tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-959420183106274652024-03-28T10:13:21.192+11:00Happy Hamby CampersOur adventures (and misadventures) getting to/into the Great Outdoors!Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.comBlogger1256125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-18346459823696975392024-02-29T10:43:00.003+11:002024-03-03T10:22:03.853+11:00Spacevan interior (completed) ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiltkNVxgUbqMVoxh0X75v9S0l4QUGZ-tawX-Jv0IhnllFghiGVrqBL0rU5s5GL5Qrmt29O-tiU-BaigG9Pa_DtUNUB64Kv49AymuOjplRqomIBO0YcXyHrMTK1CN3UuTybPFTQu_1Dtsoj2InJWtX_MVtZ1-Pe3djVEAuxWCYJwaUA9scNRPd5-RDggog2/s2048/418241824_1496917407756703_6173216832280938666_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiltkNVxgUbqMVoxh0X75v9S0l4QUGZ-tawX-Jv0IhnllFghiGVrqBL0rU5s5GL5Qrmt29O-tiU-BaigG9Pa_DtUNUB64Kv49AymuOjplRqomIBO0YcXyHrMTK1CN3UuTybPFTQu_1Dtsoj2InJWtX_MVtZ1-Pe3djVEAuxWCYJwaUA9scNRPd5-RDggog2/w400-h400/418241824_1496917407756703_6173216832280938666_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGnOZNfFo9UR8JPoEuzp4st2-xtWb4ovuCx-1eXUSt0E_9fAZb7iEnoGZF7Di80HFqCSlbXzxsF5BUj1QyAIqeFNyFWgr1SGaOBgw7xJL_kPh8yIEYyfuePWjPjoJsg-Slmvft486zDuqir2gzy2vIprrmfHfRmOrVehVCk4nMTpuQVilh1baotWKF8Zg/s2048/417810216_691149326428924_680697746490792252_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGnOZNfFo9UR8JPoEuzp4st2-xtWb4ovuCx-1eXUSt0E_9fAZb7iEnoGZF7Di80HFqCSlbXzxsF5BUj1QyAIqeFNyFWgr1SGaOBgw7xJL_kPh8yIEYyfuePWjPjoJsg-Slmvft486zDuqir2gzy2vIprrmfHfRmOrVehVCk4nMTpuQVilh1baotWKF8Zg/w400-h400/417810216_691149326428924_680697746490792252_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Uni-8I7bsKYpFbvPjWCX6LQiqJhLrMLQM_WYbFoqQh-59kxwltiWUKDdwHazzkhC0xc03NomX35Pv2cpm5IVnpFKD1ffPlyGZQsne4BjmOItShlFojHz3X5FULaSJPfJYONY0gAboLkK0F8H1vYF8MRmwoU40keRZ-FCWW74PYXYXHsD8MlkzU23DVGK/s2048/418036731_340516802317479_5139535188225668327_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Uni-8I7bsKYpFbvPjWCX6LQiqJhLrMLQM_WYbFoqQh-59kxwltiWUKDdwHazzkhC0xc03NomX35Pv2cpm5IVnpFKD1ffPlyGZQsne4BjmOItShlFojHz3X5FULaSJPfJYONY0gAboLkK0F8H1vYF8MRmwoU40keRZ-FCWW74PYXYXHsD8MlkzU23DVGK/w400-h400/418036731_340516802317479_5139535188225668327_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGlnjg8aFGYH-ZlAGLYkB3JaP53bogITEqNc35OBj6ZaHNszskzO27xon0Gm1QLMf4WtC4VYsMte-tXNkrNjDjBjVLMYLXBnoCHqDt4asm_6ebj0DhX70DT5m3xO741x3Eq8qR3wmprZ8whM0APaIwbSoPqbH8fTrR4phnHe9Q0XkbGnt5W5s9nvSr1Nz/s2048/417882436_3479811608902155_379011071420737075_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGlnjg8aFGYH-ZlAGLYkB3JaP53bogITEqNc35OBj6ZaHNszskzO27xon0Gm1QLMf4WtC4VYsMte-tXNkrNjDjBjVLMYLXBnoCHqDt4asm_6ebj0DhX70DT5m3xO741x3Eq8qR3wmprZ8whM0APaIwbSoPqbH8fTrR4phnHe9Q0XkbGnt5W5s9nvSr1Nz/w400-h400/417882436_3479811608902155_379011071420737075_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>Our second two drawer units arrived and Nick fitted them during his most recent time off. <div><br /></div><div>After discussion, it was decided to use a sheet of plywood to make two tops for the units, to give a bit more stability to them when being used as benches.</div><div><br /></div><div>We bought the ply as a sheet, which Nick cut to size. He rounded the front corners and decided to use an all-in-one stain and varnish product for sealing the sanded plywood.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>I thought it might be cool to do a photo collage on each top but am still thinking about that - and we might well have many more photos to include after this year's big trip!</i></div><div><br /></div><div>There was enough stain finish for a full coat on both sides and then a second coat on the top, visible side. Brass bolts were used to attach the tops to the bases - and it all looks quite schmick!</div><div><br /></div><div><i>I'd already chosen the red dirt coloured cord for Bandit's bed without much thought to the final benchtop colour - and we didn't consider it when choosing the stain - but all co-ordinates very well together.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>While at Bunnings we picked up two packs of their interlocking foam mats, which are a bit smaller than other versions. Nick used them to cover the usable floor on the upper, bed level of the camper trailer.</div><div><br /></div><div>We've<a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2021/10/bags-not-getting-dusty.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> found the mats great for trapping dirt</a> when camping and think this extra set will be even better for keeping dust etc out of our bed! </div><div><br /></div><div>The final tally for the drawer unit project was $788.20, which we are very chuffed about. (The full cost was another $70.00 but we used Nick's work Christmas voucher to discount the price of the first drawer unit). </div><div><br /></div><div><i>For comparison, we have access to Cub's September 2022 pricelist and their 8-drawer tallboy unit was then priced at $1,523.00.</i></div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-29591877004201872622024-02-21T14:49:00.010+11:002024-02-21T17:37:11.853+11:00Light and bright!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNd0BkoJqfArbNGqoxcKSfEGM0HGdx6BraEraT-BtOyLUCm4LVoQy9ZSQEm4gIlUHfGJun1_2evhe1J557c7w2muwj8-lC0wV-Gi8qVR4Ok11lxySGrlhMp4po27b-NQXpT4GCc1_Mt8jrYvodqHsoGkTv_9owG7VxOvPE9iutnk5HtNJ8yG6hRdCgO5a3/s1800/Latern%20primus%20collage.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNd0BkoJqfArbNGqoxcKSfEGM0HGdx6BraEraT-BtOyLUCm4LVoQy9ZSQEm4gIlUHfGJun1_2evhe1J557c7w2muwj8-lC0wV-Gi8qVR4Ok11lxySGrlhMp4po27b-NQXpT4GCc1_Mt8jrYvodqHsoGkTv_9owG7VxOvPE9iutnk5HtNJ8yG6hRdCgO5a3/s320/Latern%20primus%20collage.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzPdDCP8AcT_tK6TFlmPyF2ENOsIC3Xs7cCTJ3xDCCR7_nBAokm29JfFKc6maqOKx7NLpmZAPU5cYIT7crHBWDCMNDyovrQ44zpphs8EeshKIHfHh-MCVQ6ETJlnCysnJLtdY8lUwgsg4LoVsX-pJglIb6cWVTJndh9uFAUaS6VBA-BRZJ3AQLuafojA3/s1800/Fuel%20lantern.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzPdDCP8AcT_tK6TFlmPyF2ENOsIC3Xs7cCTJ3xDCCR7_nBAokm29JfFKc6maqOKx7NLpmZAPU5cYIT7crHBWDCMNDyovrQ44zpphs8EeshKIHfHh-MCVQ6ETJlnCysnJLtdY8lUwgsg4LoVsX-pJglIb6cWVTJndh9uFAUaS6VBA-BRZJ3AQLuafojA3/s320/Fuel%20lantern.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquzJxolnkZZyLXYlL9GQOSVSw0m_VyMPz2KCF1iV-FTuD9sv0SayhMGfRvJDk1orUB9dbXJ5HJzQy2Lqk69uQelvju8gu-VE7ah2clow5VyLgp7NkJufDeJYjbCvqy8ObYQdw4wHXhAzKa5InJXwSGBe7wyvztCbCMGEKOljBU6krBB5ZuB1o-5nA5cVe/s1800/Lights.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquzJxolnkZZyLXYlL9GQOSVSw0m_VyMPz2KCF1iV-FTuD9sv0SayhMGfRvJDk1orUB9dbXJ5HJzQy2Lqk69uQelvju8gu-VE7ah2clow5VyLgp7NkJufDeJYjbCvqy8ObYQdw4wHXhAzKa5InJXwSGBe7wyvztCbCMGEKOljBU6krBB5ZuB1o-5nA5cVe/s320/Lights.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkYDQqftwpMtDHuOv1zo45i48tTQNSu8Ml_ktXqUtGGYhEoWewY2UdR603zDHYWwHZFi_I8DNVRYz0dW5Cm8tPWuFauEzcEQhPDg2g5QtmAjSU54kx8Z7HhG5WYSuOf0P_T8V2-PjzPC4WJIjtkiUtOpFIwNDX4GdL4-I5iGmD7JUXLRLeQmzivwlW6Kv/s2048/418571410_1446659316231739_3506370423933213551_n%20(1).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkYDQqftwpMtDHuOv1zo45i48tTQNSu8Ml_ktXqUtGGYhEoWewY2UdR603zDHYWwHZFi_I8DNVRYz0dW5Cm8tPWuFauEzcEQhPDg2g5QtmAjSU54kx8Z7HhG5WYSuOf0P_T8V2-PjzPC4WJIjtkiUtOpFIwNDX4GdL4-I5iGmD7JUXLRLeQmzivwlW6Kv/s320/418571410_1446659316231739_3506370423933213551_n%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a><div>When we bought our initial camping equipment in January 2009, we didn't want to use gas so chose a dual-fuel lantern and three <a href="https://www.oztrail.com.au/ufo-tent-light~1420" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">UFO camping lights</a>. At that stage the UFO lights were almost $17.00 each and the RRP of the lantern was $150.00 (without case).</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The lantern reminded me of the pressurised kerosene lamps that had featured <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2014/03/reminiscing.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">during my childhood </a>- along with primus stoves and a quick-boil kettle. </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Our dual-fuel lantern was <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2014/04/cooper-creek-cheffing.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">well-used on many trips</a> and did great work till around 2016, when we upgraded to a <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2016/11/forest-feast-festivities.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">newer model</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2014/11/power-lunch.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">This post</a> from late 2014 mentions our lighting set up. There's another reference <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2014/11/melville-caves.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> from that same trip. We acquired <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2016/05/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">more 12-volt LED lights</a> in 2016, during our 18-month <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2017/03/its-wrap.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">stint of caravan living</a>, while in transit between Victoria and Queensland. </div><div><br /></div><div>Those LED lights are still doing well and are being used in our current Spacevan. We called into the 4WD Supacentre very recently, hoping to get an extension - but the current versions aren't magnetic and won't pair with our existing set.</div><div><br /></div><div>On our February trip to Stanthorpe we used some cheap Kmart "bulb tent lights" inside our new Hub screenhouse. (Those bulb lights usually stay in our shower bags, cos some cubicles are only dimly lit).</div><div><br /></div><div>After returning home, we took advantage of Anaconda's summer sale to buy two Ultra Slim, battery operated lanterns for use inside the Hub. We can hang them or they'll sit on the table. They have three settings and emit nice light. </div><div><br /></div><div>Years ago I made basic covers for the UFO lights but I crafted much better protection for this pair, using a lightly quilted silk scarf for the outside and some dark fleece inside.</div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-13454829901385014242024-02-20T10:01:00.001+11:002024-03-02T10:40:24.453+11:00Let sleeping dogs ...<div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnri_al-0wxZXr1xnNjXrOmGfIs25ig7xuxPDuXdjN-xUZGMOMp2b1pTsinv9GUBNSHUR_mSPziqT4SDMyyEaqfBFaJMxxVgPNN0_X9zMba2pZMmKqTwgaDNC6_74BQJzCKabs7ULbs4KZk22n0t3ufSs-ZN0Z1_h5eG2sBRfgw46T9IlV9vTahFqgNnd/s2048/419736695_1836336326845118_1450215412429773169_n.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnri_al-0wxZXr1xnNjXrOmGfIs25ig7xuxPDuXdjN-xUZGMOMp2b1pTsinv9GUBNSHUR_mSPziqT4SDMyyEaqfBFaJMxxVgPNN0_X9zMba2pZMmKqTwgaDNC6_74BQJzCKabs7ULbs4KZk22n0t3ufSs-ZN0Z1_h5eG2sBRfgw46T9IlV9vTahFqgNnd/s320/419736695_1836336326845118_1450215412429773169_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vJe72693gBiAuS4qv4CwOOlmunAkMP33HZo5MI7ZlSCqD3O9jR6NnMAYq4kd-IVri9h1YHVdTfrmc4BgzCIyHPBRb5GKqyVGecM4P4_N0KgsxqNJdo4K9ogpJEtNyaaJIMG3k11__bbsWqFBZ7Qbd0a75RF44Fie_q6g0dskHhl8wZMdpAM57XdvwOaT/s2048/417738641_396951449612176_9074457061249333059_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vJe72693gBiAuS4qv4CwOOlmunAkMP33HZo5MI7ZlSCqD3O9jR6NnMAYq4kd-IVri9h1YHVdTfrmc4BgzCIyHPBRb5GKqyVGecM4P4_N0KgsxqNJdo4K9ogpJEtNyaaJIMG3k11__bbsWqFBZ7Qbd0a75RF44Fie_q6g0dskHhl8wZMdpAM57XdvwOaT/s320/417738641_396951449612176_9074457061249333059_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9oFJembRHJnb4Mpc7shnt_kTYWr8A5SB49Y5hqoASv6BDnYdne659yUi_LVdoGx2rrFywVNvZvNcJvb-x3m7ShrikVIDSMqfSUgdvPsl_PZPxgvImnaRhi8dJ7wqjW3vPqOxiNuiz5Cena_ZlbxKgrePhviR0Fr8YZ4h_10qX7zMymnsGTlDhlLkcQc2T/s2048/418949060_2259164294291999_4883877953268200860_n%20(1).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9oFJembRHJnb4Mpc7shnt_kTYWr8A5SB49Y5hqoASv6BDnYdne659yUi_LVdoGx2rrFywVNvZvNcJvb-x3m7ShrikVIDSMqfSUgdvPsl_PZPxgvImnaRhi8dJ7wqjW3vPqOxiNuiz5Cena_ZlbxKgrePhviR0Fr8YZ4h_10qX7zMymnsGTlDhlLkcQc2T/s320/418949060_2259164294291999_4883877953268200860_n%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a>I've sewn all sorts of things over the years - including many curtains and some bedding but I have limited experience of making other furnishings. <div><br /></div><div>Many years back, I made cushion covers for Erin's bedroom space in <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2014/09/thought-bubbles.