What shall I buy?

I think a 2.8td Nissan Patrol would suit your needs also. Hard to find a low mileage one but they are out there.

80 series landcruiser might just fit in your budget (maybe not).Well looked after 60 series would.

Could be worth a look at the Jeeps also.

Good luck

Thre are some vehicles in the classifieds on this site that would suit.

If your moving to Tennant Creek I would say that reliability be a big factor in it. Bit different to Melbourne! :)

Jane,

You seem set on a diesel - which is the perfect choice for Tennant Ck. But what are your plans for Melbourne? If it were me, I'd want a vehicle that is capable of doing many of the simple tracks in the Vic High Country and Pyrenees/Otways/Grampians etc so you could continue to enjoy camping with the kids.

If you are set on a diesel, maybe get an older 2.5L Pajero or Rodeo dual cab which were fairly reliable. 80series are probably too expensive for your budget and you'd be lucky to find a Landcruiser diesel 60series that would pass a roadworthy. The Jackaroo 3.1 litre diesels were reliable too. But old diesels may cost a lot to fix.

If you consider a petrol vehicle, you get more choice. Either get a smaller vehicle on petrol or a larger vehicle on ULP/LPG. In your price range, Suzuki Vitara Wagons were a very reliable petrol vehicle, have low range and are reasonably cheap to run. In the bigger vehicles, an 80series Landcruiser on LPG may suit your needs. And Xtrails and RAV4's will get you to the common camping spots OK.

But for $10k I'd always have a few $K up your sleeve if you need some repairs.

Cheers
Phil