The Camping Thread

[BENT_8]

Prices are yet to catch up with the recent trend but im noticing more and more ads on the popular sales platforms of vans that we're bought in the past 12-18mths and are now relisted with the generic excuse of 'plans have changed' etc.
Good thing is many older vans have had investment in refurbs which has given them a new lease of life but nothing surer than as the quantities begin to stack up and it becomes a buyers market again the prices will come down.

It'll effect the mid level stuff the most, there has always been demand on the entry level cheaper stuff and nomads/retirees will still buy new vans but the 25-50k stuff will settle lower i believe.

[prydey]

Much like the auto industry, new prices haven't really climbed much more than normal inflation, so its actually a good time to buy a new van if you can afford to.

For funsies today we stopped in at Jayco on the way to the zoo and had a look at their range of vans, and actually found one we really liked. It was $45k but compared to the used market for a similar van, it would make little sense to buy used at the moment.

Vans aren't the type of thing that cost a lot to have sitting around either, so even if people do start to travel OS again, it doesn't mean all the new vans bought in the last couple of years will hit the market and flood the market with vans. Vans are relatively cheap to insure and register, so unless you don't actually have room to store it, there is the chance the market may not suffer a dramatic drop off.

After looking at new today I'm a bit in 2 minds now as to which way we'll eventually go in 9-12 months time. The only problem with new vans is they've got a bit bigger. The one I looked at today was still the basic style, no ensuite etc but was still 6m long and nearly 2.5m wide. Thats pushing the friendship with the space I have available to park it.

[BENT_8]

As with our new car market there is a lot of competition in the new RV market thats kept pricing honest, I've never seen so much variety.

[nstg8a]

Quality on some of these new vans is horrific considering the cost. They look pretty but jeez, some are pretty average.

[b0son]

Originally Posted by nstg8a

Quality on some of these new vans is horrific considering the cost. They look pretty but jeez, some are pretty average.

It's a hopelessly under-regulated industry. Hard to find a brand that doesnt have issues.

[b0son]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

As with our new car market there is a lot of competition in the new RV market thats kept pricing honest

Taking just the hybrid camper/caravans as an example, the locally made ones were in the $50k+ range, the imports sub-$30k. Now the chinese ones are $50k+ and local.... are there even any locally made ones?

Sure, there is a degree of local assembly involved in a lot of them, but nothing befitting the prices being asked. There'd be competition if there was an oversupply of stock, but most new builds seems to have 12-18mth lead times now, which pushes up 2nd hand stock, which in turn feeds back into new model prices. The builders are making hay while the sun shines.

[prydey]

Jayco often get labelled as one of the bad ones but they are by far the biggest manufacturer and seller in Australia. Sure, there are some poor stories but the number of people happy with their jayco far outweighs those who aren't.

But yes, I do agree that the industry does need regulating.

The fact that customers can get brand new vans but can't legally tow them with full tanks because they'll go over weight, is just one example of where regulation would help.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by b0son

Taking just the hybrid camper/caravans as an example, the locally made ones were in the $50k+ range, the imports sub-$30k. Now the chinese ones are $50k+ and local.... are there even any locally made ones?

Sure, there is a degree of local assembly involved in a lot of them, but nothing befitting the prices being asked. There'd be competition if there was an oversupply of stock, but most new builds seems to have 12-18mth lead times now, which pushes up 2nd hand stock, which in turn feeds back into new model prices. The builders are making hay while the sun shines.

Not many vans are out of china. Most are Aussie and European. A lot of brands are still made here.

Most pricing is in line with normal inflation and the fact that they come with a lot more features now.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by b0son

Taking just the hybrid camper/caravans as an example, the locally made ones were in the $50k+ range, the imports sub-$30k. Now the chinese ones are $50k+ and local.... are there even any locally made ones?

Sure, there is a degree of local assembly involved in a lot of them, but nothing befitting the prices being asked. There'd be competition if there was an oversupply of stock, but most new builds seems to have 12-18mth lead times now, which pushes up 2nd hand stock, which in turn feeds back into new model prices. The builders are making hay while the sun shines.

