We have a Date!
At this stage we plan to go on April 2. This is the tuesday after easter. We pretty much have all of the gear we need. I just need to pick up the spare parts for the vehicle and the Satellite Communication device. After much comparisons with Sat phones (even with subsidies), EPIRB devices etc we've ended up going with a US product licensed by Kimberley campers out here. It's a Delorne 2 way satellite communication device called the InReach. Basically it pairs with your smart phone and iPad and allows you to text/email for communication and support, emergency assist and a full GPS mapping capability to track where you are out in the bush. Visit www.track4ever.com.au
Packing
It's just a matter or organising and packing now. The weather has been very unhelpful making it hard to have the camper up for long periods of time. Inside Maria is using space saving plastic containers to maximise space in the cupboards and draws whilst our clothes will be in 1 x 40L duffle bag each. The majority of our days will be in northern climates so one set of warm clothes is all that we've allowed. Down jacket, trackies and some warm socks and a beanie! The rest of our clothes will pretty much be shorts, t-shirts and swimming gear. Space is always at a premium so we've invested in things like microfibre towels which fold up very small and the down jackets also fold up to a very small size.
We don't need to take massive amounts of food as we'll buy fresh stuff along the way. We will have a store of tinned food as a backup if we are remote and running low on supplies. One tip we've learnt is to write on the bottom of the tins with what they contain to allow you to know without having to take everything out. I've yet to determine a good solution for Captain Morgan and wine bottles so any ideas would be very much welcome.
On top of the car we have a large cargo cage with 120kgs weight capacity. On top will be another spare tyre a couple of Diesel and one ULP Jerry can for the generator (more on power later). I also have a large low profile tool box which will carry all spare parts, recovery gear, compressor, spare sand pegs, rope and a few other bits and pieces. In the back of the car with the technical genius of 'Big John' Lobartolo, we've designed a marine ply base covered with marine carpet with a fridge slide attached. This will allow easier access to the Engel 40L fridge and provide a stable base to anchor the generator and cargo box.
Power
To Generator or not to generator - that was the question. I must say I ummed and ahhd on this for months. Eventually I took the approach that having it as an albeit expensive, but reliable source of backup power, to keep batteries charged up, was worth it. While we're not planning to rough it all the time there are enough places we've got planned where there will not be 240v power and which allow generators to be used responsibly. As well as this we have a pair of 120 watt solar panels, 2 x 100 amp hour batteries in the camper and a 70 amp hour battery in the vehicle. Just having that piece of mind tipped me over the line.
School
We have now met with all of the kids schools. I must say all of the principles and teachers have been extremely supportive of the trip. All admitting that the life experience the kids will gain is invaluable. The kids must keep up to date diaries and we've been advised of curriculum areas in maths and english which we'll be able to leverage while on the road. "How long will us take us to travel from Dubbo to Broken Hill travelling at an average speed of 100km/hr for 654km?"
Lachlan will have a bit more to do than the girls but again more to keep in touch with the curriculum in the key areas of maths, english, history and science. Getting into a routine will be the key early to ensure they keep up to date as well as making sure their memories are fresh in their minds. Also, with the wonders of technology all of their teachers have asked at some stage for the kids to link up with skype and present to the class where they are, what they're doing and how they're living, which I'm sure will be a lot of fun for everyone.
We expect the kids will want to write in the blog as well so stay tuned for the kids ripping yarns and adventures from their own perspective.
Keeping in touch
After next week we'll have the communications system setup which will allow you all to track where we are on a map in real time. You'll just have a web link and password which will give you access online to view where we are. This blog will be important, as we'll love to see your comments as often as we can. We'll have our phones, the InReach and a couple of laptops as well, so hopefully someone will be able to get a hold of us if need be. BK and DK will have all of our contact details if required.
Anyhow I'll probably do one more post before we go with a few more details.
Talk Soon
Michael
