Reflections on Life

This post is not one of my usual destination or trip based story, but then again maybe it is.............. this one is a few ramblings of mine about life's destinations and a bit of reflection.
 A year ago I made a few life decisions, I thought long and hard about where I was in life, what I wanted out of life and future directions.
Maybe it was a mid life crisis, I don't know..........
Sometimes we devote a lot of time to the things that don't really matter, yet often forget to give time to the things that DO matter. We also tend to devote a lot of time to being greedy and the quest to have the largest Television or the best car in the street. With this in mind I concluded that I needed to work until I was at least 85 years old to get everything I would like.
If I chose to lower my expectations a little I could achieve a lot of my dreams a lot sooner, maybe not so comfortably, but I am 30 years younger and if I retired at 85 years old it wouldn't be easy climbing up Uluru or King's Canyon with my walking frame or getting into Twin Falls in Kakadu with a mobility scooter.
With all this running around in my head I chose to leave my office life in Melbourne, the hustle and bustle and traffic woes to return to my town of birth and spend some quality time with my elderly mother, who was starting to slow down a little and needed a bit of help, interspersed with regular camping trips.
Little did I know how short that quality time would be....................October 2012 was retirement, June 2013 my mother had a stroke and after a hospital stay needed to go into assisted living as doing basic things herself was no longer possible. September 2013 another stroke and major deterioration in mobility, sight, speech, and awareness. October 2013 my beautiful loving mother lost her fight and passed away.
The point in all this is I chose to devote more time to the things that DO matter. That choice enabled me to spend a lot of quality time with my failing mother. The memories of the time we spent together, even in the last days, when communication was difficult, will be cherished and remembered far longer than that big TV or nicer vehicle I could have purchased had I stayed in Melbourne. I am so grateful I made this choice and got the chance to help my loving mother when she needed it most and repay her for all the times she helped me unconditionally when it was needed.

Mum 19/12/1922 - 26/10/2013

With tears we saw you suffer,

 As we watched you fade away, 

Our hearts were almost broken, 

As you fought so hard to stay. 

We knew you had to leave us, 

but you did not go alone, 

For part of us went with you, 

The day you left for home.

Rest In Peace Mum all the pain and suffering is over. Thank you mum for everything I will never forget you and love you so much.
I have treasured memories which I will never forget that are far  more valuable to me than having the largest satellite dish in the caravan park.
So I suppose this blog is just to remind people to be nice to each other and to take the time to smell the roses and enjoy life. Don't get tied up and stressed out trying to achieve something you think might make you happy, but probably won't........concentrate on the things that really matter.
I am heading away next week somewhere, undecided as yet for 2 weeks to sort my head out, so I will do a posting on that trip. After the estate is sorted out here it will be 'game on' with my travels.
 The Savannah way up in the Gulf Country next dry season for six or eight months is looking pretty good at this stage.
Bye for now, I will try not to be so morbid next time :-)
   

Emu Bight - The Lakes National park

Hello all
I have been grounded for about six weeks, so there has been nothing to report......
I am coming to a period now where I may be able to get away a bit more often......perfect timing, just as the weather here starts to improve. The last six weeks or so have been very volatile, nice and mild (even warm) for a day or two then whamo 100kph winds and freezing temperatures and plenty of rain.

With this in the back of my mind, it was on with the camper and down the road for a short escape. I wanted somewhere reasonably close, I chose Emu Bight, the only campsite in The Lakes National Park on Gippsland's 90 mile beach. I hadn't been here for quite some time and had forgotten the similarity of this area to Kakadu in the NorthernTerritroy...........relentless mosquitoes..........

It suprised me how few people were around, considering it is school holidays here but I guess the weather hasn't been the best.

Camp at Emu Bight

A calm warm night was spent, waking up to 16c but it was a warning of things to come.

Emu Bight Lake Victoria

Emu Bight Lake Victoria

Upon checking the forecast that morning via my phone, I found 100kph plus winds forecast, severe weather warnings, and large areas of rain heading my way. While not afraid of a bit of rain or ever a bit of cold weather, it is quite dangerous in those sort of winds....not to mention having to cut your way back out through fallen trees over the exit road. The decision was made to head home.

