JOURNAL 2004

JOURNAL YEAR

1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010

January 16th 2004 (Friday)

Having got the campervan to a point where we thought we were ready for a big trip we have now had a change of heart. Because there was some overheating when we towed the trailer (which didn’t have the boat and all its associated gear at the time) we have decided that something with a bigger engine would be better.

After two trips up to Perth today (the second with Graham who came up with us to check out the vehicle) we have bought a short wheelbase 1978 Coaster. It will give us the extra space to make travelling comfortable and the extra power to pull the trailer with the boating gear packed on it.

This means we are flat broke until we can sell the campervan, which will be our next major task.

January 23rd 2004 (Friday)

We picked up the Coaster on Monday and while Belle brought the van home I had the daunting task of negotiating Perth traffic in a vehicle I was very unfamiliar with. Driving a manual again after four months in an automatic was traumatic enough but fighting my way through the mass of other vehicles was enough to turn my hair grey.

Thankfully we arrived home safely and over the past few days we have been starting to fix things up around the new vehicle. The first major task was replacing one of the water tanks. We now have 120 litres in two tanks.

The coaster’s details are as follows:

4.1L petrol gas engine.

5 speed gearbox.

Toilet/Shower

Hot water system.

Range hood.

Security alarm.

Enclosed annexe with solid or shade cloth walls.

Plenty of storage space including a large boot.

Roo bar and tow bar.

Spot lights.

CB radio.

CD player and good sound system including a large amplifier.

Security screens.

Air conditioner.

It came with a small 300w Honda generator but as we already have a new 2.0 we will sell the 300w with the van. There were also lots of other odds and ends like table, chairs, BBQ, butane cooker, plates, cutlery etc.

So far we have installed a fire alarm, fire extinguisher and a new water tank but there are quite a few other jobs to do including some mechanical work. All of this will have to wait until we can sell the van. Being flat stony broke is a pain but we just couldn’t miss out on the Coaster. At under 9K it was a very good buy.

There is a small amount of rust to remove but overall the paintwork is excellent, tyres (apart form one) are good and so far – at least – we are very happy with the vehicle.

February 1st 2004 (Sunday)

We have to take the Coaster over the pits tomorrow to get it checked out prior to licensing. This is going to cost $108 (as it is classed as a medium rigid vehicle.) We recently got a weighbridge certificate and found that fully loaded it weighs in at 3.5 tonnes. As we have to go to Mandurah get the inspection done we decided to spend the night at Heron Point and have a look for some crabs.

It turned out that there are no crabs around in daylight hours but we did catch a few at night. I am never too happy about wandering around the inlet at night as you never know what might be lurking or hunting. We did see a big fin during the day but it turned out to be a dolphin, even so, if a dolphin can get up into the estuary there is no reason why a big shark can’t get there too.

February 2nd 2004 (Monday)

A STINKING hot day but at least the Coaster passed the mechanical inspection.

February 4th 2004 (Wednesday)

Finally got the Coaster licensed ($465 !) and now have WA plates on. I have installed the fridge/freezer from the trailer, put in 2 x 12 volt power outlets, a UHF CB, and a 1500w inverter. The Coaster is almost ready for a test trip which we will take once the weather cools down a bit.

We have had 3 enquiries about the campervan but nothing solid as yet. Once we sell it we will have the money to fix a few minor faults on the Coaster, replace the air conditioner and replace the 3 way fridge.

February 12th 2004 (Thursday)

Belle’s 45th birthday. Weather turned very hot again today. Not much that is newsworthy at the moment. Still waiting for the campervan to sell.

Wish list for when the camper sells:

Wheel alignment for the Coaster.

Mechanical work on Coaster.

Air conditioning for Coaster.

Edging for Coaster cupboards.

12v fridge for Coaster. (April 2004 - Swapped campervan fridge)

Coleman camp kitchen (Exponent) (April 2004 Got cheapie from WA Salvage)

Satellite dish and decoder.

Combined TV/DVD/Video player

Scanner or printer/scanner

Digital camera

Block out curtains for bus.

New fire extinguisher.

I am expecting the bill for this lot to be around $6k.

February 5th 2004 (Wednesday)

We have spent the past few days house sitting again and expect to be here for another week in March. The weather has been very warm so a break from the bus is like a holiday.

The campervan is proving difficult to sell (but that could be because we originally set the price too high – can’t be blamed for trying can we?) We need to sell it before the end of April so there is still plenty of time.

Despite a lot of hits on the site we are getting precious little feedback these days, perhaps we have been around too long and the info is being taken for granted – a bit disappointing considering the effort that has gone into putting it all together.

March 9th 2004 (Tuesday)

Got bored and went down to Heron Point for the night. This time we took the boat, which was just as well as very few crabs are being caught by wading now. We caught 12 which was enough for us and we are planning to come down again this Sunday with Alan as he wants to test out the caravan he bought recently.

Our camper is still on the market and we are starting to advertise it more widely in the hope of getting it off our hands.

The only item of note with regard to getting the Coaster ready for our trip north is that I installed a fan underneath the fridge to push cool air in and drive the hot air out. As the 3 way fridge works we will stick with it until we have to change, then we will put a 12 danfoss compressor fridge in its place.

March 14th 2004 (Sunday)

Took off to Heron Point for a few days with Alan. This will be a short test trip prior to heading north in a few weeks. Time to sort out what works and what doesn’t. Also time to work out what we have forgotten to pack.

March 17th 2004 (Wednesday)

Back in Perth as we had a couple of calls about the campervan. The Heron Point trip was a good one. Managed to catch 23 crabs – most of which were eaten before heading home. The weather is supposed to turn hot again this weekend (38C) so being back at the bus is a must.

One thing we learned from the trip was not to use cat food tins as crab bait. We have discovered that they stop working after about half an hour so we will go back to using bones or fish which we used to use.

March 31st 2004 (Wednesday)

After another few nights at Heron Point (yes I know this gets boring as we haven’t been anywhere else for a while) we have decided that it is time to pack up the boat and start to do some serious planning for the trip north. The short trips we have been on have been useful (as well as enjoyable) in working out what we need to do with the Coaster and what we have to still get.

We have decided that most of the cooking will be done outside (or in the tent) so we purchased a camp kitchen from WA Salvage. These are fold out tables with a sink and plenty of space which usually cost $189 but can be found on special for as little as $149. Coleman make a very similar model but it is very expensive so we decided to go with the cheap Chinese copy and spray it with fish oil when the rust starts.

Another item high on the list of things to get is a GOOD camp stove. The 3 burner stove we have been using on camping trips since we were first in Adelaide is almost useless as the gas jets cannot be adjusted very well.

Another change in direction was the decision to remove the new 12v fridge from the campervan and swap it over with the 3 way fridge in the Coaster. This has now been completed and I am very happy with the results. Most people who have looked at the campervan wanted a gas fridge (very silly) instead of the 12v so I was more than happy to oblige. 3 way fridges need to be level and don’t do well in temperatures over 35C. They also chew up gas, create too much heat and if used on 12v will eat batteries alive. The 12v fridge we bought runs happily from 2 x 2amp solar panels so our refrigeration will be effectively free.

As the camper is STILL for sale we will give it 2 more weeks before getting prices from dealers and then we will take what we can get for it. Everything we originally put in except the seat covers and fly screens has now been taken out again to minimise the loss.

The crabs at Heron Point have almost gone but we did manage to catch 19. We have found that the springs on the annexe guy lines make an awful groaning sound when there is any kind of wind. This transmits and amplifies into the Coaster so on the last night I had to drop the annexe before going to sleep. This is a problem we will have to solve as it makes sleeping very fitful.

The Easter school holidays end around May 9th so we will start planning to leave Perth on the 10th. That gives us just over 5 weeks to get the camper out of our hair and get everything else sorted out.

Things to do / get:

Coaster

Fix centre bearing (done May 2004)

Wheel alignment

Fix LPG problem (done May 2004)

Fix trailer plug wiring (done)

New Air-conditioner (not urgent)

Sail track for driver side

To get:

Heavy gauge wire

Annexe strainer poles & clips (Got May 2004)

Annexe patches

12v light for annexe (Got May 2004)

Long gas lead (Got May 2004)

Gas cooker with good jet adjustment (Got May 2004)

Sealant (done)

New ratchet tie downs (done)

Combination TV/DVD/Video (Holding off on this one)

Uni Solar panel or wind generator. (Done June 2004 - solar)

Other:

Service generator (done May 2004)

Get spare spark plugs for Yamaha

Get inner tube for boat trailer jockey wheel (done)

It’s difficult to believe that six months have already passed and a new diary section looms. The lack of entries in this bi-annual section highlight the lack of any real adventure. Hopefully the next six months will be a little more interesting.

April 7th 2004 (Wednesday)

Time marches on as they say. We are already a week into April with no progress on the sale of the campervan. One more week and we will have to start taking it round to dealers and see what we can get.

Easter is approaching rapidly and we have no plans to go away. We can’t see the point in being on the road at the same time as the hordes that pour out of Perth for the last real holiday of the season.

April 14th 2004 (Wednesday)

Another week gone and we aren’t any closer to getting ourselves organised for the trip north. The camper is still on the market, now at the lowest price we can afford to sell it for ($13,990) which means we will loose over $2000 if it sells. I haven’t got a clue why it has taken so long to sell as it is a nice vehicle at what we believe is a reasonable price.

The weather has turned cold and rainy so the sooner the van sells the sooner we can get away to warmer weather.

I have more or less decided to take the inland route, turn off at Auski and visit Wittenoom again, then cut through Karijini to Tom Price and go back to the coast road before making for Karratha. We haven’t been along the inland road since 1995 and I want to have a first hand look at the rest areas and campsites on that route.

We are still planning to get away in early May, which is only 3 weeks away so we are really hoping that the camper will sell VERY SOON.

April 15th 2004 (Thursday)

We have started packing the Coaster and the trailer in earnest now. I spent some time today moving heavy items (fuel, water containers etc.) from the trailer to the boot of the Coaster. The trailer is an unknown factor and I don’t even know how much it weighs. I will rectify this before we leave as there is a public weighbridge on the South West Highway near Mundijong.

