RV FEATURE
“We make mistakes all the time, whether it’s
leaving a caravan window ajar on a dusty road or
getting bogged in a sandy campsite,” Liam said.
Amanda added, “We are constantly learning and
laughing at ourselves.”
Liam is a plumber by trade, a real asset on
long adventures. Most times it’s paid work, but
sometimes the barter system works wonders, as
they discovered when visiting the Principality of
Hutt River. A leaky tap in the amenities was fixed
in exchange for free accommodation.
MODIFICATIONS
Modifications to the Viscount have been kept
simple but practical: solar panels on the roof
(250W), a 12V self-priming water pump to replace
the broken hand pump, and an 80L grey water
tank to allow self-contained camping.
They also installed a cot-sized loft-style bunk
bed above the double bed for Banjo, installed
shelves where clothes used to hang, and gave the
internals a lick of paint. The last mod was some
fun signage to their caravan.
LEARNING EXPERIENCE
”MODIFICATIONS TO THE
VISCOUNT HAVE BEEN KEPT
SIMPLE BUT PRACTICAL.”
While on the road, the car is serviced regularly
when they reach a major town. They did have to
replace the caravan water pump that failed them.
“Install a self-priming pump, it won't then burn
out when it runs dry,” Liam said.
“Towing our home-on-the-road full-time, and
not all the roads bitumen, leads to inevitable DIY
maintenance so I carry spare screws, cable ties,
gaffer tape and super glue.”
Amanda summed it up very well when she said,
“The road trips we did with little baby Banjo in
our old ’77 Bay Kombi inspired us to step off onto
our lap. However, as special as our Kombi was to
us, the memories that we have made on the road
are priceless! In short, it was our inspiration and
selling it was our means for the trip of a lifetime.”
Travelling with young kids is valuable. “We wanted
to complete the journey before Banjo starts
school,” Amanda explained. “He’ll learn along
the way and may not remember everything, but
we hope it helps to shape the person that he is.”
You also learn to slow down and observe things
from a different perspective.
“You’re stopping and looking at scats and tracks,
bugs and rocks,” she said. “We saw an echidna
the other day and Banjo was able to find it on a
poster we have pinned up in the caravan.”
Maintenance is important, and Liam talked about
the steps he’d taken so far. “We ensured that
the car and caravan were ready to go before
departure with a major service and inspection on
both as well as new tyres.”
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