Woohoo…I’ve bought a van, rented my house out for 12 months and I’m now on a road trip around Australia. I have to say it’s been and continues to be a huge learning curve…..I’d never pulled a van, I’m nervous backing the van and not yet very good at it (but getting better!), What if I break down? What if I forget to hook the van on correctly? What if I have a puncture? etc etc...the list goes on, BUT do you know what? I'll cope, I'll learn and along the way I'm bound to have a great experience in life. Anyway I'm told, when you learn new skills in older age you develop and increase your brain cells….mmmm mine must be developing exponentially at the present time!!!
The rig!
Friday 15th March… I unofficially left Albury at 9:30. I say unofficially as I returned to Albury for a couple of days in late April on my way up the Hume. My first setback/incident…I had my BIKE STOLEN while the van was parked in North Albury on the night of Thursday 14th. Securely locked onto the bike rack and ready for an early morning start the next day, it obviously wasn’t locked on securely enough...grrhhh!
Lessons learned
1: Don’t take a good bike on a road trip.
2: Secure it with multiple locking devices. Still no guarantee, but a few extra deterrents might help!
The good news is the insurance company has come good with a payout which will certainly help towards the cost of another bike!! After reporting it to Albury police I took to Melbourne via Benalla, Yea, took the back road past the airport at Lilydale and parked my van (and myself) at Sara and John's in Edithvale.
Another learning experience...driving in city traffic and YES, I was soooo nervous, but got there with no mishaps. I'm sure it's going to get easier!!
Saturday 16th March…I attended my granddaughter Nellies netball game in Edithvale on Saturday morning then drove to Toora and Wilsons Prom to visit an old family friend for a few days and parked my van at Pat's place.
Streaky Beach at Wilson's Prom
Streaky Beach at Wilson's Prom
Cape Paterson near Wonthaggi
Agnes Falls near Toora
Pat (on the left) with the owner of the amazing vintage shop in Toora.
A view looking towards Wilson's Prom
Pat (on the left) with a couple of local artists from Toora
Monday 18th March…Phillip Island was next. I parked my van at Amaze ‘nThings Caravan Park for 3 nights and visited family. A few quiet days to gather myself together after all the rush to pack up and get away.
Alex celebrated her 90th birthday last December and it was good to have an opportunity to spend some time with her.
Thursday 21st March…back to Melbourne to get ready to fly to Sydney and board Radiance of the Seas for a two week cruise around NZ with 3 other girls. I parked my van in Frankston at the caravan service centre to have its warranty service done whilst I was away on the cruise. I'll put up some photos of the cruise in another post
Distance travelled 15-23rd March - 764km
Where did I park my van during April? You will find out soon...😄