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a small "bubble" van</a>. Those covers were quite simple and were finished with hand-stitching, to avoid the need for zippers.<div><br /></div><div>Fast forward to now, when I've had a lot more experience of zippers, albeit on small-scale zip pouch projects. </div><div><br /></div><div>After a fair bit of YouTube research, I felt reasonably confident of creating a zip cover for Bandit's custom dog bed. </div><div><br /></div><div>Given my level of confidence, I decided to make two covers - a waterproof under layer and a soft corduroy top cover. Yep, call me keen!</div><div><br /></div><div>Nick cut the foam cushion to size, from the mattress that came with the Spacevan (which <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2023/06/makin-bed.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">we chose to upgrade</a>). </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Another piece of foam had been used to fill the gap between the Mahindra's two rear seats, to give Mr Dog more room to stretch while we are travelling.</i> </div><div><br /></div><div>No purchases were necessary to create the dog bed. The under layer was made from an upcycled waterproof sheet and the outer cover used fabric from my infamous stash (a bargain opshop purchase from quite a few years ago). The shorter zips were also opshop buys, sourced from the stash. The longer zips are upcycled from rooftop cargo bags that deteriorated. Had I bought the four zips from Spotlight even with a coupon, they would have been $25.00.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some of the cover construction was new to me, so there was a lot of muttering as I battled through the first one, with constant reference to the YouTube tutorial - while eating jelly snakes! I did better on my second cover (and now know a lot more about altering zippers) but even so, I needed to finesse/fudge a little. I'm pretty chuffed to have finished though - and really like how the two covers work together.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Most importantly, Mr Dog seems happy with the new arrangement and we're hoping he likes sleeping there a lot more than crowding in with us!</div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-1955681351981940732024-02-18T09:44:00.001+11:002024-02-18T09:46:50.258+11:00Getting our money's worth!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZxV_4tlUjKGE3b93ueTFoO3Oniu0ftayVigJfw_mzv_swptky1tFxnrPWkRNDNECxVausiIV0tTKl4P3YdoXu7lRpAc2luVS5Wj_wcpGU1_OO7XEMielGE7Mb3svuX3LDXo57xLc-HBuP-dPP_45_dgozGRbuRbuKy5X6bjXUW6qZIrw1yt0SD9g5tlG/s2048/417914180_1497150924177374_7145721100846682375_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZxV_4tlUjKGE3b93ueTFoO3Oniu0ftayVigJfw_mzv_swptky1tFxnrPWkRNDNECxVausiIV0tTKl4P3YdoXu7lRpAc2luVS5Wj_wcpGU1_OO7XEMielGE7Mb3svuX3LDXo57xLc-HBuP-dPP_45_dgozGRbuRbuKy5X6bjXUW6qZIrw1yt0SD9g5tlG/w400-h400/417914180_1497150924177374_7145721100846682375_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxCUqnotMvhEpENNRuncWpL_A4xzdwgfrHyf9D-Clf2_Bg6mpoFoeEavos14F1fZW9Cyo1NVUpoJ6mhAh2Tj9gNGIFLbL-fqHwHNtHfO6ElMx8N9zx9IfxHp4EpI8ZXneA8JDYNJd2clh8__VxszbbsdsU11MdiprrLfjhN1zQEBDmeKhH5YKGIIvoPVgg/s2048/418534895_2120811254940387_7674440449782127342_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxCUqnotMvhEpENNRuncWpL_A4xzdwgfrHyf9D-Clf2_Bg6mpoFoeEavos14F1fZW9Cyo1NVUpoJ6mhAh2Tj9gNGIFLbL-fqHwHNtHfO6ElMx8N9zx9IfxHp4EpI8ZXneA8JDYNJd2clh8__VxszbbsdsU11MdiprrLfjhN1zQEBDmeKhH5YKGIIvoPVgg/w400-h400/418534895_2120811254940387_7674440449782127342_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>At some stage in late 2013, we took advantage of a Ray's Outdoors sale to buy four grey camping chairs. They had already done a fair bit of travel before our stint of caravan transit life, when they were in daily use for 18 months.<div><br /></div><div>They've had some more camping trips since we relocated to Queensland but Nick and I found them less comfortable on our very recent Stanthorpe break.</div><div><br /></div><div>We're planning a two-month touring adventure later this year and decided a chair upgrade would be good preparation for that - and as luck would have it, Anaconda was having a great sale!</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, if there hadn't been a sale - we would have waited for one, cos we do love getting an excellent bargain!</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>We had mis-remembered where the grey chairs came from, so happily bragged to an Anaconda fellow of how well they'd lasted, thinking they'd been an earlier purchase from one of "his" stores! Hah!</i></div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-43141064374456564822024-02-15T11:04:00.001+11:002024-02-15T11:07:15.026+11:00Spacevan interior (continued) ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEVJs3aHEfxT6mZ5vNHhhM4qTpcpxOKO5V7_7BI3aeJXFu_CdsrnXAXpXGuRsDDUek8Y82PkmCYuuglWdSeACN3Xs3QkYDKZpqNwa7gONKfMVWB0ghEZT8JN029xnhyphenhyphenOCW8HNgvnGj5pveg3Gxw5A3x27DU7TBjEQUR_3A3eH_wIRXR-qpudxA0hM7WUf/s3600/Spacevan%20drawer%20install.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3600" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEVJs3aHEfxT6mZ5vNHhhM4qTpcpxOKO5V7_7BI3aeJXFu_CdsrnXAXpXGuRsDDUek8Y82PkmCYuuglWdSeACN3Xs3QkYDKZpqNwa7gONKfMVWB0ghEZT8JN029xnhyphenhyphenOCW8HNgvnGj5pveg3Gxw5A3x27DU7TBjEQUR_3A3eH_wIRXR-qpudxA0hM7WUf/w400-h334/Spacevan%20drawer%20install.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2024/02/setting-up-interior.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Our second drawer unit</a> arrived at Bunnings while we were in Stanthorpe. We collected it on Tuesday, soon after getting home. <div><br /></div><div>Nick installed both drawer units into the Spacevan later that afternoon. They look great!</div><div><br /></div><div>His next mission was to cut down the former bed frame. The shorter format fits beside the drawers, to enclose the diesel heater. It will be used as a base for Bandit's dog bed. We have foam to cut for a custom-sized cushion. Once the foam is cut, I'll sew a zip cover for the cushion. </div><div><br /></div><div>A second set of two drawers will be installed on the other side of the Spacevan. I'll order those soon. There is talk of fitting some kind of bench top to both drawer stacks but we're still thinking about that!</div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-71186624862376306902024-02-15T10:09:00.006+11:002024-02-15T10:11:15.571+11:00Stanthorpe exploring ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7Xjjog05Kp1_U0eLYGez6wh9i6cKONB-MIa73yMX2Wc7BBCc2mXLwOQeqEVYDY9sl4Xg3UgCF6nKHh2TbdE9xF-Gcau01NGkNYfWl5seoAS5oEVoT9v7mKDhizJs1ZSQ236wzXRERsyboUbygSleOHubglnDmWtriJDVwjUP71qTmS6XHnDMeju5OcF4/s1800/Stanthorpe%20Exploring%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7Xjjog05Kp1_U0eLYGez6wh9i6cKONB-MIa73yMX2Wc7BBCc2mXLwOQeqEVYDY9sl4Xg3UgCF6nKHh2TbdE9xF-Gcau01NGkNYfWl5seoAS5oEVoT9v7mKDhizJs1ZSQ236wzXRERsyboUbygSleOHubglnDmWtriJDVwjUP71qTmS6XHnDMeju5OcF4/w400-h400/Stanthorpe%20Exploring%201.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pleBreJNAEfzY0Ath9qL2J9FUngi96Jj8y1i8LDWlHqGtjy_4u4sB6J4HHsl_GsyT4PM9z_4wdpo3MU9MT91pKpT-d1JvqOmQyktZAKhQE292dFYwu8PwfY3rwO6wVpGKHqqEMhcE1fp_ZSJvJ9wwnmCv4z04ziKB5E2UgOp7XZjLGOzPCCLZO6LySKQ/s1800/Stanthorpe%20Exploring%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pleBreJNAEfzY0Ath9qL2J9FUngi96Jj8y1i8LDWlHqGtjy_4u4sB6J4HHsl_GsyT4PM9z_4wdpo3MU9MT91pKpT-d1JvqOmQyktZAKhQE292dFYwu8PwfY3rwO6wVpGKHqqEMhcE1fp_ZSJvJ9wwnmCv4z04ziKB5E2UgOp7XZjLGOzPCCLZO6LySKQ/w400-h400/Stanthorpe%20Exploring%202.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh446Li_Lc162b4p9TIvGMh_MoMfVK6wjmLdAPuYCc4NXfkU1ETX63y9OWnoMhKN_qhqzSqsX9YiUF-uNLwHsXm2dJQKb5baWmgCoQPeJrF4nsPHS1zRncPokKGQbzsBDVbldQa8gt03vCvgbuULvCtI8Qv2RKllR4bTBy1IPLT4R5Ei5tieIEAXqjuZmNV/s1800/Stanthorpe%20Exploring%203.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh446Li_Lc162b4p9TIvGMh_MoMfVK6wjmLdAPuYCc4NXfkU1ETX63y9OWnoMhKN_qhqzSqsX9YiUF-uNLwHsXm2dJQKb5baWmgCoQPeJrF4nsPHS1zRncPokKGQbzsBDVbldQa8gt03vCvgbuULvCtI8Qv2RKllR4bTBy1IPLT4R5Ei5tieIEAXqjuZmNV/w400-h400/Stanthorpe%20Exploring%203.jpg" width="400" /></a>We'd previously <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2017/06/stanthorpe-sojourn.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">visited Stanthorpe in June 2017</a>, not long after relocating to Queensland. On that occassion the four of us, with Bandit, stayed in a pet-friendly cabin on Storm King Dam. <div><br /></div><div><i>We stayed at the same caravan park this trip, on a powered site just a short walk from the water.</i><div><div><br /></div><div>Our November anniversary trip had been planned for bushwalking in the Girraween National Park, without Mr Dog. It wasn't an option to leave him behind for the rescheduled booking - but fortunately there were lots of dog-friendly options around the area.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had a lot of fun exploring around Serendipity Rocks nature reserve - and <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2017/06/feasting-like-royalty.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">revisiting Donnelly's Castle</a>. There was a short walk around Mt Marlay also. Mr Dog had such a great day, he slept super-soundly that night!</div><div><br /></div><div>Cafe dining isn't something we usually do with Bandit but there were a number of dog-friendly wineries, so we chose one of those to visit on our last day. </div><div><br /></div><div>We ordered a wood-fired pizza and Mr Dog was very happy to be given a morsel!</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The tourist information centre has a multi-page list of the wineries and their various dog-friendly conditions. We were given a brochure about dog-friendly walks in the area also (and I had researched at home as well).</i></div></div></div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-87684943024205502232024-02-15T08:56:00.000+11:002024-02-15T10:11:26.056+11:00Stanthorpe setup ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqHrm9GRt7yY8HgQUTP12AC9QcVz2uNqj_eWSdF6Ylql2TCAj05oZQYBHU9qfiAvAiIaRiRQXMn4yN5vluGSbYnPQIeS6t6GC9Y35Tz8sN2wD7M1uaBbm3VtkIHLM4xPjjiPVJFzlqIJDW75I23tAYlHCPO17Ob5k1Cd4wXC2JzG_yOiXEvGEPyl2wag1/s1800/Stanthorpe%20setup%201.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqHrm9GRt7yY8HgQUTP12AC9QcVz2uNqj_eWSdF6Ylql2TCAj05oZQYBHU9qfiAvAiIaRiRQXMn4yN5vluGSbYnPQIeS6t6GC9Y35Tz8sN2wD7M1uaBbm3VtkIHLM4xPjjiPVJFzlqIJDW75I23tAYlHCPO17Ob5k1Cd4wXC2JzG_yOiXEvGEPyl2wag1/w400-h400/Stanthorpe%20setup%201.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KqHU93XgvHSGlR7RDWf31YvbHv9UjSvMOZwT6MhIcQyZvGzV3etT1VCQCS8FFSa5nxUshEY9gxFKTuf4b_euho76nCq5Px47LMUBtNKJG22dVhqfkaRjcTXl3nbkJAMsUsLSdkc1hIrmmlLwR3W-nfesVY-DinMAsfbt7cDnH62Pc3lfrm1pdIDlQ1Kl/s1800/Stanthorpe%20setup%202.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KqHU93XgvHSGlR7RDWf31YvbHv9UjSvMOZwT6MhIcQyZvGzV3etT1VCQCS8FFSa5nxUshEY9gxFKTuf4b_euho76nCq5Px47LMUBtNKJG22dVhqfkaRjcTXl3nbkJAMsUsLSdkc1hIrmmlLwR3W-nfesVY-DinMAsfbt7cDnH62Pc3lfrm1pdIDlQ1Kl/w400-h400/Stanthorpe%20setup%202.jpg" width="400" /></a>We bought <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2010/11/pamper-campers-january-2009.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">our first gazebo</a> in January 2010 and have had others since. They were used a lot in our earlier days and one stayed up almost permanently during our transition period in Victoria. <div><br /></div><div>Ballan was often windy and we regularly kept the gazebo in it's lowered position to increase wind resistance. There are some pics, <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2016/06/a-new-sightsite.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. (We also <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2016/03/gone-loopy.