Australia Day Eve- Day -1

I had intended to write this post about our setup a week after my first post but have been very slack. It is the day before the big trip and I feel I need to pick up the slack during our break between packing. Krystal has summed up our few weeks in Sydney and Canberra so I'll write a little bit about our car and our gear.

Our set up is fairly low budget and we don't aim to be flashy. We bought a banged up Nissan Navara (2004) 4x4 with 150,000 km in Wilcannia back in 2009. At the time, it had plenty of dents and a very offensive odour in the cabin. This was thanks to the owners keeping animals and possibly freshly killed carcasses inside. You're probably thinking that this was not worth looking at but it was only $9000 for a 5 y.o. car. My mechanic friend said it was easily worth $15k and it only need a good clean and service.

Since then, Mendoza (the car) has taken us around the NSW, SA and NT outback. We've added a canopy, driver's lights, a dual battery system and a few additional dents! (I hate ballards when reverse angle parking!!) We've been slowly accumulating our camping needs with a fridge, ice box and a pop top camper trailer. The trailer was an opportunistic buy as the owner was desperate to sell and we got it for $2,200 with new canvas!

Other additions include a 40L footwell water tank that sits on the back seat floor; a CUSTOM made false floor that cost $50 worth of timber and a case of beer to my friend Harry Prescott; a set of draws from the reject shop that sit on the back seat. We have most of our kitchen gear and clothes in plastic tubs that stack neatly in the tray-tub. It also comes in handy to know a brother in law who is a metal worker. Jake welded a few brackets onto the trailer to fit a gas cylinder, fuel jerry and a tool box!!

But, most exciting of all is that we have an Atomic coffee machine! We can make gourmet coffees on the road without a power supply!! booyay kasha!

First Stop: Moss Vale