Campervan Touring

NZ freedom camping and camping sites

2012-01-10T14:20:00.000-08:00

There are new regulations on where you can camp in NZ. For more information, I suggest going to the Jucy website, which also has links to other government information. In addition, there is a website which identifies all the paid and free camping sites around the country.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Campervan rentals in the USA

2011-03-01T19:08:00.000-08:00

Standby Relocations is now offering campervan relocations in the USA for as little as $1/day. Check with the routing feature in Google Maps though to see how long the distances are relative to your maximum allowed kilometres. Once you exceed those limits, you pay a per/km rate. If its nominal, no problem. You can pay the normal rental rate if you want more days, subject to their bookings of course. this company offers camper relocations in Australia, NZ, and now the USA. They have yet to offer such a service in Canada.

It is evident that the current offerings are for campervan relocations is restricted to movements to and from the following locations: Atlanta - Denver - Dallas - Los Angeles - Las Vegas - San Francisco - Boston - New Jersey and Orlando.

Such relocations are a good way of determining if you like the lifestyle prior to buying a campervan. The owners give you instructions on how to operate the camper facilities, and clearly there is a benefit in being able to try different styles, designs and size camper vans. We would all like a large one for space, but you might no like the awkwardness of driving a monolith. These are the issues best experienced. You can buy such campervans second-hand as well.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Freedom camping - Are tourists the problem?

2011-01-06T20:18:00.000-08:00

NZ is having a big debate at the moment - the issue is freedom camping. Freedom camping is the practice of camping in undesignated public or private areas where no provisioning is made for toilets. This compels tourists staying in campervans (without toilet amenities) to desiccate on the roadside. The consequence is a 'minefield of turds' and spent toilet paper shrewd across private or public land.

The people is that backpacking is such a big industry these days, and there is pressure building to regulate behaviour to diminish the impact. The impact is bigger in NZ, because it is a smaller country, though it seems at this point, the greatest sensitivity is in areas which do not really embrace the tourism. Lake Hawea is a very beautiful lake on the South Island, and the key issue is that this place has a very small commercial precinct, and I think locals are quite proud of their 'low key' living, and thus self-righteously proud of that. Rather than placing up toilet facilities, they would prefer to exclude tourists altogether. Why? Because they are not in business, so they have nothing to gain from tourists. So why not exclude others. This is why these people are sensitive.

Queenstown has a more visible and severe issue. It is a hotspot for tourism. There are a lot of bars and activities, so you can imagine that it would be a hub, and that people would simply want to spend a lot of time here. One of the problems for campervans staying here is the lack of parking in the area.

Elsewhere, I just think it is less of a problem. There are always inconsiderate people, and it would be wrong to assume that they are all foreigners. At any time there are only about 400,000 foreigners in the country, and probably 300,000 of them are staying in backpackers designated camping areas and hotels. Young Kiwis are just as likely to desiccate in the bush. I tend to find a lot of NZ'ers have little respect for their environment (as compared to Australia).

I might add that:

1. Faeces and toilet paper are biodegradable, so its mostly a visual concern, though obviously its a threat to water quality in areas, like waterways.

2. People are doing this because there are few public amenities. All it takes is to erect a pump-out toilet in those areas with a problem. I can imagine that these facilities only need to be emptied about every month. Perhaps the solution is to require consumers without a fitted toilet to pay a fee to use those facilities, and then you give them a map to find them. This means you can reasonably prosecute them for not using them. The licence can be sold by the dealerships, much as if you were selling fishing licenses. At $20 per person for 6 months, it would more than offset the cost of these services.

In this video, we have local residents taking action to remove 'freedom campers'. Unreasonable impositions on freedom campers is destined to push them further into the bush. That means these people are driving more and spending less money in NZ, going to NZ, but rather there money going to Saudi Arabia in the form of petroleum imports.

I have been to camping grounds where people have liberally shit in inappropriate places. It is not just the lack of concealment, they dump near watercourses. This practice is best handled with a license sticker on vehicles, displayed when they are at the site between certain hours, i.e. If you are in an undesignated site after 6pm or before 7am, then you pay the fine if you don't have a sticker. The question is how do you fine a transient like a tourist? Maybe the NZ government has to collect a bond, otherwise the police will start having to take credit card payments :)

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Booking fees are illegal

2011-01-06T19:52:00.001-08:00

I am reminded of a legal case in Victoria where a woman was obliged to pay a booking fee when she arrived at the pick-up site. No mention had previously been made of the booking fee when she made the booking. The lady protested and ended up taking the matter to court, where she won. If you are in the same position, you ought to know all charges upfront. i.e. Otherwise its bait advertising. This is common. I have been stung for this fee when I have rented a camper as a 'return' for $5/day. I thought I was getting a good deal though.

I'm just glad there are some people who still believe in justice. I wouldn't have gone to the trouble. I'd be psychologically scarred if the decision was wrong....contrary to my good reasons.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

The risks and rewards of campervanning

2011-01-06T19:31:00.000-08:00

One of the problems with campervans is that they have a bad reputation in several respects:

1. Tourist transporters - locals in many rural locations hate tourists, and tripping into town in a campervan very much identifies you as a tourist.

2. Turd dumpers - some campervans don't have toilets, and users are inclined to dump a turd where there is no toilets, to the dismay of locals and other tourists. More so for governments who don't want to clean t up.

3. View blockers - some campervans are inclined to park in the best locations with the best views, to the dismay of locals who paid a million plus for their property, only to have a $50K-odd campervan park in front, and possibly dump a turd in their garden...or a beer bottle.

In truth, most campervanners are discrete, whether to avoid attention or to catch the scrutiny of police, who might be dismayed by the loitering of outside 'transients'. The attraction of mobile living gets more appealing by the day for several reasons:

1. Niche lifestyle vehicles - they are being made by more manufacturers and thus are getting cheaper. There are also the second hand campervans and the converts from delivery vans.

2. Lower cost batteries are making it easier to run appliances as well as lowering the operating cost. Expect more developments here with flow batteries.

3. More efficient appliances - The spectre of ever-improving energy efficiency is making it more appealing to function from a mobile home.

4. The high cost of housing - The cost of buying a home in Australia is enough to compel people to live on the road.

The big counter-arguments against the trend is probably:

1. The lack of comfort

2. The growing prospect of restrictions on where you can stay - the impossible implication of costs.

The simple solution is to hide your lifestyle - to live a life under the radar - to live life not in a 'campervan' but a simple delivery van. You will not get hassled out by aborigines as you cross the desert; you will not get your tires deflated by disgruntled landowners, and you will not get noticed by the police...unless you are surrounded by other campers, or otherwise parking in places where no other person would park at night, like in a national park or shopping mall carpark, etc.

If you want to know how seriously some people object to campervans; read this story about a 59yo Christchurch (NZ) man who attempted to set fire to a campervan who parked outside his home. My guess is that he wanted to give a message to all concerned that campers are not wanted outside their homes. The man was arrested for attempted murder. The worst experience for me was an aboriginal throwing a bottle at my vehicle as he drove past. It was footy night, and he must have won or lost....or just been pissed. All normal living conditions I'm sure in central Australia.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Hazards of travelling outback Australia

2010-08-03T00:35:00.000-07:00

The perils of GPS systems are nothing next to the perils of bad roads in the outback of Australia when the weather turns against you. If you are planning a trip into the Outback of Australia, and are planning to take a vehicle off-road (onto dirt tracks), there might be a lesson to learn from this article. Of course most campervans are designed and contracted on the basis that you will only travel on bitumen roads. But for general knowledge you might be interested in the experience of these people.

View Larger Map

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com
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How safe is campervanning?

2009-09-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

About 10 years ago I scared the hell out of my friend's girlfriend whilst we were campervanning on a beach north of Newcastle, NSW. This 90-mile beach has some of the most impressive beach sand dunes in the world. In fact many movies are made at this site for this reason. I openly wondered how many buried campers are concealed under these shifting sands given the isolation, the ease of digging, the ease of escape for any offender. I can also imagine that many psychotics might hang out on the beach at night. This is pure speculation because I'm not affiliated with any.

Safety considerations are a concern, though perhaps less of a concern that for campers. Any bad experience is in most cases likely to be a result of bad luck whether than systematic risk. When I reflect on my bad experiences they have arisen because of the following:
1. Exposure: If you are readily seen then there is the potential for people to cause you harm.
2. Isolation: If troublesome people some across a camper in a remote area, they are more likely to cause some injury if they sense that they can escape accountability.
3. Conspicuous: Some people like to attack that which is different. If there are some drunk guys passing a car, that is not special. If they pass a campervan they are going to reflect on it. The only place a campervan does not look conspicuous is in a camper park.

The implications for campervanners are:
1. The less conspicuous the vehicle - the less likely you will have problems. Driving around in a huge campervan attracts attention. A small camper which looks more like a delivery van than a camper will attract no attention because it is perceived as just another vehicle, and people will not expect people to be sleeping in it. In some places there are laws against living in the back of a vehicle. i.e. Public ordinances. Usually local governments and police don't prosecute on the basis of these ordinances until the practice becomes a public nuisance, or results in some grievance. This is why I suggest a smaller, work-type vehicle makes a better campervan.
2. Less isolation: When I was travelling around some people parked their campervans in industrial estates in towns. This makes sense for campervans, but ultimately I want to be located around people, so for a work-type (inconspicuous) vehicle, I am more inclined to stay in the suburbs. I would just park on-street in some quiet street, usually under a street light. In outback Australia some aborigines threw a plastic bottle at a rental I was sleeping in. no damage, but the point is - it was a rental and it could have easily been a glass bottle.
3. Avoid lawless areas: Usually lawlessness arises in low income and indigenous communities, often associated with alcohol. These problems occurs in settled areas, so if you must stay in a 'bad area', make it in a rural area where there is less likely to be people. I was staying in Katherine, NT, Australia. The local aboriginal football team won the competition and were out driving their cars drunk. I tried to sleep, but ended up at a tourist carpark next to a hot spring. It was a lovely place to have a swim the next day.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Gas guidelines for NZ campervanning

2009-09-17T14:10:00.001-07:00

If you are thinking of buying a van or bus in NZ and converting it into a campervan then you might want to read the following rules on the matter. Gas-powering your appliances remains one of the best options for running campervans, particularly for smaller vans, given its high energy density. Other options to consider are:
1. Outsourcing - Using external services, e.g. Showers at your local public or private swimming pool or public beach facilities. Cost: Free, or up to $4.00. Of course you can live hand to mouth, shopping daily at Countdown or New World, so you don't need to refrigerate perishables. NZ is a fairly cool climate anyway.
2. Fuel cells: There is a new gas-fired fuel cell available in the USA which will greatly improve energy use by campervans because fuel cells offer up to 50% electrical efficiency, thus reducing the amount of heat loss.
3. Solar energy can be an attractive solution for larger campervans, though its not the best solution given its seasonal limitations and still low conversion efficiency. These are not such an attractive option, as batteries are also expensive.
4. Mains power: The other source of power is mains supply. This makes sense if you are taking short trips, but for long distance travelling it really does not make a lot of sense. You can use the mains supplies from campervan parks but you will pay a premium for it. This option only makes sense if you are going to stay there anyway, say for the security.

