YARRALIN NT LIFE - (was - time to hit the road... pack up your swag lets go)

[Bird]

Updating vans can get expensive... ask yourself for advice

From memory Bushtrackers are very good units, but fairly heavy too.

[wakychapmans]

Updating vans can get expensive... ask yourself for advice

From memory Bushtrackers are very good units, but fairly heavy too.

was wondering how long before you'd chime in on that topic. hahahahahahahahha 

I now know what to look for (that's something).
And the full alloy frame means no full wall/frame/roof rebuilds.

Plus... this time we know what to expect. If our total budget is say... $60k for the van. Then we need to be buying the van for no more than $30k. That gives us enough budget to have the J-seals redone (properly), the solar and lithium upgraded. With enough left over for a fridge, air con and tyres/rims (if required). Plus an internal repaint.

If there is anything left over... Sandy Taupe and black raptor on the outside...

thinking a double bunk van would be best with the dogs. Convert the lower bunk to dual crates. Upper bunk to (light/bulky) storage.

My preference would be to have a budget of around $80k. So the van, being newer, should need slightly less work so a van price of around $50k with $30k for repairs and upgrades.

again... still a few years off going down this route. But checking the pricing on vans and keeping up with the condition etc of older vans in the market.

[Fizzie]

Sandy Taupe and black raptor on the outside

Looks good, but that black is going to get bloody hot, which then makes the inside hot, so fridge / air-con are both working harder.

[wakychapmans]

XMAS is a road trip this year... Last year Kyria flew to Melbourne to visit her dad and sister and i stayed home in Yarralin with the bois for the wet season.

this year... we have to go to Melb to get the poptop on the Troopy removed and replaced. The previous Alu-Cab distributor (Ironman 4wd at Brissy), did a Shite job fitting it, and it's crooked and creaks on 4wd tracks. So the new Alu-Cab Australia team (owned 100% by Alu-Cab themselves) are replacing it with a brand new 2025 model for free. (only catch being that I need to get the Troopy to Melb by Jan 5th).

So the big road trip is happening. Kyria, the bois and I (with the van in tow) are crossing the great plains of the NT (Carpentaria Hwy and Tablelands Hwy) and QLD (Barkley) to Brisvegas where we'll catch up with some friends and family before heading south down the east coast visiting family and friends in Taree, the Hunter Valley, Newcastle, Central Coast, Sydney, Wilton, Wollongong and Canberra before finally arriving in Gembrook on XMAS day!

The Troopy heads off to Alu-Cab on the 5th of Jan to have the old poptop removed and the new one fitted. We should be able to leave Melb again on the 14th-16th Jan.

The run home will be more direct.

We'll keep in touch with the Yarralin crew to see how the wet season is affecting the road into community.

If it's not too bad... we'll drive in with the van

If it's bad... but not yet a mud fest... we'll drive in with the van

If it's more of a 4wd 24/7/All 4 Adventure mud fest and towing is questionable... we'll leave the van with our mechanic Badger in Katherine and drive in.

If it's bringing back memories of Feb 2024... we'll leave the van with Badger and try to coordinate the drive to Yarralin with some of the other teachers who are returning to community. More vehicles = more winches and recovery gear if needed...

[Bird]

XMAS is a road trip this year... Last year Kyria flew to Melbourne to visit her dad and sister and i stayed home in Yarralin with the bois for the wet season.

this year... we have to go to Melb to get the poptop on the Troopy removed and replaced. The previous Alu-Cab distributor (Ironman 4wd at Brissy), did a Shite job fitting it, and it's crooked and creaks on 4wd tracks. So the new Alu-Cab Australia team (owned 100% by Alu-Cab themselves) are replacing it with a brand new 2025 model for free. (only catch being that I need to get the Troopy to Melb by Jan 5th).

So the big road trip is happening. Kyria, the bois and I (with the van in tow) are crossing the great plains of the NT (Carpentaria Hwy and Tablelands Hwy) and QLD (Barkley) to Brisvegas where we'll catch up with some friends and family before heading south down the east coast visiting family and friends in Taree, the Hunter Valley, Newcastle, Central Coast, Sydney, Wilton, Wollongong and Canberra before finally arriving in Gembrook on XMAS day!

The Troopy heads off to Alu-Cab on the 5th of Jan to have the old poptop removed and the new one fitted. We should be able to leave Melb again on the 14th-16th Jan.

The run home will be more direct.

We'll keep in touch with the Yarralin crew to see how the wet season is affecting the road into community.

If it's not too bad... we'll drive in with the van

If it's bad... but not yet a mud fest... we'll drive in with the van

If it's more of a 4wd 24/7/All 4 Adventure mud fest and towing is questionable... we'll leave the van with our mechanic Badger in Katherine and drive in.

If it's bringing back memories of Feb 2024... we'll leave the van with Badger and try to coordinate the drive to Yarralin with some of the other teachers who are returning to community. More vehicles = more winches and recovery gear if needed...

Safe travels Wayno... living the dream mate.

[wakychapmans]

Safe travels Wayno... living the dream mate.

we just borrowed the dream from McGirr n Penny.

[Fizzie]

we just borrowed the dream from McGirr n Penny

Speaking of, where are they, as we haven't heard from Mark for a while

[wakychapmans]

Speaking of, where are they, as we haven't heard from Mark for a while

currently he's in Wollongong driving trucks to Sydney on a daily basis.

He and Penny were working at the Bathurst 1000 recently.

[wakychapmans]

ordered custom plates for the Troopy because... are you really living in the NT if you don't?

[wakychapmans]

she who must be obeyed woke up this morning with some *extreme* abdominal pain... and the clinic, after much poking and proding and consulting with an online doctor, are flying her to Darwin this arvo for "tests".

[Fizzie]

Hope things turn out OK, Wayne!

The Boss ever had her appendix out?

[Pottsy]

Hoping for the best, she's in the right hands with the RFDS.

[xcvator]

Hopefully just something "simple" like appendicitis or gall stones. And don't forget 

[Bird]

she who must be obeyed woke up this morning with some *extreme* abdominal pain... and the clinic, after much poking and proding and consulting with an online doctor, are flying her to Darwin this arvo for "tests".

Any update Wayne?

[wakychapmans]

UPDATE: about 10 mins after I booked the Greyhound bus for her to go to Katherine, she got a call from Careflight advising that she was booked on a plane at 9am tomorrow morning.

apparently their main concern was it might be related to her bariatric sleeve surgery in 2023.

It's appears to not be connected to that at all.

She was discharged on Saturday but the return flight details, day (week?) etc... appear to be somewhat... "flexible". (maybe Tuesday, maybe Thursday)

So she's jumping on a Greyhound bus (cue Paul Kelly songs...) to Katherine and I'll meet her there and we'll drive back tomorrow morning.

HUGE thanks to some local teachers here for being absolute legends and taking care of the bois for us overnight. (I know that they'll be spoilt rotten)

Some pics from our principals drive *into* community yesterdays... should be a piece of cake eh...

[Harbourmaster]

couple of those little floats the kids put on their arms & all should be good.

[wakychapmans]

couple of those little floats the kids put on their arms & all should be good.

heh heh heh...

we're heading into Katherine this Thursday arvo anyway. (unless it rains non-stop between now and then) One of the dogs needs an Xray on his leg/shoulder and they're both seeing the dentist.

Plus... we get to check out our new (to us) Kedron van that is being stored at our mechanics yard.