TV Reception for the Gray-Nomad. 02/26/2010
 The penalty we pay for choosing out of the way places to stay, is poor TV reception. Reg and I had a great new TV antenna installed on our Eco-Tourer caravan for our current tour. One that is roof mounted so we do not have to find a space to pack it and it winds up from inside the caravan, so easy. Of course we were eager to try out our new toy, and we found ourselves parked under a dense tree this week, blocking TV signals and next week we are going to be ‘behind a hillside’, No TV, no wireless internet and no mobile telephone. I am not sure how long I will last. I want to stay for one week and I will be able to access a satellite internet connection in off peak hours before 11 am, so it is ‘possible’ I will survive the culture shock of being removed from access to the internet aside from rationed, morning time spans. I found this, the grey-nomads guide to TV reception, yes he describes the tree that is blocking our signal. We once owned a satellite dish, to get TV reception in remote areas, but sold it, we found it far too complicated to set up and tune in. We like to keep it simple. So for the first part of our 2010 tour, we have a two positioned tv stands,.set up in our caravan where we can watch the TV from our bed or from the chairs at the front of the van. We just have not been in an area with TV signals strong enough t give us decent TV as yet to actually try out our new ‘toy’, I went to the market in Cowes and bought a few DVD’s, so we have had some evening entertainment and of course am always happy if I can go on line and read and write, which I have been able to do this week. So once we are in a TV area, I will be able to let you know how our new aerial is performing.    Many travellers like the idea of having their own bedding but do not want to tow a regular size caravan. Here are a few lightweight towable options. Reg and I have had wonderful tours with a mattress in the back of a wagon style car or a van with and without, side mounted annexe or a freestanding marquee for an undercover room. Both these options were inexpensive and it gave us the best quality mattress, which we knew was free form vermin. The traveller’s plague of bed bugs is not something I fancy. I personally have never encountered them in my travels; my sister had an unpleasant experience on a cruise ship with these annoying critters. I was in my thirties when I swore, ‘never again’, to sleeping in strange beds, mostly due to the difficulty getting a good night sleep on a less than ideal mattress. Just because I was camping did not mean, I had to do away with my top of the range, pillow top comfort. Our very first caravan was our Avan, ALiner which was a 2000 model custom built on a cruiseliner chassis. I got it here.in Victoria, at the World of Caravans, Bayswater. They used to carry a huge range of vans to choose from, I think they mostly sell Jayco caravans now, so I would recommend going to Avan in Frankston to see the range and that then gives you a base price and extra fittings idea, so you can then shop around. Reg and I paid $20,000. In 2003 for a year 2000 off highway model with all the extra fittings, solar panel, all the extra windows, the set up we bought three years old, would have cost us $29,000. new price. The $20,000. expense came as a shock to us as we went out looking for a $15,000. Avan but in using this van over several years we know that all the extras that van had, were for us, essential extras and it would not have paid to have cut back. Although we now have what we consider to be a better, and more expensive van, I would still recommend the Avan ALiner off highway model and on the cruisliner chasis this model had a large front storage boot. The boot frequently is not added to the ALiner these days; people have a tendency to disregard maker’s instructions to not overload the boot. The front of any caravan should not be used to carry heavy weight. Here is what Avan, has to say about the ALiner. Avan Aliner is our most popular model. The Aliner is designed as a high mobility travel trailer that is well suited where a short overall towing length is desired. Six floor plans are available with single/double bed configurations. Features:
It was because off our love for the brilliant design of the AVan A Liner that Reg and I took the next step and went with confidence to the Eco-Tourer, Slipstream, caravan as soon as we had a more powerful towing vehicle. I applaud great design.   In these photos are a few great features to have installed on a caravan. External, slide out stove. External wall mounted shelf table. You can get these installed. Aluminum stone guard around sides of caravan and stone shields in front of the van. High clearance, and hand rail to enter van. External power point..  Eco-tourer Slipstream Caravan. 11/21/2009