Expect in the next 2 decades some new combustion engines to be developed which will offer greater fuel efficiency. There is a lot of money going into research these days. The US Dept of Energy is throwing money at technology companies to develop new products.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Technology will change campervanning forever

2009-07-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

If you are interested in doing some touring I forecast that there will be a substantial change in the way we travel. The reason will be two-fold:
1. Low cost vehicles: The trend set by Indian car makers towards lower-cost, more economical vehicles. The focus has been on economy, but I expect future models to offer more in the way of 'lifestyle features'. For instance it would not surprise me to see a vehicle which allows you to increase the storage space, or even to create a sleeping area by taking our the passenger seat, or reconfiguring the driver seat. The trick is to come up with a seat that does it comfortably.
2. Lifestyle appliances: I believe we are going to see changes in the components that make up a car. By this I mean changes in the engine design, the cooling system, the appliances. Certainly a LCD makes sense to play movies if you have kids, but that is a family car. In a lifestyle car, you want a refrigerator, heating, battery support for a day, and the capacity to recharge the battery. Am I dreaming? I don't believe so. The current vehicles are only able to get 25% thermal efficiency. Most of the current fuel economy gains are coming from aerodynamic design, not from a more efficient engine. Wait and see! There is greater pressure to lift fuel efficiency than ever. The Stirling engine is not a substitute for the internal combustion engine. It will take a new design based on the internal combustion engine.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Looking for a cheap holiday

2009-07-08T20:31:00.000-07:00

There are fewer cheaper places to holiday than Asia, but consider campervanning in Australia, or some variation of this combination of these travel opportunities.

NZ is an expensive country to fly from/to, so it might make more sense to fly get a cheap ticket to Sydney or Brisbane with Virgin Blue, then transfer to another airline, preferably another discount airline. Baggage limits can be an issue. Developing countries tend to be cheaper. I would recommend the Vietnam for Asia, fly-drive in Australia, see http://campa-living.blogspot.com. For instance I returned from the Philippines with discount airline Tiger Airways, via Singapore to Darwin (or Perth), then I got a campervan across Australia to Sydney for just $5/day, with a fuel allowance. Discount airlines are flexible enough to allow you to do that. Being able to live out of a campervan meant I could easily stop wherever I wanted, eat healthy out of Woolworths and Coles stores, internet from libraries, showers at public swimming pools, public toilets in public reserves and hotels, even coffee shops. Makes a nice way to travel.
The Philippines is another cheap country to travel through as transport standards are good, its cheap and English speaking, and you can also travel overland through back-country. My next overland trip will be Manila to Davao, fly or boat to Manado, overland through Sulawesi to Makassar, ferry to (via Sarabaya) Denpaser to Bali, or flight to Australia, for the overland campervan trip. You might even be able to swing a camper back if you can triangulate your destinations.
The attraction of the Philippines is that until recently it has not really had a tourist identity; and for good reason, it never had an organised travel program. Recently increased expenditure on road upgrades, discount airlines has resulted in more Filipinos travelling and holidaying at home, and this has prompted a lot of governors to improve their facilities, whether hotels, restaurants, and events. Its early days but I note that viewing decks are being constructed along highways; hotels are being constructed, pathways are being built along rivers or to scenic locations like waterfalls. Tourist values will I believe result in people developing more pride in their community. You can expect more defensiveness as well. For instance the tourist hub of Sagada has a resolution to stop outsiders buying property there. It is still a big premature to travel to the Philippines...give it another 5-10 years. In the interim I recommend Vietnam.

The point of this article is to develop a long term travel strategy, schedule for a combination of travel values, avoid those standardised international hotels that really offer no unique travel experience. Travel is as much a learning experience as a restive escape. Make your holiday as full of activities and reflective opportunities as you can. I value the opportunity to hang out with expats in bars because they are well-travelled people living interesting lives.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Jobs for motor home owners and retirees

2009-04-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

A story in the Wanganui Chronicle 20th Apr 2009 has retirees traveling around NZ working on farms picking fruit and vegetables. There are plenty of stalls in such growing districts for direct sales as well, so anyone with some knowledge or a willingness to learn. might be able to extend their travels with the supplementary income from working on various farms. Such workers are called seasonal food harvesters. They work a few days a week, and you will meet a lot of people. from all around the world Some are local retirees, others are motor home explorers, others are foreign backpackers. eg. Northburn station in Central Otago pays $13.50 per hour a few months a year. Workers can learn from locals what to do in each region, so its an interesting experience, a new experience, as well as a door to some cheap fruit, vegetables and wine. Clearview Estate and a number of wineries advertise on their websites. Check out the website www.winejobsonline.com - but also do a direct search for wineries in areas of interest. In NZ its places like Napier-Hastings District, and in Australia its the Barossa Valley, Hunter Valley and Darling Downs. Backpacker accommodation can also provide referrals to casual employment agencies.

You can of course benefit from such transient labour in a number of countries, whether its Australia, NZ or the USA.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Why pay full price for a campervan?

2009-01-25T11:05:00.000-08:00

One of my readers has drawn my attention to a new website which provides a one-stop shop for campervanning in NZ. The problem of course is that you will be paying full price to use these services. I would be inclined to use the 'camper returns' though standbyrelocs.com. The benefit is that you will pay just $5/day for the van, and you will receive a fuel subsidy to return it. The disadvantage is that you will have a time limit on your trip.
I would suggest this is not a bad thing. If you assign 4hours for driving each day, you should be able to have adequate time to enjoy some recreation. Anyway, its a great way to gain an introductory rate to campervanning.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Auckland - New Plymouth - Wanganui

2008-12-06T23:26:00.000-08:00

This is a trip description for my recent arrival from Sydney. Arriving in Auckland. It was very difficult to find the Tourist Info, as its tucked away in the corner where you would expect the toilets to be. Found accommodation in Manukau City, a satellite city south of Auckland CBD with a shopping city. I had already arranged to inspect/buy a Holden Combo found on the internet, however I stayed in the Manukau Budget Motel ($60/night) for the first 2 nights.
After checking out the car, the dealer took me to the registration authority and I was on my way. I drove south to Hamilton, then headed towards New Plymouth via Taumarunui and Stratford, then I followed the coast down to Wanganui. It was really green, beautiful countryside. The highlights were from Te Kuiti to Stratford, and from New Plymouth to Wanganui. It was either green mountains or green rolling hills along the coast. I tried sleeping in the back of my vehicle. It was a little tight but ok. I'd had a few beers so that probably didn't help my sleep.
A cautionary note that the road around Te Wera was not sealed for about 20km. It was a bit wrong for a campervan. I spent the night at Stratford - can't remember the name of the pub, but I just stayed in the carpark for the pub.
This map shows the approximate route I took - the only difference is that I went through Hamilton City (5th largest city of NZ), and I don't see a need to do that.
See Google Maps.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Alternatives to campervans

2008-11-30T15:55:00.000-08:00

You don't have to buy a campervan to get some practical camper-type vehicle. I've been in NZ for the last 2 weeks trying to find a property to buy. The first task was to buy a vehicle. I was motivated by the VW Caddy Life which I used as a campervan return (SYD-BRIS) last year. The VW is not available in NZ, and its a little pricey anyway. I did however find a Holden Combo 2001 model for $5,000. It had just 120,000kms, and it was in good condition. The attractions were that it had a big enought van compartment to carry a lot of stuff, including inflatable canoes, mountain bikes, as well as being able to sleep two people. More easily one, but then I'm marrying a 5 foot Filipino, so I'm sure we'll find a corner for her to fit in, as I will be sleeping diagonally. :)

The other attraction of this vehicle is that its just 1.4 litre, so great fuel economy. The bad points are that it was a manual, so my GF will have to learn to use a stick :( The view of the blind spots is not great either, so not really a city vehicle.
I used the following spreadsheet to make my purchase decision. I went online and obtained the price, kms, age of the vehicle, as well as other issues like tranmission and location, and I came up with the following choices. I think I got the best of them. Time will tell.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Stand by cars - low season specials

2008-05-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

This week Standbycars is able to offer campers at prices that even we can't believe.

Travel in New Zealand between now and 31 August and you can pick up a Hitop Camper for just NZ$35 per day! These campers are under 2 years old and have the added bonus of the incredibly reduced insurance liability of just NZ$1500, down from NZ$7,500! Upgrade to a 2 Berth Camper with Shower and Toilet for just NZ$4 extra per day or for those travelling in a bigger group we have 4 Berths for NZ$71 per day or 6 Berths for NZ$80 per day. All vehicles are fully equipped with all your camping and cooking needs and a bonus welcome pack. Pick ups are available from Auckland and Christchurch.

In Australia you can also snap up a bargain if you travel before 30 June. Hitop campers are on offer for AU$40 per day. These campers are under 2 years old and come with all your camping and cooking equipment. Pick ups are available from all major cities.
Our relocation pick this week is from Cairns to Melbourne and comes with an amazing AU$500 fuel allowance! Travel 5 days for AU$1 per day in a Hitop camper between now and 17 May. If you want to take a little longer you can buy up to 3 extra days for $75 per day.