Point Henry Jetty

looking over Lake Reeve towards Rottamah Island

Around the middle of October I plan to head off again for a few weeks. I hope to head to Innamincka and along Coopers Creek exploring the historic sites from the Burke and Wills Expedition but I am keeping a good eye on the weather as I suspect it might be starting to get into the 40c range. My backup plan if Innamincka gets too hot, is to head over to the Coorong in South Australia, up through Robe and Adelaide to the York Peninsula. The weather at the time will be the final decider.



Coming up soon also is my 12 month review..............November is a year since I purchased the camper, September was a year since the ute was purchased and both have had a little more tweaking to tell you about.
October was a year since I retired so a little reflection there also.............all in the 12 month review after the SA trip.
Bye for now.
 
 

Maldon

Hello All,
Things have settled down a bit here, Mother has moved into a Nursing Home after her stroke, she still needs help doing most things but is settling in ok. 
This has allowed me a little "me" time, so it was on with the camper and away for a couple of days.
The forecast was terrible, but I needed a break, so it was "go no matter what"
My sister will be away for six weeks overseas, so in between, dog minding, house sitting, mum minding it was my last chance for a while.......
With a howling head wind and rain forecast it was off to Maldon in The Goldfields region of Victoria.
About half way up the Calder Highway from Melbourne the rain started and stayed.
Overnight was Castlemaine, the rain did not let up until late evening, so setting up was done under umbrella. A constant stream of revelers coming from the Pub across the road continued well into the early hours. Note to self.........don't stay there again.
It was only 14K to Maldon the next morning.

Maldon from Mt Tarrangower Lookout

  I don't think the weather got into double figures all day, snow was forecast down to 900 metres and it felt like it.

A different view of my camper

Quartz kilns at North British Mine site

Ruins at North British Mine

Maldon is a very pretty place with a lot of historical buildings and mining relics, there is plenty to see close by, if only the weather was better................
Just out of Maldon is a Porcupine Flat, where one of two Floating Gold Dredges (that I know of) still remains, although looking pretty neglected. the other one at Eldorado, near Wodonga is not only much larger but also in a bit better condition.

old dredge at Porcupine Flat

old dredge

George Heywood commenced working the site at Porcupine Flat in 1958 where he developed the dredge operation on Porcupine Creek. He purchased the dredge sometime after 1958, and it may not have been fully operational until after 1973. Operations ceased in 1984, after moderate success.
The dragline standing on the bank of the dam was brought from the Yallourn Coal Mine to assist in creating the initial dam and the ongoing operation. It proved to be of little value and was abandoned in it's present position early in the operation.
Both sit forlornly abandoned with nature taking it's toll.

old dragline

 

old Dragline

With bad weather and more forecast it was time to head back home all too soon, with things starting to settle down a bit here, winter two thirds over, when sis gets back from O/S
I have thoughts of the York and Eyre Peninsula's in South Australia running around in my head. 
Here's hoping.........
till then....bye for now.

Mallacoota and Licola

Hello all
I haven't done a post for a while, so I thought I should do an update.
At the end of May I did a trip to East Gippsland. It was a quick trip up the Highway to overnight in Bairnsdale. The next morning first stop was Wingan Inlet. 
The last time I was there I was probably about 11 or 12 years old. Mum, Dad and myself traveled very slowly in Dads old Series 1 Landrover Soft top. Dad stopped to help an unfortunate motorist who had left the road. In the process of dragging him back onto the road the rear Differential in the old Landrover blew.
Dad removed the axles and tailshaft and we continued on our adventure to Wingan Inlet with front drive only. Dad loved has big 12 foot x 18 foot canvas tent (I called it the circus tent) and one day while fishing from the jetty we heard a blood curdling scream (mum) from the campground. We ran back to find that while cooking lunch a Goanna had stuck it's head in the door of the tent and poked it's tongue out at her.
Back in those days there was a steep sandy section leaving the campground, and with only front wheel drive in the old Landrover mum and I has to sit on the bonnet to put a bit of weight on the front wheels to allow us traction to get up the hill. Ah the good old days.

Wingan Inlet Jetty

   This time the road was much better and was an easy trip in, all the camp sites there would be lovely in the summer months, but this time of year I like the sun to shine on me, so headed off to Mallacoota instead of the very shady sites at Wingan.

