WRAP UP {Edition #1}

We thought it would be fun to do a regular wrap up of what’s been happening in the World of Aussie Overlanders. Rather than leave this space empty until our first update from the road, wouldn’t it be fun if you came along the ENTIRE journey with us?

Well the journey starts here baby, jump on board.

 POP TOP ROOF

One of our BIG decisions is where we will be sleeping on this 365+ day epic adventure. We will be camping 98% of the time and treating ourselves to some luxury along the way. So, designing our ideal living quarters has been on our mind for the past 8 months.

We initially went for a roof top tent and planned on getting a drawer storage system and gull wing doors to make the interior accessible. We got our hands on our own tent in December 2011 and had her bolted on. However after experiencing a problem with the tent (we won’t go on about that here, but let’s just say we were fully refunded and are grateful for the great customer service we ultimately recieved) we decided to look at other options.

Enter Daniel from Mulgo Expedition Vehicles & Equipment. From the very first second we have been impressed. Daniel has a really unique offering for the Australian market – and lucky for us he is within a 10minute drive! This Swiss-Australian overland traveller turned expedition vehicle kitter is full of ingenuity and is excited for us. And let me tell you, that is HELL exciting for US! Ohh, and did I mention that he has driven throughout African + the World.

The plan now is to cut off the Troopy’s roof and convert him into a pop top roof set-up. This will allow the entire interior to be accessible and allow us to batten down the hatches in bad weather or dodgy situations. It gives us an inside sitting space and a bed that is always made.

^^ The roof conversion planned for our Troopy {Image Credit: o-r-b.ch}

^^ A conversion by Mulgo {Image Credit: OandLtrip.com}

The Troopy goes in next week to have his hair cut.

SNOW PEAK FIRE PIT

Imagine being able to have a fire anytime, anywhere. Picture being able to BBQ (or Braii, for our South Africans!) the perfect meat and veges for dinner; be it in your back yard or on the desert plains. Well the Snow Peak Fire Pit does just that and has absolutely knocked our socks off.

^^ Snow Peak Fire Pit

I (Kirsty), was sceptical at first when G brought it up. The conversation went a bit like this:

G: ‘Babe this fire pit looks AWESOME, we should definitely get it!’;

K: ‘Ummm, why? We can just have fires on the ground and when we can’t we’ll cook on the burner… and, whoa, that is some expensive piece of metal!’

G: “We are getting it, it will be AWESOME”

Fast forward a few months and we use the Fire Pit at least twice a week IN OUR BACKYARD. Yep, in the suburbs where we have a fully functional chef’s kitchen we prefer to use our fire pit. We braii all sorts (tandoori chicken, prawns, salmon, legs of lamb, corn cobs, veges) and generally just love staring into the fire.

^^ Red hot coals heating a cool evening

^^ Salmon steaks thrown on the Fire Pit’s grill

^^ Bossy + G loving a cool winters night

The conversation now goes a little differently…

K: ‘This is AWESOME!!’

G: ‘I am a legend’

We ordered our Japanese contraption from the great guys over at DRIFTA in Australia. If you have an outdoor space we wholeheartedly reccomend you get one – it will totally revolutionise the way you cook and enjoy the outdoors! Although, be warned there is a multi-month waiting period to get your mitts on one. More info here.

ON THE ROAD – JIBBON BEACH

Recently we headed off into a bright sun shiny day in Southern Sydney. Before we knew it we were driving through Sydney’s heritage listed Royal National Park. Or as we call it, Nasho. Nasho is close to my heart as my grandma first took me there as a youngster and I have wonderful memories of bush walking with her.

We ended up at Jibbon Beach, a quieter corner of Bundeena that overlooks Cronulla and the Sydney CBD far in the distance. We sprawled out amongst our towels, books and lunch. And soaked up some glorious, glorious spring sunshine while digging our toes into the sand.

 ^^ Jibbon Beach, Sydney, NSW, Australia

[box type=”info”]GETTING TO JIBBON BEACH, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: Take the in-roads to Royal National Park. By-pass the toll gate by sticking in the far left lane (no fee payable to get to Jibbon Beach). Follow the signs to Bundeena. Drive past the shops and take a right past the toilet blocks. Park and walk down a small track to a blissful Sydney oasis.[/box]

This week we have also been working on getting this website roaring. If you haven’t had a look we highly recommend you check-out our newly published ‘Trip Plan’ + ‘About Us’ pages. Let us know what you think!

So, that’s us for the week. How has your week been?

K

Featured Image Credit: Sydney Daily Photo