Our First weekend trip - Murphys Creek Escape QLD
We took "Jeff" to Murphys Creek Escape - East of Toowoomba for our first 2 night 3 day camping trip. We had another 2 families join us for the weekend. We chose a non powered site so as we could see how the van went on batteries, solar, water, showers, and just a general lets see if we all fit trip. First thing we loaded up - hooked up - triple checked everything and negotiated the narrow suburban streets of our suburbs, out onto the highway and away we go - For a little bit anyhow - half way there and the Triton's accelarator went to the floor and the engine shut off ??? rolled safely to the side of the road to a stop, switched it off, calmed down a little, turned it on and switched off the traction control setting, headed off and all was well. ( seems the triton doesnt like traction control when towing - will use 4wd when necessary - 1st lesson learnt)
we near the campgorund to be confronted with a railway underpass - one side was 2.8m clearance ( the side we were travelling in ) and the other side was 3.6m. Lucky I measured our van heights and allowances, we took the 3.6m side :) as we are 3.3m ( to be onn the safe side ) Lesson #2 learnt. Entering the campground we encountered dirt mounds as speed bumps ( we call them slow bumps because thats how they should be travelled over ) well I rolled over and preciscely cut every one of them in half with the EZA lift 10 inch hitch that came with the van that now became a trowel and trencher. ( i bought a new hitch the day we returned from this trip which is the correct one and we no longer provides telstra with free excavation pits ) lesson #3 learnt and sorted. We have now entered the campgrounds, paid, been given our site area, figured out which way we want to face, put the levelling chocks down, on the door side of the van as we were on a good slope, balanced up on them till we were level, and setup. We now have a 3 foot climb to get into the door ! lesson #4 learnt ! We all fit, kitchen worked well, solar, batteries, water, gas ( will work better when both bottles are full - Lesson #5 learnt ) after this all was well and we enjoyed the rest of the weekend without any more lessons required - OH wait #6 - damn that bed is uncomfortable and hard!! gotta sort that out before next time. Hooked up at the end of the weekend, cut and trenched back through the slow bumps with traction control OFF and headed home. A good first time out learning from all 6 lessons we encountered and we were not put off. Time to plan our next Shake down trip.
We took "Jeff" to Murphys Creek Escape - East of Toowoomba for our first 2 night 3 day camping trip. We had another 2 families join us for the weekend. We chose a non powered site so as we could see how the van went on batteries, solar, water, showers, and just a general lets see if we all fit trip. First thing we loaded up - hooked up - triple checked everything and negotiated the narrow suburban streets of our suburbs, out onto the highway and away we go - For a little bit anyhow - half way there and the Triton's accelarator went to the floor and the engine shut off ??? rolled safely to the side of the road to a stop, switched it off, calmed down a little, turned it on and switched off the traction control setting, headed off and all was well. ( seems the triton doesnt like traction control when towing - will use 4wd when necessary - 1st lesson learnt)
we near the campgorund to be confronted with a railway underpass - one side was 2.8m clearance ( the side we were travelling in ) and the other side was 3.6m. Lucky I measured our van heights and allowances, we took the 3.6m side :) as we are 3.3m ( to be onn the safe side ) Lesson #2 learnt. Entering the campground we encountered dirt mounds as speed bumps ( we call them slow bumps because thats how they should be travelled over ) well I rolled over and preciscely cut every one of them in half with the EZA lift 10 inch hitch that came with the van that now became a trowel and trencher. ( i bought a new hitch the day we returned from this trip which is the correct one and we no longer provides telstra with free excavation pits ) lesson #3 learnt and sorted. We have now entered the campgrounds, paid, been given our site area, figured out which way we want to face, put the levelling chocks down, on the door side of the van as we were on a good slope, balanced up on them till we were level, and setup. We now have a 3 foot climb to get into the door ! lesson #4 learnt ! We all fit, kitchen worked well, solar, batteries, water, gas ( will work better when both bottles are full - Lesson #5 learnt ) after this all was well and we enjoyed the rest of the weekend without any more lessons required - OH wait #6 - damn that bed is uncomfortable and hard!! gotta sort that out before next time. Hooked up at the end of the weekend, cut and trenched back through the slow bumps with traction control OFF and headed home. A good first time out learning from all 6 lessons we encountered and we were not put off. Time to plan our next Shake down trip.
