van diy – Dreamtime Van

Taste Testing Tasmania’s Best (part 1)

Bruny Island is a small island accessed only by ferry off the south-eastern coast of Tasmania. It is a microcosm of the Tasmanian mainland. Blessed with an extraordinarily diverse range of distinct environments – spectacular coastlines, geological wonders, beaches, rainforests, mountains, lagoons, waterfalls, abundant flora and fauna.

The island is about 50 km long but appears on the map to be two islands with North and South Bruny joined by a narrow strip of land called The Neck. This isthmus is an important habitat for native wildlife.

Tourists are drawn to Bruny Island for many reasons but the main attraction is the amazing walks through the South Bruny National Park with towering cliffs overlooking long sandy beaches, coastal heathland, and underwater gardens of kelp seaweed with some amazing bushwalks to take it all in.

However in recent years Bruny Island has been promoted as a foodies heaven and this is what has drawn us to spend some extended time on the island. It is home to producers specialising in oysters, cheese, wines, honey, berries, spirits and chocolate. What more could we ask for?

First however we need to get to the island and this is via a vehicular ferry. A 20-min crossing from Kettering, around a 35-min drive south of Hobart. The service runs seven days a week. Now there are ways of saving money on the ferry by taking it during off peak times and for us being seniors we also received a further discount. Sometimes age is a benefit. Bruny Island Ferry Information

We hadn’t booked anywhere to stay on the island. We were planning to stay in one of the National Park campgrounds. Whilst on the ferry we discussed what our stay on the island would entail.

There is no public transport on Bruny Island, with the island 50klm long, we needed to drive to all of the tasting sites we wished to visit. One of the disadvantages with having a van and touring, is you take everything with you when day tripping, leaving nothing at your campsite. So when you chose to stay in a National Park, which is first in gets the site, you are not always guaranteed of having a site when you return after your day out. We have a free standing annex and this is a great solution for this situation, as we can leave it standing in our campsite.

We however did checkout the National Park Campsites. Very close to the beach with lots of wildlife roaming freely.

our free standing Annex see our product page for more information

However we were expecting rain on the last day of our stay, and really didn’t want to repackage a wet annex. Our solution was to stay at one of the caravan parks or the local Landscape Supplies. Strange as it might sound this local business has sites available for self contained vans. On calling them we discovered they had lots to offer, so we booked for two nights at $25 per night.

On arrival our host was very welcoming and showed us to our site. All sites have power, water, level and are grassed. There are only 5 campsites and are well spaced. They provide an awesome camp kitchen which has a wood fired pizza oven and a great outdoor fire pit for social gatherings.

So naturally after a quick set up we grab a bottle of red wine and head over to meet our other campers. This is certainly one of the highlights of Vanlife, meeting people from all walks of life that are enjoying life on the road.

So after a few wines it was back to “Le Frog Box” for a great nights sleep. We woke in the morning to a beautiful day, now time to enjoy the famous local produce; Bruny Island is pretty well known for the amazing local produce. Indulging in fresh oysters, seafood and artisan cheeses was high on our priority list for the next few days. Karen had made provision for extra $$ in our budget for eating at all these gastronomical delights. We didn’t have an early start, that maybe caused by the couple of extra reds last night but we are soon on the road to our first stop Bruny Island Cheese. Mmmmmm …. 3 coach-loads of tourists are there before us, ok let’s come back.

Apart from tempting your taste buds Bruny Island is full of natural wonders and history. We had marked on our must sees as the place Captain Cook arrived and placed a plaque on a tree to commemorate his landing, that simply read “Cook 26th January 1977”. Does that date ring a bell with Australian’s? It is quite a significant date and is now a national holiday we call Australia Day.

A Bicentennial Memorial to Captain Cook, at the far end of the road around the bay, which was the site of a plaque which marked the site of Cook’s Tree.

On arrival at the site we learn that the plaque was lost. In 1989 it was reported that barely the roots remained of the tree which had stood forgotten above a beach, weatherworn, vandalised and burnt.

In 1930 it had stood over three metres tall, with Cook’s carving still intact. The site has recently been cleaned up by ‘Friends of Adventure Bay Inc’, with Callistemons (Bottle Brush) planted beside it. The small piece of trunk that remained was removed to the Bligh Museum for safe keeping. The Bligh Museum is a small building a few hundred metres away, so off we trundle to see this famous stump.

Historic photo of the vandalised tree.
Photo courtesy of the Bligh Museum

The remains of the stump in the Bligh Museum
photo courtesy by the Bligh Museum

Bruny Island figured prominently in the early exploration of the southern seas, and was partially charted by Tasman in 1642. It was inhabited by the Nuenonne band of the South East tribe of Aborigines. Truganini. The Museum is small but is packed full of interning history from the first discovery of Van Diemen’s Land and if you are a history buff well worth the visit.

