To caravan or not to caravan, that’s the big question. When it comes to travel around Australia there’s nothing more popular than a caravan but caravanning isn’t for everyone. It depends on your budget, where you want to go and what your comfort needs are.
For my husband and I it was an easy decision and transition. Several years ago we decided our tenting days were behind us. We still wanted flexibility to do some free camping but our slightly creaky bones no longer found rest on a blow-up mattress and I detest having to find a bush for toilet trips in the night. We wanted a comfy bed, an inside toilet and because our plan was to head to the north of Australia, an air conditioner. We bought an off-road single axle caravan and have never looked back.
Free camping is great if you want solitude and the space to yourself but there are so many options when staying in parks it’s great to mix it up. The variety of layouts and amenities are interesting to discover and there’s always something happening. Everything from the bloke who brings a guitar for a sing along at the campfire, to the ‘it’s five o’clock somewhere’ drinks, to the spectator sport of watching others back into those tight spaces. For us the cream on top is being allocated a drive through space.
Some parks have a lot more rules than others but regardless of the park there’s often a strict etiquette for laundry use and after witnessing people behaving badly over a washing machine I can understand why. When we went on our first trip our van didn’t have a washing machine, after spending lots of time in park laundries, we do now.
We no longer call ourselves caravan virgins, that first trip up through the centre of Australia and across to the Kimberley was a huge learning curve, but we survived the odd mishap and enjoyed the wonder of the sights we saw and the adventures we had. We travelled with another couple, had the best time and returned still very good friends. So much so we’ve made many journeys together since. There’s an extra enjoyment when you take in new experiences with friends. It’s not all about the destination but the journey itself can be transformative.
And there have been so many, mostly humorous, anecdotes about life on the road with a van that I could write a book. Oh wait…that’s what I did. I couldn’t resist the fun of turning some of our caravanning highs and lows, and those shared by others, into a story. If you’d like to read my take on the joys of caravanning or simply go on a caravan journey from your armchair, The Road Trip is out now.