Those Hybrids come in as kit form and get assembled in QLD but its still cheap Chinese rubbish, they just have a bit of a following for those who want to go further off road with a bit more comfort and less mucking around than a traditional hard floor camper trailer.
Trying to find a place thats not over run with like minded local travelers is hard at the moment so those hidden hard to reach places that many off road vans cant access are more inviting and have driven interest in hybrids.

Regular vans are different, plenty of local manufacturers with much shorter lead times. My mate had a contract with a local builder out of Victoria, they were pushing him to hold more stock and we're an attractive package for mid $50k but orders we're getting messed up and they wouldnt fix the issues so he ditched them, he makes more off of used stock without the drama.

[FoxtrotGolfXray 5.0]

Originally Posted by prydey

Padding in bike pants isn't all created equal. My bibs are up around $200 ea and good for 6hrs in the saddle. Having said that, if you haven't ridden for a while it does take a while to get your 'bike butt' back

I like looking around campgrounds at all the different set ups. Certainly some flash combo's out there. The beauty is, resale on vans is very good. So once you have finished your travelling around and ready to settle down, you can sell the van pretty easily and get a big chunk of your money back.

My shorts are Body Torque brand. No idea if they're good, bad or indifferent but I wouldn't be surprised if they're the lower end of the market. Just bought them from the LBS years ago.

I don't ride much these days, as, when I'm at home, I prefer to do an activity that includes the dog so she gets exercise at the same time. So, yeah, the bum was not conditioned in any form or fashion for a 50km ride

To keep this somewhat in topic, I've been following the Maverick brand of hybrids since the Kelly boys used one to get to Darwin a couple of years back. I know these are Chinese made, but I really like the look of them. Anyone have any experience with them, or know of someone who has? You very rarely see them on the second hand market, which is a good indicator to me. I especially like the fact the expanding sleeping area is all solid and doesn't use canvas at all, unlike the Jayco setup

[BENT_8]

Been a while since I've had the opportunity to get away so I made up for it over the past 2 weeks.

A group of us have been making the annual pilgrimege to the Carp Frenzy at Barmera.
Its been a tradition for the past 5yrs for my mate to go up mid week and secure us a good spot that can accommodate our tents, campers and motorhome, unfortunately my mate passed away in May last year so the responsibility fell to me to get in early.
I knocked off work at 3.30pm on the Wednesday and was knocking back a can on the shores of Lake Bonney by 7pm.
It was at this point that I realised just how boring a day and a half of occupying myself would be until reinforcements arrivedit was certainly peaceful and gave me time to ponder some things Id been avoiding.
Thursdays temp nudged 35* so I spent the day either under a tree or in the lake.

The tranquility didnt last as the neighbours began to roll in. Due to part of the lake surrounds being closed by the council it resulted in people encroaching on others and I drew the short straw when 3 4wds full of rednecks rolled in and cranked their music right next to me.
The music continued all night at full blast and when some woman complained to them they followed her back to her campsite and attacked her partner.
Thankfully they were all partied out by 2am Saturday morning and we finally got some peace...until the wind began to blow....and blow....and blow some more.
By 11am Sunday morning I was well and truely over it and headed for home.

Fast forward to last Friday and I spent the day driving around the Fleurieu Peninsula watching all the campers heading away for the long weekend and wishing to be amongst them, so during a family dinner that night I did a quick accommodation search for somewhere to go on the spur of the moment.
Hardly surprisingly anywhere within 300km of Adelaide was fully booked out so I started thinking about places my fellow South Australians have previously mentioned and I remembered Robs trips to Wirrina Cove.
I looked them up and as luck would have it they had 1 chalet left for the Saturday and Sunday night so I jumped on it.
The chalets are run down to look at but surprisingly comfortable to stay in and lets be honest, beggars cant be choosers, it was them or the weekend on the couch so my Wife, Daughter and myself embraced it.

Far out I never realised how popular it is and by 9pm Saturday it was chocker block full but despite that it was quiet.
We stopped at the Yankalilla bakery on the way down, booked into the Yank hotel for dinner and looked around Normanville, Second Valley and the Wirrina Cove marina in the evening before settling in for a few drinks back at base.

Sunday morning was glorious so we packed our bacon and eggs into the Ranger along with our bathers and headed for the bbq's at nearby Rapid Bay.
It too was packed solid but we managed to get a bbq to cook brekky and headed for the beach.
Unfortunately time flies when youre having fun and soon enough it was Monday morning and time to head home.