The biggest Pelican I have ever seen

 I stayed at the Council run massive Foreshore Park, $20 / night powered site off peak with good amenities. I will go back and spend a bit of time here when time permits as I enjoyed the scenic outlook and only a short walk to the shops.

view from door at Mallacoota

 

Heading back towards home, the plan was to nick into Thurra River and Point Hicks to spend the night in the ParksVic campground, now this is a sore point with me.................I refuse to pay $18.50 to Parks Victoria to stay the night in a bush camp with only long drops provided. GET REAL PARKSVIC......you are FAR too expensive for the services you provide.

the Beach at Point Hicks

 

Thurra River

I continued on to Orbost and spent the night in the lovely Orbost Caravan Park for $20 / night (hot showers, phone reception, power and TV reception) take note Parks Victoria !!
I woke to light rain to head home in.

Since the Mallacoota trip things has gone a bit mad, 2 weeks ago while sitting with my 90yo mother, she had a stoke in front of me, but luckily I was there to call the Ambulance. The last 8 days I have done over 600km and that's only to the Hospital and home again. 
With Mother is stable and still in Hospital I was needing a short "time out' myself, so I loaded up the camper and headed to Licola for the night. There are a dozen or so numbered camps on the Wellington River above Licola and I chose Boobook Camp to prop the night.

Boobook Camp

 The night was surprisingly mild, most nights lately are below 5C but last night was windy and about 10C, so the heater only went on late, to warm the camper to get undressed and into bed after watching a DVD. (love that 12 volt TV and DVD player)

Boobook Camp

It was an early start back to get back to the Hospital to do my shift helping Mum with her lunch.
It was nice trip home though, catching the soft morning light over the mountains, so here is a few pictures to enjoy.

Wellington River Valley

reflections in the Macalister River

looking North towards  Licola

overlooking Basin Flat, and the Macalister Valley

My trips away (apart from the hospital) will be restricted considerably for the time being, but please check back from time to time to see if I have been able to escape for a few days somewhere into the great outdoors. If I get the chance to get somewhere interesting i will do an update.
Bye for now.

6 Month review - Ute and Camper (and modifications)

Hello all,
When purchasing a vehicle and a camper it is usually a compromise, as very rarely, does something purchased straight 'off the shelf' suit your intended needs exactly.

This blog update covers the good, the bad, and the ugly of my purchases and the modifications I have made to make both Ute and Camper more suitable for MY needs.

The Ute........

In September 2012 I purchased a V200 Turbo diesel, 6 speed manual Great Wall single cab ute.
Next week it goes in for a 30,000K service, needless to say it hasn't been still for long.

After most of my friends finished laughing, I explained that a saving of $13,000 over a Hilux Workmate would buy a lot of diesel.............

The Dealer Network....
  
My contact with the Great Wall Dealer network has been mixed, on the way to Queensland during late October 2012, the engine check light came on and performance dropped.
the fault was a failed EGR valve, and when it was eventually replaced the problem was solved.
The second problem was a blown Turbo Induction Hose which was promptly replaced.
The third problem was a "groaning" power steering pump, which was replaced promptly but unfortunately is happening again. I am told by my local Dealer that a modified pump is being developed, and mine will be replaced again when the modified part becomes available.

As Great Wall is not the main breadwinner at most Dealerships you tend to be treated a bit 'second class'
My worst experience was with the Dealer in Queensland (very close to where I purchased the Camper).............if there was a word below abismal, then that would be them.............I worked in the Industry for 23 years and it was the worst service I have EVER experienced. Even my letter of complaint to the General Manager was ignored.
On the other hand I have had excellent service in Newcastle (who finally fixed the problem Queensland didn't) and my local Dealer in Morwell, has so far been more than helpful.


The Vehicle.....

The questions everyone seems to ask?
I am led to believe the Vehicle is based on the RA model Holden Rodeo (most body parts, interior parts and running gear) 
the motor is a 2 litre turbo intercooled diesel (Great Wall design from Hyundia/Kia origins)
Gearbox is a 6 speed manual.