Samuel Clifford, ‘Adventure Bay where Captain Cook landed in 1771’, c 1873 (W.L. Crowther Library, SLT)

Adventure Bay, which is the large bay on the eastern side of the isthmus that joins North and South Bruny Island, could be called the birth place of Van Diemen’s Land – Tasmania. Its list of 17th and 18th century European visitors reads like a who’s who of leading Pacific explorers from the golden age of world exploration. British navigators James Cook, Tobias Furneaux, Wiliam Bligh and Matthew Flinders all visited Adventure Bay during their exploatory voyages. Adventure Bay became a centre of the whaling industry with whalers using the Bay as early as 1804. By 1829 the Bay supported some 80 to 90 men, two sloops and up to twenty whale boats.

But today Adventure Bay and Bruny Island’s other pristine beaches are a playground for holiday makers to watch and marvel at these majestic giants of the ocean not harpoon them and for a bit of beach combing or swimming.

With the history tour over it was time to find some of that great seafood. We had been told not to miss the platters at Bruny Island Hotel. I’m not sure what you conger up when you think about pub food but ours is soggy parmy and chips. The hotel is a very unassuming 1970’s lowset building, our thoughts were still “soggy parmy” …..

Well DON’T miss the platters at the Bruny Island Hotel. Though the day was blustery and we couldn’t sit outside we were shown to a table with the view of the water across the road. And the food was superb, no soggy chips to be found. Everyone seat was commenting on the food, not sure we even saw the view once our Fish Platter arrived. Did we mention DON’T miss the platters at the Bruny Island Hotel.

With our bellies full it was easy to curl up and have an afternoon nap, but we had other things in mind. Wine …. Carved from bush and pastureland on the outskirts of the sleepy little island settlement of Lunawanna. Richard and Bernice Woolley bought the Wayaree Estate property in 1997 and they established their vineyard the following year, planting Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines. This family owned winery now has a beautiful tasting room and restaurant. As we had already filled our bellies, wine tasting was all we partook in.

The vineyard produces premium quality, cool climate wines. Bernice has been making the wine on-site since 2004 and has now passed on her knowledge and love for wine to her son Joseph. Mid to late April all grapes are hand-picked on an annual picking day which attracts around 100 pickers in a day of vintage celebrations. Oh what fun that would be. All wines are made on site and include such varieties as Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. After enjoying a tasting of their premium selection we headed to do some sightseeing and then back to finish our day with some artisan cheeses.

The historic Cape *Bruny Lighthouse*, built in 1836, is the only southern Tasmanian *lighthouse* open for tours.

If i could give you anything in the world what would it be?

On arrival at Bruny Island Cheeses we found it was still packed with people. Unfortunately when something is so very popular you need to share. We lined up to speak to the “Fromager”. We were taken through each of the cheese’s that were available for tasting that day. Even though there was a considerable line behind us, we didn’t feel rushed and each of our questions were asked fully. Bruny Island Cheese Co was foundered by Nick Haddow in 2003. It was started after Nick spent 10 years working with specialist cheese makers in many different countries around the world.

As a traditionalist, who recognises that great cheese was made for centuries before modern technology. His cheese’s are made and matured using traditional techniques, the range of cheeses changes seasonally. Reflecting the seasonal nature of the Huon Valley dairy farms and the companies own herd of rare breed cows.

FREE tasting board at the Bruny Island Cheese Co

These cheese’s are truly unique to Tasmania. We made our many purchases both at the cheese counter and from the range of other Tasmanian products on offer and head back to the campsite for well another glass of Tasmanian wine and cheese’s. We can alway diet tomorrow.

Follow along by subscribing to our blog to find out what we devour next …..

8 Top Things to do and see Bruny Island – from this blog

Visit The Neck – Free

Follow the History of the Explorers that discovered Australia Free / $ – Captain Cook Memorial Free – Paid entry fee of $5 into Museum

Lunch at the Bruny Island Hotel $ – Shared Fish Platter $45

Wine Tasting – $15 per person Wayaree Estate Bruny Island Premium Wines

Adventure Bay – Free Beach walk, watch for Whales, beach combing, take a swim.

Visit the World Sculpture – Free

Bruny Island Lighthouse – Free / $ you can enjoy the grounds of the lighthouse or you can take a tour.

Cheese Tasting – Free / $ Enjoy free cheese tasting at Bruny Island Cheese Co. Then purchase your favourites to take home.

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If you are interested in the products we used on our build on our product page is a list. Many of these items we sourced secondhand, others we purchased from the manufacturer or retailer. We have found them online and listed them for you. Some of the links supplied we have an association with and we will receive a small commission if you purchase through the link, but it is free to look and do your research we can not promise all links to work as retailers may remove items, but we will do our best to update them

Stanley is truly a quaint town.

It was hard to drag ourselves away from our outstanding Free campsite at Sulphur Creek, but when we did we meandered along to find more adventures.

Stanley is a town on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. Travelling west it is the second-last major township on the north-west coast of Tasmania.

The township of Stanley with ”The Nut” dominating the skyline

Stanley is a truly remarkable town. Not only is it steeped in the early history of Tasmania (for it was from here that the mighty Van Diemen’s Land company operated from Highfield House) but it is also a town full of beautifully preserved historic buildings.

