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January 2023 Caravan ShakedownJanuary 2023 Caravan Shakedown
SatellitRediger rute
Our new caravan requires a shakedown trip to get it all sorted out, to make sure everything works OK, and to ensure we have everything we need on board for our future trips. Læs mere
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  • RejsendeJanuary 2023 Caravan Shakedown
    Dag 16

    Day 16 - Melbourne to Torquay

    19. januar 2023, Australien ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Back on the road again…. Over the last 6 days we have been busy and have travelled every day via the road works nightmare across the Westgare Bridge to visit family and friends on the eastern side of Melbourne. It was so nice to see Lisa, Steven & Or, Susan & John , as well as number of our other friends. We had lovely evening dinners thanks for the culinary skills of Mark & Sue and Rod & Elle. So overall a very pleasant and worthwhile time catching up with people we have not seen since the COVID lockdowns.

    Today however it was time to bid farewell to Jenny & Nader and to thank them for their kind hospitality and begin the journey back to Noosa. Yes Noosa is north of Melbourne, but today we headed further south to visit our friends Rod & Lynn who live 6 months of the year in Torquay and the remaining 6 months in Noosa. Coincidentally last year they bought an identical caravan to ours and have it stored near Torquay. So our first job today was to drive to Torquay and drop off the caravan near Rod & Lynn’s place.

    After unhitching we headed off down the Great Ocean Road to Anglesea, Airey’s Inlet, and Lorne. The GOR is one of the world’s most famous drives. Extending 243km along the southern surf coast of Victoria the GOR was constructed during the Great Depression and kept many men employed during those dark times. It includes one of Australia’s famous tourist attractions - the 12 Apostles. However today we only went as far as the coastal tourist town of Lorne. The weather has been cool and cloudy so the sea was not the spectacular blue colour it can be on a sunny day. It was still a very nice drive and a sushi lunch in Lorne was very enjoyable.

    Then back to Torquay by mid-afternoon to spend the rest of the day and evening with Reporters d & Lynn. Lots of caravan talk over a delicious dinner cooked by Lynn. A really nice social evening in their lovely home.    Læs mere

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  • RejsendeJanuary 2023 Caravan Shakedown
    Dag 17

    Day 17 - Silo Art Trail

    20. januar 2023, Australien ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Heading north at last!! Leaving Torquay we headed up to Euroa for lunch, then to Benalla, and then to the start of the Silo Art Trail up through central Victoria. 4 different sites today each with their own themes and purposes. Goorambat with its murals of endangered species including the Barking Owl; Devenish with its murals of women during WW1; St James with its murals of the wheat industry and the rise of the G J Coles retailer; and finally Tungamah with its murals of Australian birds. All very beautiful and a credit to their painters. We have previously met the owners of the Tungamah silos who invited us to stay with them, but unfortunately they were in Tamworth these days. So we stayed in Tungamah at a lovely free camp right on a river surrounded by gums and singing birds as we had a rum and coke. A fitting end to an interesting day!!Læs mere

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  • RejsendeJanuary 2023 Caravan Shakedown
    Dag 18

    Day 18 - Tungamah to Forbes

    21. januar 2023, Australien ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    It’s 5:30am and what is that noise? Cockatoos in their hundreds decided to wake up the same time as us and the noise was an excellent alarm clock!! Yep, the day has started in a unique way!!
    So we packed up and hit the road as 450kms lay ahead of us. Stopping only at Finley and Narrandera to see the artwork we rolled into Forbes just before 4pm and found another wonderful free camping spot right on the waters edge on Lake Forbes. Very scenic and peaceful!! A short walk into town proved to be a frustration to CK because all the shops were closed for Saturday afternoon. So we headed back to the caravan with the idea of having omelettes tonight.
    Tomorrow is a change of plan as our friends John & Jan are flying into Narromine and asked us to join them. So we will spend tomorrow afternoon and night with them at our friend Murray’s property in Narromine. Never a dull moment 🤗    Læs mere

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  • RejsendeJanuary 2023 Caravan Shakedown
    Dag 19

    Day 19 - Forbes to Narromine

    22. januar 2023, Australien ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    Lots of rain last night, so the ground was muddy. Unfortunately CK slipped and fell in the mud. Embarrassed but thankfully no injuries. A quick shower in the caravan and all back to normal.
    First driving leg was to Eugowra, a small town famous for its painted murals. Unfortunately this town was very badly hit by the floods last year which wiped out many houses. Today there was still a big contingent from Disaster Relief Australia helping the townsfolk and others from surrounding areas to recover as there are many who still can’t live in their homes. The floods also affected several of the murals which have been removed for restoration.
    Then onto Molong but en route navigating became interesting when some signage indicated major traffic hazards ahead in about 30km and Google maps began to show odd deviations. We wondered if the roads had become flooded again with the overnight rains. We continued but wondered if we would get through. The roads were rough with lots of potholes and puddles but remained open so despite our concerns we eventually arrived OK in Molong and saw the large painted water tank art.
    Then on to our friends property near Narromine. Again the road was rough but passable and the weather slowly improved. We had been driving in rain all day but the rain cleared just after arriving at Narromine. It was great to see our friends John & Jan and Murray & Linda and we all enjoyed a night out at the Narromine Gliding Club for dinner.    Læs mere

