Is there such a thing? Being retired we no longer live by clocks but Woody is a naturally early riser (a habit developed over years of being a milkman). Breakfast is not rushed but we usually find ourselves on the road by about 8:30 even if we have unhitched overnight. If we were hitched up packing is only a matter of unhooking the power lead, the water and the sullage hose. Inside chores don’t change from one day to the next if we’re on the move as it is more a case of cleaning and tidying and making sure that everything is put away, locked down and secure for the rocking and rolling of towing.

And believe me things inside the van do rock and roll. So much so that I wonder how caravans and furnishings last as long as they do. Like most caravanning women I’ve heard that distant voice outside that shouts “Hang on, I’m just moving the van a few feet.” If men were to stand inside the van with a tea towel in one hand and a wet wine glass in the other while the van was towed ‘just a few feet’ they would never do it again. Pity my poor sister in law who found herself surfing, inside the van, towards a lake when her hubby had lost his grip on the drawbar.

Once on the road we need to keep a sharp eye out for any kangaroos that may still be about though there are few after 8:30am and of course the ever present and erratic emus who are guaranteed to do just as much damage to a car. Whenever we come to a large or interesting town we park and walk the main streets. It’s a good way to learn about the place and to stretch the legs.

Unless it’s an area where towns are a long way apart like the Western Australian coast, we tend to limit our driving to no more than a few hundred kilometres per day. We’re not getting any younger and we find that anything over 200kms and our tempers grow exponentially. Gone are the days when we would drive 1000kms to Sydney overnight then party like there was no tomorrow.

With short hops we can arrive at our destination by lunchtime and spend an afternoon enjoying our new surroundings. Lunch maybe a sandwich or a salad or even a nice pie from a local bakery and quite possibly followed by a snooze in the sun.