Shake Down Trip Number 2 - Moore Park Beach - QLD ( Nth of Bundaberg )
With School holidays upon us and many caravan parks fully booked out we dicided to head North to Moore Park Beach where we have a great set of friends in Derek & Nikki with 5 acres set just back from the beach and with lots of room to accomodate "Jeff" and our rowdy crew of 5. The plan for this trip was to head off on Saturday and return the following Sunday (8 Days all up) The other main plan was to again see how long we could last off the grid, without having to plug into 240 mains power, and to see how long we could run with our water supply of 160 lt. Also a good test to see what fuel economy we can expect when doing our Loopy Lap. And of course the real main reason for this trip was to have a break from work and a relaxing holiday with the kids at the beach and to explore the Bundaberg region.
Loaded up and off we go... All previous lessons learnt and remembered !
Fuel up and see how we go. We utilised the van for morning tea and lunch so as to avoid the $40 - $50 it costs to feed our crew. The van towed reasonably well on the way up, but didnt feel just right ? I will work on this when we are up there. The fuel gauge was my biggest AH HA moment as it seemed to move faster than the speedo !! and it looked to be getting 200km to 1/2 a tank !! We used 1 & 1/4 tanks ( 70lt tank ) to get to Moore Park which was 400km door to door. Not sure if this is the right fuel economy but I have some research to do. ( more on this later). Arrived, setup in no time flat, no wheel levelling required, so straight into holiday mode. To cut to the chase and to keep this story shorter, the results of all our testing was quite reassuring.
The solar panels kept us unplugged for the entire time and even during overcast days it maintained all our power needs. The water lasted us almost 4 days with being conscious of usage, we then refilled and topped up a little on the 2nd last day for showers. The van worked well for sleeping, eating, cooking all 3 meals per day, heaps of storage we didnt even utilise. We put a foam topper on our bed to over come lesson #6 from trip #1.. Hmmm Lesson #7 now learnt - that bed is still way too uncomfortable - so we will replace the matress before the big lap.
Time to sort out the towing issues and make it right, I adjusted to tow hitch height and set the weight distribution chains up one more link. Van sits perfectly level under tow now as does the car - So this is now spot on. Day 8 has arrived after a great holiday time to pack up and head off. With the sprawling amount of items that 3 kids can unpack over a 5 acre block of land we were surprised that we were packed up and hooked up in 1 hr flat. Happy days compared to the 2 -3 hrs of camper trailer pack up days. Now to see how the fuel economy goes on the return trip ? Hmm Just as bad :( In the back of my mind I felt the tyre pressures could be the next issue ? and soon to be lesson #7 learnt, checked these at home when tyres cooled down to find them sitting at 30 PSI. Off to the world of the forums and now the tyres are at 40PSI which is mid range from the compliance plate, AND yes I put normal air into the nitrogen filled tyres !! because there wont be any nitrogen air pumps out in the middle of the Outback when I need to drop tyre pressures and reinflate according to road conditions !, trip #3 will see how this makes a difference. Half way home and time for lunch, pulled over in a rest area on a bit of an angle and made our way into the van for lunch where lesson number #8 was to be had. After all those years travelling in planes all over the world, I should have known the following words that I have heard 1000's of times " Please be aware when opening the overhead lockers as items may have moved during the flight ". And yes the same applies for caravan overhead lockers. I opened the cupboard above the table to check the battery levels when the 3/4 full bottle of vodka launched out and landed top first onto the dinning table and leaving a perfect hole in it. Seems the laminated table with honeycomb cardboard inners to save on weight is also not rated for flying vodka bottles ! So off to the forums to find this a common issue and also to find a fix. Plan is to patch it up and run with it for the trip, I will buy a new table top now and store it for when we return as I am sure the table will sucumb to more dints and scratches along the way. No more dramas from this point onwards and home safely to unload and begin the 6 loads of clothes washing and give "Jeff " a big scrub down inside and out ready for trip #3 in a couple of weeks time.
With School holidays upon us and many caravan parks fully booked out we dicided to head North to Moore Park Beach where we have a great set of friends in Derek & Nikki with 5 acres set just back from the beach and with lots of room to accomodate "Jeff" and our rowdy crew of 5. The plan for this trip was to head off on Saturday and return the following Sunday (8 Days all up) The other main plan was to again see how long we could last off the grid, without having to plug into 240 mains power, and to see how long we could run with our water supply of 160 lt. Also a good test to see what fuel economy we can expect when doing our Loopy Lap. And of course the real main reason for this trip was to have a break from work and a relaxing holiday with the kids at the beach and to explore the Bundaberg region.
Loaded up and off we go... All previous lessons learnt and remembered !