I am getting 8-9 l/100k empty with mixed town/country driving, with the camper on the back I am getting 9-10 l/100k at lower speeds (60-70kph dirt roads and backroads) and 11-12 l/100k at highway speeds 90-110kph

The vehicle remains basically standard, no suspension modifications required for camper. A Redarc Battery isolator has been fitted so the vehicle charges the Camper battery when driving but isolates it when camped.

For's.....
fuel economy
price
comfortable seating
good to drive 
good low range gearing
good ride with camper on

Against.....
low ground clearance
some very poor Dealer Service
some initial teething problems
Expensive servicing costs 
rough ride without camper

Conclusion.....
a bit more power would be nice, and a bit more ground clearance would be good too, but a $13,000 saving in my pocket compensates somewhat when I am changing back a gear or two on the hills.

The good - most things
The bad - not much
The ugly - a Certain Great Wall Dealer on the Fraser Coast in Queensland.

The Camper.........

At the beginning of November 2012 I drove to Hervey Bay in Queensland to pick up my Palomino Bronco B600 Slide on Camper from Palomino RV Australia.
As mentioned previously, not every product suits every persons needs exactly and most things are a compromise of some sort.

When I initially spoke to Kevin at PaIomino I questioned whether the Camper could handle rough stuff, as I intend to travel to a lot of out of the way places......let me tell you, I have just completed 4000k of blacktop and 1100k of dirt roads tracks and corrugations..............nothing fell off, nothing broke, everything still works. This combined with the numerous trips I have completed around Victoria and the High Country has confirmed to me I have made a good purchase.

The fact is, I enjoy the camper so much I don't want to come home, after completing the Painted Desert in South Australia, the Oodnadatta Track, Flinders Ranges and the Darling River Run through Pooncarie and Menindee in the last few weeks I could have quite happily and confidently taken off to the Gulf after restocking the Larder.

The B600 comes pretty close to suiting my particular needs, but I have done some minor modifications just to make life a little easier.

Camper fitting day

   The B600 is the smallest model available in the range, with a dry weight of 479kg. This suited my needs, anything much heavier and I believe a bigger ute would have been needed (Landcruiser or Patrol) and this equated to more expense. With a Ute capacity of 1100kg and a Camper (dry) at 479kg this also gave me the ability to do some light to moderate off-roading with the Camper on the back.
The Camper included (at the time of my Purchase) 9ft Dometic Awning, 120amp battery, Gas Heater, stainless flush fitting stove and sink, remote control sound system and a Wineguard Antenna.   

stainless sink and stove

The service received from Kevin and Tania at Palomino RV Australia exceeded my expectations.
During the 3 week trip back to Victoria it wasn't long before one thing came to my attention, no screen door.........this was easily fixed with a visit to Bunnings and $4.95.
 

Fly strips

Yes, fitting Fly strips, keeps those pesky insects out and also provides a bit of privacy, the camper does attract a fair bit of attention and people tend to gawk in the door as they walk past. The fly strips are attached to the door frame clips with elastic bands. 10 seconds to fit or remove.
Most of my trips involve dirt roads of some sort so next issue was dust. Dust was being sucked into the camper through the (Legally Required) vent in the door. After a bit of head scratching a simple solution to this problem was reached.

Velcro cover over vent

A quick visit to Spotlight to buy some clear plastic (as used in a lot of outdoor cafes) and some Velcro. Before long I had a removable cover for the door vent, easy hit the dirt roads and stick the cover on, hit the blacktop and remove it. This has severely slowed down the entry of dust inside the camper. I have just completed 1100k of dirt tracks, roads and corrugations with only a small amount of dust inside. Cost approximately $25.00

The B600 comes with absorption 3 way Fridge only (no freezer) so on any trips over a few days I take along my Waeco 31 litre Fridge/Freezer, running the Dometic 3 way fridge on gas when camped and letting the Waeco run off the 120amp Camper battery. This is usually ok for a day or two depending on the temperature outside, before the battery starts to get low from the Waeco. 

To enable the ability of extended stays I have purchased 200W fold up Solar Panels. These replenish the battery in hardly any time at all. I currently store these on top of the bed during travel and stand in the doorway at night. I am exploring the option of a wooden box custom made under the tray of the ute to slide the panels into.