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  • RejsendeJanuary 2023 Caravan Shakedown
    Dag 20

    Day 20 - Narromine to Lightning Ridge

    23. januar 2023, Australien ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    Bacon and eggs for Brekky today!! A great breakfast provided by Linda to send us in our way from Narromine to Lightning Ridge. Along the way we stopped at Gulargumbone and Coonamble to check out the street and water tank art. Many outback towns are now using this art as a means of attracting visitors. Some of the art today was very cute. Then on to Lightning ridge for the next 2 nights. Famous for its black opals Lightning Ridge is a famous outback town sometimes populated by people who are evading the police and want to “get lost”. Tomorrow we will look around this town but first impressions are that if has more to offer than we originally expected. A wonderful sunset and starry sky tonight.Læs mere

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  • RejsendeJanuary 2023 Caravan Shakedown
    Dag 21

    Day 21 - Lightning Ridge

    24. januar 2023, Australien ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    What a surprise Lightning Ridge has turned out to be! A great little town that is now very focussed on tourism as a key industry. Being summer it is now the low season and next month most businesses close due to the heat. But this year has been cooler than normal and the 40 degrees days have not yet come.
    So today we embarked on a series of self-drive tours recommended by the Tourist Info Centre. These took us around the opal diggings including down one of the mines; past a stone castle where Peter finally got CK where he wanted her; through a magnificent cactus garden with over 2300 cacti from around the world some of which are more than 100 years old; through some Opal shops (yes CK bought one even though Peter had given her a good one 30 years ago which she has never even mounted or worn!); and through the amazing art gallery of John Murray, the famous artist who has lived in Lightning Ridge for over 40 years. It has been very interesting day full of surprises and has been a very well worth place to visit.
    Tonight we are heading off to a lookout for a sunset self-drive tour. Clear skies tonight so the sunset and stars should be fantastic.    Læs mere

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  • RejsendeJanuary 2023 Caravan Shakedown
    Dag 22

    Day 22 - Lightning Ridge to Moonie

    25. januar 2023, Australien ⋅ ⛅ 34 °C

    After a magnificent sunset last night it is time to head back to Noosa. First impression on the road was how green everything is! The floods last year have left a legacy of lush undergrowth and green trees everywhere. Not your usual outback and this is something to remember. Crossing the border back into Queensland we gave a loud cheer which was echoed by the barking of Chanel :-)
    First stop was the beautiful painted silos at Thallon. However this time there was a huge layer of grain lying in front of the silos covered in blue plastic. As one of the locals told us, the flood predictions were that the grain harvest would be down a lot due to the floods. But this did not occur and instead one of the largest bumper harvests of all time occurred with over 250,000 tons of grain being harvested. This is way too much to store in silos so all over this region large stores of grain can be seen in front of all silos. It will take more than a year to get distribute this huge grain harvest.
    Then it was off to the oldest pub in Queensland at Nindigully which opened for business in 1864. Among the memorabilia on the walls was a charcoal drawing of the pub made in 1881 by a swagman who was grateful to receive a free meal and painted the charcoal-on-linen drawing as a thank you.
    We finally reached the pub and campsite at Moonie. A hot 36 degrees and we were thankful the air conditioning in the caravan can run off the inverter and batteries. Not a particularly great campsite, but strategically located to allow a sensible distance tomorrow for the last drive home.    Læs mere

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  • RejsendeJanuary 2023 Caravan Shakedown
    Dag 23

    Day 23 - Home again!

    26. januar 2023, Australien ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Up early today in Moonie as no point hanging around here with the truckies! 5 and a half hours driving lies ahead! Beautiful weather and caravans everywhere after we passed Dalby. A quick stop for coffee along the way and then on to Noosa arriving at 2pm. Unpacked the van and at then into the pool to cool off and chill out.
    Time for reflection. This was a shakedown trip for the caravan and car and both performed very well. A few small items need to be addressed but overall the trip went as well as we had hoped. Mostly free camps throughout and we enjoyed the freedom and flexibility these provide.
    We did not officially weigh the rig but will do so one day at a weigh station. Fairly accurate estimates are:
    Caravan GTM with full water, gas, food 3.4T (max ATM is 3.5T).
    Car GVM with full fuel, water, fridge, touring equipment, TBM 3..8T (max is 4.2T)
    GCM 7.2T (max is 7.7T)
    TBM 310kg (max is 350kg)
    Driving at 90kph (normal cruise) throughout the trip we averaged 19.5 Ltrs/100km which met our planned projection of 20 Lts/100km. If we slowed to 85kph (LRC) the consumption would have been closer to 18.5 Lts/100km.
    Towing range with full rig fuel 1640km @ 90kph, 1730km @ 85kph.
    Use of this travel log was an experiment so let me know if you enjoyed it.    Læs mere

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