Nights camping with various cars

Over the last week or so, in my abundant spare time, I started going through all the photos I have taken since I got my first 4WD, the venerable old Suzuki Grand Vitarra back at the start of 2004. I've compiled a spreadsheet of all the day and camping trips I've done using the Suzuki, then the NS Short Wheel Base Pajero and finally the BT-50 and camper. In its roughly four years of active life the Suzuki was out camping 12.5% of the time (171 nights), this includes my three and a half month long service leave trip around Australia in 2005. I predominantly used the OzTent RV-2 with the Suzuki. 

Then came the NS Short Wheel Based Pajero, simply known as the Paj. I got way more adventurous with the places I could go when driving the Paj as it had more clearance and was simply a better 4WD than the Suzuki. It was out camping 9.1% (282 nights) of its roughly 8.5 year life. I had a multitude of possible ways of sleeping when camping with the Paj. The aforementioned OzTent, a pop up tent under the awning, a stretcher and swag also under the awning and finally a Coleman Instant Up tent. 

More recently, I have refined my camping setup with the Mazda BT-50, commonly known as Blute, and a Rhino Slide on camper. I have been using this setup for about 6.5 years. In that time I have been camping in Blute 14.9% of the time (355 nights), about 4.5 of those years I have been retired. The camper on the back of the Ute is by far the best camping setup I've used as it's extremely quick to setup and pack up, so it's perfectly suited to long trips where I'm moving every day. If I'm staying in one place for awhile I use a gazebo that not only provides shelter from sun and rain and March flies but also marks my camp site so I can drive around and have my spot to come back to. 

Blute has a few years of life left in it yet so my next travel and camping setup is being contemplated but nothing is decided yet. Just don't mention to Blute that I am thinking of eventually retiring it. 😊

NOTE.

- For comparison a normal job in Australia has four weeks of holiday leave per year, so if you were to use all those holidays camping every year that would be about 7.7%

- this also doesn't include trips where I have have helped other people transporting cars around and any overseas trips like a conference in Scotland and a trip to Antarctica.

Bye Jeff.

Sent from my iPad

Teewah beach March Trip, Day 2



Got out of bed about six thirty am. The wind had dropped right off, so the March flies were starting to swarm. Made some coffee then got the drone out for awhile to make use of the lack of wind. Did three flights with a fresh battery each time. First was a general fly around the camp taking some photos and videos.

 The bloody March flies make it hard to control the drone smoothly while taking videos. Then I did a hyperlapse flying up the beach to show the waves moving. Finally, Greg had seen some sort movement out to sea so I sent the drone out for a look. Didn't see anything but I got the drone out a bit over three Km and looking back the shore seems a long way away. 

Flew it back over the land and was flying it back to camp when I got a five minute battery warning so it's probably good I didn't push it further than the three Km. After brekky I pottered around camp for awhile waiting for the tide to go out. Took a few bird and reptile photos. 

 Then drove up to Double Island Point and went for a walk up to the lighthouse. Beautiful sunny day and that walk up the hill was hard work. Saw some turtles around the rocks but I didn't have the big zoom lens to take any decent photos. Got to the top and took a few photos then sat down to rest up for the walk back down and caught up with some emails and internet stuff. Then I walked back down, which is easier on the lungs but harder on the knees. Drove across the Leisha Track and found a nice shady spot out near the point to set up for a few hours of relaxing. Made some lunch and did some reading. Packed up and drove back to camp. Then spent awhile downloading images and videos from various cameras onto my MacBook Pro and freeing up space on the camera for more photos. Pottered around camp for awhile and read and may have even had an afternoon snooze. Then chatted to everyone for awhile over drinks before cooking up a steak and some veggies for dinner. Cleaned up and had a cuppa tea then had a game of cards and a chat before heading off to bed. More ocean noises that I never get tired of lulled me to sleep. 

Bye Jeff.

Teewah Beach March trip, Day 1



It was dad's 88th birthday so I fought with the M1 traffic and drove up to Caloundra to see mum and him for his birthday. Had some quite nice fish and chips for lunch and when he went for his afternoon nap I headed off back to the highway. Got in the wrong lane and had to turn north instead of south, 😊 so I just continued on and headed up to Cooroy and then  Tewantin and finally across the Noosa river on the car ferry. Stopped at the third cutting and dropped the tyre pressures down to 18 psi. Engaged 4WD this time and easily drove out through the rather soft sand. Just down the beach I saw a familiar looking Jayco pop top caravan, so I pulled up and had a chat to my brother and his wife. He can't/won't confirm getting bogged in the soft sand nor would he confirm getting towed out by a Hummer, unfortunately there was no photographic evidence of any of these alleged proceedings. 😊 I followed him down the beach which was nice and firm as it was close to low tide. At the north end of Zone 2 we found their friends and pulled in and setup camp for a couple of days. 

It was a full moon so I took some photos after heating up some chicken curry for dinner. 

We then had a friendly game of cards and chatted for awhile before heading off to bed with the sound of the surf lulling me to sleep. 

Bye Jeff.

Ballina & Northern NSW Beaches



Decided to take a little day trip down to explore some of the northern NSW beaches. Threw a few things in Blute and headed south. Lost an hour of my life going over the border, traffic nice and easy. Got off at the second Ballina exit and drove down to the car ferry across the river. $7 each way but it saves a long drive down the highway and back. Then over the river turned left and headed down to the mouth of the river. Parked up and wandered out to the end of the rock wall and back, about 3.5 Km all up. Took some photos and had a look around.

 Then back to the ferry and across to the main bit of Ballina, drove through the Main Street and onto the car park near the lighthouse, stopped and took a few photos. Then drove to the next little beach, Shelly beach, parked there and got a take away burger and chips from the restaurant there, a bit pricey but very nice. Also an iced latte. Sat down by the beach to eat lunch and watch the waves. 

After lunch drove north following the coast and stopped In To look at a few little beaches and to walk around and take some photos. Also had a quick swim to cool off as it was fairly humid.  Then onto Lennox Head where I stopped at the lookout just to the south of Lennox Head and watched a guy learning to fly a sail-type hang glider, he failed dismally. 

Then I walked up and over the headland taking more photos as I went. 

Was a bit tired when I got back to the car and drove down through Lennox Head, I was going to get a coffee at the cafe at the surf club but it was closed. I was then going to drive up through Broken Head and then onto Byron Bay and go and look at the lighthouse but I didn't want to deal with the people and the traffic and the parking so I just headed back to the M1 and headed north to home.

Bye Jeff.