I have also been thinking about the lack of internet access and realised that as we are on a Telstra free hour plan, it may be worth investigating connection to the net via our mobile phone. I will look in to it and see if it is feasible. For those who aren’t aware, Telstra have a free hour plan where you get a free hour every day (you select the hour) and you can make calls of up to 20 minutes free in the designated hour. If we can use that to access the net it would be a great improvement over our current situation.

We used to be with AOL but their pricing structure is too inflexible and we can’t easily ramp up our use when we get the chance to go on line. We are currently trying Dodo (what an awful name) who have a more flexible rate of $9.90 per month which you can ramp up and which has a cap of around $24. Dodo’s marketing slogan is ‘internet that flies’ so which guru dreamed up dodo (an extinct FLIGHTLESS bird) as a good business name is a mystery. Despite the questionable name we have been happy with the service to date.

April 16th 2004 (Friday)

With all the packing going on we are having to come to grips with the lack of space. God knows how we would have coped if we had tried to do a long term trip in the campervan. We will manage fairly well with general items of clothing, with camping gear, fishing gear etc. but the biggest headache is food.

In the bus we have a huge 337 litre fridge, a big pantry cupboard and plenty of under seat storage, not to mention a cupboard dedicated to all Belle’s cooking sauces. The Coaster is a whole new kettle of fish. The fridge is only 113 litre and the cupboard space is much less than half of what we are used to for food. As the bus will be off power and in storage we have to completely empty the big fridge and we have to try and take all food that will be required for a 2-4 month trip.

We are finding this the most difficult thing to deal with at the moment.

The oddest thing about the Coaster is the lack of a cooking stove inside. I hope to rectify this before we leave but we have a good camp kitchen now which will go in the tent once we are set up in one area for a long stay.

A few minor milestones (or chores) are out of the way. The spare water containers are full, the gas bottles are full and the jerry cans are full. We had to buy a tyre for the campervan as one of the rear tyres blew a valve yesterday. $50 we hadn’t intended to spend which will only go un-noticed if the van finally sells.

April 22nd 2004 (Friday)

Another week gone and still no progress with selling the camper. The only thing of note that happened this week was a good downpour of rain. Packing continues slowly and that’s about it.

April 29th 2004 (Thursday)

A couple of small steps forward in the past two days. Yesterday we got one of the springs on the trailer reset ($150 which seemed a bit much) and today we bought a 2 burner cooker with grill which at $415 is a bit expensive but we wanted one that would do a good job. The Coaster is booked in to get the centre bearing attended to next Tuesday but we have also had fuel problems on both gas and petrol so repairs could end up being a bit more than we had hoped. Another expense will be putting light truck tyres on the trailer as it is a bit on the heavy side. We won’t be doing too much driving off sealed roads but it is much better to be safe than sorry.

We have almost given up any hope of selling the camper before we leave so it will have to go into storage until we get back. We have dropped it down to $12,990 but it simply isn’t worth dropping it any lower as it is a nice vehicle and will sell at a reasonable price eventually.

The weather has cleared up and we are enjoying temperatures in the high 20s. Forecasts are for that to continue for the next 10 days which suits us fine as that is just about the time we are expecting to leave. Bearing previous trips in mind I wouldn’t mind betting that the day we do actually go it will decide to pour down.

May 3rd 2004 (Monday)

A sad day today as I took the number plates off the Western Belle. Once we hand them in it will really mean that her life of travels has finally come to an end. I really would like to keep her licensed but we just can’t justify the $450+ licence fee each year if she is just going to sit in one place from now on.

Although we are looking forward to new adventures in the Coaster, leaving the old girl in Perth and no longer having all our gear with us as we travel will be a little difficult to adjust to.

The Coaster goes in to have the mechanical work done on it tomorrow and then we put new tyres on the trailer on Wednesday. After that we will do some final shopping, pack up the bus annexe and then we should be ready to go.

Predictably the weather forecast is for rain as we start to pack up and head off just as I had expected.

May 4th 2004 (Tuesday)

The mechanical work on the Coaster cost just under $300. Now we have to spend a further $150 on trailer tyres and we should be ready to go.

The bus annexe is down and packed away so there isn’t much to do now but re-direct our mail and get the final shopping done.

May 5th 2004 (Wednesday)

It looks like we may have sold the campervan at the very last minute. We got a phone call this afternoon and as we were due to head off tomorrow we didn’t really have any hope at all that the van would sell at this late hour. We had resigned ourselves to putting the van in storage until we get back around October.

The end result is that we have agreed to sell the campervan for $12,750. It represents a loss of $3350 but it will be nice to have the extra money in the bank just in case we need it. The sale isn’t finalised yet and I have learned not to ‘count my chickens’ so the van will go over to Alan’s and we will head off tomorrow anyway and cross our fingers that everything works out ok.

Updated wish list / jobs list

Digital camera (got in Karratha)

Wind generator (still pondering)

Coaster wheel alignment

New scanner (Got in Karratha)

Fix/replace Coaster air conditioner

May 6th 2004 (Thursday)

Left around 10am and took the freeway through Perth then cut across from Wanneroo Road to the Great Northern Highway. A long hard slog through the hills to our first refuelling stop at Dalwalinu. There is NO autogas between Bullsbrook and here.

The road surface on this section of the drive is AWFUL. Very bumpy and hard driving up and down the multitude of hills. There is no significant improvement until you get past Miling.

We went on past Wubin to Wubin Rocks. This is a good site with reasonable space 3km off the highway on good unsealed road. It is signposted. There is a nice view and being up relatively high, means you get any breeze that is going.

May 7th 2004 (Friday)

Up around 6am but early morning fog kept us off the road until after 7am. On to Payne’s Find (crappy little roadhouse with NO LPG!) On again to Mount Magnet where the fortified shops attest to what life can be like there. Refuelled LPG at BP and was cheated as their pump was not properly calibrated.

After a quick walk around town we headed 7Km north to The Granites. This is a large area with several parking spots and as we weren’t in much of a hurry the lunch break soon became the stop for the day.

May 8th 2004 (Saturday)

Passed through Cue after visiting the historic mining area at Day Dawn. Not a lot to see here as mining has re-commenced and most areas are blocked off. The old mine office is a most impressive building but it is falling into disrepair. Very sad, as it is a substantial structure and should be preserved. A real shame the local community aren’t doing more to make something of it.

After another quick stop at Meekatharra we pressed on to a nice rest area at Gascoyne South Branch 110Km south of Kumarina. This is one of the few places you can get right back away from the road. There was even some water here which surprised us as the dry season in this region has just ended.

May 9th 2004 (Sunday)

Rip off of the trip so far: Kumarina road house charging 92cpl for autogas.

Today we passed through Newman. We had intended to do a bit of exploring around this area but as the tourist bureau doesn’t bother to open on weekends we couldn’t get any info and decided to keep going. No shops open on Sunday and nothing else to do in town – as it is primarily a mining town it is obvious they don’t care much about travellers sticking around.

We stopped for the night at a nice rest area well off the road about 100Km north of Newman. That makes today the longest drive of the trip to date with around 470Kms covered. The rest area has plenty of shelters, chairs and tables. It also has a toilet, which is very scarce along this road. There once was an emergency phone but – you guessed it – some total ass wrecked it and all that remains is the pole that once housed it.

The bane of the trip has been hordes of flies that have kept us inside the vehicle most of the day. This is the first day we have been able to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air as fly numbers are dropping as we get closer to the coast.

After we had settled down Belle decided to have a shower and as she did a dingo turned up and started pacing up and down looking longingly at the water coming out under the Coaster. I know feeding dingos isn’t a good idea as they can develop a dependency and get too familiar with people, but I thought giving it a drink of water would be Ok. I put a dish out a fair way from the Coaster and the dingo had a small drink then promptly tipped the water out and ran off with the dish. So much for being nice.

May 10th 2004 (Monday)

We pushed on to Tom Price today (119Km off the main highway but all sealed road) and decided to stay the night in the caravan park. The only real reason was that the final episodes of Survivor are on today and as we have been following it all the way through we wanted to see how it ended. Pretty lame reason but there you are.

Tom Price (the highest town in W.A.) is pleasant enough. Fairly green at this time of the year and quite attractive. The only major store in town is Coles so we stocked up on a few odds and ends.

The caravan park is only average at best. Toilets are grubby and the layout of the park is a bit strange. There is a camp kitchen but if there are a number of people wanting to use it there will be a long wait as there is only one gas burner and one BBQ. For $22 a night for a powered site it is really a poor choice – but it is the ONLY choice for caravans and motorhomes who want to stay in town.

LPG was available at the Shell garage which was a relief as we seem to have a petrol leak somewhere near the carbi and I am trying to stay on LPG all the time until we can get it fixed.

May 11th 2004 (Tuesday)

After a noisy night at the caravan park we left Tom Price and headed back to Karijini. The western entrance is unsealed and leads 40Km to Weano Gorge. This end of the park has a new camp site called Savannah ($10 per night per person) where there are toilets and showers. The roughest part of this road was after the Dales Gorge turn off.

After checking out Weano, Red Gorge and Savannah Camp we went back to the Dales Gorge Road and Joffre Falls. This is one of the most scenic areas in the park and this was the time the video camera chose to pack up. I have had so much trouble with this Panasonic camera I will never buy another one.

There used to be a campsite near Joffre but this has now been closed down. The unsealed road goes another 20Km east to the new (very expensive looking) visitors centre. The only sealed road in the park goes from here to the park HQ (surprise surprise). It would have been better not to waste money on the visitors centre and seal more roads.

With the Coaster and trailer full of red dust we left the park and returned to the highway. After running on LPG most of the day I switched to petrol only to find the engine just died. The rough roads in Karijini had knocked out our fuel pump. Another victim of CALM’s money wasting schemes. FIX THE ROADS YOU MONGRELS!

We made it to Auski Roadhouse without any dramas and filled up on LPG before heading west to Wittenoom. We had been there only briefly in 1995 and sadly the Government has been hell bent on destroying the town. The old pub, the hospital, the fuel station and many other buildings have all been demolished and removed. It appears that the Government wants to wipe Wittenoom off the face of the Earth in an attempt to make people forget what went on there.

There are still about 15 residents in the town and travellers can camp free without power or just make a donation if they need power. Anyone coming near this area should make the effort to get to Wittenoom Gorge before it is too late and the road in becomes impassable. Vehicles with high clearance can still get through but ordinary cars can only get part way down the gorge now.

