December 2010, South Australia

There is so much to see in South Australia, I decide not to rush and made a plan to return for at least one more visit, another year. I decided to make my way to Tasmania. Tasmanian people I had met told me the best months to visit were February and March, so I made that my plan. It is expensive to take your RV across on the boat so that is why I decided I would stay for at least two months.

During December, I expored the Flinders Ranges.....

.... the Barossa Valley and the Fluerieu Peninsula.

Victor Harbor on the Fluerier Peninsula

Adelaide and Harndorf took up the first part of January, 2011. 

Harndorf reflects the heritage of the settlers from Germany.

By mid January, I needed to start heading towards Melbourne to catch the boat to Tasmania. I like to have enough time to be able to explore some areas along the way.

Almost on the border between SA and Victoria, I stopped at Mt Gambia to see the blue lake.

Eventhough it was school holiday time when coastal caravan parks are much more expensive and crowded,  I decided to travel the Great Ocean Road on my way towards Melbourne. 

People told me not to miss Port Fairy, not far from Warrnambool and the start of the Great Ocean Road. 

spectacular coastline along The Great Ocean Road

I was nervous about getting myself through Melbourne and onto the boat for Tasmania. I was catching the night boat so I had all day to sort it out. There is plenty of free parking a couple of streets away from where bording takes place, so I parked and had a good look at where I had to go. It is very well organised and I managed. The best tip I was given was to make sure I knew the deck and number after I was parked on board. It can be quite confusing next morning.

Arriving in Tasmania, ready for my next adventure.

            

off to South Australia

I was now ready for the big drive south along the Stuart Highway. I felt a bit nervous about this drive but I didn't drive more than 3 -4 hours a day and I always stayed in caravan parks where I felt it was more secure. I tried to keep my fuel tank about half full. I didn't want to run the risk of arriving at a small place, wanting to fill up and finding there was no diesel.  

I stayed a few days at Coober Pedy - different, interesting.

an underground house at Coober Pedy

I was very glad to reach the Eyre Peninsula. Lots of beautiful places, I followed the coastline around  to Ceduna.

emus walking through the caravan park at Coffin Bay

Sculptures on the cliffs at Elliston

From Ceduna, I turned around and headed for the Flinders Ranges.

winter in the Northern Territory - 2010

By May 2010, I was back in Broome and about to head east. When I visited Broome on the way south, I was in the peak of the tourist season and it was very crowded. This time, I was there just before the crowds and I found it much nicer. I had now been travelling for almost two years and I had enough confidence to use some of the free camps. De Grey river in the WA is very popular.

Back in Kunurra, I did a 4 wheel drive day trip to El Questo. A long day but really worth it.

Chamberlin Gorge, El Questro

June

Katherine Gorge and Kakadu took up all of June. There are many places to stay in Kakadu from camp sites to caravan parks and I tried most of them.

July took me to Berry Springs, Litchfield National Park and Darwin.

By August, I was starting to head south.

my campsite at the Devil's Marbles

Alice Springs and the West MacDonald Ranges in September   

 October.

Kings Canyou

The Olgas

Ready to go, head for WA - 2009

After a few months of confidence building, I felt ready to take off. I wanted to go to Western Australia while my motorhome was new. At this stage I was still thinking I would be a grey nomad for two years. I wanted to see the wild flowers in WA, so being there in the spring was my plan.  I thought I would do the circle around Australia.

I set off from Queensland, drove across the NT and started my WA adventure in Kununurra. After taking 5 days just to cross the NT, I realised how big Australia is. My two year plan was not going to work. I had plenty of time to get to the wild flower areas, so I decided I was now on an open time plan. I would stay in WA until I had seen everything. I ended up being there for 11 months.

the Bungle Bungles

boab tree at Derby

I planned to start my wild flower viewing at Kalbarri National Park. I arrived in September and it was a really good year for wildflowers. I ended up following the flowers for 6 weeks, covering a number of different areas each with different flowers.                                                 

I covered all the scenic coastal areas, the gold fields and Perth.

Esperance

Once I finished with Kalgoorlie, I decided to not go across the Nullabor but to drive north again, and I planned for winter in the Northern Territory. I saw some different places on my drive north and revisited some areas.

beginning the adventure

I sold my townhouse so my motohome became my home. I wanted to travel full time. I had things to consider and sort out:
1. Mail
My sister allowed me to use her postal address for any mail. This has become much easier over the years as most things can be done over the internet. The internet is an important part of my life.

2. Keeping in touch with everyone
I have a mobile Wifi account and this allows me to be in contact with people every day if I want to. This, together with my mobile phone, is my connection to everyone. I play Scrabble on line with a number of friends and family every day. I subscribe to a newspaper and read it online every day.

3. What to do with all those recipe books.
I use a recipe App and find it fantastic. All my favourite recipes are now stored on my iPad. I also use it for finding new recipes. I never buy recipe books now.

4. Organising photos
I take lots of photos and delete most of them. I file photos in months and years so they are easy to refer back to. I do a photo blog of each month so anyone can see where I am, if they want to. I make a photo diary of each year, as my record of the highlights. I use Facebook to post an occassional photo.

5. Getting confident driving a longer vehicle.
At first I took only short trips. I practised reversing. When I was having difficulty in a caravan park, I asked someone to guide me. People are only too happy to help. You just have to ask.

6. Keeping clothes to the minimum
Take advantage of being mobile. I head north for the winter and south for the summer and basically I use the same clothes all year round. Choose  one colour for basic items and mix and match colours to contrast e.g. one pair of shorts matched with many tops.

Pelicans at Hervey Bay - at first I didn't travel too far away from my base in southern Queensland.

background - starting out in July 2008

Are you afraid to start a nomadic life?  I planned to travel in my motorhome for 2 years. 8 years and three motorhomes later, I am still going. My aim for this blog is to help others who want to but just need a bit of encouragement. I travel full time, follow the weather and over the years I have learned so much to make this life style easier. Living in a confined space takes some skill and practice.

For me, the first step was to read as much as I could from web sites. I did this for two years. I hired a motorhome twice in this time. By the time I retired, I knew the type of motorhome I wanted. I bought and started roaming. Small steps at first until I gained confidence.

             I had no idea I would still be wandering around 8 years later. Australia is a bit place!

In my  next blog, I will tell you how I planned my first six months.

Wildhorsesolo.