 At the Leisurefest RV and Caravan Show, at Bendigo this weekend, it was the Eco-Tourer Slipstream caravan, , that was drawing the crowd’s attention. Reg and I, Love this van, we have owned one and toured Australia in it for half of each of the past two years.  All three models were on show at the Leisurefest, the off highway, shower and toilet ensuit model that Reg and I have. We had the greatest of fun slipping inside to look with the other viewers and when people asked as what we thought of the van, we told them we owned one and absolutely LOVED it and how well Caravan Court has looked after us with after sales service. I do not hear that said about all caravan dealers. This is not a paid review, just the opinion of two VERT HAPPY CUSTOMERS. Eco-tourer, slipstream, off highway van with ensuit is a fantastic designed van, everything we need in a brilliant design. I am the driver and I hardly know I am towing.  I was asked frequently by those waiting for a chance to get inside and inspect this great van, ‘can you stand up beside the bed and not bang your head’. Yes there is heaps of room to sit up in bed and to stand up beside the bed, and to shower, there is plenty of internal height, at the unsuit end of the van. We had a V Van A Liner, before we had the Eco-tourer, you know those triangular vans that are 'up in 30 seconds'? Well the Eco-tourer is even easier to assemble and take down. I would recommend solid sided folding vans over any soft sided folding van. We have seen couples struggle for an hour, attempting to close a canvas sided, folding van when the wind is blowing. The soft-sided vans do not insulate against heat or cold, anywhere near as well as these hard sided folding vans do.  We are currently planning our third Australian tour in out fantastic Eco-tourer slipstream caravan. This is our van, outside our home, where we can enjoy admiring it and dreaming of our six months per year on tour. Accessavan. Wheelchair accessible caravan. 11/20/2009
    I am back from the Leisurefest with photos and ideas to share. Firstly, I want to show the one caravan that I am voting the BEST new caravan on the block. This caravan is not for everyone but it services the need of a large section of the population. I am talking about, the -> Accessavan. Wheelchair accessible caravans. It is about time too. J. The Accessible Caravans have been designed for people in wheelchairs by people in wheelchairs. I hope to see quite a few of these on the road, on our next Australian tour. I’m very happy to ‘plug’ this product as I admire good design and fulfilment of need. The accessavan has a fully accessible, wheel –in toilet/shower. Their brochure says ACCESS & EQUITY = INDEPENDENCE & DIGNITY There is a range of options including slide out ramps, hydrolic ramps and lifts. Custom bed heights, custom made mattress. Over bed ceiling hoists and hooks Wide wheelchair turning area. Folding tables and seats, Handrails fitted everywhere. Low bench heights. Caravans built to your individual needs. Phone (03)9407 1230 Visit the website for all the latest news, photo gallery, show and events where you can see this innovative well designed special needs caravan. www.accessavan.com.au This was NOT a paid add or review by accessavan, I was genuinely impressed by the design and love helping get the information ‘out there’, that the nomad way f life is now accessible to even more people. Near the Accessavan display is a caravan insurance advice van. Reg and I found it pays to shop around rather than just insuring your caravan with the firm recommended by the caravan sales people. I like to find out as much as I can before speaking directly, face to face with insurance representatives. I like web searching insurance online and then I feel more equipped to ask all the questions that apply to our own needs and I better understand the variations in policies before I finally commit to the insurance I feel I need and the company we choose.  Reg and I have are all spruced up in our camping clobber, T Shirts jeans and bushman’s hats, and Reg with his hiking stick, me with the picnic basket under arm and we are heading off to Leisurefest, the RV and camping show. The picture above is the floor plan of our great, eco-tourer, slipstream caravan, There are several floor plan designs to choose from and various models, our is the off highway with shower , toilet and wash basin. I love to look inside caravans, fifth wheelers and motor homes, get excited about our next tour, look for ideas that we can incorporate into our own Eco-tourer slipstream caravan and look at the latest equipment marketed for travellers. We actually already own far more travel gear than we can take with us on any one tour, lol J, so there isn’t much that we need. Like most seniors, the budget is tight so it is mostly a case of discovering new ways to make everything we do pack and take, multi function and serve at least two purposes.  