Fuel up and see how we go. We utilised the van for morning tea and lunch so as to avoid the $40 - $50 it costs to feed our crew. The van towed reasonably well on the way up, but didnt feel just right ? I will work on this when we are up there. The fuel gauge was my biggest AH HA moment as it seemed to move faster than the speedo !! and it looked to be getting 200km to 1/2 a tank !! We used 1 & 1/4 tanks ( 70lt tank ) to get to Moore Park which was 400km door to door. Not sure if this is the right fuel economy but I have some research to do. ( more on this later). Arrived, setup in no time flat, no wheel levelling required, so straight into holiday mode. To cut to the chase and to keep this story shorter, the results of all our testing was quite reassuring.
The solar panels kept us unplugged for the entire time and even during overcast days it maintained all our power needs. The water lasted us almost 4 days with being conscious of usage, we then refilled and topped up a little on the 2nd last day for showers. The van worked well for sleeping, eating, cooking all 3 meals per day, heaps of storage we didnt even utilise. We put a foam topper on our bed to over come lesson #6 from trip #1.. Hmmm Lesson #7 now learnt - that bed is still way too uncomfortable - so we will replace the matress before the big lap.
Time to sort out the towing issues and make it right, I adjusted to tow hitch height and set the weight distribution chains up one more link. Van sits perfectly level under tow now as does the car - So this is now spot on. Day 8 has arrived after a great holiday time to pack up and head off. With the sprawling amount of items that 3 kids can unpack over a 5 acre block of land we were surprised that we were packed up and hooked up in 1 hr flat. Happy days compared to the 2 -3 hrs of camper trailer pack up days. Now to see how the fuel economy goes on the return trip ? Hmm Just as bad :( In the back of my mind I felt the tyre pressures could be the next issue ? and soon to be lesson #7 learnt, checked these at home when tyres cooled down to find them sitting at 30 PSI. Off to the world of the forums and now the tyres are at 40PSI which is mid range from the compliance plate, AND yes I put normal air into the nitrogen filled tyres !! because there wont be any nitrogen air pumps out in the middle of the Outback when I need to drop tyre pressures and reinflate according to road conditions !, trip #3 will see how this makes a difference. Half way home and time for lunch, pulled over in a rest area on a bit of an angle and made our way into the van for lunch where lesson number #8 was to be had. After all those years travelling in planes all over the world, I should have known the following words that I have heard 1000's of times " Please be aware when opening the overhead lockers as items may have moved during the flight ". And yes the same applies for caravan overhead lockers. I opened the cupboard above the table to check the battery levels when the 3/4 full bottle of vodka launched out and landed top first onto the dinning table and leaving a perfect hole in it. Seems the laminated table with honeycomb cardboard inners to save on weight is also not rated for flying vodka bottles ! So off to the forums to find this a common issue and also to find a fix. Plan is to patch it up and run with it for the trip, I will buy a new table top now and store it for when we return as I am sure the table will sucumb to more dints and scratches along the way. No more dramas from this point onwards and home safely to unload and begin the 6 loads of clothes washing and give "Jeff " a big scrub down inside and out ready for trip #3 in a couple of weeks time.
SHAKEDOWN TRIP #3 and our final one before we pack it all up and GO !!
With the G20 visiting Brisbane we were given a public holiday to ease the congestion in the city ! perfect excuse to head off for a long weekend. Booked and friends, Kylie & Paul, Ben and Amelia join us with their Jayco Starcraft in tow for their first time camping - unplugged and remote and off we went to Bigriggen Park at Rathdowney QLD. We have been here many times before so new what to expect and what to do whilst there . What we didnt plan on was the heatwave hitting us on Saturday and Sunday with temps exceeding 40C. Also note that it is bush camping with no power and limited time to run the generator ! so no Aircon !!! I think that is lesson #9 learnt. The running creek that boarders the camp ground was chockers with everyone beating the heat, the water was flowing and very cooling,we stayed in for all 3 days during the day and only emerging from the waters when we either needed food and when the beer ran out. Not knowing of the iminent heat wave we decided that we would have a Curry cookup in the camp ovens on the Saturday night !! just what you do when its 41C - light a fire in the afternoon and cook a vindaloo curry for hours in the camp ovens. It was worth it but that was lesson #10 and next time a change in menu will be undertaken. I must say I have never in all my decades of camping, sat so far away from a camp fire before. Van coped well - just the heat tripped out the fridge and the batteries were heating up - plugged in the generator for an hour to boost the fridge and all was well and another shakedown done and dusted. Kylie & Paul also experienced that camping without white lines is not a bad way to spread out and enjoy the great outdoors , I think they may just do a few more of these unplugged trips in the near future. Now it is time to get Jeff packed up and the next trip will be the BIG ONE.