The Tug
It was an easy choice.
Undergoing 4x4 Training at Great Divide Tours in Braidwood, NSW
Choosing a Suitable Vehicle and kitting it out for off road towing.
Selecting a Jeep Grand Cherokee was easy.
Our 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited, purchased in February 2020 for AU$61 000 with 5000 kms on the clock ticked the boxes of having a car we could use daily, and yet still tow 3500 kgs. Brookvale Jeep, Sydney Northern Beaches supplied us and impressed us with their service.
Things we have changed or added since purchase are:
New tyres: Mickey Thompson All Terrain, on 18 inch alloy hubs (265/60R18), rather than the off road unfriendly 20 inch low profiles (265/50R20) that come standard with the Limited. Love these tyres. Surprise surprise, there was an 18 inch hub as a spare with a different tyre. It is now my second spare wheel with 5 identical Mickey Thomson tyres. The fatter tyres and wider alloy hub just fitted into the spare wheel space. Had to push down on the cover. Supplied by Sam from Goodspanner in Brookvale. Put in the pressure (Mopar TPMS) sensors from the original tyres. More great service.
Tow-bar, 12 point plug plus Anderson plug and Electric brake controller - a Heyman Reece tow-bar and Redark brake controller all installed by Bars and Racks, in Brookvale, Sydney. We needed to get a tongue with 150mm lift to accommodate our trailer. This rattled and shook until I replaced the locking pin with a different non-locking Hayman Reece pin.
Recovery points on the front - we chose Offroad Animal tow hooks as a nudge bar can be added in future if we really need one.
An 80 litre twin fridge freezer from National Luna, because it’s well made and sips electricity. We had a problem with the 12v plug not being the standard cigarette lighter plug and this needed changing. It’s also very tall, making it hard to open in the back of the car.
We have two hand held radios to assist with parking and we need to see if they are any use on the road with the truckies or convoys.
Other stuff we have in the car are a pair of max tracks, some tools, a bottle jack, recovery gear, first aid kit, deflator and 12v pump, tyre repair kit, rechargeable jump starter and a satellite communications solution (Zolea). We still have to see how well all this stuff works.
We have two cell phones, one on Telstra and one on Optus.
Choosing a Home on Wheels
This was a very winding road to get to our final choice.
The first setup at Holiday Haven, White Sands, Huskisson, NSW.
Choosing our Camper
Our first thoughts were for a camper trailer. This was based on our meeting and being inspired by a family member who had purchased a Jayco Dove and matched it to a Pajero. We visited the 2018 Sydney Caravan Show and spent a lot of time at the Jayco stand and also had a look at other camper trailers.
But then we saw our friend’s Jayco Silverline, a proper caravan and were enticed by the club seating, en suite, and general comfort. I then started researching caravans and was drawn to the Crusader range and after watching every episode of A Trip in a Van, looked at the Willow range.
Our Ultimate parked next to our friend’s Jayco Silverline at Newport, NSW.
As my research increased, I started doing weight calculations, and realised that a 300kg tow ball weight (typical of a full sized caravan) would reduce my load capacity in the Jeep to almost nothing.
I also started worrying about the strain of dragging a huge van all over the country, and the outback roads I might not be able to experience.
We drew up a plan to circle Tasmania with nothing, and stay in Cabins or Glamp in fancy tents. My logic was that extra amount spent on the camping would be offset by the fuel saving and the depreciation in value of a caravan.
Then I watched a video of a Patriot Camper Van sitting in a guys garage. How convenient. Keep it at home, pack it at home, and tow it anywhere. We actually got to the Sydney showroom and had a look. The new, more comfortable Patriot X3 with its interior lounge started working for both of us.
The Patriot X3, a close runner up in our selection.
And then we noticed an article in Camper Australia and saw the Ultimate for the first time. It’s tiny tow-bar weight of less than 100kgs, its light fibreglass body, and its inside kitchen supported by an outside gas barbecue. The ample storage, grey water tank and dual lithium batteries all helped. There is porta loo access from inside the van which is a help in the night.
Getting driver training at Braidwood. Reversing in a circle.
Our shakedown stay at Huskisson on Jervis Bay let us test the heater, on gas as well as alternating current. It was great.
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Newport, NSW To Coolum Beach, Queensland.
It all begins with an idea.
1300 kms, 7 days, 6 Camps.
Newport to Forster on the NSW central coast was a bang up the highway for 400 kms with one refreshment stop.
Forster and its twin town of Tuncurry are surrounded by water. Lakes on the left and the Pacific on the right.
Waterline Restaurant at Forster. New friends, beer and oysters.
Blog Post Title Four
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.