See our next blog which features Highfield House

Not surprisingly it is a classified town. As a bonus it has one of the most remarkable landforms anywhere in Australia: the Nut, the stump of an old volcano, towers over the town. Although the Nut can be bitterly cold when the winds are blowing as it was the day we visited, it is a magnet for everyone who wants to get a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside.

Looking west along the coast from on top of The Nut

Stanley was named after Edward Smith-Stanley, known as Lord Stanley who, at the time, was the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. He later became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times. Until 1842 the town was also known as Circular Head, a name it had been given by Matthew Flinders, and is still used today in marketing and tourism brochures.

Street scapes that are so quaint and beautifully preserved

Stanley is a tiny romantic town with quaint streets and beautiful views making for a perfect leisure seeker’s retreat. It is used by many for that special romantic getaway. Sitting on a slender sliver of land jutting out into the Bass Strait on Tasmania’s northwest coast it is remarkably well-preserved.

“We are asleep until we fall in love!”
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

With many colonial buildings surrounding the port and dominated by the massive volcanic plug “the Nut”. The plug rises 150 metres out of the water and it over shadows the small towns skyline. But the name of the volcanic plug belies Stanley’s quaintness. Called “The Nut,” Stanley’s cheeky geological feature is what visitors remember most. Volcanic rock spewed into the sky and cooled before it had time to come back down to the ground. Now this massive geological feature is a world-famous marvel.

It offers 360° views from the top. It is a strenuous hike that takes you 150 meters above the sea where you can marvel at Tasmania’s beautiful and rugged northwest coastline. Or you can opt to take the chairlift if the steep hike is too much. Be sure to look below for sea lions basking in the sun and tiny Penguins coming back from a day’s hunt out in the Bass Strait. Even though we love a good hike we decided to take the historic chairlift. At the base of the Nut we were quite protected but as that chairlift rose over the crest the 35 knots of wind darn near lifted us off our seats. The walk around the top of the Nut is very picturesque but in the weather conditions we found ourselves in it was one of the quickest laps anyone visiting has achieved.

The chairlift in 35 knots of wind was not for the faint hearted

Stanley is rich in history but its importance as a port has faded through time. Now Stanley is a quaint little fishing port that relies heavily on tourism. Tourists flock to this small peninsula for its remarkable geological feature, it’s beautifully preserved colonial buildings and fresh boutique seafood.

Romantic BnB’s and seafood restaurants draw the crowds

Compared to the rest of the world, Tasmania’s northwest coast is rather sparsely populated, Stanley itself has a recorded 560 residents. That means the ocean waters beyond are some of the wildest and least touched marine habitats on the planet. And you can taste that unspoiled natural beauty when you order seafood in one of many Stanley restaurants. The fish and chips alone draw seafood lovers from all over Australia.

As the westerly winds were blowing cold on the day we visited (in the middle of Summer) we chose to eat indoors and try the seafood chowder. Thankfully it lived up to the waitress’ enthusiastic description, served with a fresh hot loaf of crusty bread, it was perfect to warm us up.

On a cold summers day just what we needed.

We finished our day with a walk around the town popping into each of the quaint shops and particularly the ones that showcased local produce and alcoholic refreshments. We didn’t quite know the extent of the local production of whiskey, gin and vodka not including the vineyards and their fine wines. Of course from these visits we have topped up the larder for our next few days 🙄.

Join us next time when we explore Highfield House.

“I’ve never had a moment’s doubt. I love you. I believe in you completely. You are my dearest one. My reason for life.”
Atonement by Ian McEwan

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We love to read your comments if you have any questions pop them below, we will be sure to get back to you.

If you are interested in the products we used on our build on our product page is a list. Many of these items we sourced secondhand, others we purchased from the manufacturer or retailer. We have found them online and listed them for you. Some of the links supplied we have an association with and we will receive a small commission if you purchase through the link, but it is free to look and do your research 😊 we can not promise all links to work as retailers may remove items, but we will do our best to update them 👍

Dip Falls is one of the most beautiful waterfalls we have seen.

We had a leisurely breakfast of scrambled eggs and watched the waves wash along the rocks at Sulphur Creek. It is hard to tear yourself away from beautiful places like this. We had the most restful sleep listening to those waves dance along the shoreline last night. Except maybe for the noise of those beautiful little fairy penguins that call this place home. But really those penguins are a delight to see and they soon settled down to sleep as well, oh until dawn breaks 😂.

What a place to wake up to Sulphur Creek
free campsite gets a 10/10 from us

Our journey today isn’t that far, it is only 91 kilometres but of course we are sailors, we can’t possible go in a straight line. No we are going on a meandering course that will take us all the day. However we do need to find our next campsite at Peggs Beach but that won’t be a worry as the sun is currently setting at 9pm so plenty of time. we do like this Daylight saving in summer. This next campsite is part of Tasmania’s National Parks. You will need to have a pass for your car and a permit to camp. We talked about the cost of National Parks Passes in our previous blog on Cradle Mountain. If you are going to visit a lot of parks in Tasmania it is worthwhile getting the holiday pass or the annual pass.

