The Day We Left

The Day We Left
Hindmarsh Island in Background

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Getting Ready For The Big Trip

At the time of writing we are madly trying to get our new car and caravan ready for our big trip which is now only 2 days away.
Our Tow Vehicle
We have bought a Nissan Patrol 3 Litre Turbo Deisel because of its towing capacity, size, and economy. To this we have added a purpose built drawer and storage system in the back to house a table & chairs, 2 portable solar panels, 3 way fridge, tools, 4 wheel drive offroad equipment and the like. The vehicle is fitted with 40 channel UHF Radio, RFDS HF Radio, Reversing Camera, Garmin GPS and second battery system with 200ah of power.
Our New Caravan
Our caravan isn't new but its still new to us. It is a 'Semi Offroad 20'Jayco Discovery with ensuite and rooftop R/C Air/Cond. The van has a 120 litre fridge/freezer plus a separate 90 litre freezer, 2 water tanks, pressurized water and gas hot water service. We bought this as we wanted the ensuite and wanted to make life as simple as possible and with as little set-up needed as possible. It came fitted with a 16'Roll-out awning and full annexe walls. Since buying the van, we have removed the carpet, lino, curtains and pelmets. The lino and carpet are being replaced with new and Sandy is busy making all new curtains. My brother is re-upholstering the seats and backs at the table and the bedhead and the pelmets, so the van will look rather different inside as against when we brought it home. We are also fitting on the roof 2 x 80watt and 1 x 100watt solar panels and also have 2 @40watt portable panels as most of our stays are in free camping areas with no power. Under the seats we have fitted 5 x 85ah batteries and 2400watt inverter. In addition we have put in 12 volt bedside lamps, 12 volt power supply points inside and outside, Anderson Plug connections, TV/DVD player and a few other mod cons. We are also fitting 1 outside access doors, this allows access under the bed which is a big storage area. All of this together with 2 x 9kg gas bottles and bbq and we are almost ready to go when everything is completed. WHEN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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