It's all happening in G-town...packing, cleaning, more packing, de-cluttering...It's quite refreshing to let go of so much 'stuff' that just gathers dust. Thankfully we can leave all of our furniture in the house, so it's just our personal items that need to be packed up.
February was an expensive month after having a handbook service and pre-trip inspection done on our tow vehicle, a 2007 Toyota Prado 120 Series diesel. In February we replaced the fuel injectors, water pump, brake pads, timing belt and fitted a new deep cycle auxiliary battery (ouch!!). Now this week, both the vehicle and the caravan will go in to upgrade all the wiring, install anderson plugs, fit new Pro Comp Xtreme A/T tyres, fit Bilstein Suspension, install battery system in the van, install our Clearview towing mirrors, add some external storage and twin gas bottles. Phew!!
We are lucky to have some great friends who have let us borrow some of their equipment. Thanks a million Stotty for the roof racks, snatch strap, hand winch, exhaust lift and compressor. They're in good hands! Thanks also to Jojo and Scott for the upgraded UHF radio aerial and Multifunction Cooker (for Dave..haha!), and to Bron (and Perc) for the 12v shower. I will probably appreciate that the most!!
There were also a few miscellaneous items that we indulged in for the trip;
~ a fishing kayak
~ an awning tent for the Prado for those off road adventures
~ a Notebook PC for Eliza's school work, watch movies and internet access when in range
~ a Dometic Sanipottie to be fully self-sufficient when remote camping
We also have Eliza's schooling sorted. We will be registering her for Home Schooling (Vic). This will give us the flexibility to adapt her learning to our travels. As well as learning all about our beautiful country, she will also be learning about mapping, calculating distance, petrol and food costs, and, of course, documenting her travels on her own blog page http://wheretheroadleadsus.weebly.com/elizas-blog.html.
So it is all coming together. I cannot wait to just get in the car and drive off!!
February was an expensive month after having a handbook service and pre-trip inspection done on our tow vehicle, a 2007 Toyota Prado 120 Series diesel. In February we replaced the fuel injectors, water pump, brake pads, timing belt and fitted a new deep cycle auxiliary battery (ouch!!). Now this week, both the vehicle and the caravan will go in to upgrade all the wiring, install anderson plugs, fit new Pro Comp Xtreme A/T tyres, fit Bilstein Suspension, install battery system in the van, install our Clearview towing mirrors, add some external storage and twin gas bottles. Phew!!
We are lucky to have some great friends who have let us borrow some of their equipment. Thanks a million Stotty for the roof racks, snatch strap, hand winch, exhaust lift and compressor. They're in good hands! Thanks also to Jojo and Scott for the upgraded UHF radio aerial and Multifunction Cooker (for Dave..haha!), and to Bron (and Perc) for the 12v shower. I will probably appreciate that the most!!
There were also a few miscellaneous items that we indulged in for the trip;
~ a fishing kayak
~ an awning tent for the Prado for those off road adventures
~ a Notebook PC for Eliza's school work, watch movies and internet access when in range
~ a Dometic Sanipottie to be fully self-sufficient when remote camping
We also have Eliza's schooling sorted. We will be registering her for Home Schooling (Vic). This will give us the flexibility to adapt her learning to our travels. As well as learning all about our beautiful country, she will also be learning about mapping, calculating distance, petrol and food costs, and, of course, documenting her travels on her own blog page http://wheretheroadleadsus.weebly.com/elizas-blog.html.
So it is all coming together. I cannot wait to just get in the car and drive off!!