200 watt folding solar panels

  The Solar panels plug straight into a outdoor 12V socket that Kevin at Palomino fitted for me prior to delivery to charge the battery.
This 12 volt outdoor socket is extremely handy, I also use it to plug my 12 volt shower into and also my outside 12 volt flouro floodlight. 
This setup enables me to fill the freezer, plug in the solar and sit somewhere as long as the sun shines without having to rely on electricity from the mains.
The standard Dometic 3 way camper fridge struggles a bit in hot weather, as do all absorption fridges. 
With the intention in coming years to spend all my time in hot weather (chasing the sun) I started to look at my options to improve efficiency of the fridge.

First step was to place a circulation fan inside the fridge. This cost $28 from Award RV in Ferntree Gully in Melbourne. It runs on 2 'D'  cell batteries, which are supposed to last about 2 weeks running 24/7. 
I have had about 3 weeks use out of mine so far and still going strong on the same D cells.

circulating fan for inside fridge

This addition made a massive difference to the efficiency of the fridge by circulating to cold air around inside the fridge. 
I had already purchased another solution as well from Award RV, so I decided to install that as well.

solar fan - rear of fridge

  I fitted a solar powered fan behind the vents in the rear of the fridge, this works by extracting the hot air around the cooling fins and creating a circulation of air at the rear of the fridge. This works quite simply from a small solar panel glued to the roof.......the sun comes out, this fan starts up, at night, when it's cooler it stops. 
It also works on overcast days so I suspect it works on ultra violet.(cost $65 from memory)

solar panel for fan glued to roof

rear of fridge with vent cover removed

Now, let me say at this point, since these fridge additions I have just returned from outback NSW and SA with warm nights and most days 28-34C. I now have the thermostat on the fridge turned down to 2 from a possible 7 and everything keeps freezing in the fridge. It is now too efficient..................I removed the fan from inside the fridge and it is still too cold, on a day of 34C ice was forming on the outside of a can when removed from the fridge and I had cans of drink freezing and exploding in an absorption fridge. 
Now back at home I am looking for a small on/off switch to install so that I can turn the solar fan off when it gets too cold.

Not knowing the level of battery power I had left was concerning me, and I had at times pulled out the Solar Panels only to find I had plenty of battery power left. 
To solve this problem I fitted a battery monitor. Whilst installing this I also fitted an additional 12V socket inside giving me 2 power sockets inside now. I found that if I had the Waeco plugged in I had no where to charge my phone.

additional power socket and battery monitor

  I looked around some of the Caravan places at the option of a 12v television, as I don't want to have a reliance on electricity for entertainment. In most Caravan stores 12V TV's are around the $400 mark.......there must be a different option........a short time later a Good Guys brochure appeared in the letterbox and a TV caught my eye. I jumped in the truck and headed around the corner to the local store. I purchased a GVA LED LCD flat screen 15" TV for $90 cash.

GVA flat screen 12V TV

Once I started looking at this TV I realised it was 12Volt with the standard power lead converting 240v to 12v to run the TV. 

My 12v power lead for my rechargable battery charger (for my camera) plugs straight into the TV. It runs beautifully on 12Volts from the power socket and seems pretty easy on power consumption. I can now free camp and bush camp and as long as I can receive a signal watch TV too.

Now back to the camper overall.......

For's.......

light weight
compact size
durability
comfort 
ease of setting up
gas heater

Against.......

windy nights (rocking on vehicle suspension can be stopped by lowering a couple of legs)
some small dust entry
only 40 litres of water storage.

Conclusion.....

On my way home from picking up the Camper I realised that I should have had a rear awning fitted also, on wet days it would be good to have some shelter to remove shoes before heading inside. Next time I am up that way I will probably get one fitted.
Some of the Finish could be a little better inside with some of the timber but this is only minor. it's tough and I would prefer tough to pretty.
Would I buy it again?......HELL YEH!!

The Good - I love it all
The Bad - very little
The Ugly - none

The Complete Package.......

 

How they go together...........

To spend extended time on the road, and living long term several more issues need to be addressed.

