Bunk buddies!

It was quite novel to be on the road with caravan in tow! 

Nick had suggested we organise dinner in a thermal cooker but easy spaghetti bolognaise didn't seem all that special as a birthday dinner - and I'd been busy packing, so the thermal cooker stayed empty.

Our tummies felt increasingly empty also and I called for a stop at Ballarat.  I was hopeful of a park with a BBQ but it was hard to find one in the dark, so we drove on. 

Nick was finally encouraged to stop at Learmonth, which is described as being quite picturesque.  I'm sure it is - in daylight!  We pulled up at a park and quickly investigated the large picnic shelter.  As far as I could see there were no BBQs, so we set up our dual fuel stove with a Cobb Cooker BBQ plate. 

Our more elaborate planned dinner became chicken sticks and crunchy salad, served on wrap bread.  (On checking, it was quite similar to our dinner during our overnight Cobar stop earlier in the year, thankfully without the dubious microwave rice)!  Our wrapped innovation was declared better than take-away though of course, dining at 10:00pm does heighten one's appreciation of the evening meal! Typically, I discovered the free BBQ after packing up but given the wind was quite strong we were glad to have set up in the sheltered area.

Nick checked the van and discovered one of the edging strips had come away. Bandit's rope was utilised as a temporary solution and we continued on to our destination. We eventually arrived at midnight, extremely thankful that our beds were already made - and we could just roll into them!

Bandit often joined me in the caravan while I was sewing curtains and other items. He adopted the bottom bed as "his", so I'm sure he saw Erin as the interloper when the two of them became bunk buddies on the trip!

Relief driver!

Now that Nick is no longer working shift work, weekends and public holidays are available to us as free-time.  We're still getting used to that novelty!

As the Melbourne Cup public holiday was on Tuesday, (4 November) we cleared all our commitments for the preceding Monday - and so had four nights available for our first-ever caravanning holiday! Our original plan was to depart on Friday afternoon, soon after Nick returned from work and Vaughan finished school. Lucky we had a Plan B!

Nick had been laid-low with a lurgi earlier in the week, so hadn't achieved as much packing as he intended.  I was caught up with Halloween costume-making and also warding off a cold, which equally impacted on preparations. 

Added to those hindrances was the new-ness of caravanning and not being entirely sure what we should pack!

Erin's birthday was definitely overshadowed but on the bright side, she got a celebratory holiday!  She and I shopped on Friday.  I expected we would be without power for the trip so had a rough meal plan of options that could be cooked using our Cobb Cookers, thermal cookers or dual-fuel stove. 

There was still much to do when Nick got home and departure seemed a long way off when we collected Vaughan from school.  We worked away steadily though and finally left home around 7:30pm - before dark, at least!

We adopted Bandit from the RSPCA about a week after buying our caravan.  He was particularly chosen for his size because one of our dog-selection criteria was that he/she would need to fit on the back seat between Erin and Vaughan, so as to come away camping with us! 

Our new family member was not at all keen on car travel when he first arrived and was quite scared of our caravan also.  It seemed to us that he hadn't been taken out much as he wasn't big on his harness or lead either.  Obviously there were a few challenges to be overcome in the lead-up (hah!) to his first camping experience.  As you can see though, he was definitely eager to be on the road!

'ello, Ada!

We definitely took the long road to Neerim's Unlock Australia rally - and actually travelled some stretches more than once! Of course we were not really lost, just reluctant to follow the GPS route as faithfully as she would like!

Driving through the forests was lovely though and I saw a number of signs for the Ada Tree along the way.

There was no other information, so on the way home I googled (as best I could given the patchy reception) and we detoured to see the tree for ourselves.

We took an easy walk through beautiful rainforest to see one of Victoria's largest trees.  It was a lovely afternoon finale.

Most information I've found states the tree is a Mountain Ash with a height of 76 metres and a girth of around 15 metres.  The age varies but is deemed to be close to 300 years old. 


When at the tree site, the official information gives the tree's age as being close to 400 years old - but what's a hundred years in the scheme of life?!  As big as the Ada Tree is, it doesn't hold the title of Victoria's biggest or tallest.  I've book-marked this interesting link and hopefully we can meet more of Victoria's giants!

What's with the "twisty tree" pics?  Prior to relocation we lived on the Central Coast of New South Wales and often visited the Watagan State Forest.  I have a family album of us through the years, posing with a very similar tree.  There was a fair bit of excitement in finding it's twin, so the album can continue!

Keys to happiness?!

Our $15 bargain door didn't have a fully functioning handle. We ordered one from eBay - for just under $75.00. 

Yep, the handle cost five times more than the door!

We were keen to receive the door handle, so watched the mailbox closely. In recent times our mailman started delivering quite late in the day, around 4:30pm. When I spotted him at the front gate, Nick and I drove down to check the mail - ready to drive straight into town if there was a parcel card.

