Caravan & Motorhome Magazine
A Memory from 2011
I came across a story I wrote back in March 2011 which was published in the "Caravan & Motorhome On Tour magazine" as yarn of the month. Since then, so much has been written about Buying a Caravan, Caravan News, Becoming a Grey Nomad - especially on social media.
I didn't get to do much about my Grey Nomad adventures at that time as a lot happened personally - my husband passed away from cancer and I decided to move from Victoria to my hometown, Bundaberg. I was then diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a lot to deal with with at the time and I thought my caravanning dreams would never happen.
Fortunately, I am fully recovered and enjoying my life.
I have been lucky enough to find a partner and travel companion keen to go on the grey nomad journey with me. We bought a caravan which we didn't get to use very much because of work commitments so we sold it a few years ago and bought a Jayco Lark in 2022 (It's a long way from my vision back in 2011)
What I think is important these days is very different to what I felt was important back in 2011. Nowadays, it is more about keeping it simple. I want to see new places, visit wineries, country markets, go bike-riding, discover the history of the many small Australian towns. I want to enjoy country race meetings, drink coffee by a river or the ocean. I want to swim and boogie-board in the ocean. I want to loll around in the ocean relaxing on a pool noodle. I want to remove the stress from my life, take the time to smell the roses and not rush everything. (It sounds like a cliche I know)
Fancy canapes aren't as important to me as they once were. After all, what's wrong with bikkies and dip and a cheap wine?
Caravan & Motorhome On Tour magazine (Published January 2011) - Extract
As I am fast approaching the compulsory age of travelling around Australia in a caravan, we have started searching for the perfect home away from home. At the Melbourne Caravan show in March of last year, we were about to settle on an 18ft Jayco pop-top with a small toilet/shower combo in the corner. At that time, it was the perfect caravan for us – it had everything we needed and more.
In the six short months since then, what we consider necessities has grown to require a full caravan somewhere between 21 and 23ft. Before long we will be looking at fifth wheelers that won’t look out of place on the show circuit.
I come from a long line of caravanners, having spent my childhood and early teens camping at the beach in a 16ft 6inch Chesney caravan along with my parents and three sisters. We managed without a toilet and shower or innerspring mattresses on the beds. In fact, most of our nights were spent on canvas camp stretchers in the annex and we didn’t think twice about lining up for a shower at the amenities block – even when we had to run over in the rain. We survived with a small fridge and, if I remember, a number of eskies spread around the place. We loved those holidays and never for one minute thought we were lacking anything.Obviously, my caravan needs have grown. I now require a full ensuite, rollout pantry, adequate clothes hanging space, a full oven and, while not compulsory, a two-door fridge/freezer, a fold-out picnic table, outside speakers, a stainless steel roll-out BBQ and solar panels.
My god, what am I buying? A display house or a caravan? You will be pleased to know that I am drawing the line at a washing machine. That just seems a little extreme – even for me. Until this last month, I didn’t even know such tiny washing machines existed. Actually, why haven’t I seen little built-in cappuccino machines? That would be a far better use of my funds than a washing machine.
I’m not sure that the Caravan & Motorhome magazines are a help or a hindrance to me. I can’t wait for them to come out so I can read them from front to back to discover new brands and models and other ‘must-have’ gadgets.
I am discovering a whole community of RV travellers out there and I can’t wait to join them. No longer am I worried about stopping work because now I know there is a whole new world to discover. I am looking forward to my first happy hour, served around my fold-out picnic table, listening to music from my outside speakers while serving canapes cooked on my pull-out BBQ. Hopefully, we can have plenty of ice in our drinks thanks to the two-door fridge/freezer. (Some things are worth fighting for).
Look out for us somewhere on the road. Hopefully, not in a massive fifth wheeler because, at some point, I am sure my needs will align to my budget.
Debra Phillips
Although it was a pretty dark time in my life, I remember being pretty chuffed to see my article in print and I think I won an inverter (not sure what happened to that but I could probably use it now). Actually, I don't think I knew what an inverter was at the time but I have a better understanding now.
