Progress Report on the Van

John Jeffreys at "Motorhome Conversions" advised two days ago that the vehicle is ready and is currently going through the Australian Safety Certification Process where it will receive the required "compliance plate", necessary for registration of the vehicle in Australia. This should be completed by the end of this week.

I look forward to collect my acquisition sometime next week and make my first trip back to Sydney. I intend to use the "New-England-Highway" instead of the "Pacific Highway", which carries a lot more traffic. As the distance is about 1000km I will give myself 2 days to drive back, also giving me a chance to spend my first night in the van.

Both, Jonathan and Talia are very excited to come along for a trip with "Grandpa", in fact, Talia has already decided that the van will need decorating and has created an appropriate design for the outside. (refer below) I like it so much, that I seriously consider having something similar made in Vinyl ...

The Campervan

Yes, the van to take me around Australia has been found. Due to good fortune, the help of my friend Eck, the vehicle has been found in Brisbane. Last Wednesday, Eck and I flew to Brisbane, rented a car for the day and drove to Slacks Creek, a suburb south of Brisbane CBD where we checked out a number of campers at "Motorhome Conversions Company". This outfit imports used vehicles directly from Japan and converts them to Campers. Their preferred brands are Toyota Hiace Vans and also some large Hino buses which they re-build into large Motorhomes, definitely way too big for my purposes and requirements.


I decided on a Toyota Hiace 1996 Model with 3L Turbo-Diesel and constant 4-wheel drive. The fitout had not yet been completed and needed still the installation of a fridge, a sink and 50L watertank. The layout I decided on has two beds that also convert to a double-bed if needed and all converts into 2 large benches for seating during the day with a removable table between them.




The cooking facility is a two-burner stove that runs on Metho instead of propane, the whole cooking setup rotates in the doorway so cooking can be done outside under the roll-up awning without having to stink-up the whole vehicle. Naturally it is equipped with a pop-top so it is easy to get around inside.

The car had done 105,000 km which is next to nothing on a Diesel Engine. Toyota was at the top of my list of preferences as they are well known for their reliability. This particular Hiace configuration has never been sold by Toyota in Australia and so, not very many of this version are in this country at this stage. The engine had a look of having been well looked after. Unfortunately I was not able to drive this particular Vehicle as it was parked right at the back of the Hangar and it was too difficult to move while we were there. Instead I drove another van from the yard that had the same engine - I was very impressed with the power and the handling, the 4-wheel-dive system obviously played a part in this. There were 5 Hiace 4-wheel-drive Hiaces on display, all at various stages of re-build and one ready-to-go that was rear-wheel-drive.

In about 10 days the vehicle should be ready for pickup when I will fly to Brisbane once more and drive back from there to Sydney.

Why do a trip around Australia?

A very good question indeed.

The answer quite simple: although I have been in many places on this continent over the years I have been living here, I still have a seemingly overwhelming desire, a need, to see more, to see it more extensively, to see it at a much more comfortable pace of my own choosing.

When I hear the word "Kakadu" it invokes visions of rain forests and waterfalls, of pristine Nature, so Kakadu National Park is very definitely on my "List-of-things-to-do-and-places-to see." The East and West Coast both will offer spectacular sights in an environment that in many places seems untouched by human activity. The picture above shows the coast of Victoria, the

Twelve Apostles

Nearly 20 years ago I had the good fortune to sail in the Whitsundays with my good friends, Brian and Shery Wotton, for a whole month, it was an experience that will be with me for all of my life! Thank you again, Brian and Shery for letting me be part of this wonderful adventure. This year, in 2008, I intend to build on the experiences of that time and hope to report my "progress" along the way. It will be interesting to see "how" it looks to me today, how I experience this vast continent. It will be a privilege to share that with you, my friends and I will be looking to your comments and/or suggestions.

Sold the Benz

Sold the Benz on Saturday, 5 Jan. 2008.
I can now seriously look for that campervan and have been busy scanning the internet on what is available. Intend to check out a company in Brisbane that builds those vans, as they have some interesting ones that I would like to see. Flying to Brisbane next Wednesday, 16 Jan.