From Sulphur Creek we make our way firstly to Burnie. Burnie is a port city with an industrial past that has reinvented itself as a vibrant and creative city on a beautiful stretch of Tasmania’s north-west coast. Nestled around Emu Bay on Bass Strait, Burnie has been an industrial centre for most of its existence. Since the closure of its paper pulp mill, the city has taken a creative approach to promoting itself and the many artisans who call it home.

A great regional town to catchup on provisioning or that spot of retail therapy

It has a lovely beachside feel and downtown you will find a vibrant mix of shops and eateries which you find in most small towns. So if you are needing a Bunnings, Kmart, Target, Coles, Woolworths etc. this is certainly a great place to find all of these and more.

The foreshore has been redeveloped and has a vibrant vibe.

There is also a free campsite down by the bay, at Cooee Recreational Reserve. You do need to book/register with the council to stay there. The Burnie City Council provides a short stay (max 2 nights) free camping for fully self-contained vehicles the reserve is about 2.5km west of the Burnie town centre.

Cooee Recreational Reserve has a dump point.

When we checked it out there were six camping there still with plenty of room for more. You do have to be self contained as there are definitely no facilities. We were happy to have a look and put it on our list, for if, we needed a regional town spot, this would certainly be useful. Info on how to register below 👇 There is also liquid waste discharge point and a water supply point provided within the vicinity. We also needed a top up on fresh water in our tanks. We stopped into the Coles Express filled our diesel tanks, then used their fresh water tap to fill the very depleted fresh water tanks. Last time we filled was Melbourne.

The industrial history of Burnie and the surrounding north-west region can be explored at the Burnie Regional Museum where you can wander a replica Federation street and see how ordinary people lived more than 100 years ago.

Burnie also produces award-winning cheese and at Hellyers Rd Distillery, Australia’s largest boutique whisky distillery, you can sample some of the world’s best whisky at the cellar door.

Wynyard was our next stop. From the hustle and bustle of Burnie, Wynyard is totally relaxed. A seaside town located at the mouth of the Inglis River. It is a popular holiday spot for beach activities, ocean and river fishing, and lazy drives through out picturesque landscapes. When we passed over the river there were all sorts of watercraft coming and going. Everyone seemed to be in the water. We shivered at the thought, way to cold for us in the middle of summer.

But what Wynyard is really famous for is For flat-topped Table Cape and fields of stunning tulips. Why tiptoe when you can dance through the tulips …… well it’s not spring 🙄 so there was no disco in our step when we saw fields and fields of freshly dug dirt. Oh well something to put on the list for next time. Spring not Summer …. Is it summer we still have coats on 🙄 Queenslanders!

We headed back on the A2 because we had been told of a waterfall…. We know ….. by this stage you are saying, “we should just do a blog on all the waterfalls in Tasmania”. But this one promises to be something totally different to anything we had seen before. Not much detail other than that was given … “you just have to see it” was all we kept being told. So we turned off the A2 and followed the signs to Dip Falls.

Wow oh Wow. “You just have to see it” ……

Join us in our next blog when we discover Stanley……..

Ok just our little joke 😂 here are all our thoughts and details on Dip Falls. It’s probably easy to be overlooked and miss seeing these falls, as it really isn’t up there on the top 10 things listed to see or do, but it should be. Dip Falls are located between Stanley and Wynyard in Tasmania’s North West, 27 km or a 1/2 hour up a quiet and mostly sealed road that passes through pleasant countryside.

They are one of the most beautiful falls in the state or should we say that we have ever seen. It’s a two-tiered structure that’s right “a structure” and the unique rock formations make it well, totally different to anything we have seen.

From the parking area next to the falls in the Reserve, it’s a short walk to a platform with an unsurpassed view out over the top of the falls.

From the platform above the falls you get a spectacular view

Another path leads down some 220 steps to the base of the falls and its unique rock formations are right there for you to study. This walk to the base needs a fitness level, however if you can’t manage the stairs, still visit as the viewing platform at the top gives you a brilliant view, and it shouldn’t be missed.

Not until you see these falls can you understand the structure

The walkway takes you right out to the centre of the falls so you can enjoy the scene.

The rainforest around the falls is pristine

It’s magical to be surrounded by such beauty

Once you have caught your breath from the climb back up the 220 stairs you can take the extra 5 min drive to the “Big Tree” in the Big Tree Reserve. Now this is super special. Not only is visiting this giant tree unique but the rainforest walk which is very easy and short (10 minutes return) is one of the best walks we have done. But don’t let us be the judge for you checkout the following pics.

To see such giants still in our forests after we know of so much logging history it is unbelievable. The circumference of the featured tree at its base is nearly 17 m and definitely worth a look if you’re here. But there is not just one, they are everywhere.

Ok time to get a wriggle on as usual we are a bit behind our schedule. We start heading for our next campsite, but when we arrive at Peggs Beach it is blowing 35 knots straight into the campsite with no protection. Good sailors always have a plan B to bail to and we had marked a spot on the map at Forrest, a little inland that hopefully would give some protection.

Forest is a small quiet rural community, located about 11 kilometres south of the town of Stanley. This would be a perfect overnighter as we plan to visit the historic town of Stanley the following day.