For example, our TV unit faces the bed, but also twists around and faces the dining area. It is also a DVD player and the dining table folds back into a small coffee table giving more floor space or the table can be removed to give the maximum of floor space, which allows me to put in an exercise DVD and start doing my weight work out. Two years ago, I took stretch resistance bands for my weight workouts, and these were good, but nowhere near as good as the great quality dumbbells with adjustable weights and the DVD from the Osteoporosis Association of Australia, on strength and balance training. I found that a fantastic start in my fight back from compression fractures of the spine earlier this year. Following the strength training I am dong during my summer and it’s cusps, season in one location here in Northern Victoria, the weights I took last year will be too light for my current needs. I will be looking out for compact size and weight, suited for caravan use, home gym equipment while at Leisurefest. I have just watched this kettle bell work out, http://www.kettleworx.com/infomercial.html it appealed to me as something I could do within our caravan’s limited space and does not involve too large an amount of space to store the equipment. I am off to leasurefest, looking for Kettlebells and goodness knows what I will come home with.J. I hope to be back in hereJ, tonight with photos from the Leisurefest and I’ll let you know for sure, what I bought, and what i fantasized that we bought if we had of had the king’s ransom required to buy. J lol, RV vehicles of today, can cost more than a bricks and mortar home in a top suburb as more and more gray with an a for active, nomads take to this lifestyle as their permanent way of life.   This is a blog about a gray nomad’s travel through life, so we had to talk about the nitty gritty, sometime.... the Cassette toilet. We are camping on a friend’s block of land; these are the times we love being self sufficient and knowing we will be leaving no trace of having visited, other than pleasant memories of time spent with friends. As we are out of town, we are using our en suit and toilet in the eco-tourer caravan. No point being delicate about it, when you go bush you need to know, how to ‘go’, hygienically and pleasantly and the cassette toilet in our eco-tourer is fantastic. I have never had any odour from it; I handle the chemicals as recommended and with great care. Caravan Toilet additives Not the most delicate of subjects but if you use a cassette toilet in the caravan you will need chemicals! One of the most common caravan cassette toilets is made by Thetford and unsurprisingly, Thetford produce the chemicals required for caravan toilets. There are three additives available – Aqua Rinse, Aqua Kem Blue and Aqua Kem Green. Aqua Rinse is a pink solution that is added to the caravan toilet flush tank and gives the flush water a pleasant aroma. Aqua Kem Blue is the additive that breaks down all the nasties and is added directly to the cassette and diluted as per the instructions. Aqua Kem Green does a similar job but is more environmentally friendly. TIP: A large bucket with pouring spout will hold all the additive containers upright once opened and can be used to fill the flush tank amongst many other uses. Use the caravan cassette toilet outlet cap to measure out cassette additives before dilution.    Caravan and camping guide books usually list ‘dump points’ where you can empty your the toilet cassette, it is an easy and clean procedure. Photo shows an excellent ‘dump point’ outside a public toilet at a tourist information centre. Each cassette comes with a button you push which allows air to enter the cassette and helps expel the contents quickly. At this dump point, (see photo), there is a hose to wash out the interior of the cassette and add a small amount of water to start the new cycle. Our cassette toilet allows two adults to camp on site for over a week using our caravan toilet exclusively and proper dump points are not difficult to find. Tip. There are make it yourself, suggestions for toilet chemicals on the web, may I suggest you don't mix chemicals, for example it is common for some people to use disinfectant in the top flush water tank and a disintegration chemical in the black water tank. Unless you know the scientific effect the two different chemicals are going to have when they interact, I would suggest 'not going there'. Your attempt to save a few dollars could be causing a dangerous chemical interaction or one chemical could well render the other chemical useless, making the entire exercise of home made toilet chemical treatment a smell, bacteria brewing mistake. I'll be sticking with chemicals designed to interact together, and use the green option where I can. Australia’s Golden Outback 08/16/2009