If you are looking for a relocation deal check out our Hot Deals. We update the deals each morning with new trips. If there is a particular trip you are after and can't see it phone our reservations consultants and they'll add you to their waiting list. To make a booking, please call our reservations team on 1300 789 059 (toll free from within Australia) or 0800 789 059 (toll free from within New Zealand).

My Campervanning Routes on Google Maps

2008-04-19T04:25:00.000-07:00

Now you can view my suggested campervanning routes on Google Maps. Click on the following map to go to Google Maps. I have marked the routes I have done with a campervan, as well as suggested routes based on my driving around Australia (30-odd trips) and New Zealand (3 fly & drive trips). I have marked campervan hire places in green, overnight or scenic places in red and the lines represent the routes. This is a work in progress. You can relate the routes to the individual blog postings I continue to make.

View Larger Map
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Campervanning – Sydney to Melbourne (summer mountain & sea route)

2008-04-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

One of the best campervanning trips you can do in Australia is the Sydney to Melbourne route or visa versa. These are one-way trips that offer you the prospect of getting a great discount off the standard travel price. Looking at the Standby Cars website its apparent that vehicles in Sydney are picked up or delivered to Mascot, whilst vehicles in Melbourne need to be picked up or delivered to Melbourne City or Braybrook. See Google Maps for location details. The trip I consulted offered $110 petrol allowance, 3 days and a 1142km travel allowance for this trip. You will need to pay $5/day plus extra for kilometres over the allowance. The appeal is the variety of scenery that you will come across, as well as the accessibility to nice places to go out. There are also a great many routes to choose from. I have seen a great deal of NSW so I will outline what I think is the best way to go:

1. Departing Sydney: You are likely to be picking up a campervan at Mascot near Sydney Airport, so travel south on the tollway towards Wollongong. I recommend having a stop at Kiama for a bite to eat, maybe seafood. This will likely be around lunch time.Then driving on to Gerroa for a walk along the beach. Don’t spend too much time here you have alot of kilometres to drive. I recommend spending a bit of time exploring the coast around Ulladulla as its a very beautiful area. Depending how you are doing for time I recommend staying the night in Narooma or Moruya.

2.Departing Moruya: I suggest starting out early to avoid the afternoon sun. Continue south towards Bega, passing through Bermagui. Before Bega there is a turn-off to Cooma. Take this road, as it will take you through up the mountain ranges. This section will be boring, so speed through here. From Cooma take the Berridale turn-off to Jindabyne. I would think about having a snack in Berridale, with the intent of stopping in Jindabyne to buy any groceries to eat in the national park. The intent is to have a late lunch in Thedbo Ski Village. You should be able to leave their by 4PM, with the intent of staying in the park at a river flats that will become immediately apparent when you get there. But really you could happily find a great number of places to stay. Just take care driving at night or day because this is a narrow mountain road. Check whether the route is possible.

3. Departing Snowy Mountains National Park: The Alpine Way turns north Khancoban, which sees you exist the park, and then continue on to Corryong, Tallangatta, Wodonga, Wangaratta, Melbourne. The speed with which you complete this section will depend ultimately on when you have to have the vehicle back.

My concern with this route is that it will be too long. I have structured it as the scenic route. Unfortunately a number of these areas are very remote. I would suggest this route would likely require 1500km because of the amount of travel on secondary roads. For this reason you would want unlimited kilometres, and it would be far more pleasant to have 4 days. You have sleeping accommodation with you, so perhaps it makes sense to travel longer on the evening of the first night. This will mean you have a picnic llunch in the Snowy Mountains National Park at Tom Groggin, where I was actually suggesting camping.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Campervanning in New Zealand

2008-03-11T01:35:00.000-07:00

There is probably no better time of year to go campervanning in NZ than the tail-end of summer. Standby Cars have some great deals for campervanning in NZ - check out their website - I just received a notification after using their service to travel from Darwin to Sydney and Sydney to Brisbane.
Looking at the deals available you have 4 to 5 days to travel from Auckland to Christchurch. You pay just $1-5/day to return the vehicle, plus free ferry crossing. I note that you don't get any fuel allowance, but then its a good deal regardless. My preferred route would be from Auckland to the Corimandel Peninsula, then down the east coast to Wellington, then crossing the ferry to the South Island of New Zealand, landing in Nelson, I would be inclined to head direct to Christchurch. I dont know if you need a booking to cross the strait. I've done it before, but I actually picked up a new hire car on the other side.
The other alternative is a 'fly & drive' strategy, whether you stay in hotels or backpackers. I prefer the campervan route myself. I have yet to campervan in NZ, but having been there I understand the Pacific Islanders (Fujians or Samoans) cause some problems. Haven't been hit by a Pacific Islander in NZ, but I was in Sydney, but it probably feels the same. I dont know there propensity to throw thinks or vandalise campervans. Hopefully it doesn't become a sport. I did however spend time in a NZ pub on a Volcanic Geology uni field trip, and hanging out in a pub in Auckland (the wrong pub as tourists are prone to do) they were pretty intimidating people. Actually I was winning successive games, but basically an Islander came up to me and said he wanted to play. Experience told me not to argue the point.
For that reason I suggest avoiding the major cities - particularly Auckland. Maybe there are similar problems around Rotorua. The great aspect of NZ is the nature, so that is where I would suggest you spend your time.
After spending a day or two in Christchurch I would rent a car and drive to Queenstown, see Milford Sound and the Frans Joseph (?) Glacier, and back to Queenstown. If possible I would then get a campervan back to Christchurch. This will allow you to go a different way, and or maybe find a few nice overnight camp stops. The south island is great for campervanning as there are few people there.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-03-01T02:34:00.001-08:00

Fitting out a campervan

2008-02-01T01:41:00.000-08:00

Having established what I want to do, what I want to carry in a campervan, the next step is to design the vehicle. Based on my 'cut down' features I am really not interested in the factory-made campers that are offered by the various manufacturers. They are going after the bulk market and I'm particular. Ideally I would love to squeeze everything I want to carry into a Volkswagen Caddy Life. Its small, 1400cc engine for fuel economy, great design inside. One of the great features of the Caddy is the sliding doors on both sides. Nice, but not required.
The design parameters I have established are:
1. Side access: I want a van that opens to the curb-side because I want to place a mountain bike or two on the back. Its ok if there is a backdoor, but it will be incidental. I intend to place a permanent brace on the back to secure the mountain bikes with a lock.
2. Sleeping/seating area: I want a sleeping area in a bubble or at normal height. I want the sleeping space to fit 1.5-2 people. I want to achieve this by having a long, side seat with storage inside it for say the batteries and canoe, plus a table that swings around, but otherwise lowers to support the extension of the bed. I envisage a orthopedic foam mattress than doubles over to make the seat.
3. Refrigerator: Most compact campers have a very small 35-45-litre fridge. I want a more useful 60-litre fridge, and I want to dispense with all the washing basin and taps, and I dont need the gas stove, since I intend to use electricity for everything.
4. Storage: I will need storage for the deep cycle batteries (say 3-4 of them), the canoe, a wardrobe for my clothes, a place for the portable toilet, water tank, planks of wood to support the bed. I will need storage space for my food.
5. Headroom: I will need adequate headroom since intend to work in this campervan, and adequate natural lighting for visbility and working. I would envisage having skirting curtains all around the periphery, with select fly screens. I would prefer not to have a bubble to preserve the appearance of a normal vehicle, so it is more discrete. I dont want people thinking I have my worldly possessions in it.
6. Table: The table will need to be large enough for a laptop and a mouse pad, say 0.5m x 0.5m, though larger is ok if it can be accommodated. I will use the same table for cooking and washing, if not outside.
7. Shower: I would intend to fix to the outer surface of the vehicle an extendable, flexible pole after threading a shower curtain around it. I would draw the water off from the top of the vehicle, so I need a flat roof.
Am I forgetting anyting?
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Campervan Lifestyle

2008-02-01T01:18:00.000-08:00

I love the idea of living with the bare necessities. I think the appeal for this lifestyle is a throwback from my early years camping. When I was young I bought alot of camping equipment with the intent of going on trips. The range was not so great then and I didnt have any 'bushy type' friends, but it nevertheless instilled the idea in my mind. That same travel philosophy has been reinforced living in Japan and travelling around Asia for months.
As I get older though I have opted for a few luxuries. I no longer like tents, though I probably still have the sleeping bag-style tent I bought years ago. So campervans have alot of appeal, but they too have their limitations, so I need a mountain bike and canoe as well. So what would my life on the road be like?