On arrival in Forrest we firstly checked out the potential campsite. WikiCamps has it listed as a paid site of $5 per night (paid at the general store). Well if you are looking for a great campsite with clean amenities (toilets, water and camp kitchen) you can’t go past “BlackBerry Inn Forrest Sports Centre”. Here is a review of another camper.

We were totally protected from those wicked South West winds and had a very enjoyable night surrounded by like minded people.

Now these hedges should keep us protected

Join us next time when we explore the historic township of Stanley and the Nut. Please find following further photos of today’s exploration.

Please subscribe to the blog so you will be notified each time we post. To subscribe head to our home page.

We love to read your comments if you have any questions pop them below, we will be sure to get back to you.

If you are interested in the products we used on our build on our product page is a list. Many of these items we sourced secondhand, others we purchased from the manufacturer or retailer. We have found them online and listed them for you. Some of the links supplied we have an association with and we will receive a small commission if you purchase through the link, but it is free to look and do your research 😊 we can not promise all links to work as retailers may remove items, but we will do our best to update them 👍

Burnie City Free Campsite registration information

https://www.burnie.net/Explore/Parks-and-Reserves/Cooee-Point-Reserve

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Is it Preston Falls or Delaney Falls?

The morning dawned and it was time to say goodbye to Cradle Mountain and all it has to offer. Driving down the road we both felt this was not the last time that we will set foot in this stunning landscape.

True to our nature we were off to find new gems that Tasmania had to offer. So out with the map to find some back roads for “Le Frog Box” to navigate. One of our key tasks today was to visit a winery and farm stalls, along what the Tasmanian’s call the “Forage Trail” and lucky for us we were right in the heart of it.

Map showing the back roads we took to Preston, Gunns aplains and through to Penguin

Breathe deep. That’s (officially) some of the cleanest air in the world they say we are inhaling. Yes the science has proven that the air on the North and Western seaboards of Tasmania are the cleanest air in the world to breath. That also means the produce grown here is farmed in the best air available. As there is nothing and we mean nothing between Tasmania and South America 20,000 klm away, the air has no pollution or contaminates.

Bordered by the wild coastline of Bass Strait, our journey across northern Tasmania is a chance for us to slow down, forage for food from paddock to plate at some of the most fertile farms and pasture that we were about to travel through. We were looking forward to stopping at farm-gate stalls, distilleries and cellar doors for tastings, and to meet the makers. And to linger in rural villages and quirky coastal towns along the way.

On our map the Leven Valley popped up as the most likely spot to find all we were looking for. It also showed there were a couple of walks we could do to walk of some of our indulgence. So first it was to Delaney Falls …. Or is it Preston Falls? …. Or is it Delaney Falls at Preston? Well whatever the falls are called don’t miss them. We hope we clear up the name confusion following.

Upper Preston Falls is the unofficial name of a waterfall situated on Preston Creek and is the first waterfall in a series of 3 waterfalls along an approximately 1 kilometre stretch of Preston Creek. The waterfall itself drops about 4 to 5 metres and is best viewed from side on due to a large rock sitting directly in front of where the water drops. Directly behind the waterfall is a semi sheltered cave that provides a close up view of the falls from behind.

Access to Upper Preston Falls is relatively easy when approached from upstream. On the northern side of the falls you walk down a slope where old makeshift pine steps still exist, but it is officially closed to the public due to the disrepair of the track.

Delaneys Falls (also known as Preston Falls and the sign on the road says so), see the confusion 🙄. Is just around the corner from Preston Falls ….. you got this right 🙄. It (meaning Delaney Falls) has a drop of approximately 25 metres into a gorge below.

The trail is a very easy stroll if not a little up hill on the back

Access to the waterfall is very easy, with a short walk from the carpark area down a very well maintained path, to the lookout area of the falls. Due to the terrain, visibility of the waterfalls can only be seen from the side, from the top of the gorge. The viewing platform is situated on top of a cliff face, and provides excellent views of the gorge area below, as well as the waterfall.

The walk to the waterfall takes you over Preston Creek, and if you meander off the track and along the banks of the creek, very small cascaded areas are also available to be photograhed. The land surrounding the waterfalls was owned by a gentleman by the name of William Delaney. We hope we finally cleared that confusion up. But whatever you do don’t miss Delaney Falls, the one that is sign posted as Preston Falls.

Just as it falls over the cliff face. Delaney Falls that is 👍

The viewing platform is on the cliff edge giving a birds eye view

Now that we have done some exercise for the day it is on to find some paddock to plate and fine wines. Gunns Plains is our best shot for these delights. Gunns Plains is a rich fertile area dotted with dairy farms, potato growing, poppy growing and beef cattle. In days gone by vegetables were grown here and it was also one of the three major hop producing regions in Tasmania. The Leven River winds slowly through its pastures that support a variety of grazing stock. Agricultural endeavours are also very successful, benefiting from rich red volcanic soil. The town was named after botanist Ronald Campbell Gunn, who visited the valley in 1860.

