Norris Around Australia

Moving Weekend – 103 days today

Just a short post this evening.

Well we took the plunge this weekend and moved out to Shaun’s mum.

We have 103 days to go and we are here to save, save, save!

It’s hard to believe how much stuff you can accumulate over a short period time.

We heard from the dealership our new car is set to arrive this week…… so excited.

We still won’t have the car for a couple weeks. There is so many accessories to put on.

Hopefully, our next post will have some photos of the new car.

Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend!

For the Queen’s Birthday long weekend we headed to Glendon, outside Warwick with family. It was nice to all get together and enjoy some time out.

We took Shaun’s brother down with his new bike as they have numerous tracks for 4wd, Quads & dirt bikes. We left late, late, late as the trailer blinkers and brake lights weren’t working. Oh the joys.

My family and I had spent many, many camping trips at Glendon but I realised I hadn’t been there for over 10 years. Things always look a lot smaller when you go back.

We did some gold panning in the creek, sat around the camp fire, went 4wding and ate some delish camp oven dishes.

Signing on the Dotted Line

Wohoooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

Today we signed on the dotted line.

We have purchased our vehicle. Our touring rig…. our home.

It is such a massive step in the right direction for us.

So what did we buy???????

We bought a brand spankin’ new HOLDEN COLORADO LX-R 4×4 Dual Cab…… we got it in white to keep us cool and it will be easy to clean/maintain. We also opted for the AUTO so in the the future it will be a great tow vehicle when we buy our off road camper. We selected the Colorado as it currently has the same engine as the D-Max and it has a nice smooth ride plus extra cabin space.

The dealership was amazed at the list of accessories that we are obtaining. They think it’s hilarious. There is so much accessories for off-roading I mean the list just keeps growing. One thing leads to another – at least we will be well prepared.

We selected an ARB canopy and a their long range fuel tank. Through Holden we are getting window tint and cruise control. We also asked about a second diesel filter to keep the fuel clean while outback.

For all our other accessories we selected were from Ironman 4×4 after a tonne of research we found that their quality and affordability was unsurpassed. So from Ironman 4×4 we got deluxe bull bar, side rails, side steps, driving lights, 9500 pound winch, snorkel, rear step towbar, dual battery set up, UHF radio.

Shaun is going to be building the storage rig in the back with fridge slide and drawer system.

We will be taking delivery around the first week of July. Can’t wait to see what it looks like with all the accessories on it.

Today we are at 115 days to go on our trip count down – it is getting so close.

The other things we purchased today were a self inflating mattress and peak side panels for our Oztent.

We are off camping for the Queen’s Birthday long weekend at a place called Glendon. I haven’t been for about 10 years. It is an old sheep station. It’s going to be freezing and it’s a shame we don’t have the new car…… but I am sure we will make up for that in the trips to come.

126 days to go

Things are all falling into place nicely!

We call the current phase “getting rid of stuff” – our stuff includes debts, cars, house, furniture and just plan old junk! Who knew you could accumulate so much junk!

We are saving at a rate of knots. We’ve never had such healthy looking finances it is quite empowering.

The other recent revelation is we are now looking at purchasing a 4WD Dual Cab brand new…. currently tossing up between Holden Colorado, Mitsubishi Triton or a Mazda Bt50. We are knee deep in bargaining for the best change over (its true what they say about car salesman – new and used.)

Mum phoned this evening and her Annual Leave got approved !!! 5 weeks… We are both so happy to be sharing our first leg of the trip with my parents. Stoked that she got the leave extended so we can share more beautiful places together.

Some places that we have added to our destination wish list include Palm Valley, Chambers Pillar, Blackall (again) & Cordillo Downs.

We have been working on our camping rig and have added side panels to our Oztent. We have also added an Oztrail En-suite for showering… who said you can’t have all the bells and whistles while camping?

We went camping over Easter time at the dam near home – it went from a mere 8% to over 100% after the floods. It was nice there – not to crowded… fantastic to relax on the boat, catch some yabbies and just sit back and enjoy… a nice long – short break…

We are moving to Shaun’s mums on the 24th of June for the last 12 weeks or so before we head off on the trip to save some extra cash…

The Countdown Continues…… 126 days.

207 days to go

Today, to get me through the day I browsed through other people’s Australian travel blogs. What I found interesting about these blogs was what these couples, families and even singles wrote about in the months leading to the day they finally hit the road. The planning stages, the count downs and all the lists, it is all something that I can currently relate to.

I love going to work these days because I know on OCTOBER 1st 2011 my darling husband and I are starting our new life on the road, just him, I and the wide open spaces.

FREEDOM.

We are in the early planning stages at the moment with less than 7 months to go there is so much to organise. Our priority at the moment is buying our new car. We are after a Toyota Prado Diesel 2005 or newer (depending on costs). It is so hard to find one with low kms or even kms under 200,000 – we are still hunting… We are hoping to have it all sorted by at least JULY.

Our other priority is savings. I have never been a saver and just spend money without a second thought but since we set the departure date I have been fanatical. Every time I want to buy something, new shoes, a snack, a coffee or a vase, I just think about our growing savings account.

We have organised most of our camping set up. We have an Oztent – they are brilliant couldn’t recommend them enough. They are worth every penny and then some. We have spent nights in the pouring rain and not felt as much as a drip through the canvas. We can pull into a camp site and be all set up and having drink in less than 30 mins. (The tent by itself only takes 30 secs) Which is great after all day on the road exploring.

At the moment our plans for the first leg of our “big” trip are to head towards Birdsville and then on across the Plenty towards Uluru. My parents are planning to join us in their brand new RIG; a 2010 Mazda BT50 4wD and an off-road Lotus Trooper caravan. We are excited to be sharing the start of our epic journey with my parents.