Saturday, Sep 24, 2011 at 15:54
Hi again Marie,
I have to agree totally with the all points MH makes. I will add a few more, given that you say you haven't done any travelling and that your husband wants to do a lot of fishing. I apologise in advance if some of these sound a bit obvious, but I do think they are sufficiently important for you to consider as you contemplate living on the road
First, please remember that Australia is big - really big - and the distances between
places can be great. Often even the highways pass through very remote country, where it can be hot, windy, dusty, even lonely. You need to be prepared for that.
We don't fish but the really good fishing
places seem to be around the coast of NW WA and in the Gulf of Carpentaria. I suggest that it would be worthwhile to go and have a look at the kinds of campsites or caravan parks where you would most likely to be staying. In some areas there is intense competition for space in camping areas and sites need to be booked months ahead. What you find there may well influence your decisions.
Bear in mind that during summer the northern part of the country can be very wet. Most retired people who travel go north in the winter, so
places there can be crowded. At the more popular
places eg
Broome, caravan parks can be quite expensive, and require booking ahead. Summer in the southern states can be hot as you know, but if you are on the road full time you do need to think about a year-round itinerary that takes account of seasonal conditions.
Getting some training in towing and backing a van and using a 4WD (if that is what you get to tow a van) is excellent advice. It is also good if both of you can share the driving. Sadly many women, for whatever reason leave all the driving to their husband. Apart from missing out on the fun, if anything happens to him and he can't drive, these women are stuck and incur a lot of anxiety and expense to become mobile.
MH's suggestion to get a small cheap rig for a trial period of several months or even a year is an excellent one that would allow you to get a decent feel for the conditions that you will find. If you enjoyed that experience you could then be more confident in choosing and buying the rig of your dreams.
Cheers,
Val
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