General Notes, Helpful Information & Commercial Links
Contents
Publish
Your Own Internet Site for Family & Friends
Roadside
Assistance for Your Caravan
Caravan
Park Groups - May be worth Joining
Publish your own Internet (web) site for Family & Friends
Roadside Assistance for Your Caravan
Roadside
Assistance – You may have it for your car but it probably doesn’t include
coverage for your caravan. The free roadside assistance that came with our car
purchase had run out during the first Australia trip and we, not wanting to be
without an assistance package took out a new cover that did include coverage
for our caravan. It was just as well because shortly after leaving Merredin in
Western Australia we needed it. It turned out that David and Merrilyn had
always had RAC coverage that would have covered them but most “roadside
assistance” programs do not provide cover for caravans so you might say we
ducked a bullet. Check this out and take it out if you are not covered – See
details of our mishap in the “W.A’s Goldfields & Home” section of our first
trip where we travel through Merredin and although there was nothing wrong with
our caravan we ran out of spare tyres and couldn’t get a replacement until the
next day. Page Link - See
"Coolgardie, Southern Cross & Merredin".
Mobile Phone & Internet Coverage
Mobile
Phones – Telstra with the nextG coverage should be considered a must if
you are leaving the metropolitan areas. On our Central Australian trip we had
this and were delighted with the cover we had. See the following where we tried
to make do with another telco - 2007 We originally all had Optus phones, which
were mostly useless coming up the Western Australian coast. Our old CDMA phone
from Telstra had coverage nearly everywhere so it is probably best to have a Telstra
phone for continuity of coverage. Once we entered Northern Territory the Optus
was OK but still Telstra clients had a better or stronger coverage than us. The
situation continued down the east coast where we enjoyed coverage but at much
inferior signal strengths than the Telstra clients. We very much overcame this
problem by purchasing a Big Pond wireless internet coverage and using “Skype”
(voice over internet protocol) when we didn’t have Optus cover. Note: Coverage with all carriers is mostly restricted
to populated areas so if you want continuous cover you will need a satellite
phone.
Internet
Coverage – Do not use caravan park wireless internet services if you
want high speed, reliable or continuous connection. In nearly all cases we found
the service offered was intermittent or poor (there was an exception in Exmouth
where the service was excellent). Purchasing a “Big Pond” wireless service has
given us coverage nearly everywhere we stopped and it is fast and efficient.
Buying an “hourly” coverage where you pay for time will allow you to access the
internet and use VOIP for phone calls at the same time.
Membership of Caravan Park Groups
Join
them all ? – No, not all but if you are going on a major trip
we suggest that you consider joining the majors after ascertaining their
suitability to your circumstances. This can be done on an as you get to one to
use it basis or they can be joined in advance. If you join in advance you will
be supplied with a card and a list of caravan parks etc. Some of the membership
advantages include automatic discounts on stays, free forward bookings,
discounts on other services etc. The cost varies but may be earned back,
sometimes on your first few stays. Should you want to join in advance below are
some links that are also invaluable sources of information on the caravan parks
represented by the groups. If you are only doing short trips it may be more
economical to do your site research from the links below and before you book a
park join online to get your discount when booking. For reference we will not
be renewing our memberships when they expire until we look like needing them.
Big 4
Holiday Parks – This is the one we used & use most but we have noted
a fall in standard appears to be the case on our Central Australia trip. The
notable exception to this is parks owned and operated by the Aspen group where
they give you a 10% off voucher each time you visit them – We will not be
renewing this one as we use our Aspen vouchers now – http://www.big4.com.au/
Top
Tourist Parks of Australia Ltd – Our next most used – http://www.toptourist.com.au
Family
Parks – Our least used as they generally take pets but if you have a pet
probably the only one that will give you any value – An exception to our usage
is the Shelley Beach Caravan Park in Ceduna which is an excellent and we think
the only choice in the area – http://www.familyparks.com.au/
Notes:
Not all caravan
parks are in a group so some extra research will be needed to be sure you have
checked out all of your options at any location.