This is one of the most special parts of Australia and the Government is doing all it can to discourage people from coming here. There used to be an asbestos risk associated with the town and the end of the gorge but with the passing of years that risk is far less than being struck by lightning.

The area is too beautiful to be neglected so do what you can to support the town if you get a chance to go in and have a look around.

We found a beautiful campsite near a crystal clear billabong in the gorge. After a refreshing swim we settled down for one of the most peaceful nights rests we have had on this trip.

May 12th 2004 (Wednesday)

With the petrol system out of action we were forced to make a detour to Port Hedland in order to get enough fuel to get us to Karratha. We were a bit worried as our estimated range on autogas is around 250Kms and Port Hedland is 261Kms from Auski. With some VERY economical driving we got there with 15 litres to spare.

We found a reasonably nice spot to stop at a boat ramp near the main port. The man item of interest was watching the huge bulk ore carriers being shepherded to and from the loading wharves by the attendant tug boats. Another possible overnight site is a little further east at the Spoil Bank. We decided against it as it is closer to the Yacht Club which can be a popular ‘hang out’ for the locals and we thought it may be a bit more noisy.

May 13th 2004 (Thursday)

After a quick look around Port Hedland (which is a much better place than South Hedland) we made our way to Karratha to do some last minute shopping and to stock up on our water supplies.

One big surprise was seeing the Maitland River Bridge washed out as we headed from Karratha to 40 Mile. The floods up here this year must have been huge.

We arrived at 40 Mile sometime after 1pm and it took at least 4 hours to get the campsite organised. Compared to the luxury of the bus this way of travelling involves much more work. There are two big buses camped nearby and we both looked at them with a great deal of envy. We really are going to miss the old bus while we are on the road.

The trip up was a little under 2000Kms (including side trips) and fuels costs were about $540. This is a little higher than I had hoped.

May 14th 2004 (Friday)

Getting settled in to the campsite today. As usual the wind is up so no hope of fishing just yet. Put the tent up, did the clothes washing and generally sorted out bits and pieces. Otherwise an uneventful day.

May 15th 2004 (Saturday)

Windy – need I say more…..

May 17th 2004 (Monday)

Finally the wind and tide were kind enough to allow us to get out and go fishing. The wind wasn’t entirely calm so we didn’t go far off shore and were only in about 9 feet of water. After putting out a berley trail we did start catching a few fish but most were undersized. The catch for the day was 3 sharks, 1 Spanish Flag, 1 very small snapper, 1 grass tusk fish and 1 trumpeter. We took one shark in to eat (but I’m still not a great fan of shark I catch myself) and let the rest go.

40 Mile has a boat ramp but the area is full of rocks so you have to be careful and even with an echo sounder we tend to motor along very slowly just in case.

May 18th 2004 (Tuesday)

Windy… again….. Ken (our neighbour in a Bedford bus much like ours) gave us a mud crab which was very much appreciated.

May 20th 2004 (Thursday)

Only managed to get out fishing for a very short time as the wind came up and made life difficult. Caught a bottom feeding shark and a small stripey. Neither was any good for eating so they both went back into the sea.

May 21st 2004 (Friday)

Finally a chance to get out and do some real fishing. Things didn’t start off too well as we tried several spots without success. Finally we moved out into deeper water (27’) about 2.5Km off shore and ended up with 3 grass tusk fish (which we gave to our neighbours Ken and Barbara) 2 spangled emperor and one stripey.

Queenfish are being caught around this area but we haven’t seen any ourselves. There are also plenty of bait fish around which is a good sign.

Ken and Barbara came over for dinner and we had an enjoyable evening.

Until…..

Earlier in the evening a group moved in to the area right behind us. Everything was Ok until about 11pm when after consuming much alcohol, they decided to start spotlighting the windows of all the campers around them. After putting up with this annoyance for about half an hour I told them to cut it out. Being typical morons this was the signal to start being a bigger nuisance and eventually I went outside and yelled at them. Things quietened down for an hour or so but then the lights started again and soon afterwards the first rock hit our vehicle. This time I went ballistic and went into their camp and made several threats thinking they would have the sense to back down and go to sleep: no such luck.

Eventually we went over and had to wake up Ken and Barbara as they have a CDMA phone and were able to call the police. The police responded by saying they didn’t have anyone available and couldn’t come out…WONDERFIUL! So we spent the rest of the night (3am-dawn) awake with the lights on to discourage any more attacks on the vehicle.

May 22nd 2004 (Saturday)

Finally about mid-day a council ranger arrived to find out what had gone on the night before. After hearing all the details he checked the area and left some sort of message on the offenders cars. After coming back from fishing all they did was laugh at the note… we were in for more of the same.

On queue almost as soon as our lights went out, the rocks started landing on the vehicle. Confrontation obviously hadn’t worked before so we went over to see the caretaker to get something done about it. As we left rocks were landing all round us and bouncing off the tent and the Coaster. The police and ranger were contacted and even though another camper accompanied us back to the Coaster and we now had a witness, the rocks still kept on hitting the vehicle. Some people are beyond ‘thick’.

AT LAST about midnight the police arrived with the Co-ordinator of Ranger Services in tow (or was it the other way round) anyway the rock throwing was stopped FINALLY and we managed to get some sleep for the first time in about 48 hours. The idiots responsible were thrown out of the campsite and told not to come back. Apparently they are facing some fines but action should have been taken MUCH EARLIER by both the police and shire. It was only when I threatened to defend my campsite with a weapon that the police finally seemed to take note of the seriousness of the situation.

The gutter scum responsible should have been thrown off the campsite after the first night and I even told the ranger that if they were allowed to stay that I was sure we would be attacked a second time. I am far from satisfied with the late response from the police and the damage that occurred to our Coaster and tent on the second night could have been avoided if they had sorted things out after the first attack.

May 23rd 2004 (Sunday)

With the trash removed things in camp returned to normal and we even took the boat out to do some fishing and get our minds off the trouble. Fishing wasn’t that great as we only caught a few garfish for bait and one and a half Spanish Flag. One and a half? Yes that’s right. A monster of a shark nailed one of the flag on its way up to the boat and all I got was the head.

We went over to Ken and Barbara’s for a delicious dinner and another enjoyable evening; this one even more so as there were no rocks landing on the Coaster later in the night.

May 24th 2004 (Monday)

Our first trip into town and we had to drop the annexe. Not too much effort so we may end up going in once a week after all. Our first nice surprise was to find that the campervan HAS FINALLY SOLD! YAY! And our bank account was a little healthier than before. Although we ended up losing over $3k it is good to get it out of our hair and it is one less thing to worry about when we get back.

Having some extra money always means getting a few things we have been waiting for, for a while so we replaced our old decrepit fishing rods and reels and I finally got myself a digital camera. (Fuji Finepix S3000 $399 from Retravision.) Very easy to use and quite impressive. The S5000 would have been nicer but the extra $200 couldn’t really be justified.

We managed to sort out a few things in town, do the shopping, get some water and refuel. All this took the whole day and we weren’t back in camp much before 4pm.

The only sour note of the day was the 20amp charger failing and the fridge in the trailer going off so there were no cold drinks when we got home.

I still have to get another solar panel and we will look at that next time we go in.

May 25th 2004 (Tuesday)

Would have been a good day to go fishing but there was a pile of washing to get done and that took all morning. Other camp chores needed doing so a bit of a work day ensued.

May 31st 2004 (Monday)

Back into town again to try and get something sorted out about the fuel pump. Strangely no one seems to want to have anything to do with it. I think they have so much work up here they really don’t give a stuff about anything that might be a little difficult.

We did order a solar panel (Unisolar 64w $695) which should be here by the time we come in again next week. Also got my hands on a Cannon scanner/printer which at $199 was quite good value. Did the usual water collection and grocery shopping and didn’t accomplish much else.

June 1st 2004 (Tuesday)

Finally got to go fishing again as the wind has given up trying to blow us into the sea for a while.

Caught sharks, NW Snapper, Cod, Flag, Trevally, and Spangled Emperor but only kept 3 fish to eat. Most flag were too small and Spangled Emperor were undersized. It hurts putting 33cm fish back as they are good plate size. (Spangled Emperor minimum legal size up here is 41cm.)

June 2nd 2004 (Wednesday)

Woke early to a very calm looking sea. Went out in the boat but it soon became clear that the wind wasn’t planning to stay away. As we are running short of bait we moved around the point out of the wind but came up empty anyway. As we were sitting in the shelter the weather worsened so in the end I dropped Belle off on the beach by the mangroves and took the boat round the point on my own. It was a very rough ride but I got the boat in Ok.

Later in the day Andy & Deb arrived in their big silver eagle. It’s good to see some more familiar faces turning up.

June 3rd 2004 (Thursday)

Went out on to the reef at low tide to see if we could find any bait but there was no sign of octopus (as I expected due to the recent floods). I did catch a few small rock crabs that can be good bait for snapper and bluebone and Andy speared a couple of eel tailed catfish.

I was walking back towards shore when I spotted a movement in the sand and to my great surprise a large mud crab popped up and started waiving its claws at me. In short order it ended up in the bucket and the small crabs I caught for bait were thrown out.

Crossing a sandy area we also found a few big blue swimmers which went into Andy & Deb’s bucket. Everyone had an unexpected treat for tea. The mud crab was the biggest surprise as it was only a matter of a hundred yards from the boat ramp and several kilometres from the nearest creek.

June 4th 2004 (Friday)

The day started with no wind and the sea was flat so we dashed out (along with several other boats) in the hope that the wind would stay away. No such luck, we had just dropped our lines in when the wind started to pick up. At least we managed to catch a few bait fish for when the wind really goes away.

In the evening we had a very low tide and went looking for crabs again. We caught 5 (one caught me for a while) and 3 got away in the murky water. We (Belle actually) caught a large squid in the shallows by scaring it into a bucket. That takes care of bait for the next fishing trip.

June 5th 2004 (Saturday)

A near windless day at last and everyone with a boat went out fishing. We went back to the spot 2.5Km out that had produced for us once before and caught a variety of fish including: Spangled Emperor, Grass Emperor, Sucker fish, Trigger fish, Trevally, Spinefoot, Grinner, Northern pike and we had a number of bite offs by bigger fish. The line on both reels is going to be upgraded before we go out again.