We are regulars at the parcel collection office and there was some joking with the staff member on duty, who wants to issue Erin with an Australia Post uniform on the basis that she is at the depot nearly every day! 

Our parcel contained the new caravan door handle (with keys), which Nick fitted as soon as we got home.  The two of us then quite happily opened and closed the door repeatedly - locking and unlocking it also!  I know.  It really doesn't take much to make us happy!

Curtain call!

Our van came with curtains. Not great curtains but they were purple, which improved them no end! (I like purple)!

Someone had taken a pair of tab-top curtains, cut them into shorter lengths and then roughly hemmed to create window coverings.

How do I know they were originally tab-tops? Easy. The tops had been left on as a kind-of funky frill for the set that ran above Erin's bed!

The pics in the top collage were those used in the Gumtree ad for our van. 

The purple fabric was thin and not very effective for blocking light.

As much as I wanted to keep costs down by using up my fabric stash, I didn't have enough thermal-backed curtaining - so I bought two large curtains from the op-shop (for $6.25 each).  You can see my first curtain efforts here.  I avoided extra cutting and hemming by using the full width of one bought curtain for each of the long rear windows.  Both were lined with some light thermal-backed fabric from the stash but it was a scrimped effort and I wasn't entirely happy with the result.

The side windows were made from a heavier quality curtain, so didn't require lining.  (You can't see in the photos but not all the rods had ends.  We bought four packets from Bunnings and they cost nearly as much as the op-shop curtains)!

I've used a small piece of leftover (rear window) fabric for the tiny window above the sink.  It has a lace curtain as well, which was quite possibly salvaged from the bubble van I renovated as a young mother (with fabric leftover from house curtains made when I was about 21)!  The lace is strung along a piece of elastic tied to the rod holders - an idea I borrowed from here (scroll down for pics).

Erin bought a lot of the bright striped fabric for her caravan but didn't end up using it.  She donated the 8-metre roll to be used in this van, so it seems fitting that the curtains above her bed are made from it.  In making those, I discovered a better quality length of thermal lining in the stash.  I created a set of four curtains and they should pull across easily to allow light in or viewing out.  (The hems don't look level but I'm sure that is due to the curtain hanger, not the curtain hemmer)!

Based on the success of Erin's striped curtains, I re-did the set above our bed.  I cut the two longer lengths in two, trimmed a bit and then re-hemmed the sides.  As part of that process I removed the thinner lining and replaced with the same fabric I used for the front (striped) curtain set.  I'm much happier with the end result (which you can see in the bottom left of the second collage pic).

At this stage only one window remains - the one in our "new" door.  I'm working on a solution for that.  There's plenty of material.  I just need to decide what sort of covering will be most effective for ease of use.  In the past I've made roman blinds and it may be that one of those would be better in this situation - though I might yet have a better idea!

Floored!

Our caravan is 40 years old. I'm pretty sure the floor is original and as you can see, it's had better days!

As well as the many marks and chipped tiles, there are some small holes near our bed where you can see down to the grass underneath!

On Friday I used some of our existing black camping mats to cover the rear floor area.  I was pretty impressed with how it looked, though obviously the holey mats weren't an ideal option inside (where dirt would fall into the recessed areas). 

Nick and I bought five packs of solid foam mats from Bunnings on Saturday.  There were just enough to cover the whole floor, so that's what Nick did.  I watched and took photos!

(One of the black mats was used to cover a floor vent).

Later in the day, I gathered the leftover edge pieces and offcuts.  These were used to cover the floor of the storage area beneath Erin's bunk, which should ensure a warmer bed.  Some of our carpet tile pieces were then laid on top to hold everything in place.  I'm not sure what will be stored in the area but it's now ready for use.

Nick made a couple of modifications to the doorway prior to laying the mats.  An aluminium strip was removed - revealing a lot of dirt and ten cents!  Extra screws were fixed into place and the door fits even better as a result.  The mats now sit flush to the doorway and are easily swept - as demonstrated by Vaughan!

Why camping mats?  Well, they are cheap - $8.70 per square metre - so our revamped flooring was achieved for $70.00.  They have greater aesthetic appeal than the 40-year-old lino and also provide good insulation.  We've used them for cold weather camping and were definitely warmer as a result.   

Winding-up (and out)!

When we purchased our van, it didn't have a flyscreen for the roof hatch. We bought a screen from the dump-shop as part of a $7.50 collection. 

Actually we bought two screens because the first was too small. It was quickly exchanged for a larger version, which Nick then re-sized to fit the opening. 

(A $2.50 packet of clips to hold it in place was purchased from Bunnings).  

The winder handles for the hatch and two windows were broken. Although some replacement parts are available for old Millard vans, window handles are no longer made.

Nick found instructions for making replacements and I reckon ours are even more flash than those in the photo!

The lovely Nammo has been cheering our caravan renovation efforts from afar and it seems fitting that something of hers features in them! Some time back she gifted Erin a collection of beads and among those we found several of a flattish variety that worked well (with two nuts) for our handles.