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">used loops</a> to prevent water pooling in the rain).</div><div><br /></div><div>When I saw a Drifta clip of the Wild Land Hub Screenhouse, I was very interested and immediately showed Nick. I am allergic to sandfly and some other insect bites, so particularly liked the thought of being in a protected zone!</div><div><br /></div><div>Drifta had an Australia Day sale and we bought one Hub, with two walls for only a few dollars more than the usual retail price. We opted to collect from our closest store, rather than pay freight - which meant we could view other equipment in person, and visit a nearby 4WD Supacentre as well.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Each of our three hardfloor campers came with an awning (and walls) but generally we set-up in the basic configuration, cos that's easier - which is what we did on our first night in Stanthorpe.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>After exploring on Saturday, we set up our new Wild Land Hub Screenhouse. It went up quickly and we enjoyed sitting under cover. The prediction was for lots of wind overnight, so Nick packed away the Hub before we went to bed.</div><div><br /></div><div>He set it up again on Sunday and it then stayed up for the remainder of our break. We were very impressed with how well it held up against the wind and rain - as were our camping neighbours. Even with just two walls, we were surprised at the difference the screened area made to wind/warmth. (We are thinking of buying a few more walls but might wait for another sale). </div><div><br /></div><div>The Hub is lighter than our gazebos, sets up and packs down quicker and really is quite nifty. Call us fans!</div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-46542098037796361672024-02-14T19:55:00.000+11:002024-02-15T10:11:57.621+11:00Stanthorpe scheming ...
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmboTcM33EckRkyaTlke6QRr8mJ9Vp7r8Q4dTLIQzd2f_0_dIRVDUyxcjcOGsxDQ1KD6XGUvGzygslmUwis4KxdkDUw0aDI-t3KVz-mTBl1XNHddKA95PEeFT8V_44C2Zyl6GqCw0tLdlNgBZ2781XnAhVdW6a4oiZOLkEa6U3m-_FKbfw_9EoeBUqGL7/s1800/Stanthorpe%20prepping.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmboTcM33EckRkyaTlke6QRr8mJ9Vp7r8Q4dTLIQzd2f_0_dIRVDUyxcjcOGsxDQ1KD6XGUvGzygslmUwis4KxdkDUw0aDI-t3KVz-mTBl1XNHddKA95PEeFT8V_44C2Zyl6GqCw0tLdlNgBZ2781XnAhVdW6a4oiZOLkEa6U3m-_FKbfw_9EoeBUqGL7/w400-h400/Stanthorpe%20prepping.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-6vQTKAxDlfH2609nTMUBCfjOB7y5Rv0QoVsrn1PHuMnn-yGQamaI-7ZHlsuH4zVRztHQat5CxIdmAOj6nWtt8gwnYjn-bYp6qVOH_Z29HJZxiXTIIA6xcJKtYipDCEix0QXtqFNOOYkqWHEeNqKOVwBQkjJF7d6bag6_SEQZZQvymwW8HBB7hOVK0VJ/s1800/Stanthorpe%20prepping%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-6vQTKAxDlfH2609nTMUBCfjOB7y5Rv0QoVsrn1PHuMnn-yGQamaI-7ZHlsuH4zVRztHQat5CxIdmAOj6nWtt8gwnYjn-bYp6qVOH_Z29HJZxiXTIIA6xcJKtYipDCEix0QXtqFNOOYkqWHEeNqKOVwBQkjJF7d6bag6_SEQZZQvymwW8HBB7hOVK0VJ/w400-h400/Stanthorpe%20prepping%202.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMDe0khgUTdvuJOZLv78vTO_rTCqsTnIy2mFFPxh_rVssbdnjMrkdyYnNkcpbqzZJpds0x3l7Jt5yUH6uMG3WLKdMtI3lhaW0fY10-XAqe1IBgerO3ZfPEa_Z7m5RuEsnjjtU7Yh8_hTGCaRn0GDuLNF2upWnSIo9g59Em6wYK7Wgs5MhzH-2s0dnms1G/s1800/Stanthorpe%20prepping%203.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMDe0khgUTdvuJOZLv78vTO_rTCqsTnIy2mFFPxh_rVssbdnjMrkdyYnNkcpbqzZJpds0x3l7Jt5yUH6uMG3WLKdMtI3lhaW0fY10-XAqe1IBgerO3ZfPEa_Z7m5RuEsnjjtU7Yh8_hTGCaRn0GDuLNF2upWnSIo9g59Em6wYK7Wgs5MhzH-2s0dnms1G/w400-h400/Stanthorpe%20prepping%203.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7z7n31CgQ-G82vYnXccC_4Ip3iGTPV683Ujoe2mB7gtkSFc4KweDc385xcqkHSCP2otnmX-86KiKac9q408ohFlCFEntIbLz5i1fxh5PEdaFUJV6iuP79KiHXftrWAXV1UcWK27kSpBXjK5-YXiuAv-YgoYon_QSI9704EPWEBChr2JX1_hy066GfvLi/s1800/Stanthorpe%20prepping%204.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7z7n31CgQ-G82vYnXccC_4Ip3iGTPV683Ujoe2mB7gtkSFc4KweDc385xcqkHSCP2otnmX-86KiKac9q408ohFlCFEntIbLz5i1fxh5PEdaFUJV6iuP79KiHXftrWAXV1UcWK27kSpBXjK5-YXiuAv-YgoYon_QSI9704EPWEBChr2JX1_hy066GfvLi/w400-h400/Stanthorpe%20prepping%204.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMpzSJjichjsjNIEvi2Jv3apX9l7-HWD06_WrWgwMEd0V3elkvMEpGH4WwVPex47qWB8whd1WEsYzG-BgFuMW7G7IJFoVCzASbh626GOiyKY0DZtikJx2XlYZW6jroDPyUPVhHRjqKm7RkHE21rlwDv8e-CydPFdy36Xi0rCrIb16BivVVn6LCusWCmLU/s1800/Stanthorpe%20prepping%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMpzSJjichjsjNIEvi2Jv3apX9l7-HWD06_WrWgwMEd0V3elkvMEpGH4WwVPex47qWB8whd1WEsYzG-BgFuMW7G7IJFoVCzASbh626GOiyKY0DZtikJx2XlYZW6jroDPyUPVhHRjqKm7RkHE21rlwDv8e-CydPFdy36Xi0rCrIb16BivVVn6LCusWCmLU/w400-h400/Stanthorpe%20prepping%201.jpg" width="400" /></a>Our November anniversary celebrations were originally planned for Stanthorpe but wet weather meant we travelled to <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2023/11/tin-can-bay.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tin Can Bay instead</a>.<div><br /></div><div>We decided to use our Stanthorpe booking credit for one of Nick's roster breaks. </div><div><br /></div><div>I had a rough menu plan, which helped my meal prepping and packing for our four-night holiday.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Space is limited in our 38-litre Engels and we only planned to take one fridge with us, so I packed butter, olive oil spread and some shredded cheese into small containers.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>I made a half quantity of my usual pikelet mix, using milk powder and stored in a plastic bottle. It needed water, an egg and some golden syrup on-site. </div><div><br /></div><div>After some good shakes, I could pour into the pan. (I've used the <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2015/01/banana-pikelets.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">same dry mix previously</a> but not thought to mix in a bottle).</div><div><br /></div><div>Salad isn't my best thing, so I tried the mason jar method. I made two versions to try. (We took three jars with us and left two at home). </div><div><br /></div><div><i>While away, we found a couple of opshop bargains. My heavy glass salad bowl was just $3.00 and looked a bit flash on the camp dining table! </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>We had BBQ chicken and salad wraps for a picnic lunches on first two days.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is no photo but I froze some Mexican mince to take with us. I cooked rice before leaving home. Our first night's dinner was super easy!</div><div><br /></div><div>Breakfast was cereal, toasted muffins, fruit portions - with tea and coffee. I cooked the pikelets on our last day, before packing up to head home. </div><div><br /></div><div>We had a cheese platter picnic on our third day, splurged on wood-fired pizza at a winery the next day - and then lunched at home on our last day, cos we weren't hungry before then!</div><div><br /></div><div>The jar salads worked pretty well, with only minimal freezing. I'll try some other combinations but liked how easy it was to tip the jar into a bowl and serve. All dinners were simple. We used the camp kitchen several nights as it had plenty of hotplates under cover. It rained at times during our stay and there was wind, also.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nick cooked BBQed chicken fillets with Morrocan seasoning for our second night. I did steaks with garlic butter the third night - and we shared the final night's cooking. Nick BBQed lamb sausages and zucchini/ herb parcels, while I made up a packet pasta dish. </div><div><br /></div><div>I brought the chicken fillets from home. We picked up other provisions from Stanthorpe Woolies on Saturday morning. On Monday afternoon we called into the local IGA for some dessert provisions. We had meringue nests with thick custard and berries for dessert - yum!</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Spacevan's gas burners didn't cope well in the wind so we used our butane stove on a few occasions, set up on the kitchen slide or on the table, inside our screened gazebo. </i></div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-72348064733571896122024-02-02T14:48:00.000+11:002024-02-02T14:48:36.332+11:00Setting up the interior ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1SQBcGi9SBA68plmkZCn_khNR5Qnpv5bp3eZX8090hw2gtcP7_ZPlWfpIY4Z5zf9MmlD0jm1HA88pr4a8Sf5HR8VuKaWCUFgnuneZgNkCk2pW_S_L9F0v11N4RIJKB1wT1dTJjAJRHXno2zXwtlW2uJERqILAzOdI4Hnp5-ILIMh9bjdfb0N-kiHTEqq/s1800/Spacevan%20Kitchen.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1SQBcGi9SBA68plmkZCn_khNR5Qnpv5bp3eZX8090hw2gtcP7_ZPlWfpIY4Z5zf9MmlD0jm1HA88pr4a8Sf5HR8VuKaWCUFgnuneZgNkCk2pW_S_L9F0v11N4RIJKB1wT1dTJjAJRHXno2zXwtlW2uJERqILAzOdI4Hnp5-ILIMh9bjdfb0N-kiHTEqq/w400-h400/Spacevan%20Kitchen.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLMtCSVWQdVv0FAyMwSrId10qkgqGlhTu0DHTdWZPIKU2D67lLa0LDNef91UNONqQZB_cPhBa1eY8JMmCZH4UsoEGfqMIWfMcFpZExEXY-paVvU53Ow9NBoGFF2ctqdN2p93lVqeM4g4zCguRHm9lu01yIUZDlXNEpLt_H0ouy7Zgoe94HCVdBSFtfhWNz/s2048/417475780_1102602847823548_5926696037645252229_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLMtCSVWQdVv0FAyMwSrId10qkgqGlhTu0DHTdWZPIKU2D67lLa0LDNef91UNONqQZB_cPhBa1eY8JMmCZH4UsoEGfqMIWfMcFpZExEXY-paVvU53Ow9NBoGFF2ctqdN2p93lVqeM4g4zCguRHm9lu01yIUZDlXNEpLt_H0ouy7Zgoe94HCVdBSFtfhWNz/w400-h400/417475780_1102602847823548_5926696037645252229_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwisAGC8fJSB1xbYpVGOnSYfwAQiCrBsBlL9FC7OW2uQad-kRi89bj8MGcEH-SYfLfcx84jQ_aeJcSgW5Lfl4zpV2BWRVnpuhRQHsg9HSbxHNb81Mx9F6bcEPyPon2vn87J8yJQ6JZX3fS6cCSGky5fLJjnK7-MGHT-8lRR3UZD5N0TO0f-DwouR5O0JCY/s2048/417508732_2097883333904983_4091201322841240638_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwisAGC8fJSB1xbYpVGOnSYfwAQiCrBsBlL9FC7OW2uQad-kRi89bj8MGcEH-SYfLfcx84jQ_aeJcSgW5Lfl4zpV2BWRVnpuhRQHsg9HSbxHNb81Mx9F6bcEPyPon2vn87J8yJQ6JZX3fS6cCSGky5fLJjnK7-MGHT-8lRR3UZD5N0TO0f-DwouR5O0JCY/w400-h400/417508732_2097883333904983_4091201322841240638_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHMRzsYb6uf-5z_CX5N_yH9gj2fhIep76O8itD-5rm3EcNrvuRJte0nEZ-aCEoWd2AQvLQfogkjQPNwc0jQUmHFNa1QHz7_Nb6qUuWwhB0xawYRDzuAxvN7jJ7w1NFONvIXCZ6PDNyBU8nCxonv89MBAEe7hN6CD8p6MeEYvzgPa_Fe9DMTcD9zxFBLiV/s2048/417843785_3858773331033754_1655757671797511886_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHMRzsYb6uf-5z_CX5N_yH9gj2fhIep76O8itD-5rm3EcNrvuRJte0nEZ-aCEoWd2AQvLQfogkjQPNwc0jQUmHFNa1QHz7_Nb6qUuWwhB0xawYRDzuAxvN7jJ7w1NFONvIXCZ6PDNyBU8nCxonv89MBAEe7hN6CD8p6MeEYvzgPa_Fe9DMTcD9zxFBLiV/w400-h400/417843785_3858773331033754_1655757671797511886_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTpqsYLOTep0u7uPEUh0KeMcIVmcgBnNk_cU7y39ZOi1O6bPX5vvoK8wYxkx6loXdQi3bs27dEhHeDZhc3YaItBvXVH4stUPy-s4SVV5vHF2qbdq24_3LnzyioJ5IZL0FK_CubcfvTmfuDhyphenhyphenjx97dG_eqTrj06rIFP80MsC60kWVTaGtrlkYpW95MASGp/s2048/418093228_738625594996634_2509676452804320373_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTpqsYLOTep0u7uPEUh0KeMcIVmcgBnNk_cU7y39ZOi1O6bPX5vvoK8wYxkx6loXdQi3bs27dEhHeDZhc3YaItBvXVH4stUPy-s4SVV5vHF2qbdq24_3LnzyioJ5IZL0FK_CubcfvTmfuDhyphenhyphenjx97dG_eqTrj06rIFP80MsC60kWVTaGtrlkYpW95MASGp/w400-h400/418093228_738625594996634_2509676452804320373_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3ITNJePBNi_pncnYz8UnH0DvQHx8F42fcyJLEhEVR_pzJqV9cbtYbAqFtzrxyMzrv2S6Fbn5GRpOFGmn2HZxUkBvIUdCUKwwtgHbpBqNrZ7d3eq8mEdRfsF8MDN4NezdsQjPa3BGK_KFgIGo0XKyd9IdDIukVephFKRbgULuTk5nvqikd5udAKrz1IIK/s2048/417508752_917955516193487_6436334885656670677_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3ITNJePBNi_pncnYz8UnH0DvQHx8F42fcyJLEhEVR_pzJqV9cbtYbAqFtzrxyMzrv2S6Fbn5GRpOFGmn2HZxUkBvIUdCUKwwtgHbpBqNrZ7d3eq8mEdRfsF8MDN4NezdsQjPa3BGK_KFgIGo0XKyd9IdDIukVephFKRbgULuTk5nvqikd5udAKrz1IIK/w400-h400/417508752_917955516193487_6436334885656670677_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>The interior of our 2015 Spacevan is different to that of the 2006 model we first owned. Our earlier one had an interior kitchen with lots of storage in two stainless steel cabinets, located on either side of the trailer. (The old gas fridge wasn't used and <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2021/10/cold-storage.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nick removed it to create an extra cupboard space</a>).