In the end we brought home 2 snapper and one trevally. The fish for everyone to remember is the spinefoot. These are also referred to as Happy Moments. If you are pricked by any of the many spines you will NOT have any happy moments for a while. Be VERY careful handling these fish. The best advice is to cut them off and let them go.

In the evening we had an invite to a sausage sizzle which turned out to be very enjoyable. It’s always nice to get to know others around the campsite a little better.

June 6th 2004 (Sunday)

Beautiful fishing weather, shame the fish didn’t co-operate. Only caught grinners and a few small fish.

June 8th 2004 (Tuesday)

Went with Ken in his Suzuki up to the point to try some fishing off the rocks. Didn’t catch anything big but got a few small fish for bait which we sorely need at the moment. Everyone is complaining about the lack of interest fish are showing in baits over the past few days.

June 9th 2004 (Wednesday)

Out fishing again but all we managed to get was bait in the form of 16 garfish.

June 12th 2004 (Saturday)

We picked up the solar panel in Karratha yesterday and now we finally have the freezer working as it should. That will make life a little easier (and will help us keep our bait fresh longer.)

Today the morning was very still, so we made the decision to go out to the closest island (7.3km). We were glad we did, not because of the fish we caught but because of the beautiful coral reef we could see and the myriad fishes that inhabit it. In the end Belle caught one good sized Spanish flag which we had for lunch. The only minor problem was that we had gone out on a falling tide so pushing the boat back up the beach on the trailer was a bit more strenuous than usual.

14th June 2004 (Monday)

After an almost record breaking period of good fishing weather the easterly winds came back today.

23rd June 2004 (Wednesday)

Great lack of activity during the last few days as the winds have been up again. Apart from one trip into town on Monday when we finally got the fuel pump problem sorted out ($228) we have been waiting patiently to get out in the boat again. We have tried fishing from the rocks and did manage to catch a few bream but today we did get out in the boat and ended up catching a 62cm morwong. Sadly it looks like the winds are going to be back tomorrow so we will go into hibernation again. (Turns out the ‘morwong’ was actually a painted sweetlip.

Painted sweetlip (also called morwong or slate bream)

29th June 2004 (Tuesday)

Tried fishing yesterday and today but the wind keeps coming up and spoiling things. Yesterday we caught 2 flag a cod and some weird reef fish but nothing was worth keeping so they all went back. Today we got up extra early but caught nothing and had to come back quickly when the wind built up too soon.

30th June 2004 (Wednesday)

Managed to get out fishing for a few hours. Caught a big cod, a Spanish flag and sweet lip emperor.

1st July 2004 (Thursday)

Into town to pick up supplies.

2nd July 2004 (Friday)

Finally some reasonable fishing weather. Although we didn’t bring any fish home we did catch remora, spinefoot, tusk fish, flag, perch and assorted other unidentified fish. With a little luck we may get another good day tomorrow.

3rd July 2004 (Saturday)

Another fishing day which started out rough but gradually calmed down to perfect weather. Although we caught 11 different types of fish there were none worth bringing home which was a little disappointing. (Fish caught: 2 types of cod, long tom, garfish, trumpet, grunter, flag, dark tailed perch, unidentified reef fish, tuskfish, whiptail.) Even so ‘a bad day fishing beats a good day at work’ as the saying goes.

6Th July 2004 (Tuesday)

A good fishing day weather wise and after going 5km out we initially thought that it would be a good day fishing wise as well. Every time we put the lines down we got a bite but every fish we pulled up was either not an edible variety or was an undersized NW snapper. 80% of the fish we brought up were snapper and all were between 25-27cm, just under the limit and VERY frustrating. In the end we brought back 2 jobfish to eat as we hadn’t tried them before.

7th July 2004 (Wednesday)

Went fishing again and this time instead of going straight out we turned right and headed across towards the next point. After a bit of searching I found a passage through the offshore reef which dropped from 14’ down to about 21’. It turned out to be the best fishing spot we have found at 40 Mile so far. We caught plenty of stripey, moses perch and even red tail perch (which some people mistake for mangrove jack). We came back with a mixed bag of 8 perch and things brightened up considerably.

11th July 2004 (Sunday)

Wind and rain and COLD!

15th July 2004 (Thursday)

Our trip into town this time was to Wickham not Karratha. The reason for that is that so many people have told us about Moby’s Kitchen in Point Samson we decided to combine lunch there with a shopping trip. As it turned out we weren’t as impressed with Moby’s as others have been, average would be about the nicest thing we could say about it.

As we were in the area we diverted to look at Cossack and Settler’s Beach again. This is one of the most interesting and pretty places in this area so I was glad we went back after so long to see it again.

17th July 2004 (Saturday)

Wind and rain and COLD! Continues unabated…. CURSES!

Because the weather has been (or at least seems to have been) so awful, I have been contemplating packing up and going back to Perth. To check and see if it is really as bad as it seems I checked the stats for the times we have been here before and found that the first time we were up this way we had 10 good fishing days in the boat out of 3 months, last year we had 17 good days out of 2 months and so far this year we have had 14 good days out of 2 months. This makes a total of 41 days out of 7 months or 19% of all days up here are good fishing days.

If this is an average then staying here an extra month may mean that we have another 5-6 days fishing to look forward to. Now the question is: is it worth it'?

Every Saturday night a group of campers get together to prepare a meal. Tonight we had Christmas I July and it was the best yet.

19th July 2004 (Monday)

The wind has finally got to me and I started packing up the boat today. We will finish packing tomorrow and then head on to Onslow as we have been past the turn off many times but have never taken time to travel the 82km off the main highway to see what it is like.

20th July 2004 (Tuesday)

Arrived in Onslow mid afternoon. The wind at 40 mile made packing up the tent this morning a real headache but once we were on the road it practically blew us all the way to the Onslow turn off.

Onslow is smaller than I expected. Pretty much a one store town which means prices are very high. The town caravan park looked very crowded so we went along to the one at Beadon Creek only to find that it was also full. Thankfully the lady we spoke to found us a spot behind the function room and only charged us $12 for the night. It is a nice change to be met by someone in a caravan park who is pleasant, helpful and who isn’t trying to part us from our last dollar.

As it turned out Beadon Creek Village was an excellent choice as there is a nice covered area with BBQs as well as a function room (with free pool table), a swimming pool plus campers kitchen and all the other amenities you would expect. Having seen the other caravan park I think Beadon Creek was by far the better choice.

21st July 2004 (Wednesday)

Took time in the morning to have a look around Onslow and found a small laid back place in a lovely setting. There are creeks east and west and (when the wind isn’t blowing) plenty of ocean right on the doorstep.

On the way out of town I took a couple of pictures of what should be called ‘termite city’. There are more termite mounds per acre here than we have seen anywhere else on our travels. It is an eye catching sight and it isn’t really publicised that much. The pictures I took really don’t do the area justice.

Because the weather is bad and getting worse we didn’t get a chance to go out and look at the campsite at Three Mile Pool. The turn off is 20Km south of town and then a further 17Kms to the campsite. With rain threatening we didn’t fancy getting stuck so we returned to the highway and turned west planning to head back to Perth.

As we reached the Exmouth turn off I decided to make a detour of around 150Kms. We haven’t been to Exmouth since before cyclone Vance hit the area (1998) and we thought it best to check out the rumours we have been hearing about the unfriendly attitude of the local council to camping in the shire.

As the day wore on the weather got worse until drizzle became rain and we found a rest area 68Km south of Exmouth and pulled up for the night.

22nd July 2004 (Thursday)

An early start saw us arrive at Learmonth jetty eager to do some fishing. The first disappointment was the rough sea but the second disappointment was even worse. The lovely wide, solid wooden jetty that we have so many fond memories of fishing from in years gone by has been replaced by a horrible metal and plastic ‘safe’ jetty with railings all round which get in the way of fishing. It was like a sacred site had been wantonly destroyed.

Seeing no chance to drop a line in we pressed on into town where we found a very changed Exmouth. The sleepy old place has now been ‘discovered’ by the tourists and as a result it has changed almost beyond recognition. It is a shame that places like this always seem to succumb to the power of the dollar and questionable ‘progress’.

After refuelling we went round the cape to Mesa campsite in the national park where we may stay a few nights. The weather is easing a bit but isn’t exactly idyllic yet.

23rd July 2004 (Friday)

Last night we collected around 130 litres of fresh water courtesy of the rain storm that hit soon after dark. Good rain is always welcome when we are out in the boonies and we will have enough now to stay here a few days longer if we feel so inclined.

Today the rain cleared and we ferreted out the fishing gear. As it is too difficult to launch the dinghy here we are stuck with beach fishing and even though we didn’t get any ‘keepers’ today we did catch 3 dart, 1 bonefish, 1 whiting and a flathead. At least that is promising.

We caught up with Jim & Kiki in Utopia II. (Utopia I burned to the ground at Barradale after an oil leak caught fire.) We first met them in 1997 when we attended the CMCA wildflower rally.

24th July 2004 (Saturday)

Last night we had more rain, not as bad as the night before but another chance to collect water. Fishing today only produced 2 dart but who cares when you get to stand and bask in the beauty of this place.

25th July 2004 (Sunday)

What an appropriate day for the weather to improve. Today the clouds vanished and we have full sun. Finally we can get the clothes washing done and the batteries won’t be struggling to keep the fridges going.

With the sunshine Mesa campsite has turned from a rather nice spot into a veritable paradise. The sparking turquoise waters of the Ningaloo Marine Park are right on our doorstep and we are thinking about staying here longer than we had originally planned.

26th July 2004 (Monday)

Sunny again but very windy. We decided to move on tomorrow so went fishing for the final time here and caught 3 threadfin, 1 flathead and Belle caught 2 whiting that were too small to keep.

After packing most things up we decided to take a drive down to Yardie Creek but when it came time to start the Coaster there was nothing but an ominous click, click. After checking the starter battery (which was ok) and giving the starter motor a couple of whacks (which sometimes releases sticky brushes) we came to the conclusion that the starter motor has packed up. We will try rocking the Coaster tomorrow to see if that unsticks the starter but failing that we will need to get a tow start.

