Welcome to our initial post : January 2014

Welcome to Ourtime 2014. This blog follows on from Ourtime 2012, which dealt with our trip from Brisbane to Darwin and return from February to August 2012. To get an idea of what drives and inspires us visit our earlier blog at www.ourtime2012.blogspot.com.au but just to quickly recap…

We are Rod and Vicki Maden, me on the wrong side of 59 (but not yet 60) and Vic in her mid 50’s. In 2011 we made drastic changes to our lives by selling our successful small business, Vic taking a voluntary redundancy from her career, getting rid of a lot of accumulated “stuff ” and putting our remaining possessions into storage. We had sold our property the year earlier to prepare ourselves for this phase of our lives. 

We set off on our trip around Australia with an open mind and flexible plans, and made our way to Darwin where Vic picked up 3 months work. We had planned to fly home from Darwin for the birth of our grandson in early August 2012, but as the time drew closer we decided to return to Brisbane for a few months to spend some time with family and friends before resuming our trip. 

Poppy's first cuddle with
Lakyn Thomas Maden 

With Nanny in
January 2013

With Grandma Carlow at
his 1st Birthday party

That time blew out to 18 months and since August 2012, we’ve housesat 3 properties in Brisbane, worked for 6 months in Emerald (Central Queensland), then for 7 months in Hervey Bay (on the Fraser Coast), housesat in Maryborough and Hervey Bay, travelled around South East Queensland, got to know our grandson and spent Christmas 2013 with our family.

Our wonderful family Christmas 2013 - Cara, Rod, Allie, Lakyn, Glen & Vic

Our 2013 Christmas Tree

We had bought a 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 5.7 litre V8 (our 7^th Jeep) prior to leaving originally and modified it to suit our needs. We’ve recently changed the roof rack arrangements, replaced the tyres, added some under body protection and, to help with an increase in tow ball weight, installed air bags to the rear, of the already modified, suspension.

It was sad to see her go :(  she had served us extremely well.

By far the biggest change we’ve made is to our accommodation. When we left back in 2012 we were living in our 2003, 18.5ft Viscount caravan which we had bought new and used for annual holidaying. This was a fantastic van and served us well as we set off on this odyssey, however, we soon realised that more living space would be nice. There were no real issues with the size of the van, and certainly not with the towing, but I was getting sick of drying myself after a shower, while standing in the kitchen. The corner ensuite was just a little too claustrophobic!

While working in Hervey Bay we ordered a new Olympic Bayview 22ft caravan from Hervey Bay Caravans (we recommend you check out their range at www.herveybaycaravans.com.au ). This model is spec built for the dealer (hence the name) and gives Vic and I a far more livable space to spend the next few years in.

While travelling earlier, we had heard a lot of horror stories about ordering and having a van built to your own requirements but I have to say that ours was a painless experience. The build was efficient and timely, one day shy of 3 months from order to delivery, and the ability to customise means ours is a fairly unique caravan.

Just a little bigger

Yes, there have been a couple of minor issues, but we can’t speak highly enough of Darren and his team at Hervey Bay, and the manufacturer. They’ve done everything in their power to ensure our satisfaction. We now have what we consider to be a solid, well built caravan that ticks all our boxes, looks great and, we’re confident, will deal with the challenges of travelling this great country.  

meet Olly... our new colour coordinated abode

While gaining space with this new van, we also gained a 225 litre fridge, 3kg front load washing machine, full ensuite, oven, huge slide out pantry, entertainment system inside and out plus heaps of storage space. Outside we got independent suspension with 12” brakes, 16” wheels with all terrain tyres, 2 x 150 watt solar panels, 2 x 80 litre general use water tanks plus an 80 litre designated drinking water tank that feeds through a filter.  To the back we had a double bike rack fitted during the build (this means a reinforced rear wall), and a pole tube so this adds to the abundant storage space available. Obviously, the down side is a lot more weight (3150kg loaded… we hope) which will seriously affect our fuel consumption, although, I’m confident that it’ll all be kept in proportion once I learn how best to drive this combination.

Since picking up the new van on the 4^th December, we’ve towed her 2257 kms, with a shakedown trip in the Wide Bay - Gympie Region, then to Elliott Heads, back down to the Sunshine Coast, up the range to Toowoomba, back down to Bribie Island, back for Christmas on the Sunshine Coast, New Year on the Gold Coast and then to Rathdowney from where we intended to resume our travels on the 28^th January.

Vic enjoying the early evening at Elliot Heads

Our plans were to head south into New South Wales and meet up with our great friends and fellow caravanners, Sue and Phil, in Kiama, however, all those plans were thrown out the window 5 days before our scheduled departure. Vic and I had spent the day saying goodbye to Neil and Jan on the Gold Coast and were travelling back to the caravan in Rathdowney when Vicki collapsed and was rushed to hospital. She suffered a Subarachnoid Haemorrhage (ruptured aneurysm).  As is the case with any bleed on the brain, this condition has the risk of complications including brain damage and even death.

We were extremely lucky and following emergency surgery on the following day, she spent 13 days in the Princess Alexandra Hospital and is now home recuperating well. It will be a long convalescence for Vic, and all indications are that she will make a full recovery, but until the surgeon gives her the final clearance towards the end of March, we’re grounded.

Caravanning friends of ours, Paul and Elaine, who are currently travelling Tasmania, invited us to stay at their property on the Gold Coast, and it is the perfect place for us to spend time as Vic recovers from this frightening event. From here we’ll make the regular trips to Brisbane needed to monitor Vic’s recovery, spend precious time with family and friends, try to make the most of living on the Gold Coast and most importantly, be close by to celebrate the arrival of our new grandchild, due within the next few weeks.

Until next time… Happy travels!