Want to know what all goes into planning a year-long road trip around Australia with a family of three, a car & a caravan? Read more on the blog.
Road Trip Inspiration
Well it's official, we have packed up our life on the Gold Coast and we are now full time travelling gypsies! For those of you who don't know us, we are the Hutchos - Alex, Ryan and our 1 year old son, Ziggy Hutchinson - and we live... well, lived on the Gold Coast. We decided we needed a change of lifestyle and after seeing a few good friends pass away or become very sick recently, and decided to get out and live life to the fullest while we can. Making amazing life memories is what it's all about.
Our big light bulb moment came about a year and a half ago when we were pregnant with Ziggy; at the time we had a very old Viscount caravan we would stay in on the weekends down at Wooyong on a permanent site. We loved it so much and would always talk about how amazing it would be to travel Australia in a van. Since we could easily work from home on our online business, Mahiya, we thought "what's stopping us?!"
Fast forward a year and a bit and here we are kissing our family and loved ones goodbye and hitting the road. For our first post, we wanted to share a few mistakes we made along the way and our top buys we are currently loving. Thank you for coming on this journey with us, and we hope to provide loads of fun info and most of all, loads of good times. x
Road Trip Tips
Know your Weight
We recently purchased a Toyota Prado when we first decided to make our dream a reality. Our towing weight was 2.5 tonnes, so we looked for caravans around or under 2 tonnes. We ended up going with a Crusader Bunkie, which we LOVE, but after all the add-ons it ended up weighing in at 2100, leaving only 400kg of weight to add. 400kg of food, clothing, water, bikes, etc. is definitely not enough and we realised this the hard way.
In the end, the Prado just wasn't going to cut it so we had to buy a LandCruiser to be able to tow it. We also had to get an ATM upgrade on the van, as once we weighed it with our stuff in it we were way over weight. Talk about stress two days before you leave! Luckily, Anna from Crusader saved the day and made it happen.
Essential Items We Love
B.E.S.T. Water Filter
Because not everywhere we'll be camping offers access to clean drinking water to fill our tanks, we went with B.E.S.T. Water Filter as they attach outside on the hose instead of your sink so no bad water ever goes in to your tank. They are also really easy to back flush.
First Aid Kit
It's better to be safe than sorry venturing into this wild and wonderful country of ours; make sure you have a good first aid kit! We also did a CPR and first aid course the week before we left to make sure we were survival prepared.
Bikes
Because let's face it, who wants to return home 10kg heavier than when they left. They also provide hours of fun for us and Ziggy while we explore our surroundings.
Veebee Playpen
For keeping Ziggy safe while we set up and pack down, the Veebee Playpen is a saving grace.