27th July 2004 (Tuesday)

We got started with the help of another camper who had a 4wd. While heading to Exmouth I found that the petrol gauge had started to malfunction, as the LPG gauge was already on the blink this was a nuisance but as we had plenty of petrol and were going to fill up with LPG it wasn’t going to be a problem.

As I disconnected the LPG the gas started pouring back out of the cylinder – not good – so I shut the valve off and allowed the gas left in the filler pipe to escape. After a bit of fiddling round I managed to clear the valve and when I turned the valve back on everything was ok. Quite a relief.

357Kms later we arrived in Carnarvon. The first repairer we tried was too busy to do the job and the second (Auto Pro) was also busy but said they could get the starter and we could leave the Coaster with them. (As I had stalled it and it wouldn’t re-start there wasn’t a choice in any case.) We are in the RAC and have the Plus package so we contacted them and after confirming the repairs would take a couple of days they arranged a motel room and hire car for two days. This is the first time we have had to use the Plus options but it turned out to be very worthwhile.

The car we have the use of is a new Commodore with everything that opens and shuts. Automatic windows, automatic mirrors, digital readouts and the dash, central locking, automatic aerial, cruise control, you name it, this vehicle had it. Belle got in and started looking around at all the gadgets and I think the lady from Avis thought we were a couple of real bumpkins.

We visited the local shops and picked up supplies for dinner and settled down to a comfortable night at the Gateway Motel.

28th July 2004 (Wednesday)

As we have the use of a nice bright shiny new Commodore we cruised around town for a bit before heading down to the tackle shop near the small boat harbour. Here there is a large assortment of fishing and boating gear to browse through and the prices are usually very competitive. This time we found enough goodies to spend nearly $200 including a voltage adapter so we can run our 12v freezer from 240v. Very handy but expensive at $99.

From this experience we can thoroughly recommend the following businesses to other travellers.

Auto Pro Carnarvon (Rob)

RAC Plus Roadside Assistance.

Avis Car Rentals Carnarvon (Lyn)

Gateway Motel Carnarvon

Each of the people we dealt with was friendly, helpful and efficient.

29th July 2004 (Thursday)

We picked up the Coaster with its nice new starter motor, fuelled up, put more oil in the Coaster, dropped off the hire car and headed south. It didn’t take long to discover we had another problem; the petrol system supposedly fixed by K&B Electrics in Karratha failed AGAIN! Then we found we were unable to get the Coaster into 5th gear. As we had enough autogas we kept going but when we reached Northampton we found the pump refused to put more than about $10 worth of gas in the tank.

By this time it was around 3:30pm and we had had enough for the day. We didn’t know how much autogas was left in the Coaster as the gauge is stuffed, we had a full tank of petrol but a petrol pump that was knackered again and it was too late in the day to go looking for help. We booked in at the Drummond Cove Caravan park for the night ($55 for a unit as the Coaster looks like a bomb has gone off inside)

Drummond Cove, what a nice name. Pity that the sea is not exactly close and the caravan park is right on the VERY NOISY highway. The unit we are in looks like it was last decorated in the late 1960s – purple, pink and bright orange are the dominant colours. The bed ‘mattresses’ are nothing more than thin bits of foam and are totally useless to sleep on. The floor looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in years and the sliding door rattles in the wind. Otherwise the cabin is more or less what you would expect.

The park surrounds are nice enough (if you can ignore the traffic noise – which you can’t) and the toilets are modern and clean. There is at least good quality toilet paper in the toilets. Powered sites are $20 a night (too much) and the park is well lit at night. The staff member we dealt with was friendly and helpful but nothing can really compensate for the terrible location of this park.

30th July 2004 (Friday)

I removed and cleaned the autogas inlet valve but that didn’t help the leakage problem. Now in order to fill up I have to undo the inlet shut off, fill the tank and the close the inlet shut off again. This is a bit of a pain in dry weather but as it is wet now crawling under the back of the Coaster each time we fill up is a real chore.

Well we are finally home. I have to admit that it is a great relief to be back in the bus – all that room! We didn’t get away without another mechanical scare today. As we reached Midland there was an awful noise coming from the engine. I stopped briefly on Roe Highway to have a look but couldn’t see exactly where the sound originated. Once we got home and I had more space I checked the engine and found it was simply a pipe that had come loose.

Things to fix on the Coaster:

1.Petrol pump (again!)

2.Gas inlet valve

3.Fuel leak near carbi

4.Wheel alignment

5.Gas gauge not working

6.Find out why 5th gear can’t be used

7.Service & tune

8.Grease & oil

9.Radiator flush

10.Brake light switch needs replacing

11.Hand brake needs adjusting

12.Horn not working

At least we are back in one piece and under our own steam.

Reflections on almost 3 months in the Coaster:

Honestly I don’t know how anyone lives in a Coaster long term. They are simply too narrow and too small (well SWB ones are) to be comfortable in. The weather up north didn’t help. Most days were either too windy, too overcast for the solar panels to work and in the end too wet to be enjoyable.

It is impossible to go anywhere once the annexe is up so if you are in one place for a long time you become a prisoner of circumstance.

Anyone who does live long term in a Coaster style vehicle has my undying admiration. Three months was all I could stand and I couldn’t wait to get home to the bus.

31st July 2004 (Saturday)

Dropped in to see Alan today and found he has already put his Coaster up for sale and has bought a caravan and a Commodore wagon to tow it. I guess we weren’t the only ones to get fed up with life in a small bus.

We have to get the Coaster checked out to see if it is worth keeping. If it is then we will still go ahead and look for a small caravan to tow behind it.

6th August 2004 (Friday)

A couple of nice days during the week where we did nothing but clean things up (especially getting the red dust out of the Coaster and trailer).

The weather is very much on and off at the moment, typical spring weather but it is still winter.

A bunch of cows from the paddock next door jumped the fence last night and much mooing ensued resulting in a great lack of sleep on our part. Lucky for the cows I don’t have a rifle.

13th August 2004 (Friday)

The Coaster went in to get some work done the other day and we are hoping it will be ready for collection today. Other than that we haven’t done much as the rain has kept us inside for the past few days. No luck yet finding a suitable caravan but there are a few to look at in the next few days so we will just keep on looking.

The Coaster still needs more work done (apparently the carbi is stuffed) so the $665 this lot of work is going to cost us isn’t the end of our expenses. In any case we will pick it up tomorrow and work out where we go from there.

On a totally unrelated subject, I have been scanning in some of my old photos and saving them off in high resolution but when it came to comparing them to the shots I have taken with the new digital camera, the scanned analogue images are quite a disappointment. The digital photos look so real you feel you are looking out of a window at the real scene, whereas the scanned analogue ones always seem to look like a photo. Perhaps this is just a result of the scanning process but whatever it is I am very glad we now have a decent digital camera.

On our travels I estimate that I have taken well over 2500 photographs at a cost (for developing and film) of something exceeding $1200. With the digital camera it is possible to take as many shots as you like for nothing and check them on the spot and re-take them if something is wrong. I really should have bought one of these cameras a couple of years ago. It would have paid for itself very quickly.

The only problem now is limiting the shots I take so I don’t end up with thousands of them that I really don’t need, but then again they can always be hived off to CD-Roms.

After experimenting it turns out that the digital camera (and software) is also very good at stitching photographs together.

28th August 2004 (Saturday)

After looking around for a caravan ever since we got back we have been getting more and more disheartened as we drive out to see yet another van that according to its owner is in ‘very good condition’. Good condition compared to what? is what I would like to know. We saw one van priced at $5000 that I wouldn’t have towed away even if it was FREE!

Our original budget of around $4500 has gone out the window. Vans around that price are basically no more than old clapped out junk. In the end we have gone to a dealer (ABBA Caravans in Rockingham) and have put a deposit down on a 1984 Viscount Aerolite. It is 14’ with a ply floor, aluminium chassis, front kitchen, 4 burner stove and oven, range hood, 4 seasons hatch, TV, video, TV ariel, near new annexe, 2 way fridge, wind out windows, 2 single beds and a lot of cupboard space. It looks like it is in fairly good condition with no sign of leaks. The things against it are a silly small gas bottle and a carpeted floor. The gas bottle can be easily sorted out but the carpet will need some sort of protection to keep it in good condition.

Although it isn’t perfect, it is very close to what we were looking for. At over $2000 more than we wanted to pay we have to give up any ideas of getting a Suzuki 4x4 that we hoped we could afford if we found a cheaper van. Hopefully in the long run, buying a better quality van will mean we get most of our money back if we ever decide to sell it.

We pick it up on Monday so I will be fidgeting about impatiently until then.

1st September 2004 (Wednesday)

We picked up the van as planned and have now started modifying it to suit our needs. A 12v battery system has gone in to run the lights (one thing I was unaware of is that most caravans run off the car battery through the trailer plug connection) and a solar panel has been hooked up but is yet to be installed on the roof. We have replaced the microwave (there is already one in the Coaster) with a small stereo that we originally bought for the campervan.

As the TV that came with the caravan was an older model that doesn’t have automatic tuning we have swapped that with one from the bus. Auto tuning is important if you move around a lot because channels work on different frequencies in different areas.

We have been testing the 2 way fridge which seems to work very well and the only thing that is a problem is a small radio cassette that was installed in the van. There seems to be no power to it and tracing the wiring would be difficult as it vanishes into the wall. It doesn’t matter anyway now I have put the small stereo in.

So far we are very pleased with the van. I have started moving in so we can live in it for a while before we actually go away. Hopefully we will then be able to iron out any bugs easily.

8th September 2004 (Wednesday)

The weather has been pretty foul over the past week but it has begun clearing today.

We have finally got round to getting the Coaster wheel alignment done and at $80 it wasn’t as expensive as we had expected. For anyone in W.A. from Geraldton to Esperance the person to contact is John Gibbons on 0408 599 146. As he comes out and does the work his number is a useful one to have for those with Coasters and especially big rigs who can’t easily get into most wheel alignment centres.

11th September 2004 (Saturday)

The weather forecast is for fine sunny days increasing in temperature from 19-24 degrees so we have packed up the caravan and coaster and are heading off the Heron Point for a few days to do some real testing of various systems.

We seem to have been able to fit everything we need in and although our speed has now been cut down to about 80kph the Coaster seems to handle the caravan well without the use of sway bars.

12th September 2004 (Sunday)

I turned 44 today and I was lucky enough to do so at Heron Point in the most perfect Spring weather.

