I have been on the road now for six weeks and have been incredibly busy for an unemployed traveller. I am definitely in the swing of all things Vanlife. Between sneaking into ‘paying campers only’ showers to free camping and sleeping on the street. There have been a few lows and a whole heap of highs. When leaving Brisbane I was mixed with emotions. I was excited, nervous, apprehensive, enthusiastic and above all relieved that the day for my big trip south had finally arrived.
My first stop was the Gold Coast to see family and friends before I ventured into uncharted territory. I spent the day with my mum and caught up with old friends to share hopes and dreams of my pending trip. At the Gold Coast is where I ran into my first speed bump… my fridge died. I was expecting it to give way eventually and had packed an esky because I had massive trust issues with it. I had it re-gassed a couple of weeks before hand because it didn’t seem to be cooling as quick as it should have. This worked temporarily, but then the compressor died and there was no coming back from that. It was a very cheap brand and actually came with the van when I bought it. So I bit the bullet and paid $946 for a Waeco CFX 35L. It hurt the budget, but the fridge has been fantastic! No more trust issues and it can be used as a fridge or freezer. Chilling those beers to a cheeky 0 degrees is an absolute treat on a hot day. After measuring literally every fridge in BCF I couldn’t find one to fit the pre-existing drawer. So I borrowed a screwdriver from BCF and removed the drawer and runners. It was a snug fit and no runners meant I was working my biceps every time I tried to pull it out, so I decided to leave it at the foot of the bed. This allows full elevation of the lid, a seat when I’m organising my stuff (which is ALWAYS) and a sneaky hidey-hole in the old fridge space to store my inflatable SUP board. Beside the dent in my budget, it all worked out for the better.
I then spent a good week exploring the Byron Bay area while I waited for friends to join me for my birthday. I ventured into Bangalow, Nimbin and the Whian Whian Forest. The rain followed me wherever I went and was putting a real dampener on my first two weeks on the road. I have been zigzagging down the east coast between staying in holiday parks (average $30 a night unpowered), nature reserves and free camping near public parks in the cities. Campermate has been an absolute lifesaver! The filters allow me to not only find campsites but public toilets and showers too. I spent a lot of the first leg to Sydney staying in holiday parks; I think this was a confidence thing as I got used to living in my van for more than a week at a time. However, my bank account quickly put a stop to this luxury!
I’ve seen some gorgeous scenery from the forest to the sea and are always looking for protected bays to use my SUP board. Some standouts so far have been Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads, the blue pools at Angourie, Yamba, the Promised Land at Gleniffer, Nelson Bay, Jervis Bay and Kiama. The Blue Mountains don’t compare to anywhere I have been before. The views of the limestone plateaus and valleys covered in greenery are breathtaking on a clear day. I decided to go canyoning at Wentworth Falls, in a canyon called Empress, while staying at Katoomba too. It was a beginners canyon following a waterway for almost three hours. There were rock jumps from 2-5m and finished with a 30m abseil down a waterfall. The guide at Eagle Rock Adventures was incredibly knowledgeable of the area and very friendly. Absolutely worth every penny spent! But my favourite place I’ve stayed so far has to be the campground near the old gaol at South West Rocks. You don’t get any better real estate than that!
The second challenge came about when I updated my iPhone to the latest IOS software- lesson learned. My modest iPhone 6S could not support the new software and started to do all kinds of weird things. This was incredibly frustrating considering how reliant I am on my phone for EVERYTHING while on the road. My phone would randomly turn off and take hours on charge to turn back on again. I had the battery replaced and it was still going down in battery life while being on the charger! So while in Sydney I bit the bullet and bought a new iPhone 8. A reliable phone with hours of charge makes for a happy Hannah! You win again Mr Jobs.
I’ve spent the last three weeks exploring the Sydney area. There is so much to see and do. I got to spend Easter with a friend and a few days with family squishing their beautiful babies. I’m now traveling solo again and am in the Canberra area. It’s nice to go your own pace after having visitors. Days are slow and quiet- just how I like them.
I did ask my first visitor Kelly Dee to share some light on her experience with Vanlife. Kel was with me for four weeks between Brisbane and Sydney. She asks about one thousand questions a day so it was nice to reverse the question master role and put her in the hot seat. I hope these responses encourage anyone else that is interested in joining me on the road to book that plane ticket and send me the dates! It is nice having someone to share the memories with so if you are interested please send me a message!
The truth about Vanlife from the mouth of Kelly Dee:
Was Vanlife what you expected?
Yes, I guess I didn’t really know what to expect. But I wanted to see beaches and waterfalls and natural stuff. Having lived in Toronto for five years, even the sound of native birds has been a nice reminder of what its like to be home.
What was your favourite part?
All of it… because I wasn’t working (haha). There’s so much. I feel like I was surprised when I reflected on the day when we went to bed. It felt like we just travelled a lot but we actually did a lot during the day. There was a lot of packing up our shit and organising where we would go next. Having two people made this easier. Our first hike in the rainforest when we got rained on was definitely a highlight. Oh and the two leeches on me (actually, minus the leeches). It was our first adventure.
My second stand out moment was our campsite at South West Rocks. It was relaxing looking at the beach and being near an old gaol.
What challenged you?
Goannas. Thinking they were going to eat me.
It took a few days of adjusting to where everything was and how to pack my bags so everything was easily accessible. Everything takes a little bit longer when living in a van.
Being a hypochondriac and thinking my toe was infected and that is was going to fall off when really it was just a little cut underneath.
Losing my razor- armpit hair issues. Full hippie.
I was surprised that it was relatively easy to find campsites when we needed. The only challenge was trying to find somewhere in Newcastle over the weekend. I think we learned that lesson that cities on the weekend would be harder.
Would you recommend travelling Australia in a van to your friends?
Yes, definitely by road. It’s been really cool to see how much beach and little towns there are along the east coast. How spread out everything is. I don’t think you have the full scale of the beach and little towns unless you’re travelling by road.
What advice would you give them?
Campermate has been really helpful. Develop an appetite for falafel, hummus and all things vege. Everyday reflections and being present in the moment. There are always things happening and it’s hard to stay present and appreciate the moment so daily reflections have helped me take a moment to appreciate what I did for the day. Journaling or making notes helps you truly appreciate what you did to fill your day.
What was it like travelling with Hannah?
Really good, I think we are both laid back people. It was easy to agree on what we wanted to do/see/stay. I feel safe with her behind the wheel.
Han x