We had a great time and will definitely be going back.

[Tonz]

just as well you went south, every man and his dog having a belly ache about Yorke
Peninsula and Wakefield again.

[prydey]

Glad you enjoyed it down there Steve.

[Trevor 57]

WOW, I had to journey across to Mansfield / Lake Eildon yesterday on a recovery mission. I turned onto the Maroondah Highway at Merton and it was pretty much bumper to bumper all the way to Mansfield (about 35 k's) with people heading back to Melbourne, hell, they were even stopped coming onto the bridge at Bonnie Doon. I would have hated being away over there on the weekend, far too many people for me

[blueoval]

I did a rough camping trip to Yorkes over the weekend. Just an over nighter. Stay on a mates friends property near Warrenben. Had to cut some scrub and make way for the vehicles to get through. Bloody hot work. The camp site wasnt much. Rock hard ground. Thankfully I was car camping in my wagon so I was quite comfortable.

Checked out some of the local areas near Corny Point. First time visiting Berry Bay. Sensational spot for a swim. The kind of spot you'd see on social media.

FYI - the general store in Corny Point does some of the best fish & chips Ive had in a very long time. Highly recommend

I left there Saturday late arvo and had no issues with traffic in Pt Wakefield.

[BENT_8]

Many moons ago I spent a week helping out at the Pt Vincent Aquatics centre. The school group they we're instructing during the week was from an all girls college and one of their activities was surfing with Berry Bay being the venue.
I spent the day just beyond the breakers helping the young ladies to get going, was a fantastic day and was great to see them get the hang of it.
I slept well that night though, bloody hard work trying to keep your head above water in that surf even in a wetty.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by prydey

Glad you enjoyed it down there Steve.

Thanks Rob, just a shame they arent open all year round as the extra revenue would go a long way towards some much needed maintenance and upgrades.
Apparently they've been getting heaps of function bookings and are looking to obtain a permenant liquor license rather than applying for temporary permits. Perhaps that may encourage them to open the gates more often as it really is a nice place to camp.

[Beastie]

We finally got to Myall River Camp again for a few days R&R (postponed twice).

We couldn't pick our weekend or site as we were at the mercy of an available weekend / site determined by the camps caretakers.

So off we went in the rain / drizzle and made the most of it.

Gazebo & camp chairs setup - I've done my bit...



Watching the bride setup her new camp table...



A couple of locals...




That's my dinner sorted...




This view of the river heading inland...



And the view heading out...



Gotta have a camp fire...



We certainly tested the limits of our solar / battery setup, as there was very limited sun and we were there for 3 days / nights.

We also bought a new Dometic esky and I was super impressed with it's performance. I filled it and put two bags of ice into it on Thursday around 1pm and when we got home on Sunday, it still had ice in it. I did have several 1.25ltr bottles with a salt water mix that were frozen and formed the lower layer in the esky.

Finally, we took a small gift for the caretakers for allowing us to reschedule our booking twice, which was very well received and we ended up having a good yarn over a beer or two...

We are planning our next trip now and we are most likely to be heading south down to Batemans Bay and the surrounding areas.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Thanks Rob, just a shame they arent open all year round as the extra revenue would go a long way towards some much needed maintenance and upgrades.
Apparently they've been getting heaps of function bookings and are looking to obtain a permenant liquor license rather than applying for temporary permits. Perhaps that may encourage them to open the gates more often as it really is a nice place to camp.

They used to be open all year round. They went back to school holidays and long weekends only round about the start of the pandemic. Last year they announced opening back up from September to May, or something like that. I only recently noticed they've gone back to holidays and long weekends.

I know they want to keep it low key. They don't want to lose the feeling of it being a family property first and caravan park second. We aren't bothered by the facilities not being the best. Being only about 45min drive for us its a nice place to just kick back for a weekend.

They hold a lot of horse events there. They are hoping to increase that side of it especially since horse events are no longer going to be part of the royal show. I took my daughters to a jumping event last year. Just drove down each day. Free to enter the grounds and enjoy the day. They have a cross country course set up too.

