
Stories about people places & experiences PLUS tips for life on the road
How many hours of driving are too much? Sadly the road toll across Australia is not just the result of speeding or so called 'medical episodes' (we'll have more on that soon!)
It seems driver fatigue is a major factor. Driving while tired - driving for way too many hours and simply not taking a break
Ken Wilson from the Truck Friendly Education Program has some refreshing ideas for all of us to consider.
Read more: PODCAST: Dealing With Driver Fatigue - Ken Wilson
OK… who knows how much their caravan weighs right now? And what about the total of the car AND the van. And is it loaded in such a way to be as safe as possible?
Like most things in life there are a LOT of ‘experts’ on this topic in the caravan & camping world both online and at 4 o’clock drinkies!...
For the most part, many long-time travellers often have some good advice… but not always. Especially when it comes to understanding caravan towing weights.
ATM, GTM, GCM, TARE MASS, TOW-BALL WEIGHT, …even highly qualified experts we’ve met agree all those acronyms make weight limits VERY confusing – and even though we’ve weighed our own car and van at public weighbridges across the country and everything seems to be ok…but is it really?
We see it all the time on various Facebook groups….
“Planning the Big Lap but only got a few months. 2 small kids and a dog. What’s the best pet friendly places, free camps and any other tips?”
Well in case you didn’t know a trip around Australia on the main coastal road is about 14,500km & that doesn’t include a side trip to Tassie! And according to several sources, the total time taken for a non-stop drive along the main coastal roads has been calculated to be around 7.5days.
That’s ‘DAYS’ driving all day and night!!
Or roughly 48 days in total if only driving approximately 300Km’s a day & stopping overnight.
If you have pets and love travelling as much as we do, there's NO WAY we're going to leave them behind is there?...
But not all animals love the bit where they have to be in the car for a few hours to get from A to B.
So what are some of the tricks to make all this 'stress free' for our pets?
To find out more Brian caught up with Kylie Kavanagh who is the Surgery Veterinary Nurse Manager at Sydney's Animal Referral Hospital and also happens to be a multi-event winner showing her dogs under the banner 'Strongstorm Staffords'.
We’re on a 'zig-zag' tour of Australia keeping a very close eye out for the smaller, less commonly mentioned locations… like Miriam Vale, a very pretty little Queensland town located roughly halfway between Bundaberg & Gladstone.
WikiCamps and various Facebook groups recommended Miriam Vale’s local pub would be a great place to stay overnight – taking advantage of the fact it’s a free-camp AND there is a bit of an implied hint we could return the favour by purchasing a drink or two and even a meal. :-)
Turns out that was a great decision because not only were the meals we ordered typically huge and 'country style yummy' but we also learnt a lot about the town and its history from locals with our special guest & pub owner, Mitch Brennan.
Do you know how much your car, caravan, boat, trailer or even your horse floats weighs?
And did you know that if you are 'spot-checked' by police while on the road and are found to be overweight you will be fined?
Worse than that... If you have an accident - whether your fault or not - and are found to be overweight, your insurance will probably be void!
Brian caught up with Jason Fothergill - one of the two brains behind the Weight Safe Mobile Weighing Service in QLD (the other being Brendan Fitzgerald) to find out a bit about their service and what it offers to not just caravaners, but all motorists & yes, even some truckies!!
Read more: PODCAST: Weight Safe Mobile Weighing Service - Jason Fothergill
+++ SHORT ON TIME? +++
Watch the whole podcast or skip to a question that interests you... Details below or you can listen to AUDIO ONLY Version here: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/39971487
By mid-March 2020 we had a planned stop-over at the Toowoomba Motor Village for a 2 night stay. 2 days later the Henty event was cancelled and we were subsequently 'locked down' due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
At the time of this video we've been here 4 months! - Not that that's a bad thing! We've already had a very funny chat with the managers of the park Vaughn & Wendy Smith that you can listen to here.... (<-- PODCAST ONLY!)
But we also thought you might like to see and hear a little bit about the place in this short 'Podcast With Pictures'.
Read more: PODCAST + PICTURES: Inside Toowoomba Motor Village
Have you ever watched the news and noticed a caravan rollover or an accident involving a truck and caravan?
Sadly they’re more common than you’d think – which is why we’re keen to promote a new FREE site and service which will help both newbies and long-time travellers to check their weights plus learn more about how to help make the highways easier for the hard-working truckies who’re delivering the stuff we need to survive.
Someone who’s passionate about this is Ken Wilson who you‘re going to hear a lot more about because he ‘s set up a free service to encourage people to be more aware of all the other vehicles on the road called the Truck Friendly - road safety program
Brian caught up with Ken to find out more...
Read more: PODCAST: Truck Friendly Program 12 Months On - Ken Wilson

Yes the background is actually our view from the van. I added this in as a 'virtual background' photo (which you can also do when using ZOOM!) 'cos the light was all washed out sitting outside so I thought this looked better.

Read more: PODCAST + PICTURES: WHAT'S EVERYONE DOING POST HENTY 2020?
UPDATE: As of February 2021 the New Age Tribe is now known as The New Age Caravans Social Club
Read more: PODCAST + PICTURES: New Age Tribe - All About Henty 2020 - Bryan Crow
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