The caravan is working out very well. It is already clear that it will be easy both to do stop/start travelling and to stop in places for long periods of time. I have been debating whether to put solar panels on the roof or to keep them as mobile units and I have come to the conclusion that for security reasons it is much better to have them mounted on the roof even though that means loosing some of their effectiveness. I will get that sorted out once we get home and then we will be ready to start planing our next trip.

One new item we purchased recently was a Gasmate space heater that fits on top of a 2/3Kg gas bottle. We have bee using it here as the nights are still chilly and it has worked well. It cost $49 and is supposed to consume 106g of gas per hour. They are not recommended for use inside caravans as the heating element can use up oxygen quickly and if you are not careful it is possible to suffocate.

We are using it with hatches and vents open and are very careful not to leave it on when we go to sleep. Using it for short periods just to take the chill out of the air should be safe enough but it is one of those things we have to be very careful with.

Just before leaving home we insured the van with RAC ($286 for $9900 cover). I hate having to pay insurance but with our luck we can’t afford to be without it.

As the van has a carpeted floor we have put a carpet protector down, the only problem is it keeps crawling along the floor, we need to find some way to secure it and keep it in one place.

Work carried out on the caravan so far:

Installed 12v deep cycle battery

Volt meter

Ammeter

12v plug

Trailer plug (female) for deep cycle battery

Removed microwave

Installed stereo

Fitted sail track to right side for second awning.

Put up alfoil/cling wrap dispenser

Water inlet lock fitted

Spice rack installed

Put up fire blanket

Put longer gas hose on

2nd gas bottle added

Put carpet protector down

Things still to do:

Install 85w solar panel and regulator

Install smoke alarm

Install water pump

Fix carpet protector in place

14th September 2004 (Tuesday)

Back from our first quick test trip and all indications are that we will be very happy and comfortable travelling in the new combination of Coaster and caravan. Now we can get the final few jobs sorted out and then we can begin to plan a longer trip. We want to see Wave Rock at Hyden and then move on to Esperance (possibly for the Summer) but we will then be on the way east and crossing the Nullarbor again is going to look very tempting as we will already be 700Km closer to Adelaide.

17th September 2004 (Friday)

The last two days have been busy as I finally got round to putting the solar panels on the Coaster and caravan. The BP 85w is on the caravan and the Unisolar 64w is on the Coaster. The two BP 40w panels we will keep unmounted and move them around as we did before. I picked up two regulators today ($89 for the pair) and have finished installing everything at last. I also learned a few things that I didn’t know from the chap who supplied the regulators. I will note the things he told me here as they may be useful for others to know.

1.Unisolar panels are not self cleaning (one reason they are not used by Telstra) and dirt build up is the chief reason for problems with them. The way to clean them is with fresh water and a soft nail brush. Don’t use detergent or abrasive cleaners.

2.If you drill holes in your panels for mounting (like I did yesterday) you void the warranty. (I wish I had known that sooner) This includes putting hinges on.

3.Monocrystaline panels are a little more heat tolerant than Multicrystaline.

4.Multicryastaline panels in normal use produce slightly more power than mono.

5.A solar regulator must have a float state where it reduces the voltage coming in from the panels when the batteries are charged otherwise your batteries can be cooked by regulators like the Super Solar 20 which is either on or off. (Oh goody that’s what we have in the old bus.) What is a ‘float state’? It simply means that when the batteries are charged enough the regulator restricts the amount going in from the panels to something like 300ma.

6.Cheap batteries are cheap because they are poorly constructed. You get what you pay for.

7.Batteries can last up to 10 years if they are looked after properly.

8.Batteries should not be discharged more than 80% (Until now we had been led to believe that you could discharge to 50% but apparently that will damage the battery.) That leaves precious little to use.

9.Use stainless steel rivets to fix panels not aluminium ones (like I did yesterday Sigh!)

Anyone looking at setting up a solar power system and wanting to find out more about solar setups can contact Barry Edwards on 08 9336 2414 or 0412 880 506. He has heaps of practical and technical knowledge on solar energy and I wish I had his number when I was first setting up our systems.

Anyone in W.A. can make an appointment to see Barry and this is very worth while as he has all the gear set up so you can see a range of different panels, regulators, inverters etc. before you make up your mind what you need. As he isn’t pushing one particular brand you can get some good unbiased advice that you won’t get in most shops.

The Coaster still hasn’t finished all its mechanical work. The gas system is still playing up and we need the gas meter fixed. Hopefully that will be the last thing for a while as we are running out of available funds.

Thinking of the future it is about time I made another wish list.

1.Fix or replace Air-conditioner in the Coaster

2.Get a satellite TV system.

Hmmmm, that seems a bit short, but to afford to get them we will have to put the bus into storage again and go free camping to build up the funds needed.

22nd September 2004 (Wednesday)

The wish list is now down to just one item as we got a satellite TV system installed today. We would have liked something a little easier to transport but in the end cost won out over functionality. The decoder is a Humax and the dish is rather large at 88cm but apparently bigger dishes are required if you are in the north west. The whole setup including installation, squealer, decoder, dish and ground mount cost $650 (roughly half of what it was just a year ago). No doubt in 12 months time it will be cheaper still but we have put this decision off long enough. At least we should be able to get TV in most places we decide to stop.

One disappointment is that the major city channels are not available free by satellite so we still have to carry an ordinary antenna in addition to the dish. Channels that we can get aren’t all that much better than normal TV but we don’t have to worry about where we are in future when we want to follow a series like Australian Idol or Survivor.

The installation was done by Jamie from Access Antennas (0412 880 506). He is a good contact to have for motorhomers in the Perth area as he comes out, does the installation and shows you how to set the system up yourself.

October 1st 2004 (Friday)

After only 2 months at home we are sorted out (I hope) and back on the road again. We are just going to Heron Point to start with but from there we plan to head out towards Hyden and then down near Esperance. What happens after that we don’t know as we have no fixed plans.

October 5th 2004 (Tuesday)

After 4 perfect days the weather has gone rainy today. A few CMCA rigs have pulled in after attending the rally in Waroona but everyone is keeping out of the weather at the moment. The long weekend wasn’t all that bad and most campers were remarkably well behaved (what a nice change). We are sitting still for a while to let some money build up before moving on towards Hyden.

So far things have gone well with the Coaster/caravan setup and the solar panels are keeping both 12v fridges going during the sunny days. Today we are using the generator a lot but the clouds are due to start clearing tomorrow so hopefully we won’t be wasting too much money on petrol.

Setting up the satellite dish and finding the satellite turned out to be very easy so we should have TV everywhere we go as long as we aren’t in a valley or surrounded by big trees.

October 6th 2004 (Wednesday)

A wild and windy night and we almost had the annexe collapse but in the end I managed to keep it from collapsing completely. Someone (who shall remain nameless) was snoring away in the Coaster while I was stuck holding the annexe up from the inside. Finally the nameless one woke up and came out to help but not until I had been standing hanging on to the annexe for a good 20 minutes.

I have been trying to work out what ‘free camping’ costs us and have come to the following conclusions:

Petrol for the generator costs between $1-2 a day.

LPG for cooking and the gas fridge costs around $2 a day. This is based on a price of $28 for a 9kg cylinder that will last for about 10 days while we run the gas fridge. If we only use LPG for coking then a 9Kg bottle can last up to 3 months. (That would drop the weekly cost to just $2.15)

The big bus costs $10 a week for storage so weekly costs for ‘free camping’ are $14 petrol $14 LPG and $10 bus storage: a total of $38 a week. So for campsites which charge $5 a night weekly costs run up to $73. That is only $7 less than we pay when we are at home in the bus staying on a powered site. In order to save enough to afford the fuel to travel we will have to find mostly free sites. The costs are a little inflated as they are based on using the gas fridge as well as the 12v fridges and being in cloudy weather and running the generator up to 8 hours a day. Once we empty the gas fridge and can find some nice sunny weather the costs for energy production could halve.

So what does all this mean? Best case scenario ‘free camping’ costs us $20 a week compared to $80 we usually pay, and ‘low cost’ camping can cost up to $73 a week depending on the weather and need to use a gas fridge. That makes low end caravan parks look reasonably attractive but it really makes house sitting the best choice if we want to stay in an area for an extended time and build up money.

October 9th 2004 (Saturday)

A noisy night last night as some yahoos were about making everyone’s life difficult playing loud music until 2am. Bearing in mind the trouble we had at Karratha I bit my tongue this time and let sleeping dogs (or should that be B*%#$#DS) lie. As a result I took a sleeping pill but still only got 2 hours sleep. I am waiting to see what the little horrors get up to tonight. At least they are supposed to be leaving tomorrow. After last night I don’t think I’m going to worry about turning the generator off early.

One more advantage buses and coasters have over caravans is that they are much more sound proof. Although a caravan is way better than a tent it can’t compare with a bus when it comes to keeping unwelcome sounds out.

October 15th 2004 (Friday)

The past week has been dominated by lousy weather. Cold rainy and very windy sums it up nicely. For a couple of days we were the only ones at this campsite but the weather improved yesterday and several people have come in and set up camp.

I am getting itchy feet and thinking about moving on soon. We can stay here until the end of the month if we want to but I really want to get out and do some exploring.

October 16th 2004 (Saturday)

The itchy feet finally got to me and we packed up and moved on today. We went into the hills through Dwellingup and on to the Williams turn off just south of Boddington. There are no designated rest areas on this road but there were three unmarked possibilities on the north side of the road. The first (38Km SW of Boddington) looked about the best choice.

We drove south east through the tiny town of Quindanning where there is an old pub (good rest stop for lunch) and a historic church but very little else.

Turning north at Williams we followed the Albany Highway for a few kilometres to the Congelin turn off. 24Km from the highway (sealed for all but the last 2Km) is the Congelin Campground. This is a CALM operated site with the resulting ban on dogs and high fees ($5 per head per night). There is a water tank, toilets and shelter and it looks like BBQs are being installed. Both the family and group areas have loop roads for turning but this isn’t a good place for big rigs or even for big caravans.

October 17th 2004 (Sunday)

After driving back through Williams we turned east towards Narrogin which is the largest town in the area. Narrogin is a good place to stock up on supplies as it has a Coles Supermarket.