<div><br /></div><div>In contrast, our 2015 camper has one low bench seat on one side (it was formerly the lower bunk of an earlier fitout) and just a small storage box next to the bed on the other side.</div><div><br /></div><div>As our bed runs across the end of the camper, there is a lot of empty floor space and a real lack of convenient storage.</div><div><br /></div><div>The layout difference between the two vans was highlighted during our recent Chinchilla trip. </div><div><br /></div><div>Since coming home, there has been more talk about what might be a better layout option, within budget. We've researched a few possibilities but think we've now found a winner.</div><div><br /></div><div>The first part of the plan was to remove the former bottom bunk, frame and all. The old frame will be shortened to make a smaller box, which fits over the wheel arch and diesel heater - to became a bed for Bandit. We have foam that will be cut to size and I'll make a cover.</div><div><br /></div><div>We tested the diesel heater during one of our backyard camping nights last year - and were quite warm but found the unit quite noisy, though that seems a common complaint.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bunnings stock a range of garage storage units and we ordered one of the extra-large drawer units to try in the camper. Our plan seems do-able, so we've now ordered a second unit. </div><div><br /></div><div>There has been a lot of opening and closing the camper, to determine the best placement of the drawer(s) on the first side. The units are stackable and will bolt together.</div><div><br /></div><div>A very pleasant young guy visited yesterday to quote on fitting a 12-volt system inside the Spacevan. (There was one in the past but most of it had been removed prior to our purchase). </div><div><br /></div><div>Given the planned 12-volt wiring work, Nick won't install drawers on the driver's side of the Spacevan just yet.</div><div><br /></div><div>We expect to receive a "shopping list" of components soon and will work on acquiring those. Once everything is sourced, we'll deliver the van to a local address so the work can be done (probably over the course of a week or so). We're planning a longer trip toward the end of the year and are looking forward to having 12-volt options while away. How good will that be?!</div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-65936314270336620392024-02-02T13:22:00.000+11:002024-02-02T13:22:32.186+11:00Esky upgrade ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDI1aCVoojn0NgKShw00JkbnscZMql6kUm_xDG7Sf65G8WeIcZhbGyIhkc8lQSR_z8Mc-FoS2OYOe-VDijr-ai8o7llyBdL2AZr1Hkl4QMUI990U33snHvUhJNx3bjLbBvMPulYdkPoTEYjlDN0Bh0YMtLJ3EF6SpCGayAYVleY3tHmTu7YadxSbyt2tl8/s1800/Esky%20collage.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDI1aCVoojn0NgKShw00JkbnscZMql6kUm_xDG7Sf65G8WeIcZhbGyIhkc8lQSR_z8Mc-FoS2OYOe-VDijr-ai8o7llyBdL2AZr1Hkl4QMUI990U33snHvUhJNx3bjLbBvMPulYdkPoTEYjlDN0Bh0YMtLJ3EF6SpCGayAYVleY3tHmTu7YadxSbyt2tl8/w400-h400/Esky%20collage.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIGOLUV0k3UPs364_NvPtWjhNvKJ-BMHEKemzhinz9ZWzClNXf2fSyRIe9Gd1om3dOxBeQFP9MxlBccy3KrB7l7Y46493NGzLbH-u4Z0bMhhMa4Mc1k-YtevxmAMuvI-rW7h22XmGx9RLo9_IBZ9jXrpG78CHSXGlpeljx37kBCOdNjyNuhPRoL0nUc_V/s2048/418262101_358535680464847_8717146726844080961_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIGOLUV0k3UPs364_NvPtWjhNvKJ-BMHEKemzhinz9ZWzClNXf2fSyRIe9Gd1om3dOxBeQFP9MxlBccy3KrB7l7Y46493NGzLbH-u4Z0bMhhMa4Mc1k-YtevxmAMuvI-rW7h22XmGx9RLo9_IBZ9jXrpG78CHSXGlpeljx37kBCOdNjyNuhPRoL0nUc_V/w400-h400/418262101_358535680464847_8717146726844080961_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuD9dy6wa_Q2dE1YWCldyWPIBLvEz5y12AJ4V1Ncte0kawJPcYxqzZ0rBhuJSVgHstbvN7rjzXefaqi-dUj71mPdx-8m-iDTn6z26jTUAsQXzyru4ZBUxg97ikVhvOah16uoqZb2X4RP6UZiKzk_nZSRpMCp8WiUn4BWUs_9RVDN0qLgSMfODjopDrQh68/s2048/417379293_7535268293149811_2551471679136443948_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuD9dy6wa_Q2dE1YWCldyWPIBLvEz5y12AJ4V1Ncte0kawJPcYxqzZ0rBhuJSVgHstbvN7rjzXefaqi-dUj71mPdx-8m-iDTn6z26jTUAsQXzyru4ZBUxg97ikVhvOah16uoqZb2X4RP6UZiKzk_nZSRpMCp8WiUn4BWUs_9RVDN0qLgSMfODjopDrQh68/w400-h400/417379293_7535268293149811_2551471679136443948_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>We've acquired a few eskies/coolers over the years. The current tally includes two larger Willow coolers. (The lining of one has cracked near the top but it's still usable). <div><br /></div><div><i>There is a third, slightly smaller one but it was always a bit awkward to use - mainly cos it's shorter/wider, with less capacity. And there is a little, 6-can cooler also, which is rarely taken anywere cos it's just too small!</i><div><br /></div><div>Now that we've down-sized our picnic kit, I've been thinking of buying a better-sized (and not-blue) esky.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was vaguely tempted by Aldi's recent special buy retro coolers but they were only rated to keep cool for 12 hours. When Nick and I saw better quality coolers on special at a local camping shop, we bought one of those. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>We've been very happy with our two Engel fridges, which were bought in 2010. They are in daily use at home as well as being taken away from time to time. Both are still going strong.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>The Engel cooler is rated for 36 hours of cooling or something similar.
There were many colour options and the sales guy understood my need to colour match picnic and beverage cases, so helped line them up with both the beige and silver coolers for the best coordination! 😁 </div><div><br /></div><div>Our new cooler had it's first outing yesterday. At the time of purchase we bought two larger, slimline ice bricks and they are a great fit. Everything worked together very well. Hooray!</div><div><br /></div><div><i>I've done a little research about our new Engel cooler (post purchase) and it seems they make excellent dry boxes also.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>We'll still keep the other eskies at this stage cos there are still times when we picnic as a larger group. (The coolers are used for bulk butcher trips, also).</div><div><br /></div><div>We found at Carnarvon that the eskies were good for storing food that would usually sit out rather than go in the fridge. Of course, fridge/freezer space is limited in the Engels, so having insulated pantry boxes was very handy!</div></div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-48277104068525268342024-01-20T10:46:00.001+11:002024-01-20T10:52:06.530+11:00Picnic case update ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBH2rUWF4cuQagjNxsv2x0vt_XWQyG3u38IOl1z_o3o5Mo0eMQsZfQ5kVrfnS0YXcN7S4JgGUHLeDSliDZ1wt4tsELSpdo-gMUjzPR5cfvMhl4K1-ITSV59JRk47j4VopRSTV9rI2QmcE7HFhhRVTU3thJsJHPTVVWPaM3ZBUCpitWFBsCInIUjtwGssMk/s4401/Picnics%203.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3135" data-original-width="4401" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBH2rUWF4cuQagjNxsv2x0vt_XWQyG3u38IOl1z_o3o5Mo0eMQsZfQ5kVrfnS0YXcN7S4JgGUHLeDSliDZ1wt4tsELSpdo-gMUjzPR5cfvMhl4K1-ITSV59JRk47j4VopRSTV9rI2QmcE7HFhhRVTU3thJsJHPTVVWPaM3ZBUCpitWFBsCInIUjtwGssMk/w400-h285/Picnics%203.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11Fl4s4L9TGM_ozZmZir_MnNgDfeuSjY98iD7MBQcUtpX8CjU3B3i6j6MFpdOYt5GkjWtAIobFMPOXySX9bWWT-vpRZHP6rDsY0h5SxIMuQwOdOnda0tTLsCTOgdXUjaefFIxfAIjKgg4HSzGPg4UReJmLchDc4QjjstqmSjxnmLDjQ26kShDSdSYgLhy/s4401/Picnics%201.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3135" data-original-width="4401" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11Fl4s4L9TGM_ozZmZir_MnNgDfeuSjY98iD7MBQcUtpX8CjU3B3i6j6MFpdOYt5GkjWtAIobFMPOXySX9bWWT-vpRZHP6rDsY0h5SxIMuQwOdOnda0tTLsCTOgdXUjaefFIxfAIjKgg4HSzGPg4UReJmLchDc4QjjstqmSjxnmLDjQ26kShDSdSYgLhy/w400-h285/Picnics%201.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmXF16LAYMtcd4o9qcQuaMQEzAwwR65hyphenhyphentlVxuzcSlc0j6-VyO9ynd71aXSeuTBN-6xW2JIm1sc3r1H0SiJni7kLP1XY9teUppitxiVNPMff6MTBrCXLzgIP6PJt-bpeNsiKLjqEzVo_pSpWQigAUk1XemTXCDTaDSxCkmurnxDh3l6UyqbHQa0ci66q6/s4401/Picnics%202.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3135" data-original-width="4401" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmXF16LAYMtcd4o9qcQuaMQEzAwwR65hyphenhyphentlVxuzcSlc0j6-VyO9ynd71aXSeuTBN-6xW2JIm1sc3r1H0SiJni7kLP1XY9teUppitxiVNPMff6MTBrCXLzgIP6PJt-bpeNsiKLjqEzVo_pSpWQigAUk1XemTXCDTaDSxCkmurnxDh3l6UyqbHQa0ci66q6/w400-h285/Picnics%202.jpg" width="400" /></a>Given I posted of the updated beverage case, it seemed fair to include a picnic case update. <div><br /></div><div>We've used various baskets/cases (hah - basket cases!) over the years. In earlier times we picnicked as a family and needed more plates, cups, cutlery etc, so had a larger format. </div><div><br /></div><div>I still have <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2017/05/picnic-progress.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">that green bag</a> to use, when there are more of us out together.</div><div><br /></div><div>These days it's just Nick and I most of the time. A picnic-for-two set-up seemed more apt. </div><div><br /></div><div>I succumbed to Covid early last year and when I tired of watching YouTube, I <a href="https://hambyhomeinstead.blogspot.com/2023/01/bowled-over-by-success.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">upcycled a small lawn bowls case</a> to picnic case (in between naps). It wasn't until mid February that it had it's first outing, but I've enjoyed using it since. I like picnics!</div><div><br /></div><div>The little red case holds some cutlery, two larger plates, a small serving tray and a cutting board, while the beverage case has other cutlery, two sets of smaller plates, two saucers and a baby cutting board. They work well together on occasions when we have an extra person - or want to use more plates!</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The beverage case has a stash of tea-bags and some coffee bags. It's recent overhaul means there's now ground coffee for Nick's travel press, the press and my small teapot. You can see better pics of its contents, <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2024/01/beverage-case-revamp.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Both cases have tablecloths, cos not all picnic tables are suitable to use as they are. The red case has a re-usable rubbish bag and a roll-top wet bag for washing up. The beverage case used to have a plastic bag for washing up but we don't have many and I'm thinking of making a wet bag for it, also. (Usually there is a <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2020/09/jam-appreciation-picnic.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mini tea-towel</a> cos we rinse cups and dry them for re-use during the day).</div><div><br /></div><div>Not long after converting the red bowl case, I found another red bowls bag made by the same company. While still vintage, I think it might be a little "newer" based on the logo. They look good together, though I'm yet to decide on a purpose for it! It might work to carry a few non-esky items but would require some small tweaks to the interior and I'm not ready to commit to those, just yet.</div><div><br /></div><div>We updated our stove last year. As much as we like using the <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2020/06/lake-broadwater.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">small dual fuel stoves</a>, we've had several and they don't last as long as we might like for the price tag. The butane one was bought on special for $30.00 and has been working well, so far. It often stays packed in the car along the with the two cases, <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2017/09/kettle-bag.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the kettle bag (with kettle!)</a> and a 5-litre container of water. </div><div><br /></div><div>We take an esky for the food and lately I've been using an insulated drink bottle to hold milk, for extra chilling during the day. If I'm feeling very flash, I'll pack ice cubes in one of our wide-mouthed thermoses for drink bottle top-ups!