Washing Machine


On this last trip I trialled my washing machine, Caravan Park washers and driers are pretty expensive, not to mention the time spent waiting for the wash to finish and the cost of staying in the park on top of that............I want to eventually spend a lot of time away from civilisation, so some form of clothes washing needed to be developed. Either that, or don't wear any clothes...haha.

the washing machine

Easy solution......but a watertight drum, half fill with water, add some WOOL WASH and drive to next destination. If laundry detergent is used the clothes need to be rinsed, using Wool Wash you can just hang them out when you arrive at that night's destination. I placed a tea towel under the drum (to stop it marking the floor) and placed it inside the camper on the floor....works like a dream. and costs basically nothing. Drum cost $25 wool wash $6.

Next issue, with only 40 litres of water and 70 litres of diesel I am not going to get far in arid and isolated areas. 
Last year on the Gibb River Road I heard stories of people having to wait several days until the next fuel arrived by truck, as the roadhouse had run out of fuel.
 I started thinking tanks under the tray?, poly pipe under the tray? What do I do?

My nephew put me onto another line of thinking. He has a Hilux, and has a 55 litre water bladder behind the rear seat of his dual cab. I loaned this from him for my trip to outback South Australia, and was impressed with the results.

water filler behind seat

 

flop hose out the door and bingo 55 litres of water on tap

I have 160mm of space between the Headboard of the tray and the camper (when it is fitted) 
 

160mm of spare space

I did a bit of research and found that Fleximake in Dandenong in Victoria would make a custom bladder for diesel. Matt at Fleximake was very helpful and on my way back from South Australia I picked up my custom 60 litre diesel bladder to fit in the space between the tray headboard and camper.
The main bladder is 1000gsm material and it has another protective cover surrounding it of 900gsm material. I requested this addition as my concern was corrugations and the prospect of 'rubbing through'
I think I will get quite a few years of use out of this bladder.

60 litre diesel bladder without camper on

This option appealed to me for a number of reasons,

 firstly..... no moving parts, a long range fuel tank is of little use it an electrical relay fails due to dust or corrugations half way up the Tanami Track.
 secondly......removable quickly, no need to carry a heavy fuel tank around in the vehicle that is empty 95% of the time when not needed.
thirdly......cost.....this custom tank cost $330 including GST. I am guessing a fitted long range tank would cost considerably more.
fourthly ....easily transferable to another vehicle (if sold or needed in someone else's vehicle)

To refuel the main tank from the bladder the drain hose is just placed in the filler neck of the ute and gravity does the rest.

from the rear - no camper fitted

 

60 litre diesel bladder

This combination gives me 95 litres (40l in camper + 55l behind seat) of fresh water and 130 litres (70l in vehicle tank + 60l in bladder) of diesel, this effectively should give me something like 1000 plus kilometres range.
I am yet to test this diesel tank out, but the service was good from Matt at Fleximake , the quality looks to be good, no moving parts to fail, and the price was fairly attractive.

Another addition is a wireless reverse camera ($29 on EBAY) which plugs direct into my Hema Navigator. This help greatly in carparks and turning around in the bush. 

The overall package of Ute and Camper, I have found to be excellent. It is easy to park, easy to drive and manouvre (no towing). I can head down a road or track reasonably confident that should the need arise I can easily turn around and head back.
A bit more grunt would be nice, but hey I am not in a hurry and you don't notice this once in the bush anyway.
I love the camper :-) I have had heavy rain, howling winds, frosts, and heat and it handled all well. 
I have used my camper and ute in the High Country and the desert and both have handled everything I have thrown at them well, including low range four wheel drive tracks, sand and a bit of mud.
If I am staying a few days I can remove the camper and still drive around in the ute. I like that versatility.
I really enjoy this combination and do not regret the purchase of either, the modifications only make it better for my intended use.
I have saved the BIGGEST problem for last, family situation restricts me to short to medium trips at this stage and I just want to go........................and go and enjoy this set up I now have. 

There is so much to see in this amazing country, and with Winter approaching fast in the Southern States, six of seven months in the Tropics,  along the Savanah Way is certainly where I would prefer to be.
This set up and the modifications I have completed will allow me to do this when the situation allows. If only I had fitted the rear awning................

Finally, after retiring 6 months ago, a quick reflection.........I have heard people say "I would get bored in retirement"............let me tell you...............I don't know how I ever found the time to go to work?
loving it :-)
Bye for now.