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" />When my husband took me out for a drink one night about three years ago I knew that he had big news to impart. I was concerned that his news could be that he was ill, or had decided to leave our marriage or change careers. However it was none of the above. He wanted to know whether I would be prepared to leave my job and home, and travel around Australia in a caravan for six months or more! So we started the planning process to caravan around Australia in 185 days.
My initial reaction was one of delight. Leave my job – YES! But leave my home and our two adult children and beautiful Labrador dog behind – I was not so certain. I had hundreds of reasons running through my head as to why not to go. After all we were both only in our mid to late fifties and maybe a little too young to be classified as ‘grey nomads’. How would I survive without the luxuries of life I had grown accustomed to and spend 24/7 with my husband of thirty odd years?
There were so many reasons not to take this gigantic step, but after thinking and talking it through with my husband I thought “What the heck. What have I got to lose”? There really wasn’t one plausible reason why we couldn’t go (apart from the fact that we had to rent out our house for six months).
And so the planning began! We decided to depart on our trip from the Gold Coast in Queensland at the end of the Christmas school holiday period which was the day after Australia Day on the 27 January 2014. After discussions with our 25 year old son he asked whether he could get some friends together and rent the house from us for the six month period. We agreed to this under certain strict conditions and at the end of the day it solved one of our problems.
The next problem was leaving our gorgeous 10 year old female Labrador. We knew our son would look after her but we didn’t want to leave her behind, so we decided we would take her with us. After a bit of research and the purchase of a book “Travelling with Pets” we found out that the logistics of travelling in a caravan with a dog was achievable. There are now a lot of caravan parks and camping grounds that allow dogs.
We immediately started looking around for another caravan as the one we had was a Windsor Rapid with drop down beds each end and only canvas between us and the great outdoors, plus it did not have a toilet or shower. We both felt we needed a caravan that was solid in construction with an ensuite. After shopping around we decided upon a New Age 16 foot Manta Ray caravan. We discovered that this very modern caravan was actually designed by an ex-Windsor caravan designer. It had all features that we required and aesthetically it was very pleasing to the eye.
The following four to five months was a blur of being very busy planning and preparing for our trip. We spent nights pouring over maps and camping guides working out where to travel. My husband spent endless dollars on buying accessories and equipment required for the trip and I spent mine on buying odds and ends for the interior of the caravan.
There were two invaluable resources we discovered and that was the Camps 9 Australia Wide book we purchased from RACQ and an app we downloaded on our phone called Wikicamps. Both resources informed us of the best places to camp with detailed information on each campground/caravan park and gave us co-ordinates that we could plot into our Navman.
So the departure date of 27 January arrived and we set off on our adventure, loaded up with (quiet frankly with more than we really needed!) We headed south across the Queensland/New South Wales Border with the plan of stopping regularly to give ourselves and our dog a toilet break and a drink.
We had pre-planned only to drive distances of 300 to 400 km daily, so that we didn’t exhaust ourselves. We wanted to enjoy the experience and not be driving long distances in one haul. Our first stop was to the coastal holiday sport, 35 km north of Coffs Harbour at Corindi Beach.
Distance: From Gold Coast 285 km
Where we stayed: Corindi Beach Caravan Park
Cost: Powered site $34/night (off peak)
Caravan Park Amenities:
Local Attractions:
HOT TIP: Always take a walk around the caravan park before deciding on a site. Choose one that isn’t too far from amenities blocks, offers shade, close proximity to beach and is large enough to accommodate your caravan and motor vehicle.
Read more about this region in this article on the Coffs Coast.
Distance: From Corindi Beach 213 km
Where we stayed: North Haven Caravan Park
Cost: Powered site $34/night (off peak)
Caravan Park Amenities:
Local Attractions:
HOT TIP: If you like privacy large bushland type caravan parks or camping grounds like North Haven are wonderful for spreading out and getting away from the crowds. Also great for spotting a lot of different wildlife like Kookaburras and Water Monitors.
Read more about this region in my article The Great Macquaries
Distance: From North Haven 199 km
Where we stayed: Williams River Campground, Clarence Town
Cost: Unpowered site on river $20
Campground Amenities:
Local Attractions:
HOT TIP: These cheap campgrounds, although lacking in amenities, are great for getting back to nature on an open grassy area on the river with plenty of shady trees.
Distance: from Clarence Town 103 km
Where we stayed: McNamara Park, Broke
Cost: FREE
Campground Amenities:
Local Attractions:
HOT TIP: This free-camping park, although basic is extremely popular for travellers on a budget and offers an affordable way to see the magical Hunter Valley area.
Read more about the Hunter Valley in this article H is For Hunter Valley
Distance: from Hunter Valley 87 km
Where we stayed: Belmont Pines Lakeside Caravan Park
Cost: powered site $36/night off peak
Caravan Park Amenities:
Local Attractions:
HOT TIP: If you want to spend a few more dollars per night book a lakefront caravan site as these are more spacious with grassy areas compared to the smaller asphalt sites in the middle of the caravan park. Make sure you watch the stunning sunset over the lake in the evening!
Read more about Lake Macquarie in this article The Great Macquaries
Distance: from Lake Macquarie 300 km (approx)
Where we stayed: Kendalls on the Beach Holiday Park
Cost: Powered Site $35/night off peak
Caravan Park Amenities:
Local Attractions:
HOT TIP: This Holiday Park consists of mainly cabin and small unit accommodation on the beachfront which obscures the views from the caravan sites. Although a lovely park I would stay somewhere else with better views!
