The van arrived today & registering licence plates from QLD to WA

Well after an anxious wait (not helped by the transit company's terrible communication and poor customer service) our caravan arrived at our front door this morning all safe and sound. Phew!

As the van is registered with Queensland licence plates, we now need to go through the relatively easy process of registering the van in Western Australia. We popped into the licencing centre in Mandurah a few weeks ago for some advice - they were actually extremely helpful. In short the van will need an examination before it can be registered in WA. As the van currently isn't allowed to be towed on WA roads (due to QLD plates) we will need to obtain a 'Temporary Moving Permit' and take the van into the Mandurah inspection/examination centre. If all is okay, it's registered in our names and WA plates are issued. At the same time the QLD plates are handed in and they will give us a plate receipt. We then post the plate receipt to the QLD Dept of Transport and job done. Sounds easy (hopefully!)

Each states licencing requirements are very different but the relevant states Transport Dept websites have been very informative and helpful.

Photo 1: Underneathe view of our Kedron - built solid & tough for offroad

 Photo 2: Our set up minus the dinghy on the roof of the Nissan Patrol. Thankfully the TARE & Gross weight of the van gives us a little tolerance for the Nissan's towing capacity. This was another reason why we had to compromise and get a combined toilet/shower due to length/weight issues affecting the towing capacity. If we went for a longer van as originally planned with a separate ensuite, we would have need a truck to tow it! Well almost as this Kedron is allowed to weigh 3 ton (3000 kg) in total (yes ladies this includes all my clothes, crafty stuff, necessities, oh yes and allowing some weight for Shane's clothes too!!). Thankfully the Nissans towing capacity slightly more than 3 ton but it will still be tight.

Our new home on wheels - Kedron Cross Country caravan with ATV upgrade

After many hours of research and searching we finally have our home on wheels! Yay, I'm just a tad excited!! We narrowed our choice of van down to a Kedron and ended up getting one from Adelaide today. Kedrons are built for off road tough conditions, however there are very few available in Australia let alone WA.  I'm glad to say the search is finally over and a picture is attached of our new home.

For those more technical enthusiasts it's a fully offroad 20ft Kedron Cross Country with ATV upgrade, including a shower/toilet, washing machine, solar panels, QS bed, TV, lots of water tanks and many little extras to make that remote camping experience a little easier. Very happy!!

Camp Cooking ideas or recipes

CALLING FOR HELP:
I'm the first to admit I can't cook, so I'm calling on your help so we don't live on BBQ snags for breakfast, lunch and tea!! If anyone has any 'tried and true' ideas on camp cooking, I'm all ears. I'm interested in camp cooking recipes, but also knowing what "must have" items you take when out camping/caravaning, types of easy meals you have, storage and food freezing tips, etc.

On behalf of Shane - all help is greatly appreciated :)
From Travelling Dobes

The adventure begins!

An adventure can begin by a simple thought which grows into an idea. Before you know it you've resigned from work, sold the boat, commenced packing up your home and stepping out of the life you once had - the open roads will soon become your new home and way of life. Scary? Yes. Exhilarating? Absolutely!

My partner and I are planning what we hope will be the adventure of a lifetime - a working holiday around Australia for at least 2 years. Our mode of transport will be a 4WD, caravan and dinghy. The catch (and there normally is one) we will have 2 large dobermann dogs onboard (weighing a combined total of 100kg). Insane? Maybe a little. But how fortunate am I to travel our beautiful country, leaving behind the stress and routine of everyday life, meet new acquaintences (hopefully not all of them with blue rinses) and share the adventure with not only my best friend, but my furry best friends too.

It's late January 2012 and the planning has commenced (albeit we need to purchase the caravan, slightly critical). In July/August 2012 we will hit the road driving out of Mandurah, Western Australia heading slowly up the north coast of WA.  We have a ton of reading, phone calls, planning and purchasing ahead of us. But how exciting huh!!??

This blog has been created to keep family and friends up to date of our adventures and whereabouts. Along the way we will share information and pictures of wonderful 'free camping' places to stay including remote places to explore. We will also share some of our learnings on how to survive travelling with 2 large dogs. There is no doubt the dogs will present us with all kinds of challenges, but we are taking the attitude "will never know if we don't give it a go". Plus they are part of our family, so they are coming too - case closed.

The blog posts may be a little slow over the next 6 months whilst planning is in full swing, but from July onwards ... stay tuned and watch this space.

S&A and The Travelling Dobes