New van, new adventures!

In a year where we decided to keep it simple and get to know our new abodes in Yarra’s Edge and Paradise Point, we have managed to be very busy! It is only July, but so far we have had “the month of mum’s 90th” in February, a birthday month in April in Melbourne and a trip to New Zealand and the Cook Islands, plus various short boat cruises, on our own and with friends and family. We sold Vanooka in January and decided we would take our time looking for a replacement, wanting something not much bigger but with a bathroom, a solid roof not a pop top, with everything we enjoyed and just a little bit more. We were not actively looking, but the van meeting all our criteria came up and we swooped!

Vanooka 2 is a 16.5 foot Jayco Journey Outback. Three years old and in fabulous condition, we hooked her up on the Sunshine Coast on Wednesday 23rd July and headed west, away from the Bruce Highway and into the hills. A rookie error, relying on Google rather than getting out the proper map, had us heading into the state forest along a dirt road, but once we overcame that (with ease, if a little trepidation!) we drove in to Linville soon after lunch for our first night. The rail trail camp, opposite the pub, is somewhere we have stayed before and we set ourselves up before heading to the pub for a celebratory drink. Evan, the publican, greeted us warmly and we booked ourselves in for dinner before returning to the van to try out the shower - fabulous! After our delicious pub dinner we returned to the van for a very comfortable night surrounded by other travellers including an intrepid cyclist in a small tent!

The next morning was quite cool and we made the most of the diesel heater to warm the space before we got out of bed. After breakfast we packed up and continued our journey, up hill and down dale, through Blackbutt and Yarraman before turning south across the Darling Downs to Oakey. We had started a long list of supplies, so we stopped in town to spend up before heading to the caravan park. This was our first night on power, so we tried out the microwave and air conditioner, as well as the television, enjoying our first dinner in the van as night fell. The next morning was very cold and frosty but we were warm and cosy in the van with no need to go outside thanks to our internal bathroom. We are loving the creature comforts!

On Friday we packed up and continued south, skirting around Toowoomba and stopping at Allora to do some shopping and have a cuppa at the local cafe. The Dalrymple Creek Park looked like a lovely camping spot but we continued on to the Sandy Creek Pub, Darling Downs, where we have stopped before. It’s a quirky place on the edge of Warwick, with a great beer garden and lots of animals to admire. It’s free to camp but they “encourage” campers to have a meal at the pub so we obliged with a great steak sandwich each for lunch! By nightfall several other campers had joined us in the spacious grounds.

Next morning, after breakfast, we headed in to Warwick to shop for some “necessities” for the new van: kitchen utensils, cleaning supplies, a few extra clothes and a CO2 alarm, “just in case”. The rain started at 10am, as predicted, and continued all day - it makes us appreciate our creature comforts even more! With a leftovers lunch and a three course dinner cooked in the oven, we stayed cosy and dry inside. It’s a pity for the pub though, which has a “pig on the spit” on Saturday nights and a campground full of merry makers. The band, who were camped beside us, kept the diners entertained with music we could also bop along to from our warm and comfy caravan.

On Sunday morning the sky was clear and most of the puddles had disappeared. After breakfast we hitched the car to the van again and headed off through Warwick and onto the Cunningham Highway, tackling the steep pass down the main range and onto the flat, turning in to Boonah, the final stop in our journey. The cafes in the Main Street were bustling but all else was very quiet on this Sunday morning. After buying a few supplies for dinner and enjoying a refreshing coffee, we trundled down to the Showgrounds just past the Main Street, securing a site on the edge of the main ring. Our new van doesn’t take long to set up and we sat back enjoying the sunshine but staying out of the cool and gusty breeze, with a delicious sausage sizzle lunch. Later in the afternoon we wandered up to the Boonah Brewery for a couple of celebratory drinks, then we enjoyed pizzas and a quiet night in. We are planning a quick getaway in the morning so it’s early to bed tonight!

We awoke early on Monday morning and, straight after breakfast we packed up and hit the road. We passed through Canungra and Nambour on our way to Ashmore Caravan Storage, Vanooka 2’s new home. It’s been a great few days and we’ve learned a lot about our new van, plus we now have a few ideas for improvements and accessories before our “big” adventure next year and we look forward to many more adventures to come!