When we first met I had a Hyundai Elantra wagon, and Bev had a Mitsubishi Magna sedan, which she used to get to and from work.
When I sold my unit in Toowoomba and moved to Sydney, I traded the Elantra in on a new Hyundai Santa Fe 4WD prior to leaving Toowoomba.
Shortly after, we bought a new Cub camper trailer to begin our travels with. The first time we used the Cub camper trailer, after owning it for three months, we realised that we were just not cut out for camper trailer travel, and we sold the Cub, and purchased our first new caravan together, a 12’6” rear entry Empress pop top…just a nice size to tow behind the Santa Fe.
We brought this van from Sydney when we moved to Hervey Bay, and lived in it for seven weeks whilst our new home was being completed, and did a few short trips with the Empress before trading it in on a new 16’10”Jayco Freedom pop top at the end of 2002.
As this van was no doubt too heavy for our Santa Fe, we traded it on a new Hyundai Terracan 4WD, which did the job admirably.
Terracan 4WD & Jayco Freedom pop top 2003
We did quite a few trips with this combination, until health problems forced us to re-think our future travel plans, and we decided that we were past caravanning, and sold both the Terracan, and the Jayco, thinking at that time our health problems would prevent any further caravanning…this was indeed a low point in our lives.
We purchased a new Hyundai Sonata sedan, (I love the Hyundai products), and in due course set off around Australia in this, thinking it would be the last big trip we’d ever do, and we’d stay in cabins and motels…it was June 2004.
I had spent seven months travelling Australia in 1998 in a Toyota camper van, then a Ford Falcon wagon, towing a second hand Jayco pop top, and wanted to show Bev all the wonderful places I’d visited on that trip.
Things went fine until we reached Perth in WA, and we realised that this wasn’t the best way to travel, even though we were having a great time, we missed the camaraderie of other travellers whilst staying in cabins and motels, and it was costing us a small fortune in accommodation.
So, it was time for yet another change, and we traded the Sonata on a second hand small motorhome, based on the Ford Transit, complete with on board toilet and shower…now we were made, or so we thought.
We left Perth and headed south along the coast, and then swung east, taking in all the sites along the way, and all the time I knew there was something wrong with Bev. She was very tense, and didn’t want to drive the motorhome.
When we reached Esperance she suffered a panic attack one night, and said she felt so claustrophobic in the motorhome at night that she couldn’t breathe, and didn’t want to spend another night in it…which she didn’t.
The next day we traded it in on another Hyundai Santa Fe, and completed our trip in that, without further incident.
Some time after arriving home in the Santa Fe, we had another re-think about our travelling future, and lashed out and bought another caravan, this time a new 15’6” Jayco Freedom pop top.
15'6" Jayco Freedom pop top & Hyundai 4WD
We travelled a lot with this combination, and really enjoyed the fact that we were caravanning again.
In December 2005 we again felt it was time to upgrade our tow vehicle, and this time went for a low kilometre, second hand, Ford Falcon wagon, which we still have, and it has proved to be an excellent tow vehicle.
Our BA Falcon Wagon
In May 2007 we upgraded our caravan to a new 17’6” Jayco Sterling pop top, with all the bells and whistles, including an onboard toilet and shower. We are both adamant that this will be our last caravan.
Our new Jayco Sterling on it's first trip
Our new Jayco Sterling at Kingaroy after the sign writing
