12 Volt Water Pump

A cheap 12 volt shower quickly converts to a water pump for filling your onboard tanks. Just disconnect the shower head, drop the filter end in the bucket of water and plug the unit into a power source. There is an on off switch on the power cord. Our van only has a 12 volt plug on the opposite side to the tanks. We find that the easiest way is to back the car up to the van’s water intake and use the 12 volt plug located in the back of the car.    Quick and easy to fill and … Continue reading 12 Volt Water Pump

Hobbies on the Road

There’s much more to being on the road than just travelling and sightseeing. Of all the hobbies that are available to grey nomads fishing and craft are probably the most popular. But there’s bird watching, shell collecting, kayaking, photography, painting, visiting country markets, even cookery. Yes cookery. As most vans have all of the appliances that one can expect at home so why not? One can produce gourmet meals from the Weber Baby Q. I’ve baked bread whilst camped at the beach and a friend of mine always carries an ice cream maker just in case she finds an abundance … Continue reading Hobbies on the Road

Water

Water is a problem for free campers. Modern vans are either solar powered or use energy efficient LED lighting so that they can go for days or weeks without needing power. Water is the concern, it is heavy and costly to carry and isn’t freely available. We run into one sweet old couple who tell us “We get our water from cemeteries. There’s always a tap near the front gate. I guess you’d call it robbing from the dead.” They laugh. Continue reading Water

DVD’s

Since becoming caravanners we have developed a love of tucking up in the warm and watching DVD’s on the nights when we don’t have TV reception. So much so, that we have trouble containing our exuberance when we can’t get a signal. It started with Midsomer Murders during a downpour beside the trotting track at Sebastian, out the back of Bendigo, one cold winter afternoon. We then started working our way through the Downton Abbey series one through four. One night in Yallingup we were cooking a roast in the oven and were so engrossed in the TV show that … Continue reading DVD’s

Men’s Health

During our caravan club’s Traralgon muster we were made painfully aware of the importance of ball weights. I can tell you first hand that a heavy ball weight can cause undue stress to the individual and can cause him to make many unscheduled trips to the local car yards. In fact I’ve seen the said sufferer of this condition slumped over his computer muttering incoherently about towing capacities. I very much doubt that the cost of remedying this problem will be covered by BUPA, Medibank or any other health insurer so the pain will shortly move to his hip (pocket). Continue reading Men’s Health