Hi from an about to be grey nomad.

bowlerbear · Senior Member

Hi from an about to be grey nomad.

yeoeleven · Guru

Welcome to the forum Chris, you sound quite experienced and should go well.

After my Tassie trip I expect to be travelling north so we might link up at some point, hope so.

John

biggles · Senior Member

Good on you Chris !

Good to see you getting involved .. best way to get a leg in ..

Jon

jetj · Guru

Hi Chris,

Good to see you post. Hope you had a good trip home. Good forum for info.

Happywanderer · The Master

Welcome Chris. The first step is to have the dream, doesn't matter whether you have planned a direction. There is plenty to see, just keep going.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Welcome from me too Chris, enjoy here and out in the playground.

neilnruth · Guru

Welcome bowlerbear from us too. Go the XTrail. We love ours.

Duh · Guru

Welcome BB,

I am sure you will fit in well.

I had an Xtrail towing camper trailers and two smaller caravans (15' types) and it romped it in.

I was reluctant to sell it but needed to move on. Great vehicle, also more storage room than the RAV 4 inside (or used to be).

eureka · Senior Member

I own an xtrail, it pulls my little caravan well on minor roads. I also hired a rav4 and took it across the desert (not towing) from Dubbo to Alice Wow! what an experience.
You can't go wrong either way.
Helen.

fireheart · Senior Member

Welcome Chris, you will receive lots of friendly helpful advice here and have a few laughs along the way. Good luck with your planning and safe travels when it happens.

sarg · Guru

Good on you Chris and welcome. It's exciting doin all the planning, I'm doing the same, and like you can't wait to hit the road. Hope to see you on it one day, Good luck & enjoy.

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

Chris

I suggest you pull out of your drive and turn left

bowlerbear · Senior Member

I will be turning left as I pull out the drive and I will turn left when I get to the end of the road. Where I go from there is anybody's guess. Hope you meet you all on the road sometime.

Chris

bowlerbear · Senior Member

This is all very scary. Four shifts to go...................
Chris

Lawson · Veteran Member

Hi Chris, Have a look at a Suzuki Vitara, the same size and around price as a Rav4 or XTrail but its engine points (4cyl or V6 ) in the correct direction, primary rear wheel drive and low range (very handy even if you only use it to be able to to go through creeks or anywhere very slowly)

Dennis

JimnKathy · Member

Our plan is to go anti clockwise. The idea is to wind back the clock..

bowlerbear · Senior Member

I have read that anti clockwise is the way to go. I have two shifts to go after tonight. It all feels a bit surreal though knowing that in a couple of weeks I'll get a final pay and then it's the pension. Bit scary.

beiffe · Guru

My best suggestion is to get out there with the minimum that you can and then buy what you need when you are sure you cant do without it.

What you travel in and how you travel matters little on the road. We all mix in when we stop for the night (or most do as you get some in all walks).

Some of us bush camp some only stay in parks and some use a mix so try it all don't decide one way against the other without giving it all a good go first.

You may decide later to get a bigger van or a MH or stay as you are.

We have many who are happy with their little campers and Toyotas etc and good on them while some have small buses and MH's and some have palaces on wheels.

We are all after the same thing, to see our country and enjoy the final years of our lifes and to spend our money before the kids can get their hands on it. LOL

Regards
Brian

jetj · Guru

-- Edited by jetj on Wednesday 28th of November 2012 09:34:30 PM

Allara · Senior Member

howdy Chris,
Been there, done that, still happy.
Allara

pawsoz · Senior Member

Hi Chris

The moment you start the motor you have begun the adventure! Doesn't really matter then which way you go, you are out there doing it!
I still have to work a bit + I am studying (on line) so I get tied down a bit every now and then, like now tied to a caretaking role in Bendigo area for a bit, but after that who knows where? I try to follow music orientated festivals and of course a bit of work so that helps me decide which way to point the front wheels!

Enjoy!
Annie

jetj · Guru

bowlerbear wrote:
I have read that anti clockwise is the way to go. I have two shifts to go after tonight. It all feels a bit surreal though knowing that in a couple of weeks I'll get a final pay and then it's the pension. Bit scary.

Sorry about empty post, not scary as long as you live according to your means. A pension should allow about $50 a day. If you pay $35 for a CP site then might be a bit lean.

bowlerbear · Senior Member

Thanks Janette. Will certainly keep that in mind although I hope to avoid cp's as much as I can. Hope to meet up with you again someday. Tonight is my last shift and I can't decide if I am excited or terrified. But I know the best is yet to come, it's just the uncertainty at the moment which is a bit daunting.

Chris smile

jetj · Guru

Truly only daunting for a week or so. Looking from within the humdrum, looks different looking from outside of it. Good luck!

bowlerbear · Senior Member

I am now unofficially retired so officially on holidays for two weeks then officially retired. Had a farewell breakfast and the girls gave me some interesting things to take with me along with some things usually found in a maternity ward that I don't really need to take with me anywhere (use your imagination, I'm not elaborating any further lol). No real plans yet but enjoying doing things with grandchildren. Will discover tomorrow what a Tuesday is like during the day as I am usually asleep.

Nomad246 · Senior Member

Congrats on your new "profession"

Let the first task be to get out of bed and then decide on what to do.

btw ,,, what are you going to put on your tax return now,,, "home duties" or "caravan duties" or just simply "x-maternity ward nurse with tools"

enjoy

bowlerbear · Senior Member

Today is the first official day of my retirement and once I get my separation certificate from where I USED to work I can get it into Centrelink and they can start paying me the pension. Not sure how I will go on that but I will have to learn quickly I think.
Hope to be on the road going somewhere in the next few months.

Bucko · Senior Member

Bowlerbear,

You will do fine, I'm on the same and it is cheaper to live on the road than I thought it would be, as long as you like "Home brands" and mostly I do, with the free camping your able to stop and let the money catch up when ever it gets on top of you, good luck and welcome. Bucko

bowlerbear · Senior Member

Thanks Bucko. Maybe we will meet somewhere in the great outdoors.

Bucko · Senior Member

Bowlerbear,

That would be nice, I'm off the road until late Feb, I have a bush block near Delegate in NSW and will be there until the fire season is over and then back on the road, perhaps I'll see you on the road, where are you spending Xmas.

Kevin.