WRAP UP {EDITION 20}

 

HELLO + WELCOME to the Wrap Up where we catch up on what’s happening as we drive from Sydney to London, via Africa.

Right now we are perched on a North Eastern point of Tasmania. Typing away under the stars. We are well and truly OUT THERE in nature. No mobile reception. No 3G. Just us. The stars. And the glow of our trusty Mac propped up on the camp table. Now this is a desk I could get used to.

This post will go live when we next have internet.

It’s Kirsty bringing you the Wrap Up today. Let’s go!

 

 

YO, WHERE YOU BEEN?

 

The short of it? Circumnavigating Tasmania. For those not aquatinted with Australian geography Tassy is the large island that sits off the ‘end’ of Australia.

The long of it? We crossed into Tasmanian waters after a rocky 9 hour ferry ride. Ferry staff were overheard saying ‘I have never seen it this rough’. It was SO exciting driving the Troopy off the ferry into Tassy. It was the day before Easer Friday and soon to be Kirsty’s birthday. So our plan was to hopefully find a nice campsite for a few nights to lay low over the busy period. We found Narawntapu National Park. A private campsite by the beach on Easter day. Being from Sydney we were in shock… this just doesn’t happen where we have lived!

Heading West we have rolled around Tasmania. And giddy, giddy hot damn Tassy is beautiful! From the ferocious oceans, HUGE trees, forest lined roads, quiet remote west, waterfalls, glassy lakes and fiery coloured rocks framing white sand beaches. This place is out of control. Then there are the raspberry farms, cheese factories, wood mills and old pubs we have come across along the way.

We were expecting to do a lot more local eating through Tassy however have been put off by the touristy prices. Instead we have stocked up on local produce and rolled on. A kilo of berries direct from the farm for $5 and it’s gourmet cheese galore in our fridge right now. Yum.

Here are a few photos. We hope to do a full write up on Tasmania once we are back on mainland.

 

^ Freycinet Penninsula, Tasmania

^ Angus bulls large enough to tackle any African Buffalo, Policeman Point, Tasmania

^ Pub In The Paddock, Pyengana. We left our marks on the walls. Loved the cheese factory down the road. Big thanks to the Hema Maps team for the recommendation!

^ Chores are a little more enjoyable under a cathedral of stars.

^ Road side lunch. Fresh wraps with tuna, baby spinach, mayo and Pyengana cheese.

^ Beer tasting in the Brew Haus of Iron House.

^ Fishing tips from Gareth’s new best friend Clay. A 78 year old legend who plied us with apples grown in his orchard and home-made fishing gear.

WE LIVE IN A CAR

 

 

Guess what? We live in a car.

Hey, where do you live? Ohhh, I live in a car.

Hey, where you sleeping tonight? In a car dude!

 

… and so the phrases of disbelief have been rolling off our tongue as we get use to our new life.

 

Before beginning this trip we often commented ‘It’s going to take a while to get use to life on the road’. But to our surprise we are settling in faster than we thought. At the moment we are really happy with the set-up. We have spots for everything and plenty of spare space.

Gareth isn’t happy with a couple of things that were rushed at the last minute however we have a plan to get them sorted.

The main pain point with settling in is that we are ALWAYS in each others way. And so we are learning to be patient. With each other. With getting stuff done. With all of it. Things take time.

To be honest, I think, this is a tougher learning curve for me (Kirsty). I’m a pretty impatient kind of person. Too independent for my own good and love to just get things done on my own schedule. So I’m learning, and learning to learn to be patient.

The thing to ‘get’ is that we don’t in fact live in a car. Instead we live in the World now. The car just gets us around. Under the sun and the stars.

Onwards.

 

WINNERS

 

We know a lot of our readers are interested in the gear we are using. Space is at a premium inside our rig and anything that gets in (and stays in) has to be deserving. A WINNER to us is something that wins us over and kicks butt in the value equation of use vs expense. As we roll along towards London we will tell you what’s working for us.

 

 

WINNERS: IEXPENSEIT APP

We are tracking every expense on this trip. So at the end of it all we know exactly how much we spent. And more importantly so we can adjust our spend and keep a close eye on the budget.

Initially we thought we would record this in a Moleskin journal. Just as we are doing for tracking our km’s, campgrounds and diesel. However expenses are much more dynamic and often happen when the Moleskin is not within reach.

The solution? An awesome mobile app called iXpenseIt.

After doing a bit of research the hefty $5.49 price tag seemed justified. And seeing as we will be using it daily over the next year or two – worth it.

Basically this app helps you record expenses according to dates, details and categories. We set our categories. And are now able to slice and dice the data according to our desire for analysis. The app also allows us to export the data into an excel document. And generates reports on daily spend averages – manipulable by category and any data set – so we can measure and track exactly what we are interested in. Absolute nerd heaven. Perfection.

In running the first report we have already spotted one area where we need to pull back spending. Category: Eating Out. Sub-Category: Lunch.

 

PRE-EMPTIVE TROOPY SERVICING

 

 

We had the Troopy in for a final check with our (awesome) Sydney mechanic before we left. All in perfect order.

However we knew we wanted to get the wheel bearings done. Pre-emptive work as they had never been done and the Troop is 22 years old! Pairing this up with a recomendation for an awesome mechanic down in Hobart we booked the rig in.

Here we met Paul.  An absolute Troopy aficionado. This guy knew what he was talking about. 1000%. He rattled off info like he was reading it direct from a Troopy text book mixed with 20+ years experience working on Troop Carriers. Once all was done he took the rig for a drive and said “That is the best Troopy I have ever driven… but god damn it’s slow’. After looking at everything he has also said he is shocked at what excellent condition it is in.

All of this makes us feel so much more confident for the road ahead.

 

LOVING

 

 

LOVING… Free camps throughout Tassy + Running while travelling… talk about feeling free + Not really caring what day of the week it is because it doesn’t matter + Kirst’s mum for making us some additional curtains for the front windows. Good bye peek-a-boo windshield cover + Vehicle layout + Booze on chilled out afternoons + Snow Peak fires to warm up the evening air +  The AWESOME suggestions our Facebook crew gave us for this site. We are now brimming with ideas! + Not knowing where we’ll sleep each night

 

 

 

So, that’s us all wrapped up. We will soon be leaving Tasmania and beginning to head West across Australia.

Keep an eye on the site. As we settle deeper into the trip we are finding more time to write. The plan for the next few posts? Talking MGLSAT + final touches on the vehicle +Tasmania + Trip stats

 

Thank you, as always, for dropping by to share the journey with us

 

Cheers

 

 

 

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