Typical Daily schedule
Well if you are on the road then you need to travel somewhere new. But why hurry and waste petrol besides when there are so many places close rather than far. There is a restriction if you are sleeping in a campervan. You cant stay in the one place more than a night. People will complain and accuse you of squatting. No problem - Australia is a big country. It starts to feel a bit tight in Japan because someone owns every corner of land and they are very suspicious. But there are hidden, discrete places in every country.
I would of course start my day with breakfast. In Australia there are few better places to have breakfast than at the beach or on some mountain pass. But anywhere will do on the road. In low sun I am inclined to write on my computer. When the sun gets to high I would drive to a public library and work there until lunch. After lunch I dare say I would return to the library.
If I wanted a day off I would go mountain biking or hiking on some trail or canoeing on some river.
In the evenings I would go to the local pub for a beer or stay working the library until dinner. I could eat out or in the camper. Usually in an open area so I can wash my utensils, then I would work there until late. I never sleep where I work, and never in a remote place like a beach. As much as I like the idea of sleeping by the surf, experience has told me that alot of weirdos and trouble makers hang out on beaches at night. Local surfies aside, and I'm not one of them.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

My Campervan Shopping List

2008-02-01T01:04:00.000-08:00

Having established what my list of campervan items are, I will now identify the consumables which I would be planning to take on my trips:
1. Juices: TetraPak
2. Bread: Wholegrain to avoid constipation
3. Fruit: Usually nectarines, bananas and apples
4. Bread spreads: Tuna spread, nutella, vegemite
5. Vegetables: Carrots, broccoli, cucumber, beans, garlic, potatoes, tomatoes
6. Can food: Corn, tuna
7. Frozen food: Fish fillets in sauce (if have refrigerator)
8. Fruit & nut bars: As a snack.
9. Yoghurt: Passionfruit & banana (if have refrigerator)
10. Dairy: Cheese, long life soy or cow milk (if have refrigerator)
11. Meat: Beef, chicken and lamb pieces (if have refrigerator)

Normally I would want to shop in the evening after the heat of the day. I would have have toast and yoghurt for breakfast, salad & spread sandwiches for lunch, vegetables and at meat serving for dinner. If I dont have the refrigerator I would tend to eat out at night time, and likely have a beer as well.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Campervan travel kit list

2008-01-31T23:54:00.000-08:00

We each have our personal preferences. The items that I would be looking to take on a campervanning trip would be the following. Starting with a short duration trip:

Short Duration Trips (2-3 days)
1. GPS: A Garmin Etrex Vista CX - because its colour, has high capacity memory card, is rugged and does everything I could possibly want, aside from being more waterproof, and having better reception.
2. Laptop: Its really hard to find a laptop that does everything I want it to do. I used to love my old Toshiba Libereto with a 5inch screen. Travelled all over Asia with it, but its a dinosaur now. I await a similar designed & size unit with a battery power of 5-7 hours. The Sony VGN-TX850P which I am currently using has that battery life, but I dont like the flat keys and the poor screen. I also want a solid-state HDD is I can take it over rough terrain, whether in a campervan or MTB. A laptop can also function as a radio, TV, DVD player, MP3 player. Really not happy with Sony computers in the last 5 years. Alot of crap. Its importantly access to the internet and maps, info on canoeing and MTB trails. Plus a carry bag, mouse & mouse pad.
3. Waterproof Digital Camera: The next big feature in digital cameras I guess is durability. Olympus seems to be the leader in stand-alone waterproof digital cameras, as opposed to those ones that require some encasement in some bubble. I have a habit of getting the latest, which was the Olympus 720SW about a year ago. I note that they have since shrunk the size by a third of mine, which is cool. There are features about this camera I dont like, so I might migrate back to Sony's in future, but I need waterproof, so until then - its an Olympus. The features I dont like are the difficulty selecting settings and the slow shutter speed. Sony was more intuitive.
4. Sevylor Tahiti Inflatable Canoe & 3-section oar: Having an easily stored 2-man canoe is a useful item in the back of a car or campervan. If you are cruising around a country and come across a river its great if you can pull out a canoe.
5. Mountain bike & helmet: Another useful piece of equipment is a MTB. I love getting off the road to go places you cant go in a vehicle. I am not particular about the brand, though I refer just front suspension, hand brakes and aluminium frame for light weight.
6. Backup HDD: You need to backup your work when you are travelling, so if I cant do this online, then I want a portable HDD. If I am not dealing with alot of files I will just use a USB flash card - say 1-2Gb, though they are capacity is growing all the time.
7. Steamer: I want a well designed steamer in which I can stream meat, vegetables, rice. I dont like that alot of camper's come equipped with a burner. I guess its great if you can store fuel in your car and book with gas, but I prefer to stay electric for everything, and a diesel genset if power supplies run low.
8. Small Fan: Air conditioning is not practical to cool a camper so I like having a small fan for the back of the vehicle. It tends not to be a requirement in Australia. It makes more sense to park in the shade or open a window. Its not humid enough in the south, so its a necessity for the north.
9. Toaster: A toaster is not the most energy-efficient device but it does its job well, and you only use it for 3minutes a day.
10. Nokia E61i cell phone: This is the best phone on the market in terms of value. It has great MP3 player, though I find it hard to hear people, and the camera has wifi. I like having the big size keyboard for typing notes and the wifi, though I have always found it hard to get a free connection in Australia. All wireless connections are locked and cafes more often than not dont have them.
11. Deep cycle batteries: I want enough deep cycle batteries to last me around 3 days so I dont have to recharge them from the diesel genset so often.
12. Refrigerator: I require a 60-litre refrigerator to store fresh fruit & vegetable, as well as drinks.
13. Bedding: I just use a sleeping bad though a blanket will surfice. A pillow or just a rolled up jacket is enough for me.
14. Clothing: I would normally take 10 pairs of undewear, 5 pairs of socks, 5 T-shirts, 3 pairs of shorts, one pare of nice jeans, nice dress jeans, basic dirt shoe, dress shoe, 3 hats for all occasions, a jacket fit for the snow, light nylon pants for canoeing (sun protection) or skiing (snow), 3 dress shirts, prescription sunglasses.
15. Cutlery & utensils: Just need 2 knives/forks/tea & tablespoons and a can & bottle opener. Two plates and bowls, and an open washing basin, containers to store cut fruit & vegetables.
16. Personal items: Shaver, tooth brush, mouth wash, soap, shampoo

Long Duration Needs (>5 days)
The changes I would make to this set up if I was spending more time on the road, or playing to do alot of trips in excess of 3 days would be to get the following:
17. Coleman Diesel Genset: The intent being so I dont have to pay $30/night going to a caravan/RV park, and can just stay on the road instead.
18. Water tank: A 50-litre water tank for drinking and washing purposes. For shorter trips I would use public swimming pool and club facilities.
19. Portable toilet: Basic model only since I would be inclined to be using public facilities as a matter of preference, particularly for shorter trips.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

The type of people you meet when you RV

2008-01-21T06:53:00.000-08:00

Most of the RV trips I have been doing to date have been deep into the outback of Australia. As a result I'm only seeing fellow RV'ers on the road, passing at 120kmph. Most of the time I am actually more inclined to talk to locals in the towns I stay. I suggest the reason is that to mix with other RV'ers, you need to stay in a RV park. That to me defeats the purpose of having an RV - parking almost anywhere you please....within certain safety boundaries.
Travelling from Darwin to Sydney, I stayed in car parks, residential areas by the side of the road, and tourist locations. The safest place was in the residential areas - short of the option of paying $20-30/night for a RV park. But this gives you no option of mixing with fellow RV'ers. Anyway, I will have to try. Not sure I would have anything in common with them. Has to be tried though. If I were to get an idea of their values I guess they would be:
1. Nature lovers - though they might question that idea given all the roadkill they will contribute to, and/or
2. Freedom lovers - trying to get away from governments and oppressive employers, and/or
3. Poor - trying to avoid the high cost of over-regulated land (zoning) in Australia
4. Cheap - always lamenting the rising cost of food, rent, etc
5. Simpletons - looking for an easy and inexpensive way to live out thei life before they become roadkill

Ok, when I look at those possibilities, there is room for possibilities. I love nature, hate government and unnecessary regulation, love avoiding taxes, not the wealthiest person around, I'm as tight as a newborn lamb....hhmmm.....that last one might be a problem. I'm not opting out of live, I just like to be doing the things I like to do on the road. Maybe I have more opportunity to meet the aspirational type of people I welcome on the road when internet coverage improves. No one has open networks, not even coffee shops in the country. The only option is the expensive Telstra network. Well we are all waiting for Wimax. See my posting at http://dotcomspeak.blogspot.com/ to better appreciate the role of Wimax.
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Andrew Sheldon http://www.sheldonthinks.com/

Photos from all my campervanning trips

2008-01-21T04:35:00.000-08:00

For all those interested I have placed a lot of the photos from my campervanning trips on the internet. See my photo albums at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=11104&id=735897671. I will put up photos from my Sydney-Brisbane trip as well.
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Andrew Sheldon http://www.sheldonthinks.com/

RV in the USA

2008-01-21T04:21:00.000-08:00

Campervanning or in the American vernacular 'RV'ing (recreational vehicles) is big business in the USA. There is a great deal more infrastructure established for travellers, and there are even well-established migratory routes which retirees and other enthusiasts follow to warm places like Florida or ski places like Colorado.

So if you are planning a trip to the USA, you might wonder just where you should go for more information. Well let me do the work for you. I spent some hours generating the following list of online resources.

Forums
There are great resources for getting travel ideas and asking questions from veterans. The best ones are:
1. RV USA: See http://www.rvusa.com/forum/mbbs22/forums/forum-view.asp?fid=2. This is a very commercial site so you will get referred to paid advertisers.
2. RV Info: See http://www.rv-info.net/rvforums.html - this non commercial site has alot of useful links.
3. RV Net: See www.rv.net/community. This is another commercial site with a forum, its mostly for info on RV types and maintenance.
4. USA-RV Forum: See http://usa-rvforum.com/USARVFORUM. This is a good site for ideas on RV'ing in different parts of the USA.
5. Free Campgrounds: See http://www.freecampgrounds.com/. The name saids it all, but they also have a forum.
6. RV Parks Review: See http://www.rvparkreviews.com/. This site provides customer feeback for RV parks in every state of the USA and Canada. They also have a forum - www.rvparkreviews.com/invboard/index.php.
7. RV Net Linx: See http://www.rvnetlinx.com/. They offer good info resources for RV'ing in the USA.
8. More RV Links: See www.campingandcampgrounds.com/rv_link_08.html
9. Backhauls USA: If you want to get work backhauling a campervan in the USA, go to this site www.rv-coach.com/current_category.1950/Forum.89679/forum_thread_full.html.

There are also alot of other RV forums attached to 'activity groups' in the USA, but these links will give you a start.
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Andrew Sheldon http://www.sheldonthinks.com/

Campers - Life on the Road

2008-01-20T01:19:00.001-08:00

Perhaps the biggest issue for prospective campervanners is - What would it be like 'living on the road' so to speak? I think the answer to that depends very much on how you approach the task. You really need to plan your campervanning experience to suit you, and even then it might just not be the activity for you.