</div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-46962400584964412642024-01-20T01:25:00.002+11:002024-01-20T01:27:41.273+11:00Beverage case revamp ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQIRhVkQPt4lIVrzrRvU71jTbeT3xjxXK8jj9ZGvy4MnVKrGHUw8CFO1iOMD76Qd6w8BRMleXfvPnjD96zvbt9el003q6Zh9bpILRaHuyp5Iif3sJJ9ssjoJ3taxSNTPf7aWqZs5jGsML1g2Jv2ISzGAH9bc7dY6mj0IJS1hbBUg-MZgtazdJruv6CqTR/s3300/Beverage%20Case%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3300" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQIRhVkQPt4lIVrzrRvU71jTbeT3xjxXK8jj9ZGvy4MnVKrGHUw8CFO1iOMD76Qd6w8BRMleXfvPnjD96zvbt9el003q6Zh9bpILRaHuyp5Iif3sJJ9ssjoJ3taxSNTPf7aWqZs5jGsML1g2Jv2ISzGAH9bc7dY6mj0IJS1hbBUg-MZgtazdJruv6CqTR/w400-h364/Beverage%20Case%201.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-El960YKhPiv8fvezHKc43dllX6iGnpLedqvfcYdEszhcdTbRFbx-LPMqQ11DokUCXKqYOSfKnVhv22mzl-G9abfpLuEP41IEn0Suopf4XKKvxfHkNWTD6B8BiFLwO-LjPN-NYdI-pxN-OFWRy3VSWfaOy1mqGNwBKn0F5SFiG6nGzWO8KIi_KQ_oI4S/s4401/Beverage%20Case%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3135" data-original-width="4401" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-El960YKhPiv8fvezHKc43dllX6iGnpLedqvfcYdEszhcdTbRFbx-LPMqQ11DokUCXKqYOSfKnVhv22mzl-G9abfpLuEP41IEn0Suopf4XKKvxfHkNWTD6B8BiFLwO-LjPN-NYdI-pxN-OFWRy3VSWfaOy1mqGNwBKn0F5SFiG6nGzWO8KIi_KQ_oI4S/w400-h285/Beverage%20Case%202.jpg" width="400" /></a>I generally take a teapot away with me, whether camping or staying in a cabin. Nick isn't so fussy but was given an Espro Travel Press for Christmas - and liked using it at Chinchilla. <div><br /></div><div>We recently travelled into New South Wales to visit family and planned a picnic enroute, so I packed Nick's coffee maker. </div><div><br /></div><div>I happened to have my small teapot as well, packed more for our stay than along the way - but I enjoyed having it at the picnic table.</div><div><br /></div><div>Both travel press and teapot were used on our homeward trip - and since, which prompted a rethink of the beverage case contents. The case was an <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2015/11/you-beauty-another-beverage-case.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">upgrade in 2015</a> and is still going strong. Given it's usually just Nick and I picnicking these days though, I took out some excess cups to make room for the travel press, ground coffee and my smallest teapot. Some small adjustments were necessary but all is now fitting nicely. </div><div><br /></div><div>I then used a magic sponge to remove some scuff marks from the outside of the case and wiped over with Koh cleaner also. It's looking pretty good for it's age and eight years of regular use. Not bad for a $5.00 investment, eh?! </div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-11626785405762051652024-01-10T23:21:00.006+11:002024-02-15T10:12:21.006+11:00Chinchilla-ed celebrations!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HlFLwRczL214sAmpskx3fI12KOw-lZZniK01UKpWKgerN7tRLsQxlyb1Ig0T-lSm3qs9m8ojj0xzYwWsYm2zkQT8fLi9PsaCaJ_jJ8cS7Ig11kjPPZk9igarws0qSEv3c3CH3KV7uO7Y0sSdvdgZ7juCw-uxjSTiLM1mne4sgzdn151WVjyHwM0lvnKu/s2016/404228241_1768439223620901_6822678632268038228_n%20(1).jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="908" data-original-width="2016" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HlFLwRczL214sAmpskx3fI12KOw-lZZniK01UKpWKgerN7tRLsQxlyb1Ig0T-lSm3qs9m8ojj0xzYwWsYm2zkQT8fLi9PsaCaJ_jJ8cS7Ig11kjPPZk9igarws0qSEv3c3CH3KV7uO7Y0sSdvdgZ7juCw-uxjSTiLM1mne4sgzdn151WVjyHwM0lvnKu/w400-h180/404228241_1768439223620901_6822678632268038228_n%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOR-91zS75TVqje8c_Q8kRJaXBXTui_cBXV5iXdK3cHPBgx9xsjkUSmHAuxYLjtvueedfsVCFVkLAlkBvXd1vtZB0XY3LNBAfxeU6V37p6qUXzZcj98pp0_fr7oKf9CN0wtTgJnc-sRI25CdQnBKER8KrO9NAMT1FomZLx_XeZPGly9g-hqpFHTCENdjs1/s5830/DSC_3521.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3892" data-original-width="5830" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOR-91zS75TVqje8c_Q8kRJaXBXTui_cBXV5iXdK3cHPBgx9xsjkUSmHAuxYLjtvueedfsVCFVkLAlkBvXd1vtZB0XY3LNBAfxeU6V37p6qUXzZcj98pp0_fr7oKf9CN0wtTgJnc-sRI25CdQnBKER8KrO9NAMT1FomZLx_XeZPGly9g-hqpFHTCENdjs1/w400-h268/DSC_3521.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4c5RpoJQ3VmMveAMJ-EJXSF9OHquVx_Isc_6DfHcaHrexTFMaRU9Cv8N-VRsQfOLcW8UoSOUbDO7ckhbb7gDJFFiXuETNzxYC2hMxbSM7avNaq7b-z00cGUA_H5lZOz2SOAgqZCoxb6HB4VsUnLDFT2WsAf8KCggSo_DYaWKgdjKn-ondF7G6yPY_Dxc/s5938/DSC_6074.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3964" data-original-width="5938" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4c5RpoJQ3VmMveAMJ-EJXSF9OHquVx_Isc_6DfHcaHrexTFMaRU9Cv8N-VRsQfOLcW8UoSOUbDO7ckhbb7gDJFFiXuETNzxYC2hMxbSM7avNaq7b-z00cGUA_H5lZOz2SOAgqZCoxb6HB4VsUnLDFT2WsAf8KCggSo_DYaWKgdjKn-ondF7G6yPY_Dxc/w400-h268/DSC_6074.jpg" width="400" /></a>
New setup for the New Year! We had intended to take our "new" Spacevan away in November but wet weather foiled our plans, so we stayed in a budget cabin at Tin Can Bay instead.<div><br /></div><div>We didn't receive our new car till early December, so this was the first trip for it and the 2015 Spacevan. <div><br /></div><div>There wasn't a lot of planning. Our destination was only chosen when we stopped for lunch, 1.5 hours/120 km after leaving home!</div></div><div><br /></div><div>We thought we'd just stay one night away, though decided on a second night soon after arrival. </div><div><br /></div><div>There was some synchronicity in going back to Chinchilla, which had been the final campsite for our previous Spacevan and Elmer the Gold, <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2023/04/chinchilla-ing.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">back in April</a> (on the way home from our <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2023/04/gorge-ing-ourselves-at-carnavon.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Carnarvon Gorge-ing</a>). Mr Dog was very excited to join us for this trip, though was not impressed with all the ants taking over his food bowl! </div><div><br /></div><div>We departed home on our 18th wedding anniversary. After consulting the archives we realised it was our 28th camping adventure, in just over 15 years. There have been various upgrades over that time, since hiring a soft floor camper in late 2008 then buying basic gear in very early 2009 (and needing two cars to carry us and everything else to a free camp fairly close to home)! </div><div><br /></div><div>Here's to many more happy adventures!</div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-86550966372333521032023-11-26T19:33:00.001+11:002024-02-15T10:11:41.202+11:00Tin Can Bay!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsBOJuJUy6arBDmGWzWIZaKqSGO5czzZu0PY_5dOh8vaUaLJxzblf5LXE7TU4wci2VDc79d95RHOeqxXSCUKAEWrSLWvzDU_QyHA40Hwk6YTq0Y94BvKTXIMwCbq_QOKKjpY6CUEqtrraxHfAuSwJRk1lVt6L5uLdS_siLxE7qExIeRfHM-yBRMysNte2/s4401/TCB%20Collage%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3135" data-original-width="4401" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsBOJuJUy6arBDmGWzWIZaKqSGO5czzZu0PY_5dOh8vaUaLJxzblf5LXE7TU4wci2VDc79d95RHOeqxXSCUKAEWrSLWvzDU_QyHA40Hwk6YTq0Y94BvKTXIMwCbq_QOKKjpY6CUEqtrraxHfAuSwJRk1lVt6L5uLdS_siLxE7qExIeRfHM-yBRMysNte2/w400-h285/TCB%20Collage%201.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQ_zSVhDUsuGKVCAkoeoYOKP0zzbzoJ_bMwsrltKQMfVmSxA-Rwe5-6BFmeNDhD9I7SpP-kjbF1yn5m4UrxO4gephR5jvoNN68DjZrPdOQqeklvjYSIcNGCFV7foH4yAZW0dJt0GPO-vhv4EqMpv6PTtXWZ6UQ1JsEpJfDQPQIBTcOPJRZnBKrJ_JcWmb/s1800/418339742_3049893338475927_7855234694009471757_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQ_zSVhDUsuGKVCAkoeoYOKP0zzbzoJ_bMwsrltKQMfVmSxA-Rwe5-6BFmeNDhD9I7SpP-kjbF1yn5m4UrxO4gephR5jvoNN68DjZrPdOQqeklvjYSIcNGCFV7foH4yAZW0dJt0GPO-vhv4EqMpv6PTtXWZ6UQ1JsEpJfDQPQIBTcOPJRZnBKrJ_JcWmb/w400-h400/418339742_3049893338475927_7855234694009471757_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>We booked to stay at Stanthorpe (in our "new" Spacevan) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of our first "real" date but that plan was canned due to wet weather, so we ended up at Tin Can Bay instead!<div><br /></div><div>Nick arrived home from night-shift, we packed the car and then I drove several hours up the coast, to our budget cabin accommodation.<br /><div><br /></div><div>We enjoyed the quieter surrounds and exploring. We had fun feeding dolphins, meeting some locals at an open mic, admiring Rainbow Beach and doing a daytrip to Hervey Bay.</div><div><br /></div><div>The cabin had a microwave, some plug-in hotplates and a frypan - but that worked out well. We dined all fresco on the verandah, listening to the flying foxes and enjoying the stillness. At one stage, Nick went inside to refill his drink and I noticed a few mozzies, so suggested we both retreat inside. Hah. Seemingly they'd been so busy biting him previously that none had attempted to bother me! </div><div><br /></div><div><i>I tried something different this trip and packed one of our wide-mouth thermoses with ice before leaving home - so we had icecubes for our drink bottles en route and on arrival. That was a bit flash! (I think it was during our Big Loop trip that we first packed flexible ice cube trays and those came away this time also).</i></div></div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-27197568220064997882023-08-26T11:24:00.000+10:002023-08-26T17:57:50.053+10:00Suck it up!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdF9NNVHYXZ1bMj0hDnkr2oonCtZ0C7tXuYuKhexg-xNXfu7vxeSxqMWR__hhqUdCe5yhXwxRbkmEVTviGWJ_PD1HkSF1QGV2WfpMi3dvn-MZlK1VKTos9WeSiYRzHvWo7jhM4aChc3D6MJdeYrGwtQk5x761sdfiqSd--md2ayc53iY72kJY632X6Gi-/s2048/368567684_1940143723025708_1622461242491492854_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdF9NNVHYXZ1bMj0hDnkr2oonCtZ0C7tXuYuKhexg-xNXfu7vxeSxqMWR__hhqUdCe5yhXwxRbkmEVTviGWJ_PD1HkSF1QGV2WfpMi3dvn-MZlK1VKTos9WeSiYRzHvWo7jhM4aChc3D6MJdeYrGwtQk5x761sdfiqSd--md2ayc53iY72kJY632X6Gi-/w400-h400/368567684_1940143723025708_1622461242491492854_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3OGHv5roJGCfKA7v3ZY-F7AQMH6Jy4kkeOy-KlZnrEbbr1JlumxDVC3H07O5cEmilKdyVvjNldef2JPqAWefndHDxn5R-IlOf3ctV0r7n1C65dqkzyRjpdUkjcKxPDEgnfYy3dKXeFziFcCyw2AcvjumNoost6DMNP3hEi6zJtFR1MtjinVOXQGb08Yl/s2048/371509586_631778382412067_2468565525033070444_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3OGHv5roJGCfKA7v3ZY-F7AQMH6Jy4kkeOy-KlZnrEbbr1JlumxDVC3H07O5cEmilKdyVvjNldef2JPqAWefndHDxn5R-IlOf3ctV0r7n1C65dqkzyRjpdUkjcKxPDEgnfYy3dKXeFziFcCyw2AcvjumNoost6DMNP3hEi6zJtFR1MtjinVOXQGb08Yl/w400-h400/371509586_631778382412067_2468565525033070444_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs17FLRoP9PZ_t8zRZxW3yxODfTGHJsInq2CD4bStHFgQcqvcYSI2Z7njBMqp8Bih6jcSVQQ45MCjE-DRlNIhhDP8SVEUSeWjZ5DJmlr1XLWaVXA_qw04KqhJP-pw-eq0VlC5iS7vUNScN__iweJPhF-eEgySWu1Yaa9B-OE2r2pOFNfGTPFnQRprjWuxH/s2048/371523291_822705019434716_872063364975164515_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs17FLRoP9PZ_t8zRZxW3yxODfTGHJsInq2CD4bStHFgQcqvcYSI2Z7njBMqp8Bih6jcSVQQ45MCjE-DRlNIhhDP8SVEUSeWjZ5DJmlr1XLWaVXA_qw04KqhJP-pw-eq0VlC5iS7vUNScN__iweJPhF-eEgySWu1Yaa9B-OE2r2pOFNfGTPFnQRprjWuxH/w400-h400/371523291_822705019434716_872063364975164515_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6SxyDRVQIa4WLCQ6ptXH7UKFKaHEoirEypwGQkzaj_URjVbNmWZB87e3ssJ9rIh1N5iDfuHqT0YMu38VdcQIBZeAnJWqoTxQ7I5fn5veWlPH5JoK9Ood-K6drb4-KLGMDU01rZEi9yhOLaxSbjwMf86ggErAn3WS-B3s8BW7qwG_ZWALJrcEJcvfOpVM/s2048/371461884_300232162685723_5841042310946033797_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6SxyDRVQIa4WLCQ6ptXH7UKFKaHEoirEypwGQkzaj_URjVbNmWZB87e3ssJ9rIh1N5iDfuHqT0YMu38VdcQIBZeAnJWqoTxQ7I5fn5veWlPH5JoK9Ood-K6drb4-KLGMDU01rZEi9yhOLaxSbjwMf86ggErAn3WS-B3s8BW7qwG_ZWALJrcEJcvfOpVM/w400-h400/371461884_300232162685723_5841042310946033797_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>We did a local hike about a week before heading out to Carnavon. I took a (purple) fashion backpack and my purple insulated drinking bottle. It's fair to say neither was up to the task! <div><br /></div><div><i>I love the drink bottle but did not love taking my backpack off multiples times to access said bottle. Of course, 600ml was nowhere near enough water for the day's hike. </i></div><div><i><br /></i><div>The day after that local hike, we took advantage of an Anaconda sale to purchase two day packs - and a two litre hydration bladder for me. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have some back issues, so am mindful of how much weight I carry - and chose a small pack. Nick opted for a pack with greater capacity, cos he carried a lot of food etc during our Carnavon walks.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>We've used our packs a few times since April, when walking closer to home. I folded a Daiso light insulated bag around my hydration bladder, while I pondered a better option. </div><div><br /></div><div>Earlier this week, we did a local-ish walk. The drinking tube was very handy, though I wasn't so keen on the warm water mouthfuls. </div><div><br /></div><div>After Googling and YouTube research last night, I got up this morning and sewed an insulated cover for the tube as well as an insulated bag to fit properly around the hydration bladder (which then sits inside an inner pocket of my pack).</div><div><br /></div><div>I made Erin an insulated lunch at the beginning of the year. I found two offcuts from that project, which were ideal for the drinking tube cover. (The whole tube didn't require covering as some of it will be inside the insulated bladder cover). My next task was to create a simple bag for the bladder. That made up very quickly also. I just lightly quilted two fabric pieces to insulated batting, trimmed those to size, overlocked all the raw edges - then sewed the two pieces together. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ta-dah! I'm looking forward to some field testing of my good work!</div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-89708661522635834682023-06-09T22:33:00.029+10:002023-06-14T23:07:16.092+10:00Makin' the bed!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8WCWhCq-D68H_OMlml6W848FCRqK15r4NKjlLb98hHgP_RvCsFBxku76V08HVEht-Cyv7ahds1zwVNJ3uYIJG2L2WXbYfdiQgRxuISBqbHl8cm-9kTu8SoAuT2wySQYYV6QEPkc3COIBp6DyEIukt3Dcii7Ln8iOzkGAVYqezugW3FpQ2HgpVNnKH-Q/s2048/349831591_140725955685243_857772267331207620_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8WCWhCq-D68H_OMlml6W848FCRqK15r4NKjlLb98hHgP_RvCsFBxku76V08HVEht-Cyv7ahds1zwVNJ3uYIJG2L2WXbYfdiQgRxuISBqbHl8cm-9kTu8SoAuT2wySQYYV6QEPkc3COIBp6DyEIukt3Dcii7Ln8iOzkGAVYqezugW3FpQ2HgpVNnKH-Q/w400-h400/349831591_140725955685243_857772267331207620_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKl96KCgQkQr1ScJn4MQQ_ew2uMtZ75akh-f4Xa2CBGF96qwaAZJ7gPwMOX2-n6AxlsPauLNClRtckXYhy5TNR9GrhnEspGpC23-7GIwMzWsUgV1zLbyapOl5G7KNZGiHpv0Bq1-8S65PD11-TzE9ZGHq24Hvq-sqx96DmodxIObDX_vcyf2hYIMQUA/s2048/348925871_5743905969046427_5022083634472909787_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKl96KCgQkQr1ScJn4MQQ_ew2uMtZ75akh-f4Xa2CBGF96qwaAZJ7gPwMOX2-n6AxlsPauLNClRtckXYhy5TNR9GrhnEspGpC23-7GIwMzWsUgV1zLbyapOl5G7KNZGiHpv0Bq1-8S65PD11-TzE9ZGHq24Hvq-sqx96DmodxIObDX_vcyf2hYIMQUA/w400-h400/348925871_5743905969046427_5022083634472909787_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>One of the major benefits of the Cub Spacevan - is the space! As well as the large floor area, the higher walls allow for an innerspring mattress.<div><br /></div><div>Our offer for the local Spacevan was accepted as we were heading to my usual chiro treatment (so you can see the appeal of a proper mattress). </div><div><br /></div><div>We visited a Makin Mattresses showroom later the same day. Their Matilda range is specifically intended for RV use. </div><div><br /></div><div>The height of the Spacevan meant we could choose the most comfortable, deluxe option. </div><div><br /></div><div>After taking careful measurements, we placed our order the following Monday.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our custom mattress was ready for collection on Friday of the same week, much earlier than advised or expected! I'd ordered a canvas cover and that arrived the same morning, so everything clicked into place nicely!</div><div><br /></div><div>We set the bed up as we had done with our previous mattresses, in the <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2020/08/bedding-upgrade-backyard-camping.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">D9 camper</a> and 2006 Spacevan, using some irrigation matting to provide ventilation. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>The canvas mattress cover will keep our bed and bedding dry/clean - as the canvas walls and roof pack down into the camper/onto the bed when travelling. If we have a particularly cold night, we can pull the canvas cover over our other bedding, for an extra layer of warmth - like a swag.</i></div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-28076284129923244942023-06-09T21:43:00.002+10:002023-06-14T22:25:22.314+10:00Setting up the exterior ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHC9no-E7X-ddrpm_rQKCPR0KuQ290Prr0W8pj4cnaESOqJFllOjNP1cCiOdO46YIvWnBECLYJBhADUVm5R90gZ7mPY6WgSnBKDPIef5mYCzoijeilGAWK4EAZeGZ80HD_y-3LijjatxBDQo7pgt94QqVHW8H3B0gnR2gfhen1piEubIqGNjbgMZ9NQ/s2048/353341932_998889438223009_6536458940416332171_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHC9no-E7X-ddrpm_rQKCPR0KuQ290Prr0W8pj4cnaESOqJFllOjNP1cCiOdO46YIvWnBECLYJBhADUVm5R90gZ7mPY6WgSnBKDPIef5mYCzoijeilGAWK4EAZeGZ80HD_y-3LijjatxBDQo7pgt94QqVHW8H3B0gnR2gfhen1piEubIqGNjbgMZ9NQ/w400-h400/353341932_998889438223009_6536458940416332171_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzcLeU7MxmeBGHTGj4UVqW-J_lYu15kcYuIVArY93wugsdyaqTcgd7IcdhFJzIc59WYqvcIl1cwNm3MJ9w51oirK6ShXdWAK4UpLUP8cYNf9Qimx9DNrBemFOJ90TV-GnOWL1F49eoaXDoizKlHol4uDuxfkkEgnzOW39qZHj20-68my4XfTOWfrvVw/s2048/352990449_269205772450682_958649814322046942_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzcLeU7MxmeBGHTGj4UVqW-J_lYu15kcYuIVArY93wugsdyaqTcgd7IcdhFJzIc59WYqvcIl1cwNm3MJ9w51oirK6ShXdWAK4UpLUP8cYNf9Qimx9DNrBemFOJ90TV-GnOWL1F49eoaXDoizKlHol4uDuxfkkEgnzOW39qZHj20-68my4XfTOWfrvVw/w400-h400/352990449_269205772450682_958649814322046942_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_0YEnbhQSpsDwUIqnlkzEiGv5zsr39eyqHZMah5tKV3oSVPLzYUdoY7pnjXXoIECi3xVTB0RjOY7v9lrMb8Iai22mjO76_3lvfFfgPgS5qXKajl8GpjUrkhbLjekMhAnyqmcnAEDjxtWL8VcYSXOsXkckrv0eW1k0OulOboCJdMH_ZNUFmcSc5m-zw/s2048/348387373_269684435610771_2210380456353012193_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_0YEnbhQSpsDwUIqnlkzEiGv5zsr39eyqHZMah5tKV3oSVPLzYUdoY7pnjXXoIECi3xVTB0RjOY7v9lrMb8Iai22mjO76_3lvfFfgPgS5qXKajl8GpjUrkhbLjekMhAnyqmcnAEDjxtWL8VcYSXOsXkckrv0eW1k0OulOboCJdMH_ZNUFmcSc5m-zw/w400-h400/348387373_269684435610771_2210380456353012193_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVmHPROQLltzDaZ6F8fbaJL0f8F4pJseQ-7QrbO-3ujnLJmsOfMMSWBfQRZpjmviBdJ2F_ED0bJmhkS6NYv0D5PBWzVlCtnzNvZTnUcTo8R1a76K5QsZisDu92poD8ayK6Aw8UqwvDj4losP5DS2c6pphMgrZUQJyMycM4265KUZsUyX-bPJKF98vVzQ/s2048/352897128_934841707737565_7592049502621098557_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVmHPROQLltzDaZ6F8fbaJL0f8F4pJseQ-7QrbO-3ujnLJmsOfMMSWBfQRZpjmviBdJ2F_ED0bJmhkS6NYv0D5PBWzVlCtnzNvZTnUcTo8R1a76K5QsZisDu92poD8ayK6Aw8UqwvDj4losP5DS2c6pphMgrZUQJyMycM4265KUZsUyX-bPJKF98vVzQ/w400-h400/352897128_934841707737565_7592049502621098557_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>Our first Spacevan had an interior kitchen, with an exterior BBQ and slide-out pantry. <div><br /></div><div>After our first trip in that Spacevan, we worked on <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2021/10/organising-for-more-adventures.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">better organisation</a> of the pantry drawer (along with other missions).<div><br /></div><div>The plastic baskets fit the new Spacevan, though I've filled one with our plates etc rather than the plastic containers. </div><div><br /></div><div>One of the many ads I viewed showed an exterior kitchen with expandable cutlery drawer - so I bought a similar one from Kmart to try. It may be that I can fit another shallow container on top for a few longer utensils but I'm happy with the plan so far.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kmart also had a "magnetic laundry station". It fits quite well beside the window and I'm hoping it can hold a few essentials to free the limited bench area. (It won't travel on the side of the van, just be put up when we're on-site).</div><div><br /></div><div>I've joined a Cub Camper specific FB group, where the members share their various mods. A few had DIYed an exterior side shelf, rather than buy the Cub version. We also decided on a cheaper solution, using some supplies from Bunnings.</div><div><br /></div><div>At this stage, we've only tried our improvements in the backyard. We're hoping to have a night away soon for some proper testing!</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Our 2006 Spacevan was an early model. The 2015 design has sliding windows. It also has bungee loops to clip the canvas into place, rather than press studs (as used previously).</i></div></div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-87596984373421404052023-06-02T20:34:00.123+10:002023-06-14T21:34:19.925+10:00Spacevan celebrations ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh65Fx6EebQlWGJy_Rxpy5mfvSAlnR2-WCghhjbeDQfIwQ8dR_p-8-Aao0W8Q6gERoSa2avcLDTW0HZpTwlgTynmzS4XevCrPsYuJIyxEHJ8TJJUAkHTzTvjeQoBE7S3v9yMsOCmmlNH4nXGetd_jFFhlswVto3lUdjl2MC3VuvZz0udmx2M3IlPMaOkg/s1800/Spacevan%20Celebrations.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh65Fx6EebQlWGJy_Rxpy5mfvSAlnR2-WCghhjbeDQfIwQ8dR_p-8-Aao0W8Q6gERoSa2avcLDTW0HZpTwlgTynmzS4XevCrPsYuJIyxEHJ8TJJUAkHTzTvjeQoBE7S3v9yMsOCmmlNH4nXGetd_jFFhlswVto3lUdjl2MC3VuvZz0udmx2M3IlPMaOkg/w400-h400/Spacevan%20Celebrations.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1jCyM4r0uA4oTcXVSKoEHZeeheBG4B8h3ZitAgA1v_9Jo4qqc4_SlrPPVmTfJY9yLmXCfrHaTPYO3n4qQgjWTrsVQ9G3y6IycJTNtc1ITQ0utu6YQyxzfrdE_isZCbh8dx88oT8KPra5trloxw4R-1FraG4GNZwgKgKkm7a2TzoXGgFFHP4o-Pmkog/s2048/353384147_919452439337038_5224258827073720698_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1jCyM4r0uA4oTcXVSKoEHZeeheBG4B8h3ZitAgA1v_9Jo4qqc4_SlrPPVmTfJY9yLmXCfrHaTPYO3n4qQgjWTrsVQ9G3y6IycJTNtc1ITQ0utu6YQyxzfrdE_isZCbh8dx88oT8KPra5trloxw4R-1FraG4GNZwgKgKkm7a2TzoXGgFFHP4o-Pmkog/w400-h400/353384147_919452439337038_5224258827073720698_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>While our insurance claim was being processed, we both looked at many camper trailer ads - on FB marketplace, Gumtree and some RV specific sales sites. There were lots of listings. Too many choices. <div><br /></div><div>As we talked though, we realised we would be very happy to buy another Spacevan and that realisation helped our search.</div><div><br /></div><div>There were quite a few Spacevans advertised. Most were interstate but we spotted a local one, quite close to home. We looked at it just before our Bundaberg trip. At that stage the insurance claim was still processing - and we weren't sure we liked the layout.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our original 2006 Spacevan had an internal kitchen. While we hadn't expected to like that setup, we came to appreciate the convenience - particularly in cold weather! The local Spacevan was a younger model and had many good points, including better overall design. It was in very good condition and we liked the seller (cos it's nicer to deal with nice people).</div><div><br /></div><div>There were a few negatives. The main issue was the external slide-out kitchen, without any inside option for cooking. The original interior had included bunks, which reduced space for other built-in storage. The top bunk had been removed, leaving an odd bench that wasn't much use to us. Due to the bunks, the main bed ran across the van, which we knew would be awkward (having had that set-up during our 18 months of caravan living). Yep, there was a lot to think about!</div><div><br /></div><div>After much discussion we decided the pros outweighed the cons, so Nick made the seller an offer and we soon became the new owers of a 2015 Cub Spacevan! We celebrated at a local cafe and then again at home the next day, with scones made in the house oven and a kettle boiled on the Spacevan's exterior gas burner!