Driving across Oz June/July 2015 – A fantastic adventure

During the months of June & July I was lucky enough to have several relocations one after another with happy customers at the end of each job. All five jobs came in at once which made it all very interesting juggling the jobs around to suit everyone. But it was a fun time & met some lovely people. The first job was a caravan relocation from Chinchilla to Maroochydore for repairs caused by hail damage. I was amazed at how big the dents were and the customer told me it was recorded as being the largest hail stones ever in Australia. Hopefully by now the customer has collected his caravan all repaired and shiny, looking like new!

Just before I left for Chinchilla, I had been asked for a quote to move a caravan from the sunny coast to Collie, south of Perth. During the Chinchilla job I received confirmation that this job was confirmed and when could I start? Only a few minutes later another phone call from a caravan park in Mundubbera asking if I could relocate a caravan from there to Mildura? Again another quote and then a request if I could collect the caravan for Collie located on the sunny coast and store the van until I took it to Perth? No problem – free storage so back up to the sunny coast to bring that van to my place.

Another phone call and I am told the Mundubbera job is happening but will be under an order from RACV in Victoria. Again no problems with RACV also asking if I would like to be recognized as one of their vendors. All good and I agree to be in Mundubbera by 9.00 am next morning. The relocation was a wonderful experience as the owner of the caravan also requested  that he travel with me, as he did not like flying! Lance was an elderly gentleman, but full of knowledge having been a farmer and tree cutter from Tasmania! What a fantastic experience having Lance along for the ride, I learnt so much from this exceptional man. So down to Mildura I went and then back up to Brisbane about a week later. A quick service on my trusty Land Cruiser 200 Series and then connect up the Legends caravan for Collie, a small place south of Perth. Drove south via New England Highway, Tamworth, Gunnedah across to Broken Hill and down into South Australia to Peterborough. This was the coldest place I have been to in years!! Minus 4 degrees on the night I stayed there which is dam cold in a metal box ie., a caravan!! Continued across the Nullarbor Plains, again with some very cold nights & hit Collie 8 days later much to the delight of my customers. My customer wrote a nice article on Facebook saying ” Our caravan ‘where’s Wally’ arrived safe and sound in Buckingham, Western Australia. All the way from Nambour in the sunshine coast! Thanks for taking care of our baby and doing the long drive” – Real nice words thank you Amanda. That night I drove onto Bunbury and relaxed in a very nice motel I had found on the internet. Took a couple of days to chill out, relax and wash down the Toyota before heading for home back across the Nullarbor Plains. This was to be my fourth journey across this baron waste lands, with big winds from the Australian Bight and the Indian Ocean.

Sunday morning I left Rockingham & drove across to Kalgoorlie for the night, then next morning I headed for Caiguna on the edge of the Nullarbor. I received a phone call from a prospective customer along the way who told me I had been highly recommended with my experience to relocate her caravan from Broome to Mandurah! Another 5500+ kilometre drive before I was back to where I would have started from. After a quick negotiation and a quote for the customer “Pam” accepted my proposal and next morning I drove back to Kalgoorlie. A few days later, late on Saturday afternoon I arrived in Broome for my first ever visit to this iconic place. Unfortunately I did not have much time for looking around this famous town, so Sunday morning after doing a car wash, I collected the Coromal Element caravan and started driving back southwards towards Perth. Pam had asked me to have the caravan checked over by a dealer for any problems which I organized in Geraldton staying there for 2 nights with a good friend who use to be our neighbour in Redcliffe. Pam’s Coromal was being sold so she wanted it all ship shape! The caravan was only 2 years old and in very good condition; plus at her selling price the caravan was an excellent buy with all the extras that were also being sold with the van. I helped Pam sell the caravan as she was still in hospital having intensive treatments. Pam was over the moon when she was told I had sold the van & collected a deposit as well. So a great little story with my being able to assist this sick lady in hospital, by bringing her caravan south from Broome and then also sell it for her. It was a privileged & an honor to have met Pam and help her out. However here is a warning for any caravanners travelling in WA – One thing I must say to any prospective travelers who are planning to tow a caravan down the coastal road of Western Australia; watch out for the huge winds coming off the Indian Ocean! Scary stuff indeed if you are not aware of these potential damaging winds. Most caravans will veer sideways with a good cross wind and can catch any driver my surprise. Plus the distances between towns are enormous in Western Australia with the occasional roadhouse, sometimes up to 300 to 400 kilometres apart. Can be very lonely if you do not have company to ease the boredom!

The next day I left Mandurah and started the long drive home to the Eastern States, via Adelaide. Same cold temperatures greeted me along the way but overall the whole experience was great with several happy customers and an increase of 20,000+ kilometres on the Cruiser speedo! I look forward to the next relocation and who knows where I will end up? I wish you all safe travels     & many happy days. If you see me on the road with my white Toyota Land Cruiser GXL V8 say hello, I am always happy to meet new faces and have a chat! Hope you enjoy reading this story.