some sort of update.
After all, with in excess of 45,000 views of this blog, how could I possibly not continue.
Quite a few things have changed since I last posted. Since March I have been working in the South West Forests Region of Western Australia.
To my Victorian friends and family................i used to think Gippsland was a bleak, cold place until I moved here................winter starts at Easter and only last week midday temperature was 10.2c with a "feels like temp of 5.4c...............it is November!
I am led to believe Summer in the South West falls on a Wednesday this year........
After 3 years of NO winter I have not enjoyed this at all and basically hibernated. This combined with friends in Derby and Broome regularly posting pictures of themselves in the pool and Cable Beach.......has not helped at all.
The Gear
The Great Wall.........gone
I have sold the Great Wall Ute after 5 years and 160,000km.
For 4 years this vehicle was amazing, carrying the Camper over all types of terrain in hot and humid weather with minimum of fuss.
To all the knockers.......this Ute did an amazing job for 4 years, the problem was that I kept it for 5 years.
After all the hard work it was giving problems and it was time to go.
Enter the Hilux.....
Most Hilux on the market have huge km's on the clock.....this one although being mine spec had a low relatively low 100,000k on the clock.
It has a 2" lift kit, Genuine Toyota Bullbar and Lightforce lights.
 |
| standard |
the only modification so far has been to replace the standard stereo with an in dash Touch screen GPS.
 |
| on road mapping |
 |
| off road mapping |
Palomino B600 slide on camper..........gone
This Camper has been amazing and did everything I asked of it, quite often in difficult conditions. This coupled with the excellent sales and backup service provided by PalominoRV Australia made owning it a pleasant experience.
But as the years pass (and both National Park and caravan park prices increase) I found myself looking for a bit more room and a little bit more comfort. And a little less reliance on civilisation for showers and power.
enter the Jayco..........
My Jayco Freedom Outback is 18foot, and has been set up for "off grid " by the previous owners.
Solar on the roof, two 120AH batteries, two gas bottles, hot water service, air conditioning, heating, two water tanks, shower and toilet complete the package.
This should make "roughing it" a little less rough in the future.
Over the next few "not so bloody cold" months I hope to do a few trips around the the coastal areas down here.
Then next Winter, it will be a brave person who stands in my way of heading North to the red dirt for a few weeks R & R.
Bye for now
