Catching up

08 February 2019
I have sat down to write this post so many times - both literally and figuratively.

But life sort of had a way of getting in the way!! So, here's the catch-up for those of you who are interested in where I've been at the last couple of months and for anyone still clicking in here!!

Grab a cuppa and let's catch up.

Fishing off the pier in Stanley, TAS.



Firstly the move all went well. There was lots of sorting, culling and cleaning but it all got done. We got all our stuff sorted and packed into the shed of a very generous family member, handed in our rental keys and moved into our house sitting digs.

I'm glad the move was separated from the trip by a couple of months. I imagine it would have felt really hectic to move out and then hit the road straight away.

We had a couple of house-sitting gigs that took us up until the New Year. In that time there was also plenty of catching up with family and getting in a few visits before the big trip.

The van has had a couple of test runs also. Firstly, while in the moving process, we spent a few nights on our front lawn, which the girls thought was a great adventure and they managed to actually get some sleep eventually! The girls and MrGGE also headed away for a weekend of camping to give it all a go - success all round (including my weekend of 'me-time'!).

'The Rig'

Our last week and a half was spent staying with family who generously gave us some driveway and floor space while MrGGE finished up work. It was also lovely to spend some extra time with family before we hit the road for such a long time. Although, we've extended the invitation to all our family and friends to meet up with us at some point on our adventure.

We left Canberra on the 16th January. So, we've been on the road for just over 3 weeks.

Originally we'd planned to head through Rutherglen and central Victoria on our way to catch the ferry to Tassie from Melbourne. But, the week we headed off the forecast was 46 degrees for that area...so we quickly changed plans.

Instead we headed to the coast and had two nights at a camp in Genoa - which is off the highway inland from Malacoota. We had a few nights there to settle into caravan life, which was a good start....well, except for needing to call out roadside assistance on our first night!! But it turned out to be nothing serious and all sorted quickly.

From there we headed along the Victorian east coast towards Melbourne with a one night stop in Sale and a night in Melbourne with friends. We caught the ferry to Tassie on the 20th Jan and we are now half way through our 5 weeks in Tassie.

So far we've been enjoying taking our time to check out different areas in Tassie. Lots of beach and coast time and plenty of bush and mountains too. It really is a beautiful place.

Of course there's been plenty of eating along the way. I've managed to visit a few road side stalls, local markets and small town providers. Loving the small town butchers, for the quality of the meat and the nostalgia from my own childhood.

Lots of Tassie wines to be tasted too!

Am slowly getting back into the swing of cooking from scratch and adapting that to van life. Things got a little off track with all the house hoping before we head off. And then the first week in the van we were definitely in holiday mode!

But, the last two weeks I've started baking bread - sporadically at first but more regularly this last week. My first loaf was a bit of a flop with a burnt bum from the BBQ. So, I've been experimenting with different set ups on the weber and I'll do a post on this once I've got it mastered. I've been doing plenty of flatbread in the frypan though which is just as handy.

This week I baked my first snacks - good old banana pikelets! I originally thought we'd do a few more caravan park stays and would therefore have access to an oven to do some stockpile baking. But the free camps are just too good and plentiful in Tassie to pass up. I'm sure things will change in different states though. So for now snacks are a lot less of the homemade variety than we are used to.

I do have some plans for some more non-oven baked goods to test out. But, if you've got any good recipes or ideas for snacks that you can make without an oven or a blender/processor (not enough solar for that!) I'd love to hear them.

So, I think that brings me up to date. Right now we are on the East coast of Tassie making our way towards Hobart. Then we'll turn around and head back north before catching the ferry on the 24th Feb. We're hoping to check out some of the West but it will depend on the fire situation. And if we don't see it this time it'll be a good excuse to have to come back to this amazing island.

Okay, that's enough about me! What about you? What's been going on in your life the last couple of months?

P.S If you want to follow along with our travels MrGGE is doing a blog about them over at www.familyvantrippers.com.





14 comments

  1. That sounds like a lot of fun. What an adventure for the children too! Glad all is going well in your part of the world. Enjoy the experience.

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  2. Hey Laura,
    So nice to see you and catch up on your last couple of months! I'm so happy that all your hard work to get organised has paid off and now you're on the road.
    Hmmm, snacks without oven or blender... you're already frying stuff like flatbreads & pikelets... you'll be the expert in pikelet variations shortly! I usually bake for camping before we go, but I've never been on the road for so long! If you make it to Perth you can borrow my oven to get your fix and stock up!!!
    Only other thing I can come up with, and I've never made it so I don't know how hard it is, is the traditional traveller's snack of dried salted meat eg jerky/biltong?
    Safe journeys!
    Cheers, Sally at One Family, One Planet blog

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    1. Yep, me too on the baking before heading off. i usually take a big old stockpile. i'll definitely post about any recipes I discover outside of pikelets and flatbreads!!
      I'll have to have a look at the jerky - I've done stuff in the dehydrator but not sure how it'd go just air/sun drying...I mean I know that's how it's traditionally done but would probably have to work on unfounded fears of food poisoning and how to avoid such an outcome!!

      I'll definitely reach out when we get towards perth - probably late May at this stage. would love to catch up for a coffee or cuppa for sure....and use your oven ;)

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  3. Laura, it's so nice to see your post.
    You are really on an adventure! Have fun and I hope you will update us when you have time. :)

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    1. Thanks Nil, yes i'll keep updating when i get a chance!

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  4. Hello, Laura! How lovely to be down in Tassie now. It's such a beautiful place and Stanley, with it's green rolling hills and fresh, cool air is one of my favourites there. I loved the roadside stalls in Tassie, the best apples ever! Enjoy your tripping, can't wait to read more about it. What an adventure! MegXx

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    1. Tassie was beautiful Meg. Stanley was such a lovely town. There are some really great places in Tassie. We stayed with friends outside of Launceston who actually have an apple farm, so that was pretty great. The girls loved trying all the different types.
      Cheers,
      Laura

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  5. Hello Laura,
    what a lovely surprise to find your post today. I have checked your blog everyday wondering how things were going.
    So glad to hear that your move and temporary lodgings went well and that you all are adjusting well to your nomadic lifestyle. Your girls must feel as though they are on an exciting adventure. What a lovely experience for them.
    I'll have a think about some snacks that you could make without the appliances and equipment we all take for granted and get back to you.
    Stay safe and enjoy this very special family time.
    Best wishes,
    Maria from Adelaide xx

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    1. Thanks for your lovely comment Maria. And yes, let me know if you have any snack ideas!
      Cheers,
      Laura

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  6. I understand why you might not want to defuse so much goings-on, into one blog post. Talk about overwhelming! Where do you start? Sounds like you're well on your way though. Enjoy your journey. But now I can't help but wonder what the argument about egg-shells was about, lol? Your husbands' name is David too. :)

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    1. oh, it was a very trivial argument about me leaving the egg shells on the bench while I sat down to eat my breakfast instead of cleaning up straight away....but clearly not really about eggshells and more just about finding our feet on the travels. It's definitely a transition!!!

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  7. PS: you don't have to answer, about the egg-shells. Just thinking allowed. ;)

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  8. Such a nice article and had a great time with your post. Happy adventure.

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