One of the finalists for our road trippers competition 2011. We asked Red about her favourite places to visit in Australia and how she travels on a budget. Stay tuned for part two of the interview tomorrow.
How long have you been road tripping around Australia?
If you don’t count childhood holidays all over the country, travelling to every Australian state and territory for work, and non-road-trip Aussie holidays with my partner Pilchard (not his real name!) – about 14 years!!
In 1998, we sold our house, bought a second-hand Jayco camper trailer and spent 11 months road tripping for real. We’re now based in the house we bought when we returned, but indulge our road-tripper tendencies for several months each year.
What inspired you to hit the road?
An insatiable curiosity to see ALL the wonders of our own country! While the big ticket items are pretty spectacular, finding off-beat Aussie oddities, discovering unspoilt magnificent landscapes, experiencing local attractions and exploring Australia’s natural wonders is rewarding and inspiring.
Birdwatching adds another dimension to our travels by taking us to places we wouldn’t otherwise have seen. Look out for a future blog post about birdwatching as an extreme sport!!
We continue to be inspired by the promise of new horizons! Despite extensive travel, there’s still SOOOO much more to see!!
How do you get around and how did you equip your vehicle?
We bought our second-hand Jayco Dove camper trailer (1983 model) in 1998 for our 11-month trip – and it’s still going strong! We’re not interested in replicating home comforts, or towing a 5-star motel room around while we’re on the road so our rig is very basic, especially by today’s standards.
Before we left on our 1998 adventure, a couple of short ‘shake-down’ trips gave us a thorough knowledge of all aspects of our rig. Our original towing vehicle, a 1984 Subaru Touring Wagon, took us everywhere we wanted to go with ease – a surprise to many who believe that a giant 4WD is essential!
Although we’ve upgraded to a 2000 Subaru Forester, our camper trailer is in almost original condition. The key factor in equipping the rig is to keep it simple – this also makes it easy and inexpensive to maintain and service.
Of course this type of rig isn’t for everyone – if a traveller isn’t comfortable with the rig they’ve selected, the trip won’t be as enjoyable.
What’s one thing you couldn’t live without on the road (and why)?
State Automobile Association Gold Membership!
A few years ago we blew a head gasket between Coober Pedy and Glendambo in the remote outback of South Australia. The closest authorised mechanic was on another call over an hour away. He wasn’t able to fix the car, so our membership deal paid all major expenses, including transporting the car back to Adelaide for repairs, and a motel room and coach transport back to Adelaide for us.
Our membership saved us several thousand dollars!
Do you plan your trips in advance, or do you improvise on the road?
A bit of both! Magazines, TV shows, books, blogs and the Caravan & Camping Show give us a rough idea of regions, destinations and attractions we’d like to visit on a trip, but that can change considerably!
For example, in 2011 we extended the outback Queensland leg of our trip to take in the Bedourie camel races. Car repairs kept us in Townsville for longer than expected, then we discovered the wonderful Millaa Millaa caravan park, and extended our stay there to ride the 100th anniversary train from Ravenshoe to Tumoulin, Queensland’s highest railway station!
If we’d had a strict itinerary and deadlines, we wouldn’t have had those wonderful experiences.
Some days we’re not sure where we’ll end up when we set out in the morning – that way, if we find a spot we like, we can stop and check it out! Of course we make firmer plans during school holidays and long weekends, and so far, we’ve never been caught out – although it’s come close a couple of times!!
Do you have a strict budget? How does accommodation, petrol, food and activities factor in?
Our budget isn’t THAT strict – but we do have ways of keeping costs down. These include:
- Stay longer than one or two nights. The more kilometres you travel, the more you spend on fuel!
- Balance caravan park stays with free camping to reduce average cost per night.
- Take advantage of caravan park special deals e.g. 7 nights for the price of 6.
- Balance expensive attractions and tours with freebies like walking a town’s heritage trail, exploring national parks and botanic gardens and walking along the beach!
- Use caravan park facilities like swimming pools, barbecues and shuttle services that you’ve already paid for in your tariff.
- Eat out for lunch instead of dinner. Good value lunch deals can also be in good locations, like a beachside cafe. Of course, NOTHING beats a good bakery …
- Buy groceries as needed to keep tow weight, and hence fuel costs, down. Supporting local businesses means they’ll be there next time even if they cost a bit more.
- Use free book exchanges at caravan parks or some council offices.
- Visitor information centres often know of special deals on tours and accommodation.
Thanks Red! Stay tuned for part two of the interview, where we chat about the road tripping community and Red’s favourite parts of Australia, tomorrow. In the meantime, take a look at Red’s wonderful blog.
All photos courtesy of Red.
