Wrap Up {Edition 11}

HELLO + WELCOME to our first post of this brand spankin’ new year!

A year that will see us uproot our lives and begin a new way of life. Living out of a 4X4. Living outdoors. Rising and falling to the sun and the moon. A year that will see us embark on an epic expedition overlanding across Australia and throughout Africa. Bring it on.

Here is a taster of what has been going on as we prepare to pull out of the driveway that final time.

SPONSORSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT: TRACKS4AFRICA

We are proud to announce that Tracks4Africa will be sponsoring the Aussie Overlanders epic expedition.

Tracks4Africa is the GPS mapping and navigation to have when exploring Africa. They make Africa easier + accessible. Two words that may not come to one’s mind when thinking of driving the dark continent. But it’s true. In fact their mission is to make Africa “visible and accessible”.

Tracks4Africa have a very unique map of Africa that has been created by those who have travelled the tracks, with points marked along the way that keep you informed. For instance: where the campsites are, where local diesel is hiding, food markets and even where we can expect to re-gas our gas bottles. This isn’t the lame ‘points of interests’ featured on your kick-about GPS. It’s detailed and relevant.

A spiffy feature we are keen to play with are the photos that are embedded within the waypoints. Simple and outrageously helpful.

And so, it is with great gratitude and excitement that we are partnering with the intrepid and inspiring Tracks4Africa.

** For the Aussies amongst us Tracks4Africa products (GPS data + hard copy maps) are now available for purchase locally via Self Drive Safaris based in Bowral, NSW. They can get your T4A parcel delivered direct to your door – too easy! Check them out here: www.selfdrivesafaris.com.au **

THE FESTIVE SEASON

Christmas Eve parked off at Kirsty’s Grandparents home to test the Troopy’s new roof in the rain.

New Years Eve with wonderful friends + waterfront views in Balmain

Faux-New Years Day: Cooking up breakfast after a run on the beach.

Faux-New Years Day:  The view from our park side breakfast cook-up pozzie.

Christmas and New Years took over and successfully put all trip prep on hold for a good week.

New Years Eve was spent celebrating with new friends, toasting to 2013 and waking with an almighty hangover. Jan 2nd fast became our faux-New Years Day and we kicked off the fresh year with a run along the sand and a cook-up overlooking the beach.

There was a particular conversation over the festive season that had a big impact on us. Our wise friend Sophie said something to the effect of ‘You know if we wanted to go in the next 2 weeks we could. We would just get it all done’. It stuck with us both. And later on that evening we had a HUGE shift in how we approached the expedition. We switched from ‘ohh, we’ll do that bit when we are closer to our leaving date’ to ‘let’s get sh!t done… NOW’. Not half done. But actually DONE, done. And so ‘let’s get sh!t done’ has worked it’s way into our vernacular and it’s working… big time!

Here’s to us ALL getting sh!t done in 2013! And as a result may the year bring YOU and US both absolutely incredible experiences.

PROGRESS ON THE RIG

Gareth wears the vehicle prep hat in our team and he has been getting sh!t done.

Including:

>> Wired up internal and external LED lights (building his knowledge from scratch)

>> Mounted TREDS

>> Mounted the High-Lift jack

>> Made a larger bed extension (so we have somewhere to put our drink bottles when we are in bed… we are well aware that it’s the small things that will make this expedition a hell of a lot more comfortable!)

>> Designed, welded and installed the car security over the rear and side windows. Including mesh over the rear windows and 3 rods across the side windows. We didn’t want the Troopy  to end up looking like a riot car or feeling like a prison. We are really happy with the results. The black mesh at the rear will be used to mount regularly used items on and it blends in with the black tint of the window. Far more than silver would!

>> Commissioned a custom rear door holder for our Snow Peak Fire Pit (available from Drifta) , Gas Bottle and Jerry Can

HEALTH AND FIRST AID ON THE ROAD 

Our health and safety is front and centre in our minds and so, this week we completed a really thorough and informative First Aid course.

We walked away feeling that we know what to do if the worst happens. Gareth even got acknowledged for ‘demonstrating the most commitment in providing CPR’. And that, my friends, is very re-assuring.

Also, you may spot in the image above the Lonely Planet’s – Africa Healthy Travel book. It was reccomended to us by Langebaan Sunset as a mini book they referenced often. It has now wriggled it’s way into our first aid kit. It just arrived in our hot little hands and after a quick flick through it has surely been $9 well spent.

WORK IN PROGRESS

All going according to plan we will be pulling out onto the open road in March. Just 2 months away. In fact 51 days.

Below is a slice of our official Work In Progress doc that adorns Aussie Overlanders HQ walls. We call it our WIP.

Yellow highlights = COMPLETE.

Blue = COMPLETE, but waiting on delivery.

Red = stuff that can only be done in the time between Australia + Africa (eg. international drivers licence).

White = still to be done .

We will have plenty of time on the road during our Australia leg to do extra research into Africa, if need be.

So that’s what has been happening behind the scenes at Aussie Overlanders.

Way too much festive cheer + a load of work on the rig + sparkly excitement with our sponsors + whacking out the yellow highlighter to strike things off the WIP

How was your break?

Send us a HELLO in the comments below. We would love to hear from you!

Cheers

** Like us on Facebook:  Aussie Overlanders Page

** Read more:  Our Plan + Wraps Ups + Pop-Top-Roof Video + Overland Vehicle Design Inspiration + DRIFTA factory tour

** Our favourite travel books: Over this way