These are some of the issues that I think a campervanner needs to confront:
1. Stability: Do you mind being unsettled, potentially moving every night to new free sites, or otherwise paying the high cost ($20-30/night for a paid site with electricity. In the countryside, off the main roads, you are more likely to find places you can stay for an extended period of time.
2. Subsistance living: Do you mind spending time accessing local services, whether you need to stop for an hour to recharge your batteries from your diesel generators, empty your own septic tank, fill up the water tanks, maintain your batteries. The good news is that cleaning a van is so much easier than a house. The difficult part might be finding a place to have a shower, go to the toilet, or fill your water tank, particularly if there is no public water supply, or that supply has restricted access because of drought.
3. Space: A lot of people will dislike the tight camper spaces after a time - assuming your budget or lifestyle constraints force you to buy a smaller camper. But there are other ways to cope. You dont need to spend all your time in the camper. Towns have public swimming pools where you can swim, libraries where you can read a newspaper or book, public parks where you can work, read or walk. There are also private facilities like coffee shops and clubs and pubs where you can hang out.
4. Lack of social life: Unless you take your social life with you, you might find life on the road a little boring or lovely. How are you going to spend your evenings? I found country people really hard to interact with, so its best to take your own companion. Even when I meet country people, on some occasions I would have a great time with them, but I couldn't see it happening again. It was nice because it was an unfamiliar experience. There really is a deep divide between country and city - loving the country is not the point of difference - its your whole value system. I was surprised that even staying in coastal NSW was like that. Anyway you are moving on. Unless some of you are inclined to have people invite you to park on their lot of land. Its a new one for me. Having said that some farmers do allow you to stay for longer periods of time cheaply or for free.
5. Storage space: Its easy enough to move out of home, place all your worldly goods in a commercial storage facility and live in a campervan. But you need storage space on the road. I want 4-5 deep cycle batteries to retain alot of electricity backup, and a 60litre fridge for several days food supply.
6. Security: Roaming in a campervan means you are exposing yourself to new worlds. You are unlikely to know the risks to your personal security when you reach new places. The best thing you can do is ask a person when you initialy arrive in town. The best person to ask is a shopkeeper (say at the grocery store). They will have a first-hand knowledge based on their experience of having their store robbed or vandalised. You can trust the advice because you have bought goods from their store too. You will quickly learn where the threats lie. I avoid the bad parts of towns, as well as around clubs and pubs, as people tend to recognise that campervan users are tourists and that you might be sleeping in side. I know a person who had a brick thrown at their vehicle. So it pays to be discrete. There is of course the possibility of theft from your van so you want to avoid remote, dark parking locations if you are leaving the van, but these types of locations are fine if you are sleeping in it. Avoid parking where teenagers might drink such as beaches or public parks.
7. Inconvenience: Perhaps the biggest loss of convenience I found travelling in Australia by campervan was the lack of internet. Australia does not have an open network. No matter where I went - I found connections - but most of them were locked to the public. Not surprising for a security-conscious country. But sometimes it was restrictive. Many businesses locked their networks, others such as libraries had restricted access or no wireless, very high charges for computer access or time limits (say 30-60mins). In the cities I found all private networks locked. Fortunately we are seeing an improvement in services. The pre-paid cards already popular in Japan are spreading to other countries. In Australia, no doubt Telstra will charge monopoly fees for this access.

One of the big questions is whether you have reasonable expectations about what is possible. eg. You might think you can simply stick a few solar panels on the roof and that will accommodate your needs. Sorry, but alot of research is required.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

The economics of campervanning

2007-11-17T07:46:00.001-08:00

I have yet to go campervanning in NZ but the plans are coming together. Its a toss up whether I go from Perth to Sydney, or alot of shorter trips around NZ. If I'm going to NZ then I definitely want an inflatable canoe with me so I can so some canoeing. See http://inflatable-tours.blogspot.com. I think for that reason alone I would like to have family with me. One of the great aspects of campervanning is the capacity to take a group with you, with no incremental extra cost other than food, personal expenses. It thus makes a great holiday for less well-endowed Asians or Australians wanting a new experience. Of course you still have to get family to the point of origination and back to your point of entering the country. Fortunately discounr airlines are making that a little easier, and you might get lucky and be able to organise a cheap backhaul with a campervan. Its probably even worthwhile paying for a full rental just and doing a quick trip rather than flying 2-4 people back to home base. Maybe a car rental will be a better option for the backhaul. Everything depends on the distance. You can do Sydney-Brisbane or Sydney-Melbourne in a (long) day, so you dont need a sleeper, but even so the cost of travelling by rental is likely to be cheaper than flying, and alot more interesting if you cover new territory.
There is no reason why you can't do a partial backhaul. For instance, you might be able to get a camper returm from Darwin-Sydney. Since they need more campers in Sydney, you are unlikely to get a Backhaul from Sydney-Darwin. What is possible however is a Brisbane-Darwin, but likely in a dfferent vehicle class. I prefer the smaller vehicles, but if I am in the Outback of Australia, or even NZ, I would not care, as you have plenty of space and no competing traffic to worry about. You have insurance, but I worry about those disclaimers. I'd hate the idea of not being covered if something goes wrong. These campers are worth anything from $A20-80,000 new.

If you are doing a backhaul of a campervan the trip cost is likely to be around $50/day for extra petrol plus $25/day for meals. Of course you can skimp on meals, eat bread and water to get this lower. If you are doing a full rental, the daily rental rate will depend on the seasonal demand, but it can easily triple your costs because you are not getting the fuel subsidy ($30-50/day) and of course you are paying $80-120/day for the vehicle rental as opposed to $1-5/day doing a backhal. When I crossed Australia I was going to supermarkets every opportunity to buy foods to keep costs down, as I want to sell the idea to people who dont have the financial resources to travel. So the foods to eat - I like:
1. Tetrapak juices - though tap water would be adequate if you dont mind it not cold. You can always wind the window down for air conditioning.
2. Bread & spreads: I like those tuna spreads, Nutella, peanut butter. It gets a little hot in the car so you want spreads that will keep.
3. Fruit & vege: I would happily eat a carrot and bananas, but its a waste buying more than what you can eat because they will deteriorate in the sun. So its best if you can do you shopping in the morning.

I would typically go to a pub at nights for a social outlet, a beer and they usually have cheap meals as well. The old 'club' used to be good value for meals as well, but thats only in the smaller towns. In the larger towns they are well supported by gambling.

In outback Australia there are not so many full service supermarkets like Woolworths or Coles. The exceptions are the large cities. For that reason you are relying on the smaller outlets like IGA and Farmers Best. I was surprised to find out that prices by these buisinesses have fallen a great deal. I ca remember always paying too much at these 'independents'. They are very reasonably priced now despite high fuel costs.

Places to stay in Sydney

2007-11-15T20:14:00.001-08:00

Part of running a good website is giving people excuses to visit your website. We all want to live in the best place in the world. Sadly because of job or visa constraints, some of us can only visit. So if you have the opportunity to visit Sydney, foremost you will realise that it’s a place to enjoy the outdoors. You don’t have to like Australians because there is plenty of space to get away from them, and tourists for that matter. By getting away I am talking about bushwalks and beachwalks – punctuated by the well-timed swim. Although beaches and waterways might be busy in Sydney, once you step outside Sydney, you will find beaches with scarcely any sign of people. If you are visiting Sydney, you might consider any of the following approaches: By plane or vehicle (see my posting on campervan hire).
By campervan
If you are coming to Sydney via campervan I suggest staying at one of several parks around Sydney Harbour. There are not many parks in Sydney with showers, but over time I will add to this list. There are 3 varieties of accommodation I recommend:
1. Harbour park with toilet & shower: Some recreational parks along the foreshore of Sydney Harbour have toilets and showers for the benefit of swimmers. These are good places to stay overnight if they are close to ferry and you don’t intend to return overnight.
a. Sirius Cove, Mosman is an attractive place in Sydney with parking for campervan, plus toilets and showers, and close proximity to Taronga Zoo ferry & facilities. Its just 5km from main shopping areas of Mosman and Neutral Bay.
b. Others: No others found yet.
2. Train stations with toilet: Its easy enough to find a train station with toilets, and there is usually a pub nearby anyway, but if you are planning on spending nights in the city, and will be coming home late, I recommend parking your campervan at a train station, as trains run later than regular government bus services, and are replaced by contractors after 1AM (Nightride service). You might be able to get a shower at a nearby public swimming pool. Try to avoid private homes as they might dispair if they see lights on in vehicles in the middle of the night if they come home.
a. Artarmon Station: Find a quiet avenue on the west side of Artarmon Station, as this station is close to the city. Basic services are readily available.
b. Woolstonecraft Station: Its even closer to the city, but streets are narrow. There are fewer shops here and its harder to find.
c. Pymble Station: This is further away from the city
d. Epping Station: This station is far out but has the benefit of express train services to the city via Stratfield.
Personally I would stay on the North Shore for safety reasons. There tends to be yobbos elsewhere around stations. The North Shore stations has quiet residential stations.
Hotel accommodation
Well if you want an upmarket hotel I recommend the Wentworth Hotel and Grace Hotel in Sydney. Backpacker/pub accommodation
If you are planning to stay here on a budget, I would opt for the backpackers at Newtown, Kings Cross or Central Stations. All these places are close to the city by train, bus or even walking. You might otherwise consider Bondi Junction (popular for foreigners) or Rockdale (close to the airport).
If you are flying into Sydney, take the Airport train to one of the latter destinations. You can book any of these places on the internet – just search for the place name + backpackers, and you should get several choices.

The pros & cons of campervanning

2007-11-07T23:07:00.000-08:00

Campervans are without a doubt the best land-based way to travel. But campervans are not all the same, so great thought needs to be given to which vehicle model, design and features are suitable to your needs. A great deal of thought needs to go into your buying decision, and it would be imprudent not to actual test run a few campervans before you buy, to at least give you an understanding of the important issues.

