Grey Nomads - things I've learnt in the last few days.

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Originally Posted by Yorkie

Which one? Pm if you want, need points to head too on our trip. :)

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PM Sent.

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Originally Posted by Col.Coleman

Same as leaving big gaps in traffic jams and crwling in first gear, instead of the gas and stop technique most employ. Watch Semi's and you will get what I mean.



CC

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No such thing as leaving a big gap in traffic jams, leaving a gap of one car length plus 1mm results in a car from the next lane cutting in, 2 car lengths plus 1mm results in 2 cars cutting in, etc.

Living just north of Cairns, the invasion of the "Grey Nomads" is inevitable. If I have to travel south, I plan on taking the inland HWY instead of the coastal one, as it is usually much quicker. That being said, the Defender is not quick by any standard (even though it has been altered by Toombie :twisted:)
I have recently had the chance to take my 82 yo father on a road trip to Darwin , across the Savanah Way, and we slept in swags, and bush camped where we could. There were some instances where we had to sleep in road house caravan parks. We were amazed when the caravans would just pull in next to an other, and then go and pay. On one instance, we were the only campers in the shade, on nice grass, and all the caravans were side by side around the outside of the area. When the flies were really bad in one instance, I did envy not having a place of refuge, but that only lasted about an hour. Once the stars came out, and the flies went away, we were in paradise again.
All that being said, I distinctly remember when I purchased my first Engel Fridge, and what an extravagance it was. Now I can't envision camping with out it!

Cheers,
Ken

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Originally Posted by Mudnut

----- I distinctly remember when I purchased my first Engel Fridge, and what an extravagance it was. Now I can't envision camping with out it!

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Becoming conditioned in the GN ways. :wasntme:
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PODS post reminded me of a couple of years ago when we pulled into Halls Creek on a Sunday about lunchtime.
We'd managed to avoid the fat copper who pops out of his office ever so often to point his radar at incoming nomads who may just be over the 50 limit while slowing down entering town and pulled into the servo.
One of our number had his petrol Nisscan on the LP gas pump for 45 minutes filling it up as he had a bit of a prob with it when the thing was warm.
Us others just sat around lunching and watching performance of the vanners stuck behind him waiting waiting waiting.....
Strange how suddenly they're all in such a hurry when some ones holding them up.:D
AlanH.

A couple of things from the last couple of nights I thought I'd share. Last night I was yet again the only camper on an unpowered site until one of those crappy camper things turned up with a German Couple in it. Nice enough folk, but they set up camp right next to my awning - well, almost under it actually. Room was tight I suppose, there was only another 2 acres of mown grass they could have set up... WTF?????

I then had to put up with them talking and laughing until very late, but I got my own back as I packed up early and wasn't quiet about doing it...:angel:

So tonight's spot is great, and there is plenty of room and no one has set up camp next to me. All good. I start the stove up to get tea made and a concerned nomad from a nearby van on a powered site comes over in a huff asking if I need a fire extinguisher. I then explained to him that it wasn't a gas stove but a dual fuel stove that does show a bit of yellow flame when first starting up. Once it settled down he was very impressed with it and asked how long they had been making those for....:D

I told him I didn't know a year of production but they were making them before I was born. He was astounded...

So that's the fridge, my lights and my stove that have impressed the nomads along the way. Not much left to show the, now, I'm just about out of tricks.:)

Another guy came over to shoot the breeze and we got chatting about the 101. He asked what sort of fuel economy I was getting. I told him it was very good and running about 21.5 litres per 100 KM. he said that's awful and his Subaru was getting 11's towing their small van. I said that's right, but I'm going in style...:D

To his credit, he had a laugh at that.

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Originally Posted by bacicat

Another guy came over to shoot the breeze and we got chatting about the 101. He asked what sort of fuel economy I was getting. I told him it was very good and running about 21.5 litres per 100 KM. he said that's awful and his Subaru was getting 11's towing their small van. I said that's right, but I'm going in style...:D

To his credit, he had a laugh at that.

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:Rolling::Rolling::Rolling::Rolling:

Have to agree with you. What a great vehicle to be travelling around & camping with. :D

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Originally Posted by bacicat

Another guy came over to shoot the breeze and we got chatting about the 101. He asked what sort of fuel economy I was getting. I told him it was very good and running about 21.5 litres per 100 KM. he said that's awful and his Subaru was getting 11's towing their small van. I said that's right, but I'm going in style...:D

To his credit, he had a laugh at that.

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With this and V8 Disco's you don't talk about fuel economy, you talk about fuel consumption.:)

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Originally Posted by bacicat

A couple of things from the last couple of nights I thought I'd share. Last night I was yet again the only camper on an unpowered site until one of those crappy camper things turned up with a German Couple in it. Nice enough folk, but they set up camp right next to my awning - well, almost under it actually. Room was tight I suppose, there was only another 2 acres of mown grass they could have set up... WTF?????

I then had to put up with them talking and laughing until very late, but I got my own back as I packed up early and wasn't quiet about doing it...:angel:

So tonight's spot is great, and there is plenty of room and no one has set up camp next to me. All good. I start the stove up to get tea made and a concerned nomad from a nearby van on a powered site comes over in a huff asking if I need a fire extinguisher. I then explained to him that it wasn't a gas stove but a dual fuel stove that does show a bit of yellow flame when first starting up. Once it settled down he was very impressed with it and asked how long they had been making those for....:D

I told him I didn't know a year of production but they were making them before I was born. He was astounded...

So that's the fridge, my lights and my stove that have impressed the nomads along the way. Not much left to show the, now, I'm just about out of tricks.:)

Another guy came over to shoot the breeze and we got chatting about the 101. He asked what sort of fuel economy I was getting. I told him it was very good and running about 21.5 litres per 100 KM. he said that's awful and his Subaru was getting 11's towing their small van. I said that's right, but I'm going in style...:D

To his credit, he had a laugh at that.

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There was some talk on another thread here quite a while ago about how, even when you're in the middle of nowhere, some dolt will turn up and camp next to your passenger door or whatever. Could you have just told them to move over??? I can picture myself picking up a tent and shifting it. Of course, you could just pretend to be really helpful, smiling and speaking rapid English as you relocate them.

That's one of the things I hate about campgrounds, a lot of people seem to look at where one person is camped and assume that that's where they're supposed to camp too. I think a lot of caravan park operators actually direct people to adjacent sites as well, they seem to think it's tidier or something if everyone is in one lump. Also, the Fritz in the Britz seem to have a different idea of personal space to the average Aussie.