4.5 Months On The Road Travelling Australia

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We know doing “The Big Lap” is a dream to many people, so how lucky are we that we are actually doing it.  But at 4 months plus into our big lap we still have not yet passed the half way mark.While we write this post we are in Port Dennison/Dongara in Western Australia making our way North up the WA coast and then over the top.

So We can hardly believe that we’ve been on the road for 125 days or 4.5 months. We would like to share with you our summary of running costs to date (125 days  – 4.5  months). As the saying goes “time flies when you’re having fun”. So far we have travelled approximately 11,000 kms and have crossed 3 different State borders. We don’t have a time schedule, so we are able to enjoy each day as it comes. There are just the two of us travelling with no children or pets.

Diesel

$2,209.25 – Our tow (tug) vehicle is a wonderful Jeep Grand Cherokee 3ltr. This includes all the day trips we do while we are set up for a few days in a place that we want to explore.

Accommodation

$3,332.51 – We have been travelling for 125 days. 21 days have been FREE. 104 days have been in caravan parks with power and water. The highest we paid was $40 per night and the lowest was $24.00 per night. The caravan park fees are dictated by seasonal demands and also check if they have a “deal” when you book in. Also don’t forget if you are a member of the main park groups they offer a 10% discount.

Eucla WA

Groceries

$2,474.00 – This includes beautiful meats that we have bought from local butchers and also great fresh produce from roadside stalls. We love our food and cooking.

The Good Food Shed in Kronkup WA

Raw Meats in Coffin Bay – SA

Alcohol

$1236.00 – We enjoy a good wine and cold beers/ciders after setting up for the day.

Eating Out

$492.75 – We both love cooking, but occasionally we love to get local fish and chips and try out the delicacies like a Cornish Pastie or Pie from the local bakery. Not to mention a yummy pub meal from time to time.

Hahndorf – SA – Tasting platter of German sausages

Laundry

$76.00 – Even though we have a washing machine in the van we have never used it. It is a little small and it is so much easier to use the laundry facilities in the caravan parks. A bonus is that you get to speak with other travellers.

Tours

$88.00 – So far we have only paid for an annual pass to the National Parks in Western Australia and a couple of other day entry costs to some of the alternative visits.

Walpole National Park – WA

 Jeep

$1,920.00 – This included a set of new Nitto tyres and a service and a couple of ‘feel good’ items.

Jayco

$226.07 – Warranty service and bits and pieces for the van.

Medical

$234.70 – Unfortunately I had to have an urgent dental visit which was an unexpected expense despite our private health cover.

Miscellaneous

$520.61 – This includes a variety of bits and pieces that we have purchased for the van which of course have been quite important in our day to day living. For example an induction cooker from Aldi which is brilliant and so easy to use, a couple of new coffee mugs, Christmas decorations, a new pair of thongs for the feet and a couple of essential pedicures.

All of the above works out to an average of $100 per day. Hopefully we won’t be repeating the amounts for tyres and Dentist again and find a few more low cost camps.

Below are a list of the destinations we have stayed at so far, remembering we departed from Coffs Harbour, NSW and are going clockwise around our big Island.

New South Wales:

Victoria:

South Australia:

Crossing the Nullabor:

Western Australia:

Well that’s enough for now.

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Happy Aussie Caravanning Lifestyle

Dixie and Graeme