Stunning vistas at every turn on the country road

The drive over the mountain and through the plains can only be described as a chocolate box painting. The lush green pastures backed by roughed mountains is only a scene from fairytales. We seemed to be stopping everywhere to take just another photo. There are of course other things of interest in this area, Leven Gorge, the Gunns Caves and a Wildlife Park, but unfortunately on this occasion they were to be passed over for a winery so we thought ….. oh no 🙈 Leven Valley Winery is closed. What! Who did this research….. well folks only plan to come this way on a weekend 😞 what day is it …. Monday!

Further down the way we came to what only a devoted cook would relish, farm fresh, organic, free range, chook eggs with poo. Karen was in heaven. So paddock to table was achieved but turning water into wine was not.

After not provisioning since Devonport it was time to call into a town to pick up supplies, as we had planned lunch at a certain winery the belly was grumbling and she who must be feed was now needing FOOD. The town of Penguin was the next on the map. Sitting on the edge of mighty Bass Strait, Penguin takes its name from a nearby penguin rookery and it’s obvious this town dearly loves its little feathered friends.

There’s a 10-foot penguin that makes a quirky photo opportunity, while the real thing can be seen each night at Penguin Point. That’s not the only monument that says this town is proud of its name. Rubbish bins, bollards, signs, seats you name it and it’s a penguin well in the shape of one anyway.

Apart from many penguins, Penguin is a great place for supplies as they have two IGA’s right next door to each other 🙄. We grabbed some provisions and wandered off down the road to a spot called Preservation Bay, here we thought by the train line looked like a great place to camp for the night. There were many others already camping here but it was not crowded. It is listed in the top 8 free camping spots in Aircamp and WikiCamps also gives it a good wrap. We parked up with a view of the ocean next to the disused rail line, and decided to have a late lunch and a glass of bubbles.

Yeeew what is that smell… oh no get the fly spray they are swarming our lunch. We were soon packed up wondering where to go, we certainly can’t stay here. Out with the binoculars Rob spied another headland that looked like it was worthy of a look see. On WikiCamps it is listed as Sulphur Creek.

Le Frog Box was turned around and wouldn’t you know it a cyclist turns right in front of us on the Highway. Thankfully no injury to Froggy and off went went with the cyclist saying so many apologies in our wake.

Oh wow look at this FREE campsite. Sulphur Creek campsite is again right on the water and beach, well grassed, surrounded by Penguin rookeries and a view to write home about.

Arial view of Sulphur Creek. photo courtesy of OurTasmania.com

To get into the campsite is just a turn off the Highway and head over the rail line. There are no facilities other than a rubbish bin so, once again, you must be self contained here with your own toilet etc. There were 2 campers and one caravan already in. We pulled up and took the pole position right on the waters edge. If we were any closer we would need Our Dreamtime’s anchor. Checking the tide table as good sailors do, we noted that tonight’s tide would be 10cm less than the last high, all good, no anchor watch required.

So here we were for the night just settled in, when our bicycle rider turns up. Works out that they were our camping neighbours, well the ice was broken and a couple of glasses of wine later nobody remembered anything about a near miss.

That night we dinned on Tasmanian reared Beef then listened to the waves breaking on the shoreline and the noisy little cute fluffy things called penguins doing whatever penguins do. Oh did we mention the very long freight train that trundled past at about 4pm. We may have been a little close to the “disused” track at the other campsite.

Morning guess whats on the menu for breakfast at Sulphur Creek

Following are more photos that we took along this journey, we hope you enjoy them.

Join us next time when we explore further along the North West Coast of Tasmania and visit Dip Falls.

Please subscribe to the blog so you will be notified each time we post. To subscribe head to our home page.

We love to read your comments if you have any questions pop them below, we will be sure to get back to you.

If you are interested in the products we used on our build on our product page is a list. Many of these items we sourced secondhand, others we purchased from the manufacturer or retailer. We have found them online and listed them for you. Some of the links supplied we have an association with and we will receive a small commission if you purchase through the link, but it is free to look and do your research 😊 we can not promise all links to work as retailers may remove items, but we will do our best to update them 👍

View from the bunk in the morning at Sulphur Creek

In between Preston Falls and Delaney Falls not sure of its name but if you have a suggestion leave it in comments below.

Tasmania will have to wait we are on the road to Gundagai

First discovered by European explorers in the 1820s, Gundagai has a proud history, and more than any other Australian town, Gundagai has proved an irresistible subject for poets and songwriters. Even the likes of Banjo Patterson were inspired by stories of drovers, bullock teams and bush travellers in the Gundagai area.

The town is immortalised through poems and songs such as Where the Dog Sits on the Tuckerbox, and Along the Road to Gundagai and is perhaps most famous for its monument to the early pioneers, the iconic Dog on the TuckerBox. Unfortunately we were unable to call in to pat the ol’ fellow on the head as it is currently under restoration after it was vandalised in late 2019. ABC news story

We were warmly welcomed when we arrived in this historic town on our way to Tasmania. The township is picturesque with heritage buildings and beautiful landscaped streets. The pretty as a picture, free campsite located on Oibell Street along the banks of Morely’s Creek, was just what we needed.

Arriving early afternoon we found a number of vans already set up enjoying the peaceful setting. Still plenty of room and with more to arrive later, we never felt hemmed in. Each of us taking in a view of either the creek or the paddocks and heritage rail bridge. We were fortunate to have chosen a view of the paddocks and bridge, in the melting sun it was tantalising.