If you would like more information on Kiama read this article Blown away by Kiama
Distance: from Kiama 67 km
Where we stayed: Hidden Creek Caravan Park, Huskisson
Cost: Unpowered site $35/night off peak
Caravan Park Amenities:
Local Attractions:
HOT TIP: Jervis Bay is huge for boating and yachting enthusiasts. My advice is to either bring a boat or hire one to take full advantage of the region.
For more reading on Jervis Bay read this article J is for Jervis Bay
Distance: from Jervis Bay to Ulladulla 62 km
Where we stayed: Milton Showgrounds (6 km out of Ulladulla)
Cost: Powered site $20/night
Showground Amenities:
Local Attractions:
HOT TIP: The Milton Showgrounds are a great cheap alternative to caravan park camping with basic but adequate facilities and location very close to the coast.
Read more about Ulladulla in this article U is for Ulladulla
Distance: from Ulladulla 80 kms
Where we stayed: North Head Camping Area, Moruya
Cost: $15/night
Campground Amenities:
Local Attractions:
HOT TIP: This camping ground is adjacent to the airport so can be a little noisy with planes flying in and out. Select a site as far away as possible from the airport. Best camp sites are near the river.
For more information on the region around Moruya read my article on Bustling Batemans Bay
Distance: from Moruya 37 kms
Where we stayed: Dalmeny Camp Ground
Cost: $26/night
Campground Amenities:
Local Attractions:
HOT TIP: This campground is great value for money with good amenities, close proximity to shops and Narooma only 7 kms away plus the views from the headland are magical.
For more information on this region called The Eurobodalla see Land of Many Waters: The Eurobodalla
Distance: from Dalmeny 115kms
Where we stayed: Merimbula Caravan & Motor Home Park (6km west of Merrimbula on Princes Highway)
Cost: Approximately $20 per night
Campground Amenities:
Local Attractions:
HOT TIP: This large grassy paddock is ideal if you have a dog and there is a creek that runs through the property where you can fish and kayak.
Read more about Merimbula and Eden on this article titled The Jewels of the Sapphire Coast
We left Merimbula and set off towards the New South Wales/Victorian border at Cape Howe, that was only a distance of approximately 100 kms. We had travelled a total distance of about 1,600 kms over a period of just over 3 weeks since we left Queensland. We did skip a lot of the North Coast of New South Wales because we have explored this region fairly extensively on previous caravan trips.
We enjoyed the South Coast of New South Wales immensely and would highly recommend spending a few weeks here exploring the region. Next stop is the state of Victoria (where I was born and bred) and then onto South Australia.
Kathy was a 50 something year old when she started up this blog 6 years ago, but has since turned over another decade and is now in her early 60s. She is married with two adult children and lives on the Tweed Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Kathy enjoys living life to the fullest and loves to keep fit and active by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Some of her interests include reading, photography, travelling, cooking and blogging! Kathy works part-time as a freelance writer but her real passion is travelling and photographing brilliant destinations both within Australia and overseas and writing about it.
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Sandy from Tray Tables Away
October 2, 2017My parents talked about this for years but when push came to shove they never did it for some of the reasons you mention and others – dog, grandchildren, a few friends who came back with bad experiences. Still thousands seem to happily hit the road every year and I’m sure this guide will be of great interest to many.
Very informative !
Kathy
October 2, 2017Yes I think the number of grey nomads is ever growing. It was a wonderful experience and I’m happy to share it with anyone contemplating doing the same. :)
Melissa @ All Around Oz
October 2, 2017Fantastic post Kathy.Makes me want to pack it all up now and go! Our turn can’t come around quick enough.
Kathy
October 2, 2017It makes me want to pack up again Mel and do it all over again! Your time will be here before you know it. :)
Budget jan
October 2, 2017This is a great idea. Can’t wait to follow you the whole way!
Kathy
October 2, 2017Thanks Jan. It’s a lot of fun putting this together from my journals of our trip 3 years ago. Lucky I kept a good record! :)
Jo
October 2, 2017Lovely post Kathy. It was interesting to read your thoughts about the initial idea and how you felt. I think everyone feels these kind of things, but doesn’t really voice them. What an adventure you had. Are you going to do another one?
Kathy
October 2, 2017Thanks Jo. Yes I did have my doubts initially but it soon became clear that it was going to be one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. Yes I’m doing a whole series of these over the next couple of months. :)
Tony Wilson
October 2, 2017Something we are looking forward to, down the track. We’ve done a few trips and learnt a lot about free camping, travelling light and camp oven cooking.. For us at the moment, it’s time. We jumped in the deep end and did 6 weeks in Outback Queensland towing a 76 Frankland Caravan and loved it. We are trying to find time for a SA to Darwin Drive. We are lucky enough to have visited every State in Australia. At least we have another guide to follow.
Kathy
October 2, 2017Yes time and money are the enemies. We were fortunate that we have had early access to our Super fund plus the rent on our house helped immensely. It was a big decision throwing in our jobs and travelling for 7 months, but it turned out to be the best time of our lives. I would highly recommend to not leave it too late. I think to enjoy the experience you need to be reasonably young and fit.
Janet Camilleri aka Middle Aged Mama
October 3, 2017I was really nervous when my hubster first broached the subject of a big trip with me, but the more we talked about it the more it made sense. We didn’t leave home until about 5pm one afternoon in Winter and were so exhausted we ended up spending our first night at a caravan park at Coomera, so only about 50km!
Kathy
October 4, 2017It’s interesting to hear what inspired other (younger nomads) to quit work and school to travel around Australia. It was a big step and I did have a lot of reservations initially, but I’m so glad we did it before we get too old. I love that you only travelled 50km on your first leg! One day we only travelled 37km to our next destination! :)