</div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-13860141277701884332023-05-27T15:36:00.002+10:002023-05-27T22:18:48.289+10:00Spacevan Send-off ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCykZxURLH8lagVUvWF-R9Aaq4y2s7MkvoYWEKhu2UF76wsQLZpUsL3gYqQiQbxk6BPFK20I6-9sbVC7NlDxVKwQpkwQMTD4qmJ2oQRiG9kdTRulZOje-9HAYXQO_npfZRGyPyaEpp25FuCff9lqsdfY9gPEpc-u6hBPw_SrjE6Y-ielF8GkKHK-Llw/s1800/Spacevan%20Collage.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCykZxURLH8lagVUvWF-R9Aaq4y2s7MkvoYWEKhu2UF76wsQLZpUsL3gYqQiQbxk6BPFK20I6-9sbVC7NlDxVKwQpkwQMTD4qmJ2oQRiG9kdTRulZOje-9HAYXQO_npfZRGyPyaEpp25FuCff9lqsdfY9gPEpc-u6hBPw_SrjE6Y-ielF8GkKHK-Llw/w400-h400/Spacevan%20Collage.jpg" width="400" /></a>While at Chinchilla, we organised the Spacevan's insurance assessment - for a midday appointment on the Gold Coast, the day after we returned home. <div><br /></div><div><div>The assessor indicated our van would be written off - which was an outcome we'd vaguely considered but even so, it wasn't quite the advice we were expecting! </div><div><br /></div><div>We provided all relevant information to streamline the claim's progress. While checking out of Bundaberg we received confirmation of the write-off. The tow company was in contact later that week and collection organised for yesterday - with payment made soon after (four weeks after the assessment).</div></div><div><br /></div><div>As you can imagine, there's been a lot of discussion over the past month. We were already planning a vehicle upgrade, which impacts on the weight of anything being towed. We're still thinking at this stage. There are so many options available!</div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-54149917530965449242023-05-19T18:54:00.002+10:002023-05-19T19:14:19.187+10:00Prepping provisions ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8z207u5aRvNsE_7Eh4IrJImKf1rzC0VFx4WYv1gydSmudxaWrisKy3NsmlhIBLSRMXRJ-VRBi8CV5CMcb6CCd7oQSnoHJEGaXxRitC1KQ61R14Wl4zII2YooSYzk-atjU4yUGIV2fwh1oioVFnP3GxgX5yxwFboYr74cLnq9LdhL8l0ADqi0lHAXoA/s2048/348357691_266637809162856_5060109563725375084_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8z207u5aRvNsE_7Eh4IrJImKf1rzC0VFx4WYv1gydSmudxaWrisKy3NsmlhIBLSRMXRJ-VRBi8CV5CMcb6CCd7oQSnoHJEGaXxRitC1KQ61R14Wl4zII2YooSYzk-atjU4yUGIV2fwh1oioVFnP3GxgX5yxwFboYr74cLnq9LdhL8l0ADqi0lHAXoA/w400-h400/348357691_266637809162856_5060109563725375084_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXI3ZhRRLk-LYSTkSgvgHSGWWyc4EDAEZQ2OdGPZ89GBmZ7OCpevqHpqURjMyEhLcj1rBw8oRdDm0Aglg2081QdNpybtbcPJzme8tkkDL6FJMpbUEiiQmvyZaFuxqkXFgs7yRsvgDiL9q1wp0Mom6eLsk-INnlvbi5vyoY6-nfdLAyS95Dtbd9NouLng/s2048/348354680_2546860788953967_5974200284386382322_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXI3ZhRRLk-LYSTkSgvgHSGWWyc4EDAEZQ2OdGPZ89GBmZ7OCpevqHpqURjMyEhLcj1rBw8oRdDm0Aglg2081QdNpybtbcPJzme8tkkDL6FJMpbUEiiQmvyZaFuxqkXFgs7yRsvgDiL9q1wp0Mom6eLsk-INnlvbi5vyoY6-nfdLAyS95Dtbd9NouLng/w400-h400/348354680_2546860788953967_5974200284386382322_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttdANnh1obnh4HGJSpusu_CSU0KvSugLN36WFyBTW0JfIKbkE9fCILso8jzBpEkPBiq5N76otRC0JhHP6DLl3K53ah3Zhdlcnn5QYdzgPHGObSwxmPKeOkKSKYfqF0vq2eMER28EadCHwNfvqfSY2lbNb0FVGQj1V5-91STjzAqpRgSHiUHucMdK62Q/s2048/348356331_1463206891094347_6904216289944484291_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttdANnh1obnh4HGJSpusu_CSU0KvSugLN36WFyBTW0JfIKbkE9fCILso8jzBpEkPBiq5N76otRC0JhHP6DLl3K53ah3Zhdlcnn5QYdzgPHGObSwxmPKeOkKSKYfqF0vq2eMER28EadCHwNfvqfSY2lbNb0FVGQj1V5-91STjzAqpRgSHiUHucMdK62Q/w400-h400/348356331_1463206891094347_6904216289944484291_n.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2023/04/provisioning.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Our Carnavon trip was provisioned the day before leaving</a>, while Nick and I stood in Coles! <div><br /></div><div>I was able to do most prepping for Bundaberg before leaving home. There was a microwave in the cabin kitchen, so I pre-cooked some meals and froze them for defrosting / reheating on site.</div><div><br /></div><div>There was no Engel fridge or freezer this trip. All the frozen food was packed into a large esky. We used a smaller cooler for fridge items. </div><div><br /></div><div>We ate well - but we always do! I had sliced cold sausages in bread rolls and packed them into a container for an easy lunch. They defrosted well for our Childers picnic on Tuesday. I also made fruit-cake, from the remaining fruit (soaked for last Christmas).</div><div><br /></div><div>My little teapot and our owl mugs came with us - along with a basket that held our preferred tea, coffee and basic spreads. There were chips and a small bag of nuts. </div><div><br /></div><div>We bought a few vegies and some fruit from a farm-direct shop near our cabin accommodation. </div><div><br /></div><div>On Tuesday night I did the vegies in the cabin microwave. I prepared the packet pasta side-dish in a saucepan, on the small stove. Nick BBQ-ed the steak and we enjoyed our combined cheffing efforts on the cabin verandah, listening to the waves and watching the stars. And yes, there was some lovely red wine - purchased at the <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2022/02/adelaide-awesome.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Adelaide wine centre last year</a>!</div><div><br /></div><div>I'd made frittata at home from leftover roast vegies. The quarters were packed and frozen. We had a piece each with toast on Wednesday morning. It reheated fairly well in the microwave (with paper towel underneath and on top of the slices). We went into Bundaberg after breakfast but returned to the cabin for lunch, so had wraps with meatloaf (more frozen leftovers) and salad. </div><div><br /></div><div>Dinner that night was fudged around the concert. I had some frittata as a very early dinner - and then we both had pumpkin soup quite late in the night, when we returned to the cabin. (The pumpkin soup was made at home and frozen). </div><div><br /></div><div>I also made lemon butter at home and brought a small jar with us, along with some maple syrup. It was easy to reheat our flash-frozen pikelets for Thursday's finale breakfast, enjoyed on our cabin verandah with a view of the ocean. </div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-22564682046532510592023-05-19T18:09:00.001+10:002023-05-19T19:14:07.089+10:00Bundaberg-ing!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbvKIVp2jc41OV29jaXcd1A-aOt1Orz_BDQeKTE5Up6OUEkNPvPWjRvaY3K5OMG_PbhsKCYOGMy8JJfyzOSOTJviP0RMoP9h9iE2Yli2Nc1O5yrfTw62i_58AYo2nQ2LXbt5R-UVJxzMjd7ovfyt6w2XcS-7-uhT8j8sfkFBRW_PhALt2rLqfO_1FXA/s4401/Bundaberg%20Collage%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3135" data-original-width="4401" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbvKIVp2jc41OV29jaXcd1A-aOt1Orz_BDQeKTE5Up6OUEkNPvPWjRvaY3K5OMG_PbhsKCYOGMy8JJfyzOSOTJviP0RMoP9h9iE2Yli2Nc1O5yrfTw62i_58AYo2nQ2LXbt5R-UVJxzMjd7ovfyt6w2XcS-7-uhT8j8sfkFBRW_PhALt2rLqfO_1FXA/w400-h285/Bundaberg%20Collage%202.jpg" width="400" /></a><i>Our Bundaberg road-trip was booked back in January - timed because we bought (front row) tickets for the Tommy Emmanuel concert! </i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>(There were venues a lot closer to home but we would've been much further from the stage).</i><div><br /></div><div>We booked two nights at a caravan park cabin and drove up in the fuel-efficient red car. (That was always the plan, even before the spacevan's unfortunate incident).<br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>The main focus of the trip was to attend the concert, so there wasn't a great deal of time for sight-seeing. We drove to Hervey Bay on Monday afternoon and stayed with Di that night - then drove the rest of the way on Tuesday. We stopped for lunch and a walk at Childers and checked into our cabin later in the afternoon. </div><div><br /></div><div>We saw some of Bundaberg on Wednesday - the free zoo was very well presented and we had a wander down to the Burnett River afterward, where there were welcome swallows and an egret (keen to steal bait fish from the local fishermen). There was time for a stroll around the main part of Bundaberg before returning to our cabin and readying ourselves for the fantastic evening concert. </div><div><br /></div><div>After checking out on Thursday morning, we drove along the coast to see some of the little townships before returning to the highway and then heading down to Hervey Bay for more time with Di. We left her in the early evening and arrived home around 9:00pm that night. It was a quick trip but we thoroughly enjoyed it!</div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-17929179236752159362023-04-28T09:00:00.020+10:002023-05-19T19:13:43.746+10:00Provisioning ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhKMc3kzJNVcs61lRRv7-xXs1kHdV0Qbv5Fda5RJioGcbKMTx5MsJATTfBfV431d3Ch7OO56z2mEB4733uDfSz-JfJG5nwBQuqZ9ojNNKM6PSLks-4rcvhH0PwcqDHS5Fj4cJAl8bMfD78-S9jR-TNj7E7oKAWsQ051nZEHhXl4B-J2bdj2boUEp4jw/s4401/Provisions%20Collage.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3135" data-original-width="4401" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhKMc3kzJNVcs61lRRv7-xXs1kHdV0Qbv5Fda5RJioGcbKMTx5MsJATTfBfV431d3Ch7OO56z2mEB4733uDfSz-JfJG5nwBQuqZ9ojNNKM6PSLks-4rcvhH0PwcqDHS5Fj4cJAl8bMfD78-S9jR-TNj7E7oKAWsQ051nZEHhXl4B-J2bdj2boUEp4jw/w400-h285/Provisions%20Collage.jpg" width="400" /></a>We planned to be at Carnarvon for six nights. The closest towns were either Rolleston (103km) or Injune (153km). (Both had small grocery shops). <div><br /></div><div>There was a convenience kiosk at our caravan park but we didn't want to depend on it for meal provisions, so did a large shop at home on Saturday (the day before departure). What did we buy? I hadn't prepared a proper meal plan but jotted down the days we would be away and where we would be each night (to judge energy levels for cheffing). </div><div><br /></div><div>Our initial thought was to take one Engel only, running as a fridge - so I picked three of the vacuumed packed Coles One Pot meals. There was also butterflied pork shoulder, a pack of lamb steaks and a pack of marinated pork steaks. All pre-packed options had long expiry dates.<div><div><div><br /></div><div><i>We actually took both Engels, so the meat packs were frozen. We also froze some bacon, pulled pork and chicken (for wraps/sandwiches), as well as a loaf of bread. Nick froze some bottles of water, to help the effectiveness of the freezer. It would have made sense to freeze some milk and I'm sure we'll do that another time, now we've been reminded of how horrid UHT skim milk tastes!</i></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Once the meat portions were in the trolley, the other main meal ingredients were fairly easy to select. We also took packet pasta cabonara, plain pasta and rice. There were wraps, peanut butter and vegemite, juice boxes and small fruit packs along with various snacks to have when walking. There was a carton of UHT custard and two small cartons of UHT cream. (Cheese and antipasto were chosen for a celebratory platter at the end of all our walking). </div><div><br /></div><div>Flour, six eggs and a few other basics were packed from home, including frozen corn. We picked up extra groceries at Roma - bottled water, a pre-mix salad pack, a few vegies, some mushrooms and a small bottle of red wine (for the beef bourginon). I think there was a packet of chips and another block of chocolate. </div><div><br /></div><div>I made creamy bacon and mushroom pasta for our first night. There was some leftover, which was used as a side dish the second night - with lamb steaks and salad. We had beef bourguignon the third night, when the mushrooms were good. Beef madras may have been after that. I know we had Mexican beef at the end of our 24km/12-hour hike cos Nick put that one together! I BBQ-ed the marinated pork on our second-last night and we had a cheese platter finale to round off our Carnavon week. </div><div><br /></div><div>There was another round of creamy bacon pasta at Mitchell (made with UHT cream), though sundried tomatoes were substituted for mushrooms. We had the pork steak on our first Chinchilla night. The second night was BBQed chops purchased from the local butcher, served with potatoes done over the coals and some simple coleslaw.