If you
book a caravan park that does belong to a group you do have somewhere to lodge
a complaint or suggestion if you have a poor experience.
Caravan parks in
groups are generally required to meet standards and expectations in order to
retain their membership although on our Central Australia tip it became
apparent that these standards are dropping.
We have only commented on
caravan parks with extended information if we found them to be exceptionally
good or bad. Then our comments have been kept to the relevant problem or joy.
It is not our intention to recommend one caravan park over another but we are
not shy of recommending a caravan park if we really enjoyed it or found it to
have a particular advantage in location or facilities. We have never
recommended or otherwise a caravan park that we have not stayed at other than
to suggest that it may be a better option than the location we used. All of
these comments are distributed through the trips in an as it happened basis and
there is no general list of caravan parks on this site.
A link
to the site we use to check out reviews on caravan parks can be
found on our front page which can be selected from the index at left see “Grey
Nomad – The Idea” in the “Useful Links” section.
Helpful Hints for Caravanners
Shoes
and Dirt – Mary has come up with a neat way to arrange shoelaces to make
the normal shoe a slip on so you do not traipse too much dirt into the caravan.
It also allows a check for bugs or bities that may have moved into them. If
there are Dingos in the area leave shoes on the roof of the van or bring them
inside, as they are quite keen on them. We have also learned to arrange the
step and mat in a configuration to allow one to sit on the step and put them on
and off without getting the mat etc dirty.
Travel
Times – Caravanners should try to travel in cities and heavily built up
areas between 10:00AM & 3:00PM. This will help to avoid traffic and gives
plenty of time to set up on arrival at any destination. In country or low
traffic volume areas an early departure can work well but a late arrival should
still be avoided.
Hiking
Shoes – Do buy a pair of proper hiking shoes. We have seen so
many people that have purchased their hiking boots after “doing an ankle” and
as many of the trips have a lot of walking in them buy a pair of hiking boots.
Joggers are NOT hiking boots – Do you see joggers jogging in 
hiking boots? NO!
Hiking
Stick – The adjustable hiking sticks are invaluable. These sticks
are not for “old people” but make hiking over rough terrain safer. They can be
purchased for around $25.00 and will probably save you from a fall or twisted
ankle within the first few uses.
The
Wave – Nearly all caravanners either wave or lift a finger from the
steering wheel as a greeting to their fellow caravanners that are travelling in
the opposite direction. This wave seems to include motor home owners after you
leave populated areas. It is a nice touch and can in the outback lift itself to
a very enthusiastic wave from all occupants of the respective vehicles.
Freebie
Camping Spots – There are numerous free camping spots provided by state
governments on roadsides, which cost nothing to stay at overnight. These might
at first seem to be unsecured and although you can not usually leave your
caravan whilst travelling around the area they are some of the nicest spots to
spend a day and or night at. Be assured that even if they are empty when you
arrive they will usually fill up before the sun goes down. Some of our fondest
memories are from these freebie spots. The 24-48 hour camp and rest sites are
most prolific in the less populous areas. There are also sites made available
by or in national parks that are very cheap and are some of the nicer spots
where you can stay for prolonged periods.
Extra
Water – When in the outback we are carrying two or three extra 15 litre
water bottles that are easily purchased from any supermarket. The addition of a
water drip fitting (that will seal) to the top of the bottle allows the air to
enter when it is opened and not when it is closed. This means that there is no
spillage when the valve is closed and allows the bottle to be re-used. When not
required we empty one of these containers and store it for when it is.
Scuffs
or Thongs – It is a good idea to have a pair of scuffs or thongs to use
in the caravan park showers to help protect from picking up any nasty
infections that may be lurking on floors.
Fly Home for Re-Invigoration
Fly
Home – We have discovered that to fly home every 4 months or thereabouts
reinvigorates and refreshes us in readiness for us to continue our trip.
Originally we looked at these diversions as a bit of a nuisance (although they
were always most enjoyable) but in fact they have been beneficial with our
enthusiasm for our trip being renewed each time we took one.
Spare
Spare
– Spare.
Last revised: Date Sunday, November 22, 2009