From here we continued east to Wickepin and we had intended to keep heading east to Kulin but on the spur of the moment we decided to go and check out Yealering (29Km NE). Yealering has a small caravan facility near the lake ($6 unpowered $12 powered) and the toilets and showers (hot) are clean and modern. As the price was right we decided to stop for the night before moving on towards Hyden tomorrow.

The odd ute passes by on its way taking the driver to see friends or family. The shops are closed and nothing moves in town. Everything is still and quiet. Blue bottle flies buzz lazily around the caravan windows. Only the bees are busy, collecting pollen from flowers in a nearby park. A faint breeze ripples the water of the salt lake keeping the temperature just low enough to be comfortable. The cricket oval is empty and the bowling green is similarly deserted. A lone pink and grey galah lies dying at the foot of a gum tree; the victim of a collision with a car or perhaps poison bait. Other birds sing in the trees, unconcerned about the galah’s fate. This is Yealering on a Sunday afternoon in October 2004.

October 18th 2004 (Monday)

Packed up, took the toilet keys back to the shop and paid for the night’s stay. Started to drive out of town and couldn’t change gear. Thankfully I could change gear with the engine stopped so I put it into first and drove around to the local RAC repairer. Turns out the clutch has died so we took the caravan back to the caravan park set it up all over again and then took the Coaster back to the repairer.

The weather is starting to heat up and the rest of the day was spent in a rather warm caravan.

October 19th 2004 (Tuesday)

Knowing what small town businesses are like we booked another night in the caravan park for tonight but with a little luck we MAY be on our way tomorrow. It is starting to get too hot to hang around here much longer.

October 20th 2004 (Wednesday)

Finally back on the road again and $573 poorer. How I hate breaking down ! it is never cheap.

Passed through Corrigin stopping only to refuel, then on to George Rock where we stopped for lunch and walked up to see the rock and the pool. Sadly the historic hall located there is being vandalised and I looks like it won’t be long before it is destroyed. Considering it has been on that site since 1920 it is a real shame to see our heritage being smashed up by stupid people.

A brief stop at Kondinin – a weird town with virtually no shops, we couldn’t even find a fuel station – and a lot of modern looking houses. Very strange place to build, maybe it is all retired farmers who can’t stand the thought of moving to a bigger town.

We finally arrived at Hyden and Wave Rock. There is an entry fee of $7 per vehicle but a night at the caravan park costs $20 which includes entry to the rock area. Since that seemed like reasonable value we stopped and went in to photograph the rock. I was more impressed than I expected to be and we still have some more exploring to do in the morning (when the hordes of flies are still asleep.)

October 21st 2004 (Thursday)

Woke to thunderstorms and rain. When the power went off in the caravan park we decided not to hang around and packed up in the pouring rain. We seem to have developed a leak in the caravan but that may be because it was on a bit of a funny angle last night. We will have to wait and see. (It was)

The road from Hyden to Varley was quite good but from Varley to Lake King is got a little on the lumpy side. We continued driving with the only stop being at Pallarup Rock (no camping here now) and then at Ravensthorpe to refuel. Grabbed a couple of pies for lunch at Munglinup and then continued to Stokes Inlet National Park. Another CALM site with the associated charges but we have to admit that the site was very nice (despite the dead smelly frog in the toilet disinfectant). Even though it is a rainy miserable day, Stokes Inlet is a very pleasant place to overnight. If we had a boat with us we would consider staying much longer here.

October 22nd 2004 (Friday)

On the way back to the main road from Stokes Inlet I ran the Coaster on Petrol and found when doing so that the newly installed clutch began slipping badly. Once back on the highway I switched back to auto gas which dropped the engine power. The clutch was still slipping but not as badly. We called in to Dempster Holden (the RAC agent in Esperance) and they contacted Coxon & Co. in Yealering who agreed to cover the cost of having the clutch adjusted.

After the Coaster was finished and we picked up some supplies we decided to have a look at areas east of Esperance where we had heard there may be some campsites. Condingup was the first stop where we managed to confirm that it is possible to stay overnight at the local sports ground. There are toilets available and tank water but for everything else you need to be self-sufficient. You can get showers ($2) in Condingup.

From here we tried to get to Alexander Bay but this turned out to be a 4x4 access area only. The same applied for campsites at Membinup Bch. at the end of Daniels Rd. There is a caravan park at Wharton (a beautiful scenic area on Orleans Bay) but we were told the charges were $24 a night so there is no way we would consider staying there.

October 23rd 2004 (Saturday)

On the way in to town this morning the clutch began slipping again so we went straight into Dempster Holden. Dempster had a further look at the clutch and to our utter dismay reported that the clutch is now useless and another one has to be fitted. So the ‘new’ clutch lasted less than 4 days! As Dempster Holden did nothing more than an external examination I don’t fully trust the complete failure diagnosis and as they are quoting figures like $1000 for a new clutch I think we will be looking around at various repairers for quotes. The Bedford bus clutch only cost around $850 so I can’t see how a small Coaster clutch is going to be any more.

We contacted the RAC who want us to ring back on Monday and we tried to contact Coxons but being a Saturday there was no one about. I really don’t like our chances of getting our money back from Coxons as we are hundreds of kilometres away and have no choice but to get another clutch fitted no matter what happens. As far as I can see Coxons should be responsible for paying for another clutch but whether they will or not remains to be seen.

October 25th 2004 (Monday)

We took the Coaster to the local Toyota / Ford dealers and were quoted similar prices to those at Dempsters. I was far from happy with the quotes so we called in to Repco who quoted $204 for a heavy duty clutch. They referred us to Gary at Southside Autos who is an authorised Repco repairer. He suggested that fitting another clutch if required would take about 4 hours and so we gave him the go-ahead to pull it apart and see what had happened.

October 26th 2004 (Tuesday)

Well the clutch is back together with a new plate. The old one looks a little burned from the slippage but it is far from worn out. We don’t know why it was slipping but we are out of pocket by another $360.

October 27th 2004 (Wednesday)

We contacted Coxons this morning and they asked us to send the old clutch plate back, as it was supplied by Coventrys and there is a branch in Esperance we said we would drop the old clutch plate in to save time. After speaking to Rob at Coventrys (who spoke with Colin at Coxons) we are feeling a little happier. It looks as though – once the paper work is completed – we will get the $360 back. If so we will be very pleased with the final outcome. (As long as the clutch doesn’t fail again but then that will become a Repco problem.)

As we haven’t been able to do much but worry over the past two days we took a drive out to Wylie Head and Bay. A very nice spot just east of Esperance (off Bandy Creek Road). Very pretty scenery and a possible overnighter for smaller motorhomes.

From here we went west to Quagi just to check out the unsealed road before we take the caravan out there on Friday. Only a couple of vans there at present so we are hoping to get the site we would like – there are only 4-5 bays big enough for the Coaster and caravan to fit in. Quagi costs $2 per person per night which makes it one of the cheapest sites left on the south coast. There is washing water, outside shower and toilets so we are hoping to stay there for a while.

October 29th 2004 (Friday)

On the way out to Quagi the temperature gauge in the Coaster was reading rather high so we stopped in a rest area to check on coolant levels and the radiator fan. Both were ok and the temperature dropped when we stopped. Once we took off again the temperature went back up so the only thing I can think of is a stuck thermostat. It would be nice to go somewhere without a problem for a change as it gets rather tiring. I will also check the front of the radiator to see if there is any blockage but otherwise it will have to keep going until we get back to town.

November 1st 2004 (Monday)

We are settled in at Quagi now and will try to stay here as long as we can. There are about 12 separate campsites here spread over quite a large area. The thing that puzzles me, is with all sites vacant except the one we are in, why have the last two lots of campers elected to stay in the site next to ours. Not that we are anti-social, but we chose this site as the furthest away from most of the others because we rely on a generator at night. For some weird reason some people don’t seem able to be away from others and, like sheep, they have to herd together instead of spreading out. I have reached the decision that we will use the generator as and when we please and if people continue to camp right next door when there are so many other sites available, then that is their problem not ours.

This morning we tried fishing off the rocks but although we got a few bites, Belle only caught one fish which was far too small to keep. Like most places that look nice and are easy to get to, Quagi probably isn’t much of a fishing spot. We have always found that the best fishing is in the most desolate and hard to get to places which have big sharp pointy rocks to clamber over.

November 3rd 2004 (Wednesday)

A wild and stormy night last night with plenty of rain, thunder and lightning. We have managed to fill all our water tanks and the only problem was a pool of water collecting in the annexe after very heavy rain. This eventually drained away but left quite a mess.

November 8th 2004 (Monday)

The campsite has only just managed to dry out from the last lot of storms and we have been hit again with a thunder storm. At least this time it isn’t as windy so we are hoping that our planned trip into town tomorrow won’t have to be put off. We are seriously thinking about heading back to Perth and looking for house sitting there as it will probably be easier to find. The big worry at the moment is the Coaster overheating but we won’t know what is causing that until we get back into Esperance.

November 10th 2004 (Wednesday)

We have decided to move on and have a look at Millers Point Reserve (near Bremer Bay) and then we will probably head back to Perth. The weather has been lousy with yet more rain and thunderstorms last night and high winds today.

People talk about the south coast as a place where there are four seasons in one day and it is hard to disagree. Last night we had thunderstorms and rain, this morning was clear blue sky, then clouds, then clear again, then clouds rain and wind and now back to clear blue sky at 6pm. Not an easy weather pattern to get used to. We will pack up tomorrow and move on, on Friday.

We met some Queenslanders yesterday who were complaining about the wind in W.A. They have been blown all over the place from the north to the south. There isn’t much doubt about the wind over here, it blows like crazy for about 9 months of the year and can make the traveller’s life quite miserable. You certainly have to pick the right days to travel or you will be buffeted and bounced all over the road when the wind is up.

Despite the storms we have had, there is a certain quiet satisfaction of sitting in the caravan watching TV and eating dinner in the middle of nowhere while the storm rages outside.

November 12th 2004 (Friday)

Left Quagi at 5:30am and battled our way against a fierce wind to Ravensthorpe and Jerramungup. From here we turned south west towards Albany and turned off at Gairdner to get to the Bremer Bay road. We got to Millers Point and dropped the caravan off.