Benefits of a campervan
The benefits will very much depend on the type of campervan you get - particularly in terms of features and storage capacity. Based on a 2.4-litre Ford Transit based chassis, I would suggest the benefits are:
1. Low touring costs - low cost of transport, accommodation and food (eat in option)
2. Flexible location - you have a choice about where you stay (within a security constraint), and these can be attractive beach locations or mountain peaks. Its incredibly easy to pull off a main road an just park where there is housing for security. But just for one night, otherwise people ask questions. You need to move on the next day and be sure to park elsewhere (>3km) away the next day. Park in non-residential areas from 7AM-9PM, and residential areas from 9PM to 7AM.
3. Lifestyle advantages: Campervans give you alot of freedom, relaxation. They dont offer the asset appreciation of a holiday house, but they are alot more flexible in terms of travel destinations.

Disadvantages of a campervan
The disadvantages of a campervan are:
1. Storage constraint vs mobility/flexibility: You can't have a large storage capacity if you want an offroad vehicle. You can't have a city vehicle if you want to carry alot of extras, such as bicycles, microwaves, air conditioners, etc.
2. Security issues: You need to be concerned about where you park and the risk of property theft/damage. There is no neighbourhood watch with campervans, in fact you might get kids of residents scratching your vehicle because they consider you impinging on their 'million dollar' view. If you impinge where others have, you might cope the rebutal.
3. Livability concerns: Its hard to imagine staying in a campervan for long periods of time. You cant easily relax at night without going to a club or pub. It would be too confining to stay in a campervan for long periods, but in many countries there are options. eg. Public libraries, sports clubs, public swimming pools. Some of these are open for extended hours, and offer free/subsidised member services. Another issue is personal hygiene. Can you live in a campervan without a toilet or shower. Having these options reduces road flexibility, but there are public and commercial facilities if you know where they are. eg. Clubs, sports clubs, public swimming pools, beaches, etc.
4. Mobility: This is a concern if you would like to stay in a specific location for a protracted period. Neighbours and locals start to notice you, and you attract negative attention. Its less personal in tourist locations abnd large urban areas. There is also the pressure of having to worry with where you will stay at night though I have never found this a big concern, and increasingly GPS devices are allowing people to share locations, but revisiting a location can actually be a curse, as you attract negative attention.

Does a campervan meet my requirements?
The types of questions I would be looking to ask are:
1. What type of conditions will I be using my campervan?
If you are a retired person with health limitations you might have no great sense of adventure compelling you to get off-road, so you might be willing to sacrifice off-road capability to retain the home comforts of a larger campervan. If you intend to take your vehicle off-road, you might want to consider a high clearance, short wheel-base model with low roof to avoid trees. Longer vehicles are also difficult to park in urban areas, particularly if you intend to attach a trailer, so this should be addressed if you plan to tour in densely populated areas. In these areas, you might prefer a more discrete mode of living so you dont attract the attention of vandals, delinquents or drunks.
2. How reliable does the vehicle need to be?
If you have health issues you might prefer a newer vehicle from a reputable manufacturer.
3. How much can I afford, or should I spend?
A campervan can save you alot of money on travelling, and maybe the cost of living if you intend to live in it for a protracted period. Otherwise a campervan is a depreciating asset with a poor re-sale value for the premium-priced, factory-made vehicles offered in the market. It might be prudent to consider custom-building your own campervan by buying a chasis and fitting it out. Depending on your handyman skills, it might not look so good, but it will be flexible and low-cost.
4. How reasonable are my expectations of campervanning?
Unless you actually do some campervanning for more than a week I think its difficult to gauge how you will enjoy the lifestyle. You also need to consider the loneliness, or if you intend to take a partner, you need to consider how they will cope. Aside from using a campervan, you can plan your typical day and ponder whether you can tolerate the conditions, or find ways around it. eg. If its a very hot day, do you have a strategy for working. What will you do at night time? Can you run enough batteries to power your electricity demands? How long can you go without a shower? Are the campervan or ancillary amenities good enough? Are you worried about security whilst you are touring?
5. What will I do if I don't like campervanning, or if I don't like the vehicle, or my lifestyle changes?
A campervan is a significant investment. The typical vehicle ranges from $US20,ooo to $100,000. If you are unsure whether you will enjoy the life, or you have doubts about whether you will be using the vehicle long term, whether because you might settle down, have children, travel, etc, then you might be better off opting for a more flexible 'weekender' style vehicle, or a lower cost (perhaps older) vehicle.
6. How much flexibility does the vehicle need to display?
Its best to look for some flexibility when purchasing a campervan. I personally would prefer a van that offers some off-road capacity, but which also has adequate storage & feature space for long distance touring. This gives you the choice of using the vehicle for weekend trips or longer trips. It occurred to me that people living in the country might welcome the opportunity to use a campervan for the occasional city visit. They might use it to go to the theatre in the city, staying in the vehicle for a night or two.
7. What is my budget for operating costs?
One of the most compelling reasons for buying a campervan is the cot savings from travelling, but that benefit is lost if you live at home as well (thus sacrifice rent), or you dont use the vehicle, or if you use the vehicle, but end up compromising the benefits by staying in caravan parks for $30-50/night. You should be able to make savings on food, accommodation and transport particularly if you have your own group to socialise with. But its easy to forget about the loss of home comforts if you compromise too much on storage space. Another issue is the engine size. Consideration should be given to getting a 1.6-1.8-litre engine to reduce fuel costs.

Sydney to Brisbane, Australia (1300km)

2007-11-07T20:14:00.001-08:00

This is the 2nd campervanning trip I have performed with a 'returns' vehicle with www.standbycars.com.au. This company is a JV between Maui & Britz Campervan Rentals. Basically they are offering people with a drivers licence over the age of 25yo the opportunity to return their campervans to another office because they have an unfavourable distribution of campervans around the country - whether Australia or NZ. The inducememts they offer are a 500km return allowance, $150-$300 of petrol allowance depending on the distance (1000-4500km) and a nominal rental charge of $5-10/day, compared to $80-120/day for a full-paying customer. I thought it was a good deal, even if you are constrained to return the vehicle within 3-8 days depending on the distance (usually requiring 300-500km a day). There are pretty stiff insurance risks if you breach the terms so read the online contract. Pay particular attention to windscreen damage and implication of hitting kangaroos if you intend travelling around dust-dawn. The shorter trips are particularly attractive, and you might just get lucky and be able to line up a return trip on similar terms. Otherwise you will need to fly back on a discount airline for $150-250/pp. The airlines to check out are http://www.jetstar.com.au/, http://www.virginblue.com.au/ plus some of the international airlines that stop at domestic ports, eg. Thai Airlines has onward flights from Brisbane to Sydney.

Anyway my trip started at Mascot near Sydney Airport. The Britz pick-up office is an easy walk from Mascot Railway Station on the Easthills-Airport Line, perhaps requiring a change at Wynyard-Town Hall-Central.

VW Caddy Life Specs

On this trip I took my girlfriend. We knew that we would be getting a VW Caddy Life, which were were able to look at on the Britz website before travelling. Its a very small vehicle with a 1.6-litre engine, so it gets amazing fuel economy. The vehicle is well designed, holds well on the road, and is not so under-powered considering its small engine. I guess the things I didn't like about the vehicle is:

1. The long wheel base - for such a short car - means less clearance off-road

2. The lack of space for more storage and a 60-litre fridge (with 3-4 deep cycle batteries)

3. Problematic gear change stepping down - might go the automatic

The things I liked:

1. Good steering-road holding

2. Large tires...I'm not physicist, but does that contribute to the excellent fuel economy. I seemed to get about 600km to the tank.

3. Compact size - if you forget the negative for storage

4. Ability to comfortably seat 4 and sleep 2 with luggage.

5. Great interior design, not to mention sliding doors on both sides (4-door)

6. Good inclination of front windscreen to prevent damage from stones

In conclusion this vehicle makes a great country car if you instend to use it for weekend trips to the coast or the city. I found the gear changing problematic, but maybe that can be overcome. I didn't after 3 days.

The Route

You can travel from Sydney to Brisbane in about 950km, however we went into the mountains so we ended up taking 1350km. They complained, yet I was within my 1500km allowance. The route I chose took us up into the mountains before going back to the coast. The route was:

1. Day 1: SYD-Mascot-Raymond Terrace-Gloucester-Taree-Lake Cathie-Lighthouse Beach-Port Macquarie

2. Day 2: Port Macquarie-Wauchope-Walcha-Uralla-Armidale-Ebor-Grafton

3. Day 3: Grafton-Casino-Beaudesert-BRIS

The highlights of the trip are the green hills and mountains of rural Australia and the beaches. I recommend going horse riding at Cobark (50km west of Gloucester) if you have time. I did it on another trip and its a great experience. Or you could canoe on the Barrington River after rain - also to the west - turn left off the Scone road before you cross the Barrington River. There is a canoe hire place 12km along this road. Otherwise you can just drive through an look at the nice scenery.

If you are coming from a developing country you will particularly like the driving and getting away from everything. Lighthouse Beach south of Port Macquarie would have to be one of the best beaches I know for walking. Why? Its flat, its 30-40km long, its high-energy offshore, but low-energy nearshore, so it sounds wild, but otherwise nice to wade through. Its quiet. You will probably cross paths with just 10-20 people, and its long so you will loose track of time. I paricularly like walking there in the early morning or late afternoon.

At Flynns Beach just south of Port Macquarie, you can walk south from the headland (before Shelleys Beach). This track links 3 beaches together - I like the last best because its so unspoilt and wild. Leah wanted to stay the night in a hotel - so we went to the cheapest in town - the Macquarie Hotel for $50 - share bathroom. You can get a pub meal there for $10-12 or a kabab along the main street. But there are nice restaurants closer to the river near the Macquarie Hotel.