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The one pot meals had good flavour and only needed an onion, a tin of tomatoes and one or two other extras. We liked them but thought we could choose better quality meat in a DIY version.</i></div></div></div></div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-57544738364089777742023-04-27T21:00:00.002+10:002023-05-08T10:42:52.560+10:00Chinchilla-ing!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX6reTWxAZ0O4Mpc5XCw2vO2JOWREwRXSKWkFEBbA-_LgHsBgCxU1ILiAGX1DDRgCbqY2vkHg-wNA3Z0VAumlAJne5azXeRFsBNR6MqGsvqlJAZd509vFiw4G1gBvkhnQAROxefO8maB-nDA9XPr6_H0-raa_U9lSQC5jcrVbqz09VACPc1PGGRLNkUA/s1800/Collage%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX6reTWxAZ0O4Mpc5XCw2vO2JOWREwRXSKWkFEBbA-_LgHsBgCxU1ILiAGX1DDRgCbqY2vkHg-wNA3Z0VAumlAJne5azXeRFsBNR6MqGsvqlJAZd509vFiw4G1gBvkhnQAROxefO8maB-nDA9XPr6_H0-raa_U9lSQC5jcrVbqz09VACPc1PGGRLNkUA/w400-h400/Collage%201.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoaDZQJ9mwTEwE3HghG7DfKuOElsjaYfLYOhn7XO_8Z974VZcz3OjqUfDJeJMCUqqFExg1r870NcBophjeO7qVa4R3hv4M22eqIWu-Gk6fSp5tI8dq5VmeLO7C6oixU1BCPNoFbATaw22lfFSYODg_ldF9uUkdTvX45KD_YDsyyZqv9nivN2f6_OnC2Q/s1800/Collage%203.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoaDZQJ9mwTEwE3HghG7DfKuOElsjaYfLYOhn7XO_8Z974VZcz3OjqUfDJeJMCUqqFExg1r870NcBophjeO7qVa4R3hv4M22eqIWu-Gk6fSp5tI8dq5VmeLO7C6oixU1BCPNoFbATaw22lfFSYODg_ldF9uUkdTvX45KD_YDsyyZqv9nivN2f6_OnC2Q/w400-h400/Collage%203.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg77OxRT-ET77tIM40zlVF4kBkRg1IinE_Z66szgJ72NHvdbEETMX9zxezR9nJno7nkVnzvCGPpZ736Qw-B-Cf_KyqYAWbSwD_ce1-HROVdbg0fzlkjeODQ7tnvgZ30QKLDQxddme8B0sdqczsI1C8Nlaa5MYOEir3E34w5FOJN66SHeOo2MKKQmuLPpg/s1800/Collage%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg77OxRT-ET77tIM40zlVF4kBkRg1IinE_Z66szgJ72NHvdbEETMX9zxezR9nJno7nkVnzvCGPpZ736Qw-B-Cf_KyqYAWbSwD_ce1-HROVdbg0fzlkjeODQ7tnvgZ30QKLDQxddme8B0sdqczsI1C8Nlaa5MYOEir3E34w5FOJN66SHeOo2MKKQmuLPpg/w400-h400/Collage%202.jpg" width="400" /></a>We left Mitchell at 10:00am on ANZAC Day. Although we'd been advised the baths would open at 12:00, we decided we'd enjoy them on another visit - so headed back to Roma (where many memorial bottle trees had ANZAC wreaths).<div><br /></div><div>There was no need to re-fuel, so we made our way toward home. We'd thought of staying overnight at Dalby but stopped at Chinchilla. </div><div><br /></div><div>Although we had stayed at <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2018/10/chillin-out-at-chinchilla.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chinchilla Weir</a> on another occasion, it was easier to have a powered site for the Spacevan, so we chose Charleys Creek Campgrounds.</div><div><br /></div><div>As much as we'd loved Carnavon Gorge, we hadn't been so keen on the busy-ness of our caravan park there - so really appreciated some space around us and being right beside the creek. </div><div><br /></div><div>The caretaker suggested we buy a bag of firewood and have a fire, which was a splendid idea! </div><div><br /></div><div>Charleys Creek was lovely and we stayed another night - so had two fires! </div><div><br /></div><div><div><i>We rang the insurer to arrange a claim assessment - for the day after we returned home. </i></div></div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-53394297104845772662023-04-24T17:00:00.007+10:002023-05-08T10:43:07.241+10:00Bump on the road ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjHKlG0hb4brIQNz65ZEJmPvdyUmyEgz_MsPm6tMfPgKUIcP-A8aZ7OrOwqvJEmiP6-MwWuMzjg9Q9tWid3fsg_1SOJBs9S8sZMdfnzZOGRh1obNwYQkt8E4hoXngTgKAcXSUsJUlYRQUZ4OZciSZZNoUr3Bh-8VoRe2fr0lEEwhjA9GDrSBBmimeJw/s1800/Collage%201.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjHKlG0hb4brIQNz65ZEJmPvdyUmyEgz_MsPm6tMfPgKUIcP-A8aZ7OrOwqvJEmiP6-MwWuMzjg9Q9tWid3fsg_1SOJBs9S8sZMdfnzZOGRh1obNwYQkt8E4hoXngTgKAcXSUsJUlYRQUZ4OZciSZZNoUr3Bh-8VoRe2fr0lEEwhjA9GDrSBBmimeJw/w400-h400/Collage%201.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6FZhCBnms_gRXm43U_Q4xygWmlkRIkANFASnZflyHvch3CG1zM0nYqGZ7KsLttq2d9I7yX1fWq6cEYBp71WE4-sYrSahr-RKOha2279msgByu4E9HnwMscr3KDS2WescguHOu9k8k6lBeZ-xtOTuy4fD4EnNmswn5gAxVTUX47XJpI6xPILppuc_7w/s1800/Collage%202.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6FZhCBnms_gRXm43U_Q4xygWmlkRIkANFASnZflyHvch3CG1zM0nYqGZ7KsLttq2d9I7yX1fWq6cEYBp71WE4-sYrSahr-RKOha2279msgByu4E9HnwMscr3KDS2WescguHOu9k8k6lBeZ-xtOTuy4fD4EnNmswn5gAxVTUX47XJpI6xPILppuc_7w/w400-h400/Collage%202.jpg" width="400" /></a>Our Carnarvon pack-up was smooth and we started heading back to Roma. There was no real plan. We had lunch at Injune, at the <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2020/10/pick-nick-stop.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">same picnic spot</a> we'd visited in 2020. (I had Nick shake hands again with the miner)!<div><br /></div><div>A little further along was Gunnewin, so we stopped to have a look around there. We re-fuelled at Roma but weren't ready to return home at that point, so decided we'd go to Mitchell - and soak in the mineral baths after all our walking.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'd not long booked a site at Mitchell when the plan hit a huge bump. As did we. </div><div><br /></div><div>Nick pulled over when it was safe. By then we thought the trailer might have a flat tyre but once stopped Nick could see the issue. Sadly the Spacevan's spare tyre had worked free of it's drawbar mounting and then dropped onto the road. The bump we felt and heard was trailer running over the tyre. We were both quite shocked to see the side panel damage. We circled back to look for the tyre but couldn't spot it in the long grass along the roadside - and weren't really sure where it had dropped onto the road. We stopped again, so I could rescue a tortoise - and then we headed to Mitchell.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Once checked in and set up (on the same site as our<a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2021/09/roughin-it.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> first trip in the Spacevan</a>), I used the free wifi near reception to lodge an insurance claim via the app. Neither of us felt like soaking in the mineral baths and we had a fairly early night.</i></div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95942018310627465.post-23532208825719730782023-04-23T22:46:00.004+10:002023-05-05T00:23:41.549+10:00Gorge-ing ourselves at Carnavon!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxO7Qv7pVTsKCVJoZ8OXcmFmuZ5SR77QJb7Z64YLE2iIJ3-pRqZOtu4Xx7Q8PpGE2kslGMFOF8u1iaP6aE6rnoEvBz29mTORPNLTD9zFo3jjSUlrmZKWYb9v5TfvGpKnJhLfJZXHZrHD_BJC4iymhn2QRTPVe30RfZm6Op5XSEux6erxM9VW9-jM8DJA/s4401/Collage.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3135" data-original-width="4401" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxO7Qv7pVTsKCVJoZ8OXcmFmuZ5SR77QJb7Z64YLE2iIJ3-pRqZOtu4Xx7Q8PpGE2kslGMFOF8u1iaP6aE6rnoEvBz29mTORPNLTD9zFo3jjSUlrmZKWYb9v5TfvGpKnJhLfJZXHZrHD_BJC4iymhn2QRTPVe30RfZm6Op5XSEux6erxM9VW9-jM8DJA/w400-h285/Collage.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNioYzR0F8IbBvEg426RwCN7YQCci6TfeK7q1qd3u-Kmb-lyFF_CQ2EjzMmNM99Q5oDt9gd-eLQIGSeOcngkLNsNLf9-KcbxNplq5QVptmIJvxDcn59My2546uDAQjXkEzlb-rI9TaFLY8QrI9hIGLj05uxjtv-WS-htAh517-YyuZF0171beKiKO2g/s4401/Collage.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3135" data-original-width="4401" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNioYzR0F8IbBvEg426RwCN7YQCci6TfeK7q1qd3u-Kmb-lyFF_CQ2EjzMmNM99Q5oDt9gd-eLQIGSeOcngkLNsNLf9-KcbxNplq5QVptmIJvxDcn59My2546uDAQjXkEzlb-rI9TaFLY8QrI9hIGLj05uxjtv-WS-htAh517-YyuZF0171beKiKO2g/w400-h285/Collage.jpg" width="400" /></a>Carnarvon Gorge had been on our agenda for a few years. We almost got there in 2020 but there were no sites or other suitable accommodation available, so we set off on our <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2020/10/wing-it-wanderings.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wing-it Wanderings road-trip</a> instead. <div><br /></div><div><i>(While <a href="https://happyhambycampers.blogspot.com/2020/10/lonesome-lookout.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">staying at Rolleston</a> during that trip, we chatted with other travellers who had just been into the Gorge. They spoke of the many mice they'd encountered - due to a mouse plague at the time - and we felt better about "missing out")!</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>There were other false starts but everything finally aligned for visiting in April. Nick had leave approved and we booked several months ahead. (Our initial booking was for six nights but we were able to extend an additional night once there).</div><div><br /></div><div>We bought hiking boots as our anniversary gifts in January and started to break them in soon after. (I was also getting used to new orthotics). I actually started the year very well, increasing my walking to 30 and 35 kilometres for the first two weeks in January. And then I got Covid, followed by some other issues - which set my physical activity back considerably. Nick had hurt himself when packing (possibly cracked a rib), so neither of us were in prime condition. Given how long it had taken to get leave etc lined up though, we decided to just go and do our best.</div><div><br /></div><div>Plenty of bloggers have written about Carnarvon and there is a lot of YouTube content also. Although we read tips and watched some footage before arrival, it was still awesome to experience such stunning country first-hand. I took many, many photos while there. We managed to walk 70km over the course of our week-long stay, saw everything we wanted to see and even made it all the way out to Big Bend, Cathedral Cave and Boowinda Gorge in one huge 24km/12-hour day! </div><div><br /></div><div>When viewing the caravan park's intro video and reading various descriptions of the walks, we felt a bit daunted by all the numbers. After studying the rated walks, we decided to get up super-early and view sunrise from Boolimba Bluff. It was one of the level 4 walks and once we'd finished that one (the first hour in darkness, with just the light of our headlamps), we were more confident about doing others. We had done a level 5 hike close to home the week before heading out to Carnarvon and that experience was good to compare to the sunrise Bluff walk. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>A few days after our level 5 hike, we bought much better backpacks from Anaconda, in preparation for Carnarvon. I also bought a water bladder to use instead of a drink bottle, which was a great choice. Nick found my hiking pole when packing and that was so very handy for all the creek crossings we did.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Some people didn't stay long at the caravan park and tried to do all the walks in one or two days. We took a far more leisurely approach and spent time at each of the sites once we reached them, to fully appreciate all there was to see. Nick went up to the office the day after our 24km stint and was able to extend our booking, which meant we could have a rest day before our Moss Gardens and Amphitheatre finale. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is how our week panned out. We were very chuffed with our efforts - and how wonderfully everything fell into place.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Day 1 ( 3.0km) - Arrive late afternoon</i></div><div><i>Day 2 ( 6.5km) - Visitor Centre Nature Walk and Mickey Creek</i></div><div><i>Day 3 (10.5km) - Boolimba Bluff and Rock Pools</i></div><div><i>Day 4 (13.5km) - Art Gallery and Ward's Canyon</i></div><div><i>Day 5 (24.0km) - Big Bend, Boowinda Gorge and Cathedral Cave</i></div><div><i>Day 6 ( 4.5km) - Warrumba Creek Gorge (Mickey Creek), caravan park lookout</i></div><div><i>Day 7 (12.0km) - Moss Gardens and the Amphitheatre</i></div><div><i>Day 8 ( 5.0Km) - Departure ...</i></div>Happy Hamby Campershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356172741606154132noreply@blogger.com0