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Hello Bob,
Maybe they are truck drivers or retired truck drivers who know the best way to get away from the not so confident drivers is to travel when they don't.
Regards, Ian.

Bob,

"Vans without beds"? Maybe they are the ones who are focused on the destination.

Some of us prefer to enjoy the journey.

Cheers,

Val

well I know when im on a trip
now many say enjoy the trip etc rah rah rah

and yes BUT not everyone has unlimmited time. Ive been in the situation when i planned to leave a place say in the morning but either that place was too nice to leave early or I got unexpectadly side tracked on the way with attractions

doesnt change the fact within reason I might still need to make it somewhere
and driving at night makes sense - why waste daylight hours with your bum parked in a seat when you could be enjoying yourself out and about


- just a few possible reasons - hope they made sense

As long as they have all the necessary legalities in place I guess they can drive whenever they like. The consideration I would be most concerned about is how long they have been at the wheel.

Cheers
Pop

I don’t see many caravans on the road after dark – but then again we are not moving the van at those hours.
When traveling between camps – we get moving early and make camp about 3 o’clock.
Time to set up the Sat TV and have a couple of beers – being retirees with no strict time schedule.

You must be driving around late at night too Bob...what's your excuse? :-)

I wouldn't assume because they have a van on the back they're on holidays.

I might have to do a quick run out past Uluru in the next month. It's not always up to me how much notice I'm given. I won't have a van on the back but I'll have to keep moving to do the distance.

They might be heading to Darwin for work. Heaps going on there with the gas thing and there's not much accommodation.

Steve

Yes Bob I agree with you and I had the same experience. Last week I was driving on the D'Aigular Highway (not towing) and I could not believe the number of vans on the road...and its still only March. Maybe its a matter of getting an early start to beat the crowds in mid winter..

Barrcy /Longreach /Winton ….. they are driving at night to get away from the bleeding FLIES ,,,,has been "just" enough rain to bring out a fly plague the likes of which has not been seen for the last 5 years ,,,,,,

So the turtle (slow and carrying their homes on their backs) migration season has started early.
Must be in a hurry to get the good places.....or perhaps it has been unseasonaly cold down south.

As for driving at night......not everybody is touring and not everybody sleeps at night.

Lots of people are destination focused and not randomly meandering around.

If ya want to kill a few meters and with the minimum of fuss, night time is when to do it wild life permitting.

With good health and good management a 12 hour traveling day with appropraite breaks is reasonable and within heavy transport guidlines..even without Fatigue management.....that is single driver.


When we travel we get on the road early.

If we roll over the gateway bridge before 5am....most of the north bound traffic is behind us all day....most of the business travelers and the regular morning commercial transporst don't get on the road till 7 or 8 am every time the tea and scones brigade stop they get another 1/2 an hour behind us..even if they do start at 7 or 8 am.

We often see people pulled up at road side stops in vans, motorhomes and hippy vans in daylight having a sleep...one assumes they are traveling at night.

Traveling north out of Mackay, it pays to start early to beat the sun on a couple of sections and it realy pays to be past the Whitsunday turnoff before 10am, when the caravan parks empty out in droves.

Lots of working family travelrs have to get going to get where they want to be...lots rolling out of the cities friday afternoons....plenty not arriving back untill late friday night

Consider a family or a couple of blokes, heading out of Sydney for a weeks fishing.

Van (or boat) and everything packed during the preceeding week...The fresh driver has a good sleep that day. The second driver Knocks off work early arrives home has a shower and they are on the road by 4PM.
With good health and management the second driver has a bit of a sleep while the first driver does the first 4 to 6 hours....and so on...they can be rolling into Monduran. Awonga early morning.

set up camp and a mid day siesta and they are fresh as a daisy by barra Oclock for an afternoon charter.

cheers

There are a lots of vans heading in both directions on the Bruce Hwy.

Counted 27 vans or Motor Homes at the free stop at Apple Tree Creek on Friday night.

I'll be adding to the numbers come Tuesday next week, collect my van from storage, do a bit of packing and head from Brisbane out to Moree (stay for a bit has have family there), then down the Newell for a bit, across the Hay Plain, Mallee Highway to McLaren Vale (love my Red), then into Adelaide for a get together, up to the Flinders Ranges (via the Barossa of course) and then despite having an off roader I have a mate who doesn't so its up the Stuart and out to King Canyon (done the other joint there a few times) and up to the Alice.

My mate leaves me then and heads to the Kimberley (I want to do the GRR and some camping up to the Gorges and Mitchell Plateau so am leaving that to 2015 as he's not doing that with his very much "on road" van) .

I then head up to Tennant Creek, turn right and head up to the Gulf for a few weeks, the usual Lawn Hill, Karumba etc etc, across the Savannah Way to the Atherton Tablelands and into Cairns / Port Douglas area for about 3 weeks.

Then back inland, and who knows really Winton / Carnarvon Gorge....anyway I'll decide that closer to the time.

I'll be away about four months.

Aah the retired life!!