Millers Point is a nice area set beside an inlet. There are some shacks, plenty of shade and camping fees are $5 a night per vehicle. It is a very pretty area and people with boats were catching reasonable size bream. Access is via a 6km unsealed road but it was in good condition. There are toilets available but I could not recommend them. They are the VERY basic thunderbox type and were grotty and smelly.

After dropping off the caravan we went into Bremer Bay (about 60Km away) and had a look round the area. Some very nice beaches and spectacular scenery and a very neat tidy little town. For those looking for more facilities than are available at Millers Point, there are two caravan parks in Bremer Bay.

November 13th 2004 (Saturday)

We have decided to head towards Albany instead of going back to Jerramungup and then heading to Perth, as we haven’t been along the Albany Highway for quite some time and have decided that now is as good a time as any to update the rest area information for that road.

We stopped briefly at Pallinup River but the rest area (although nice enough) was a little close to the highway. We kept going to Norman’s Beach about 40Km east of Albany. We had been here once before but only in the car and had forgotten the small turning area at the end of the track. While trying to turn round the clutch in the Coaster began slipping again and we had to take the caravan off and (with the help of another camper – Trevor) we managed to get around and hitch up again. Now we had to face the climb back up the road and I had the sneaking suspicion that we might not make it out. No surprise then when part way up the hill we came to a very slow halt as the clutch got worse and worse.

Belle trotted off down the hill to seek help and shortly afterwards a 4wd came up the hill and parked in front of the Coaster. “I know you” said the driver, although I couldn’t place his face. Turns out we had never met but we have spoken via email on several occasions. It was Gerry from www.australiaoutdoors.com.au and we even have a link to his site on one of our links pages. Gerry rescued us from the hill and installed our caravan just outside his property. With the weight of the caravan off, the Coaster was just driveable and we managed to get set up back down near the car park.

With an invite for afternoon tea, we sat on Gerry and Ingrid’s front porch and chatted with Trevor and his wife Rosalyn while we waited for the RAC to come out and have a look at the problem. With the clutch now adjusted we can get the Coaster back up the hill but I have my doubts about towing the caravan out as well. We will go into town when we need water and book the Coaster in to get the horrible thing looked at YET AGAIN. At least now we know what triggers the problem even if we don’t know what the solution might be.

We are running true to form, breaking down in the most convenient places. Even though we have a problem to fix and we are stuck for a while, we are in a nice place with nice people to pass the time with. I guess if we have to have a problem then it might as well be in these circumstances.

Stuck half way

17th November 2004 (Wednesday)

After a few days of perfect weather the rain has returned. We are a little more sheltered from the wind than we were at Quagi and Norman’s Beach is a more pleasant campsite. The real problem with this site is the lack of space, and that may be the reason that most people don’t bother with it. All it would take is 3 or 4 vans here and there would be no more room. That plus the fact that the beach is a bit of a trudge up a steep very sandy track keeps most people from staying here.

In fact if we hadn’t had the clutch problem we wouldn’t have stayed here either but now we ARE here I’m quite happy.

20th November 2004 (Saturday)

Gunter and his wife Brenda (fellow campers at Normans Beach) were going out to Cape Riche today and asked if we would like to go along. As we hadn’t been there we gladly accepted and found that Cape Riche is one of the best campsites on the coast.

The campsite is operated by the Shire of Albany and is 18Km down a good unsealed road from the small town of Wellstead (east of Albany on the South Coast Highway.) There are flush toilets, bore and drinking water, cold water showers, beach boat launching and a lovely bay to look out on. The camping fees are reasonable (very reasonable considering the facilities) at $5.50 per camp per night.

There are shelters and free BBQs right by the beach and the small shop in Wellstead (just 18Kms away) is well stocked. There is also fuel available at Wellstead and gas bottles can be refilled. This has to be one of the best places we have found anywhere on the Southern coast.

22nd November 2004 (Monday)

Finally a trip into Albany to get fuel, food and water. Also a good chance to re-visit some of the campsites we first found here 7 years ago.

It is so hard to believe that all that time has passed since we first took off on the road. Another 6 days will mark 7 years exactly since we first left Perth and took off on an incredible journey of discovery. Despite all the hassles, hardships and troubles we have had over the past few years I wouldn’t change my decision to adopt this lifestyle for a minute.

It has been the most rewarding 7 years of our lives and I hope we are able to keep going for many more to come. We are still finding new places and meeting new friends and generally having a wonderful life.

25th November 2004 (Thursday)

After a few very pleasant days at Normans Beach we decided it was time to go home to the bus and set about finding some house sitting for the summer. Thankfully we had no problems on the return journey (despite very strong winds slowing us up a bit) and got home to find three buses parked in the camping area. After introducing ourselves we sat around chatting about travel, break downs and buses for the remainder of the afternoon.

Michael (who should be in his GMC bus) is currently under canvas as his bus is away having the clutch rebuilt. I guess we aren’t the only ones who have nasty expensive problems.

5th December 2004 (Sunday)

As we travel I have had many people ask about setting up satellite / video / DVD systems and how to wire them together. We have quite a complex system with videos and TVs at each end of the bus wired up to a DVD and stereo then with the addition of a satellite decoder. This is far too complicated for most people to bother with but I have put together a drawing that shows a very basic setup but includes all the elements you may need.

If your video player is stereo then connection 3 will go to two separate audio inputs. If like the example above it is mono then you need a special RCA adaptor 2F1M (2 female and 1 male plug).

The audio connection from the TV (13) to a stereo should come from the headphone jack (usually on the front) not the audio output RCA plug on the back. This ensures everything the TV puts out goes to the stereo. We have found that the RCA plug does not necessarily match sound with vision.

If you use RCA connections from the video to the TV (8) then the aerial connection (6) becomes largely redundant unless you want to record one program on the video and watch another on TV.

Usually videos have two sets of RCA inputs these days, one at the back (AV) and one at the front (AVf). If the AVf is not present then it is very difficult to connect a DVD to this system.

Hopefully this will be of some use to those who are having problems setting up this sort of system.

11th December 2004 (Saturday)

A slow time for interesting entries so it must be time for a new wish list.

1.Sort out the remaining mechanical problems with the Coaster. (done)

2.Get a new Air-conditioner for the Coaster (done Jan 2005)

3.Re-wire the house battery system in the Coaster (done)

4.Fix leak in water tank in Coaster (done)

5.Wheel balance for the Coaster (forget it)

6.Sort out a fridge for the caravan since the gas one gave up. (repaired gas fridge Apr 05)

7.New curtains for the bus (this has been on the list for ever!)

8.Work out how to carry the boat on the Coaster while it tows the caravan. (given up)

9.Figure out why battery in caravan isn’t charging fully. (Swap battery)

10.Fit electric water pump for caravan. (leave it until we get a bigger one)

11.Replace broken 12v plug in Coaster (forget it)

12.Put 12v plug in Caravan. (Forget it)

No wonder I never seem to have any money or time…. (well time sure sorted out that list).

16th December 2004 (Thursday)

We tried taking the boat out crabbing for the second time today and although this time we did finally manage to get out, the wind came up yet again and we were forced back in after dropping only 3 nets. The weather forecast was for 8-13 knots but in reality it turned out to be more like 20.

We are just over a week from Christmas and to be honest I will be glad when it is out of the way and we can start working on what to do next. This time last year we were off for our first and only trip in the campervan, how things have changed since then.

We are thinking about getting a larger boat but then we have to think about how we will manage to get it up north with the caravan, so who knows what will happen next.

18th December 2004 (Saturday)

Having decided to sell the Coaster, then deciding to keep it, we have now gone back to plan A (or is it C or D?). There just doesn’t seem to be an easy way to transport both the boat and the caravan while we have the Coaster so it looks like it will have to be a 4wd. We lose all the good things the Coaster has, especially the shower and hot water, so we will probably need to get a bigger caravan as well. Then we want a bigger boat, sigh! Does it ever end'?

I will miss the Coaster when it does sell because it has so much going for it. If we sell the caravan we will have to fix the fridge first, thinking about it, we have to fix the fridge whatever we do so we now have to decide whether a gas or 12v model would be better. Gas means the cost of a 9kg bottle every 2 weeks, 12v means more batteries and added weight. I wonder why everything has to be so b&**#y complicated.

The biggest pain is all the time and money we have spent getting the Coaster and caravan just the way we want them.

Given all the problems, hassles and changes of plans we have had over the years I wouldn’t swap it for the troubles our new friend Michael is having with his bus. It cost him a packet to buy and he has already had major problems (costing many thousands of dollars to fix) and he only bought it earlier this year. We feel so sorry for him but can’t do much more than offer moral support.

He has already been waiting over 3 weeks for the problems to get sorted out and had to move closer to the repairers to keep an eye on progress. All the heat of the last couple of weeks he had to sit out in a tent.

23rd December 2004 (Thursday)

We got a phone call from Michael last night, and at the time I was a bit hazy about the details but the jist of it was that he had injured himself doing something and had to go into hospital. He was very worried about his cat ‘Babe’ and needed someone to look after her while he was away. We shot over in the Coaster and by the time we got there he had already been picked up by the ambulance. As it was already late we decided to stay the night but about 1:30am Michael turned up again as the hospital had discharged him.

Now we got the full story of what had happened. Michael wanted to check under his bus and had jacked it up using two jacks and blocks of wood. While he was underneath, one of the blocks split in two allowing the bus to shift and the whole thing came down squashing him into the ground. As the ground clearance is very low on his bus there wasn’t really room for him to crawl underneath and he was lucky it happened over relatively soft ground or the end result could have been much worse.

This morning he had improved enough to get around and wasn’t so breathless, so after taking him round to the local doctor to make an appointment we went home about mid morning. I expect Michael doesn’t feel all that lucky at the moment but not many people get squashed by a bus and manage to walk away from it.

26th December 2004 (Sunday)

Christmas is over for another year and once we are past the New Year celebrations we will be thinking about doing a few short trips in the Coaster. Although we want to sell it we might as well make use of it while we still have it. We will install a new air-conditioner and get it serviced then I want to have a look around Collie, Bridgetown and later the Jurien area.

29th December 2004 (Wednesday)

Ordered a .5hp air-conditioner for the Coaster today ($279). That probably means it will sell soon after I fit it, if not at least we will be able to get away for a while. Michael dropped in yesterday, he it still very sore (hardly surprising) but at least he is up and about now.