      Western Australia has some unique self drive trails that you would find interesting and rewarding. We leave Newman in the Pilbara of Western Australia, tomorrow morning and head toward the Wildflower Way of Western Australia, travelling through the area know and Australia’s Golden Outback, and area rich in history of the early settlement by wool growers, miners, the Kingsford Smith Mail Run and the days when travel was by horse and wagon. We will be camping at the Gascoigne River, at a favorite bush camp, there is usually six black swans in residence on each of our former visits and there is a caretaker at this free camp, I suspect his main job is to watch over these valued and protected birds, the emblem of Western Australia. I find it interesting that on most occasions when I camp at rivers on the journey south the black swans appear, usually in groupings of six. On the last occasions when I travelled this route in the past, I painted the rivers and the black swans in oil paint, this time I plan to paint in watercolours. I don’t have a lot of time to stay in one place; we have 1,200 km to travel and to be set up ready to exhibit at Dalwallinu in a week’s time. The landscape on this inland route is magnificent as well as a nostalgic history lesson, exposing the legacy of the gold rush era and those men and women who ventured to these remote parts to claim their share of the riches. What remains today are abandon settlements, beautiful architecture, graveyards, and decaying machinery and some beautiful old townships of Yalgoo, Mount, Cue, Meekatharra, and Sandstone. There are some amazing geological formations in the area and the region provides good bush tucker for the indigenous community. Most of the roads are sealed and suitable for 2WD vehicles we take a few side trips, driving carefully to the road conditions, on unsealed roads to experience the majestic countryside of Peace Gorge. Peace Gorge itself is another place that stirs the emotions, it was so named back to June 1919, when Meekatharra's servicemen came home from World War One and the Road Board organised a gala picnic and sports day at the Granites. Since then the area has been known as Peace Gorge. Peace Gorge draws me emotionally and spiritually and I am awed by its unusual beauty and a depth of feeling when I think about that celebration of the return of loved ones from the horror of war. Seeing Peace Gorge again will be a highlight of our trip and about as far, ‘off highway and road’, as I am prepared to tow our off highway eco-tourer caravan.         Mary Pool is the most well known and popular, free camp site in the Kimberley, WA. There are a lot of Mary River frontage camp sites and this river stops flowing during the dry season and then becomes Mary Pool. This year there was no pool, just a wide dry stony basin so we camped out in the open area away from the crowds and the pool bank and enjoyed views into the bush and of a lovely old ghost gum. You find Mary Pool rest area, 180 E of Fitzroy Crossing or 108 km W of Halls Creek. There is lots of room to park big rigs and a small city of caravaners, motor homers and fifth wheeling travellers congregate here for an allowed 24 hour rest on the journey through the Kimberly between Kununurra and Broome. These free camp sites are the most incredibly friendly places and an evening stroll with the dog is a friendly say hello to the neighbours journey and can end up in a progressive dinner and one evening by the Mary Pool resulted in a smorgasbord meal with everyone bringing their food and adding it to the shared camp fire side tables. Five million stars, party, dinning at its best. Of course if you want privacy, maybe Mary Pool is not for you. The area abounds with bird life, Reg and I counted six pairs of the most beautiful bird we have ever seen, the rainbow bee eater, in the ghost gum in front of us and corellas abound at the water’s edge and there is a small bird that makes it's home close to the camps, in holes in the side of the Mary Pool banks. Last year there was a crocodile stranded in the Mary Pool and Indigo caught a tick in her top knot hair and that’s why we had her ears and top knot trimmed off for the Kimberly crossing this year so I would see any ticks instantly if she picked one up. Mary Pool is on my list of must stop over at, great free camp sites and even I with my fussiness, will use the new, excellent public toilets provided. There are many of these new self composting and odourless toilets being placed at free camp sites, they are on an elevated platform, large rooms that allow wheel chair access and they are a far cry from the smelly, open drop boxes of the old style ‘out back dunny’ and they even flush. You do need to take your own fresh drinking water into any of these free camp sites and swimming in Mary Pool or any natural waterway in the Kimberley, is not recommended, due to the possible presence of crocodiles. Mary Pool is site no 637 in the Western Australia, section of Camps Australia Wide 5. The photos are of Reg setting up our Eco Tourer caravan, it takes less than a minute to complete.  The eco tourer model we have, is the off highway, unsuit, model with extra heavy duty suspension , small truck tyres, air conditioning, large roof vents, and fan and solar panel. | Kathy Shell on Facebook  Advertisers, This 160 x 160 advertising space, could be yours. See our advertising page above then contact Kathy to arrange your advertising package. Kathy Shell,
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