The campsite is open to all self-contained Van, Caravan, or RV’s as there are no facilities. Gundagai township offer this park to travellers for 48 hours allowing time for you to discover their famous history. We were pleased to have arrived earlier in the afternoon giving us an opportunity to enjoy our surroundings.

But ….. Unfortunately we are still on that march south, however we did take some photos for you to view and we will leave you with some famous words from Slim Dusty and Banjo Patterson about Gundagai.

Hope you enjoy them.

Well there’s a track winding back to an old fashioned shack

Along the road to Gundagai

Where the gum trees are growin’ and the Murrumbidgee’s flowin’

Beneath the sunny sky

There’s my mother and daddy are waitin’ for me

And the pals of my childhood once more I will see

And no more will I roam ‘cos I’m headin’ right for home

Along the road to Gundagai

(Here we go)

There’s my mother and daddy are waitin’ for me

And the pals of my childhood once more I will see

And no more will I roam ‘cos I’m headin’ right for home

Along the road to Gundagai

Slim Dusty

I’ve shore at Burrabogie, and I’ve shore at Toganmain,

I’ve shore at big Willandra and upon the old Coleraine,

But before the shearin’ was over I’ve wished myself back, again

Shearin’ for old Tom Patterson, on the One Tree Plain.

All among the wool, boys,

Keep your wide blades full, boys,

I can do a respectable tally myself whenever I like to try,

But they know me round the back blocks as Flash Jack from Gundagai.

I’ve shore at big Willandra and I’ve shore at Tilberoo,

And once I drew my blades, my boys, upon the famed Barcoo,

At Cowan Downs and Trida, as far as Moulamein,

But I always was glad to get back again to the One Tree Plain.

I’ve pinked ’em with the Wolseleys and I’ve rushed with B-bows, too,

And shaved ’em in the grease, my boys, with the grass seed showing through.

But I never slummed my pen, my lads, whate’er it might contain,

While shearin’ for old Tom Patterson, on the One Tree Plain.

I’ve been whalin’ up the Lachlan, and I’ve dossed on Cooper’s Creek,

And once I rung Cudjingie shed, and blued it in a week.

But when Gabriel blows his trumpet, lads, I’ll catch the morning train,

And I’ll push for old Tom Patterson’s, on the One Tree Plain.

Banjo Patterson

You can see more of our photo’s in ”The Gallery” page

We love to read your comments if you have any questions pop them below, we will be sure to get back to you.

If you are interested in the products we used on our build on our product page is a list. Many of these items we sourced secondhand, others we purchased from the manufacturer or retailer. We have found them online and listed them for you. Some of the links supplied we have an association with and we will receive a small commission if you purchase through the link, but it is free to look and do your research 😊 we can not promise all links to work as retailers may remove items, but we will do our best to update them 👍

Join us next time when we travel roads that honour our service men and women

Finally on the road south to Tasmania – 1st stop Macksville

On the banks of the beautiful Nambucca River, Macksville offers the perfect holiday spot for fishing, boating on sparkling waterways and enjoying wonderful natural attractions. Relax in the riverside parks or on the verandah of the historic Star Hotel and you may even spot bottlenose dolphins in the sparkling waters.

Though we would have loved to do all of these wonderful things and more that gorgeous Macksville has to offer, we unfortunately were on a march south. We had chosen this lovely town of just over 2500 residents as our first stopover. Just over 4 hours drive from the Brisbane CBD, it was an easy trip after a couple of things we needed to conclude in the big smoke saw us get underway at lunchtime.

Arriving in time for sundowner drinks and nibbles, we pulled into one of the parking bays available for RV’s to stay free for 24 hours. The clean restrooms were close by and the Lions Park provided wood fired bbq’s (byo wood) picnic tables and chairs, a small playground for the little ones, but best of all the position, position, position.

You couldn’t buy these views but here we were, enjoying it all courtesy of the Nambucca Council and their residents. How privileged are we?

Rob taking in the view of downtown Macksville

The central business area is a stroll across the bridge. If you wish to partake in a quality meal whipped up by the chefs at the Star Hotel, which a few of the touring couples did, it is an easy walk home after a couple of wines. As it was our first night on the road, Karen really wanted to test her new galley out. But first a stroll along the beautiful waterway was calling. There were fishermen coming and going along with a few kayakers taking the advantage of the beautiful temperatures and daylight saving.

Beautiful temperatures and daylight saving

Karen spied a fisherman over at the cleaning tables and eagerly wanted to know what, where and how he caught his catch. We’re not sure if he eagerly gave away one of his nice bream so she wouldn’t ask anymore question, or more than likely, he, like most fishermen, just likes to share. Whatever the case, we ended up with fresh fish for dinner. You maybe able to take the girl away from her boat but the fish just seem to find her no matter what.

Crispy Skin fish Asia style accompanied
by Asian salad dressed in hoisin sauce

After a blissful night’s sleep, the alarm sounded early and we were up to find our next free campsite in 840 klm further south in Gundagai.