The drive from Port Macquarie to Walcha takes you up the Great Dividing Range. Sadly there are no great walks along this stretch of Oxley Highway, as its a scenic area. But its a nice drive, though it has 60km of hair-pin turns so take petrol. Once you get on the plateau its easy riding. There is a nice coffee shop in Walcha and IGA to get food. We kept going, picking up some tourist information at Uralla. Stopped briefly in Armidale library to use the internet then travelled onto Grafton via Ebor. There is a waterfall at Ebor but there was no water because of the drought, just alot of annoying flies. Its quite a spectacular gorge, and there are about 12 of them in the region like that. The drive onto Grafton was very remote. Nice countryside, but no cultural intetest. In Grafton we ate food we already had in the car, and I walked around Grafton while Leah slept. I packed the car in the pub for security. Grafton is a nice town, with wide, tree-lined streets, and old houses. It really is unloved, I think because its remote from Brisbane & Sydney, its away from the coast (beaches) and there are few jobs there. After returning, we moved to a residential street, parked outside a church, and slept. Close to Leah and God. Quite a trio dont you think!

The next morning we drove on towards Casino, where we ate breakfast at McDonalds. We next drove NNW towards Beaudessert, crossing the ranges (Qld border) near Lions Gap. The roads deteriorated going into Queensland, and the rest was a bit of a rush to get into Brisbane.

The best camper sites in Sydney

2007-11-07T20:05:00.000-08:00

Campervan Trip - Darwin to Sydney (4500km)

2007-11-07T19:39:00.000-08:00

I recently had to fly back to Sydney from the Philippines. Rather than do a straight flight for $US850 return, I decided to fly with Tiger Airlines, a discount Singapore & Melbourne-based airline. I booked online for $A260 - one way, but strict conditions apply. But since there were alot of vacant seats I first booked a campervan to travel from Darwin to Sydney. Britz-Maui operate a 'returns service' in Australia and NZ - see www.standbycars.com.au - which allows you to rent a camper for attractive concessional rates.
I paid $5/day, a $15 booking fee, a refundable $50 holding deposit, and a $1000 bond on my credit card to cover any damage. You can pay an insurance premium to lower your excess in case of damage. You have a limited selection of van types available. I wanted a small 2-man hi-top type, but was instead stuck with a larger 2man Sprint with toilet/shower. There are several things I didn't like:
1. There was no map in the vehicle - small issue
2. They want to charge you $19 for checking the gas in the cooker tank. Even if you dont use it - they want to charge you. I told them to use a 'security sticker' like they use for airport luggage. So they can see if people have opened the gas compartment. Simple solution.
3. You are responsible for any windshield glass breakage - which you have very little control over
4. The contract is poorly structured for users - not giving you a clear picture where you stand
5. You dont know what to expect to a large degree - though it is a cheap offer if all goes well. In my case I had 8 days to go 4000km, and they give me an extra 500km excess, above which I would pay a $0.5/km excess.

Having taken just a few diversions (Edith Falls, Daly River pub, misdirection at the NSW border, I finished my trip with about 150km to spare. The big loss was not having enough kms to visit Kakadu National Park and not stopping at Katherine Gorge, though there will be a next time. I went:
a. Day 1: Darwin - Edith Falls - Katherine - Mataranka Thermal Springs (camped in the free Day Parking area). Darwin has some nice places to go out. Beer is pricey at $5-6 a bottle. Patty O'Shea's Irish Pub had great live band. I originally intended to stay in Katherine but the aboriginal AFL team beat the local 'white fellas' so were out drinking. They threw a can at my parked van so decided to move on. Decided instead to stay at the thermal pools so I could have a morning swim instead. Edith Falls wasn't special, but the areas was scenic. I passed up the chance of going to Katherine Gorge. That was a mistake, and I would recommend that instead of Edith Falls, even though its a longer drive in.
b. Day 2: Mataranka Thermal Springs - Daly River - Tennant Creek - Threeways. The highlight of this section was the Daly River pub. They were having a rodeo that day. Although I would have liked to stay, I got there at 10AM, and there was alot of ground to cover. It would be an understatement to say it has style, as the walls are covered in bras and other 'accessories'. I went to the Sports Club in Tennant Creek, which was a good opportunity to experience aborigines and country folk socialising. They seemed to get along great, but apparently the abos become very aggressive when the alcohol kicks in, so there will be fights later. I decided to stay at a small town (Threeways instead) after a lovely dinner at the Sports Club. After having things thrown at my car I found it difficult to sleep.
c. Day 3: Threeways - Barkley Homestead - Mt Isa: Get as much petrol as you can in the NT at Threeways ($1.45/L) because it will be $1.76/litre at Barkley Homestead, and the next stop. Same for food...stock up in Katherine or Tennant Creek. I enjoyed the drive for the first few hundred kms, but it got a little monotonous. Basically you are dropping into the Georgina Basin, then you enter the Barkley Ranges of the Mt Isa district. Mt Isa is a lovely town. People are friendly, the aborigines well behaved (as have jobs), and it has good facilities. The mountains is this areas are very scenic and the low sun makes the area even more alluring. I took a shower in the local public swimming pool and ate Chinese takeaway.
d. Day 4: Mt Isa - Cloncurry - McKinley - Longreach - Barcaldine - Blackall. I did alot of driving today. It was pretty flat, boring country. The highlights were some nice towns - particularly Longreach (the home of Qantas) and Barcaldine (5 pubs, home of the Australian Labor Party). So good for a history lesson. Blackall was a nice town as well. The most southerly pub at Barcaldine gave a good roast beef, and they let me charge my GPS batteries. I ended up campervanning for free in a backstreet in the next town. No pubs, no drunk aborigines, no problem.
e. Day 5: Barcaldine - Augatella - St George. This was another boring day of driving. the last section from Mitchell to St George was a short-cut on a narrow sealed road with woodland on both sides. The implication was that driving required alot of concentration to avoid hitting kangaroos in the late afternoon since there was 250kms of woodland. I had a great meal in the riverside Commercial Hotel, and talked to a local over beer before driving to the edge of town and sleeping in the campervan.
f. Day 6: St George - Goondiwindi - Texas - Inverell - Bundarra - Armidale. I travelled early so again had to watch closly for kangaroos. Came close to hitting 2 of them. One I didnt see because it jumped out in front of me, the other reversed direction to join its mate. Goondiwindi was an ok town. Stopped at the public library to use the internet. From this point you have several options as far as direction - east (Stanthorpe), SE (Texas) or SSW (Moree). I heard Moree was a nice town but I really wanted to see rivers and rangelands. So I followed the Dumareq River up to Texas, then travelled south to Bonshaw, and then Inverell. Inverell was surprisingly prosperous to me. Wealthy cattle and cotton farmers in this area. It was then on to Armidale. I decided to go there via Bundarra since I'd never been out this far west in the New England area. It was very green and attractive country. I would happily live in this area from the border to Walcha. I wanted to visit a friend in Armidale, but couldn't reach him. Drank with some locals instead. Ate a Weds night special at the pub - roast chicken breast and vege for $7 or 2 for $12. Good value. I just parked in the main street opposite a construction site and slept with no disturbance. Maybe because it was cold.
g. Day 7: Armidale - Uralla - Walcha - Novendoc - Gloucester. Went to the library to check my internet. My friend was out in the field so decided to move on. I wanted to visit Walcha and travel down the Thunderbolts Way. This is a more direct alternative route to Sydney which drops down the range rather than going down the Hunter Valley. It is more rugged and an inferior road for the most part, but its more scenic. Stopped at the Bretti Reserve. This is one of my favourite camp spots, but I didnt stay. Its located at the junction of Little Bowman River and the Little Manning River I think, so I think it would make a good canoe entry point in higher water. I stayed the night in Gloucester. Parked next to the public toilets. The swimming pool was closed for renovation (and maybe for winter season still) so I was unable to find a shower, but who cares....I wanted a beer. It was an easy walk to the van, and I just slept in the van.
h. Day 8: Gloucester - Stroud - Raymonds Terrace - Gosford - Sydney - Mascot. I was awoken early by workmen. So after some fruit I got started. About 90minutes later I was in Gosford, emptied the car and was off to Mascot. Before I left I stopped in at a RV-caravan store at Gosford and looked at a camprvan for $94K. It was well furnished but too fully equipped for me. Having checked the location of Britz at Mascot it wasnt too hard to find. I was not aware of the changes on the North Shore Harbour Tunnell however, so I ended up having to go into the city...annoying.

Interestingly I wasnt the only person to have problems with aborigines. A woman travelling with her son was apparently assaulted by an aboriginal guy in the Kempsey (North NSW coastal town) area after he threw a rock at her vehicle. She got out to query him ('Why did you do that?), and she ended up being hit. I suspect the reason might be the presence of a prison in this area, and the aborigines in this town too have a reputation for violence. Its a very boring town - as no facilities...and that might well be because of the violence problem driving away business. If I can give people any insights its the following:
1. Buy your food in grocery stores - cereal & small packets of long life milk, cereal-fruit bars as snacks and fruit each day fresh.
2. The separate (2nd) deep cycle battery will last just 2 days using the fridge, so use the fridge from 12midnight to noon only. You will need to recharge or just buy food fresh.
3. There are no Woolworths or Coles in the outback - except at Katherine, Tennant Creek and Mt Isa...until you get to Tenterfield? This means you will have limited range of items at IGA and Foodworks stores or paying more at independents.
4. Avoid campervanning in towns with aborigines and pubs - the two of them dont mix. Camp in industrial estates, residential areas, not on main roads. Be discrete! Contrary to perception I suspect quiet, dark areas are better for avoiding attention.
5. Petrol is cheapest in Qld - but avoid small towns where you will feel the cost of monopoly advantages, ie. Crossing the border. NSW is more expensive, so buy in Warwick.
6. If your camper does not have shover/toilet facilities there are plenty on the road. Take some toilet paper or tissues in case. You can use public swimming pool facilities in towns, or other sporting clubs, though they seem less frequent outside NSW. I found in public pools in Mt Isa, Goondiwindi, Armidale, Gloucester (under renovation). But there are more if you look.
7. Watch out for kangaroos. You will loose your $1000-1500 excess (bond) if you hit one. Avoid driving in the evenings or morning. They have a habit of darting out from bushes. If one crosses rest assured others will follow, so watch the group. You need to understand how they think...which is pretty poorly!
8. If you are thinking about buying a campervan - this is a pretty good way of selecting the features you need or like.
9. I was disappointed to find that there were very few wifi hotspots in rural Australia - or at least public access ones. All wifi sites I detected were private ADSL connections...and there doesnt seem to be much depend for them. Never saw any people with laptops. I hid mine so I wouldnt attract any attention.
10. I think its best to prepare your own breakfast and lunch and eat dinner out. In rural areas (away from the coast) pub and RSL (returned military serviceman's clubs) offer good value meals, and you can always get cheap Chinese takeout meals for $12-15. For breakfast I was having cereal with long life milk. Lunch was nutella on bread with fruit and carrot sticks, as well a tetra-pack juice and museli bars.
11. I have some thoughts on buying a campervan, but I will post a separate item on that issue.

