So there’s been a lot of planning going on recently in the Big World Small Pockets camp.
A lot of secret planning I might add!
Yes, for many months now, behind the scenes, we’ve been working, saving and preparing like crazy … and no one has known!
Ever since October last year in fact, we’ve been silently beavering away with every spare moment of our time.
From semi-living in hardware stores and a friend’s work shed to learning about Anderson plugs and solar technology right through to researching roof racks and water pipes, we’ve had a lot to learn … and fast!
Sadly, we’ve had to keep our plans top secret for all sorts of reasons, but now, tired of staying tight-lipped and almost at the finish line, we’re bursting at the seems to tell everyone of our latest and greatest adventure.
So guess what folks, it’s official, we’ll soon be on the road again!
Yes, as of April 2016 the boy and I are delighted to say we’ll finally be hitting the tarmac … permanently!
A dream of both of ours for a while, we can now officially announce that very soon, we’ll be packing up our lives into our Landrover Defender and …
…. embarking on a 12-month budget 4wd drive round Australia – WOO HOO!
Heading away from our beautiful home in Noosa, Queensland, the dream is to see the most remote and untouched corners of Australia possible, to get off the bitumen and out into the wildness and to experience the vast beauty of this country.
The current plan is to head north up through Queensland, hopefully all the way to Cape York as the dry season starts around May.
After that, we plan to cross through the Northern Territory, including through the very most northern coast of Arnhem Land, before travelling onto Western Australia, via the Kimberleys and Broome (which I’m expecting I’ll love!)
Come the start of the wet season in Sept/Oct, we then hope to head down the West coast of this enormous island and, well, see where the wind takes us!
… Like all the best made plans however, this is subject to change!
We’ll be on a strict budget too of course, desperate to do this trip as cheaply as we can, and we plan to show you how as well!
We’ll be looking for all the best free camps, free activities, fuel prices and money savers on the road, especially as our allowance for the entire trip is only AUD $5000!
This means we’ll certainly be looking to work along the way too (more than likely on farms) as any income we generate on the road will help to supplement our feeble budget!
So stay tuned and join us as we explore the lengths and breadths, depths and heights of this crazy, wild and beautiful Down Under island of Australia – it’s going to be quite the journey!
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Good luck!! Sounds like fun and a bit of a challenge – which always makes for the best adventures!
so true Kat, thank you
That sounds so exciting! Can’t wait to hear about the tales 🙂
Thanks Tamar, yes we are pretty excited too!
In a few year, I wholeheartedly plan on doing this exact same thing! I can’t wait to read about your adventures.
Thanks Corinne – stay tuned!
That’s a crazy low budget, but with lots of determination and work along the way I’m sure you guy will be fine. Can’t wait to follow your journey! 🙂
Thanks Zascha. Crazy low budget is the aim of the game (and also all we have after spending a lot of money sorting out the 4wd!) Def stay tuned to see how we get on!
$5000 is our budget, too! I definitely think it’s doable, but you’re right – will probably have to work a bit. That’s half the fun though!
It looks like we’ll be doing the same route as you guys, but starting from Melbourne, and leaving some time in March. You never know, we might cross paths at some point!
If you haven’t already, I’d recommend checking out some of the apps that are available, which show free campsites that are nearby. Are you planning on freedom-camping at all?
Can’t wait to follow your adventure!
All the best x
That’so exciting Phoebe and I can’t wait to read about your adventures, if not meet along the way! How long are you going for? Glad someone else has a crazy low budget too! We have wikicamps and are members of lots of free/low cost camping fb groups – freedom camping is the way to go. Is it the same for you? what other apps do you recommend? We have a great solar panel so can be self-sufficient power wise etc 🙂 x
Hey Steph! We’re planning on going for a minimum of 3 months, and then re-evaluating what we want to do/see. I’m hoping we end up traveling for longer, but my partner is a snowboarding instructor, and he might want to come back to Victoria to teach during winter. We’ll see how it works out 🙂
Yes, same here. Freedom camping will most likely be our most common type of accommodation, which I’m super excited about! I’m also going to check out the app by Campin’ Australia – it looks like they include hostels, campsites, rest stops, and farm stays. Lots of interesting things to check out!
We’ll have a solar panel, too. (Are you sure we’re not the same person hahaha – so many parallels!)
Ahh, I’m getting more and more excited by the day!
x
Your adventure sounds awesome Phoebe and thanks for the tip off re. Campin’ Australia, will check them out! Happy road tripping 🙂
Hey guys, looking forward to following your adventure! We are just In preparation for leaving long – term too. Just bought our Van! Plan to work out way around but live as cheaply as we can too. Maybe we can share tips! Not sure when we are leaving, my husband has to have back surgery before we can go. Giving us something to look forward to though.
Check out our latest Blog post ‘What kind of RV are you -http://notgreynomads.com/2016/03/08/what-kind-of-rv-are-you/
Frannie – great to connect, can’t wait to check out your article! Keep us posted on your progress and we’ll def share tips. Hope the op goes well for your hubby and hopefully catch you on the road!
Perfect choice of vehicle! We have one just like it, albeit a bit shorter 🙂 And we call it ‘The Chilli Wagon’. After Africa, shipping it over to Oz might be an idea, where you also drive on the correct side of the road 😉
Oh yeah, that’s awesome. We would love to ship Landy to Africa and do a mega journey there too … we’re just not sure she’d survive the crossing. Perhaps we could do a swap??!!!
A swap? Hmm…have you seen the size of ours? 😉 It’s on our homepage. The crossing would be the easy part, safely ensconced in a shipping container. It’s what Africa can and will dish up in road conditions that you should worry about 😉 Much like the deep Oz outback. Hence the need for a suitable vehicle 🙂
Agreed Sean! The transit would not be cheap though! Outback currently presenting us with a load of adventure!!!