Also up the top of the hill there are some guys building a mtb/bmx style track. Not sure where that is up to. He's very much in to getting to give the locals, particularly the younger crowd that can get up to mischief when there isn't much to do, something to do.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by grep

Finally, we took a small gift for the caretakers for allowing us to reschedule our booking twice, which was very well received and we ended up having a good yarn over a beer or two...
.

A nice touch. Well done you

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by grep

We finally got to Myall River Camp again for a few days R&R (postponed twice).

Great spot, did you get a chance to go up the Gibber Track ?
Oftened stayed at Seal Rocks and mountain biked down the Gibber to Mungo Brush.
Bl**dy hard days ride along that rocky coastal track.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Trevor 57

WOW, I had to journey across to Mansfield / Lake Eildon yesterday on a recovery mission. I turned onto the Maroondah Highway at Merton and it was pretty much bumper to bumper all the way to Mansfield (about 35 k's) with people heading back to Melbourne, hell, they were even stopped coming onto the bridge at Bonnie Doon. I would have hated being away over there on the weekend, far too many people for me

Trevor, everyone's there for the serenity.

[Honest Gaza]

Originally Posted by prydey

Jayco often get labelled as one of the bad ones but they are by far the biggest manufacturer and seller in Australia. Sure, there are some poor stories but the number of people happy with their jayco far outweighs those who aren't.

.

Have a Jayco Penguin on order (Similar to Swan, Eagle etc but without the beds out the ends). I'm hoping I'm one of the people with 'good' stories to tell.

[Junkyard-Dog]

Anybody have a cheap but decent quality backpack (daypack) to recommend? I am thinking of getting an Austrian ALICE pack for $40 unless there is something out there representing better value.

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Great spot, did you get a chance to go up the Gibber Track ?
Oftened stayed at Seal Rocks and mountain biked down the Gibber to Mungo Brush.
Bl**dy hard days ride along that rocky coastal track.

Nope, my exercise was limited to pulling the Teslayak to the beach & back...

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Junkyard-Dog

Anybody have a cheap but decent quality backpack (daypack) to recommend? I am thinking of getting an Austrian ALICE pack for $40 unless there is something out there representing better value.

Is that Austrian or Australian !
Not so cheap but I've owned a US Jansport (ex Tatonka) for years, never had an issue with it. Been thrown around everywhere either on and off a mountain bike. Even commutered with heavy hand tools in it.
Big W used to sell a good Companion convertible daypack, could also use it as a bumbag as well.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by grep

Nope, my exercise was limited to pulling the Teslayak to the beach & back...

Yeah. Good Kayak spot. Always wanted to navigate into there via Hawkes Nest, when I was living in Newcastle.
At 1.5mtrs high tide would have been able to do it with 1.2mtrs draft and mast down. I know of a couple of yachts who have successfully navigated up to Bulahdelah.

[Junkyard-Dog]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Is that Austrian or Australian !
Not so cheap but I've owned a US Jansport (ex Tatonka) for years, never had an issue with it. Been thrown around everywhere either on and off a mountain bike. Even commutered with heavy hand tools in it.
Big W used to sell a good Companion convertible daypack, could also use it as a bumbag as well.

Austrian. Military surplus.

https://www.armyandoutdoors.com.au/p...ian-alice-pack

I'll check out the items you suggested, thank you.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Junkyard-Dog

Austrian. Military surplus.

https://www.armyandoutdoors.com.au/p...ian-alice-pack

I'll check out the items you suggested, thank you.

Looks very similar to a heavy duty canvas tool bag I'm currently using. Maybe mines not as flash

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Yeah. Good Kayak spot. Always wanted to navigate into there via Hawkes Nest, when I was living in Newcastle.
At 1.5mtrs high tide would have been able to do it with 1.2mtrs draft and mast down. I know of a couple of yachts who have successfully navigated up to Bulahdelah.

Yeah, it's quite the waterway. I met the local Co-Op owner (via the caretaker) while I was there and he was heading up river to do some prawning for three days (commercial). You should have seen the size of the eskies on his custom made boat.

I didn't venture to far towards Hawkes Nest as I couldn't recharge the battery I use in the kayak and I'm too lazy to paddle...

Next time we go there, we will stay a bit longer and I will setup the caravan, then go back home and get my tinny so I can explore a bit further.