Selecting a campervan

2007-11-07T18:00:00.000-08:00

Its very difficult to select a campervan without first using the vehicle under the conditions you intended. For most of us that is not an option. Nevertheless there are plenty of forums where you can at least get the views of people who have first hand experience – assuming they are not vendors stealthily promoting their own product. I am happily independent in that respect. J Though I would qualify this posting by disclosing that this posting is targeted at a young audience. The problem that I have with the selection of campervans on the market is that they are targeted at retirees. This is evident in:

The size – they are big and cumbersome, suited to slow drivers whom are unlikely to take the vehicle off-road
They are fully-fitted with the luxurious features
They are fitted with a lot of features I don’t want.
They are too expensive – I’m not willing to pay $70-100K for a campervan

Its understandable that this is the way campervan manufacturers are going because when you consider that the babyboomers are retiring with huge wads of cash, and they want all the comforts of home, then its understandable. But from my perspective, I’m not even interested in a heavily discounted 2nd hand ‘mobile retirement home’.
I have been looking at campervans for a few years now, firstly in Australia, then I was looking at importing a cheap one from Japan, and now I am more inclined to buy a cheap chassis and fit it out with the features I like. In coming to this conclusion I have given a lot of thought to the intended use of the vehicle as well as the lowest cost approach. A considered approach really demands that you outline what you will do thoughtout your day, and how you will perform those tasks in a campervan. Eg. Where are you going to shit, can someone see you through the window, will the smell of it prevent you from working on your computer. Unless you ask these very profound philosophical questions you wont know how suited the vehicle is for your intended use. You also need to consider what will change – are you going to get married, go overseas, will it still suit you, and where can you store it. Lifestyle objectives I personally like travelling and spending time in different places. I would prefer to have several cheap homes rather than a single expensive base. Basically I would happily live in a camper, though I need to consider the interests of my GF. Basically all I need is a cheap, small 5acre block of land with a large shed on it, so I can store the campervan an accessories in it. I was actually thinking to build a insulated home within a country shed but maybe I can more cheaply buy a weekender-style home when there is a credit crunch and city farmers are forced to sell. All I need is a link to an international airport to leave the country. My bases are Japan-Philippines-Australia, but since Australia has a ‘Closer Economic Agreement’ with NZ I can freely travel and invest there. My motivation for getting a campervan is:

I love the outdoors/nature
I love doing activities like mountain biking and canoeing that require travelling to remote places
It’s a great way to see the world
It saves a lot of money on food and accommodation
Its more flexible than having a holiday house – where you are stuck in a single location
Its suitable for weekend trips or extended holidays – so its flexible enough to adjust to any lifestyle change like buying a house or having a family

The options Given the current economic expansion, there is a lot of money floating around. Which means things like campervans are really priced for ‘how much you can afford’ as opposed to the cost+profit margin that drives a competitive market? For this reason I am steering away from these ready-made solutions, which offer a fairly basic campervan for $70-100K (depending on the number and quality of fittings). Another reason for steering away from these factory-made designs is that their functionality is not sustainable. Coastal caravan parks are disappearing because of the rapid rise in the value of the land, and its redevelopment. The traditional caravan park was often on an attractive beach, but now they are quickly disappearing or rising in prices. You now have to pay $27-50 per night to stay on-site with a campervan, when all you really need is a shit, shower and a battery recharge. The ‘retiree’ is perhaps comfortable using these facilities because they have loads of cash, and value the security, but I would prefer to:

Select a more flexible design that allows me to stay anywhere
Select a design that allows me to stay off-grid for at least 4 days
Select a design that allows me to inconspicuously spend the night in residential areas, in the middle of town, next to a mountain stream or along a quiet beach.

Design features I don’t want to pay a premium for services of marginal benefit. For that reason I want to economise on features. I want the flexibility to have a shower, but I don’t need a dedicated shower. I don’t need a hotplate because I would prefer a steamer. I don’t need a TV or video because I can use my laptop. Australia is a mostly dry country, so I will content myself with a fan. I do however want a quality 60litre refrigerator because I want to stock food for >3 days. I need a table and chair that converts into a double bed. The intention for cutting back of features is to increase my access to remote places as well as make driving the vehicle less cumbersome. There are just too many places you cant take a big vehicle, and the cost of insuring such a beast is not worth it. I want to customise a campervan to have just the features I need…and I want it all contained in a tight space, so that requires some design. More challenging is to make it a place a woman would feel comfortable. The features I am looking for are:

Fuel economy – a 2-2.4 litre engine for good fuel efficiency but reasonable power.
Basic features – 60L fridge/freezer, water pump, double bed, chair, table, windows, sun & fly screen.
Accessories – computer, handheld devices (GPS, camera, cell phone), toaster, steamer, shaver, fan, fire extinguisher,
Energy supply – power points, solar panels, generator, deep cycle batteries (3x), diesel generator (1hp), inverter, diodes, etc, with the intent of getting solar panels when they become cheaper and more energy efficient.
Good clearance – whether from short wheel base or good vertical clearance
Vehicle length – I don’t want the vehicle to be too long so I can easily turn around on rural tracks.
Good shape & design – inclined windscreen to reduce the likelihood of breakage, flat rood for storage and solar panel mounting. Good internal shape for fitout and interior design
Height – I have not decided if I want a hi-top or normal level because although its nice to have head clearance in the vehicle, this needs to be weighed up against the possibility of hitting overhead trees in the bush and wind shear while driving. I was originally against pop-up designs because I saw idiots puncturing the canvas with knives. But I am inclined to only use the pop-up feature if I am in the sun during the day, and leave it down at night when I am less mobile anyway.

Approach to purchase

At this point I see 3 options:

Buying a 2nd hand campervan in Japan – export to NZ or Australia. There are a multitude of companies that export cars from Japan.
Buying a 4WD chassis in Japan (say a Mitsubishi Delica), exporting to Australia before fitting out the interior. Japan drives on the same side of the road, their cars are fully accessorised and they are under-loved after 5yrs of service despite limited road kms.
Buying a 2nd hand or new chassis in Australia and fitting it out here. The basic chassis is likely to cost $20-25K for a 5yr old vehicle. See www.discountusedcars.com.au.

Possible Chassis

There are a large number of possible chassis available. I identified the following models on the www.discountusedcars.com.au websites:

Volkswagen: This is the chassis for the campervan I used travelling from Darwin to Sydney. The engine torque was great, though the gear shifts were difficult for me. I was often stalling finding 1st gear. I also find this vehicle to big and thus awkward to park and certainly impossible to take off-road. Transporter: This is a VW van. It is a good size and comes in a high-head room model.
Mitsubishi: Mitsubishi don’t have the best reputation. Arguably they are not designed for Aust, but I’ll look at the kilometres on the odometer of a few models to judge their performance. Anything over 300K is doing well. Delica – I like this vehicle because its very popular model in Japan, thus an easy 2nd hand purchase. There is a 4WD version, it has a short wheel base with very good clearance. Express 4WD: There are not many models, so maybe hard to find parts. StarWagon 4WD: There are not many models, but they might be ok, but bad for parts.
Toyota: Toyota offers a range of models. They are a popular car manufacturer and its generally easy to get parts for these popular chassis. Hiace – The Hiace is a popular chassis for the hi-top ‘bubble’ style campervans you see around. Some of these are 4WD. I like these for security reasons over the ‘pop up’ type roofs because its more discrete campervanning (since no one knows your inside if you close the curtains). The downside is the high profile which can be dangerous in wind gusts on the open road. A sudden wind gust could push you into an oncoming truck. Townace: This is a basic van – the 1994 and 2000 models are very different looks. They are a small van. Landcruiser – there is a’hi-top’ version which I like since it has just basic features. The problem with this is again the high roof (good & bad) as well as the small storage space. The other bad feature is the high fuel consumption. The good news is that you often have a 2nd fuel tank so you have greater range and you need not pay exorbitant prices at petrol stations with a ‘remote’ market monopoly. You can get a 2003 model with 200K for $20-23K. I think this is not a city vehicle. Models can have an eski or standard style frig. It comes with a sink and burner I don’t need. Coaster: This is a Toyota bus of moderate size. Too big for my needs I think. It has a rear door, some with seats. Problem with low clearance. You can get a 1995 bus fitted out for campervanning for $72K. An older unit strikes me as a good vehicle to place on a block of land? Or might a shed be better?
Iveco: They produce a range of commercial vehicles. Daily Van: This is a good shape vehicle.
Ford: There are a range of Fords that would make good campervans: Econovan: Some people have fitted these out with hightops. I saw a 1991 model with fittings for $7400 at www.discountusedcars.com.au. I don’t trust the odometer reading though – 103K – nonsense. But I could always buy a later model say 2002 for $10-12,000 and fit it out. Transit: There was a 1998 diesel model for sale for $5500 that had done 450,000kms. That’s good to know. This is a wider vehicle with a hitop. There are shorter wheel-based models as well.
Nissan: They have several camper/van types. Urvan/Camper GL 1983: This is a longer wheeled bus-type.
Mercedes Sprinter Van: This is a good van for conversion.
Renault: They are not a popular car supplier to Australia. Ducato: This is an appealing van I have seen converted into a campervan.

Ultimate decision
The ultimate decision upon which chassis to buy will depend on:

The price of the vehicle – new or 2nd hand
The vehicle which will comfortable fit all my features
The vehicle that offers the best selection of parts in Australia
The vehicle with the best road handling characteristics and durability