‘Keeping a weather eye out’ is a must when caravanning. You are more exposed to the elements and often in unfamiliar weather patterns and conditions. Caravanners from Victoria and South Australia tend to be more conditioned to bushfires than they are to tropical cyclones.

In Melbourne it’s simple, the weather comes from the west. We watch Perth and we know that we’ll get the same thing but a little milder in a couple of days and we’ll get Adelaide’s weather tomorrow. On the east coast it seems to come from every direction leaving us totally confused about what to expect.

When you’re planning a long trip to unfamiliar regions familiarise yourself with the weather patterns and time your visit accordingly. Follow the TV weather reports and get a feel for the annual cyclone patterns of the north and the floods that often follow. You’ll soon become more interested in the weather of other places than in your own backyard. “Gee, they’re really copping it in Broome / Townsville / Dubbo, oh look they’re rowing to that pub we had a drink in last year. Holy hell that’s gonna be a bugger to clean up.”