We love to read your comments if you have any questions pop them below, we will be sure to get back to you.

If you are interested in the products we used on our build on our product page is a list. Many of these items we sourced secondhand, others we purchased from the manufacturer or retailer. We have found them online and listed them for you. Some of the links supplied we have an association with and we will receive a small commission if you purchase through the link, but it is free to look and do your research 😊 we can not promise all links to work as retailers may remove items, but we will do our best to update them 👍

Join us next time when we travel to Gundagai

How much did our Van Conversion Cost?

People interested in Vanlife are often curious just how much money it costs to buy and convert your own campervan. It is also usually the first question we get asked “How much did it cost to convert? It’s interesting that when we lived in a house no one asked us how much our house cost, but all of a sudden everything is on a monetary basis. It seems the cheaper you can build the more points you get in the #VanlifeGame 😂

So what is the average cost to convert a courier van into a home? This is a very tricky question to answer definitively because all campervans are different and what people want is very different. The answer ranges from under 1k to over 100k depending on the cost of the conversion materials and inclusions. There is obviously a wide range and, the ol’ saying “how long is a piece of string” is very relevant. We think that our van conversion strikes a good balance between price, features, and comfort.

We had little to no experience before building our own campervan. But with thorough research online, reading blogs and watching endless YouTube DIY videos, we kinda got the basics about building. It was a true “Learning by Doing” project.

Our main goal was to make our van as functional and comfortable as possible while staying under $20,000 conversion cost. We kept a detailed log of all purchases and receipts. Below you will see the full cost of our self-converted campervan from the van itself and the whole conversion including additional accessories to make the van feel like home.

The most expensive item is usually the electrical, it’s common to spend at least $1,500-$6,000 for a decent-sized off-grid solar setup. The later provides ample electricity for the typical comforts we’ve all grown accustomed to (lights, fans, fridge, phones, laptops, cameras, TV’s, blender, etc).

With the prices of some fridges it cheaper to take a household model

The fridge also tends to be one of the more expensive individual items, but you can go with more economical versions. Wood is another expensive material that really adds up.

But besides those ‘big-ticket’ items, it’s mostly just a ton of smaller items that add up to big money in the end. You can always but secondhand, direct from suppliers or from manufacturers. This will save you heaps but it does take time to research and find the best deals. Something we were very happy to do to keep our budget in check.

Many would consider our van build as ‘Glamping’. For us it strikes a good balance between price and amenities, with most of the comforts of a home, by using cost-effective materials and products. We wanted the creature comforts, we also want to spend long periods of time off grid.

A lot of research went into what kind of van we wanted. We were on a budget and knew we wanted to buy secondhand to keep cost for the van down itself. Our goal was to try and get a van that had less than 60,000 total kilometres. We also knew we wanted a van tall enough to stand in, so we wanted the van to have a high top and long enough to sleep length ways, so ultimately it needed to be a LWB.

We believe starting with the best Van base you can afford is the key. There is no use spending all the time and money on a rust-bucket that has mechanical issues. You are better off spending less on your conversion and more on the vehicle. We chose a 2020 Renault Master x62 LWB with a high top. Our engine is a 2.3L diesel engine delivering 110kW with the 6-speed automated gearbox model. Combined with a 100L fuel tank and long service intervals the Renault Master will keep us on the road and travelling longer. You can find the specifications here 👉 Our Van Build at a Glance

We feel we certainly lucked out on this purchase, Karen found this 2020 Renault x62 LWB online as a private sale at truly a great price. With only 8,000klm and still under warranty we stretched our budget on the van purchase and shaved on our conversion budget.

We had a pre-purchase inspection done to the van before we bought it. The van was in great condition and had many kilometres left! But the first thing it was needing was it’s first service to maintain the warranty. So we picked up the van Saturday and drove it straight to our local Renault service centre and forked out $600 for the first service ouch!

But overall, it fitted our criteria, we were getting a near new vehicle in awesome condition, low kilometres and we thought the price was amazing.

You can read in detail what products we put into our build here, but now it’s time to talk dollars.

As we mentioned earlier we knew that our biggest outlay would be the vehicle following by the electrical system. The electrical components were the first big ticket items that we bought. No use buying all the little stuff and not having the funds for what makes your conversion work and besides the cabling is one of the first installs in the van. Yep this set us back $5620.

Running all of the cabling ourselves saved a lot of $

To save money we ran all of the cabling for both 12vlt and 240vlt systems. Once the cabling was run it was checked over by an electrician and auto electrician, when they were happy we continued the build. They each fitted off their side of the electrical systems for compliance.

Plumbing is the next important system to have installed in a liveable van conversion. If you don’t have the basics such as running water it makes it extremely difficult to live comfortably. Our plumbing came in at $2800. We do not have, as many would expect an internal shower/toilet room. Karen just really couldn’t cope with the idea of the toilet sliding out into the kitchen. Nor did we want to take up extra space in the living area, especially when we were already using extra length for our bed. So we developed a fold down slide out en-suite.

Our savings in the plumbing area came from calling in favours. The gas fitter is a family member and Rob helped with all of the install.

Again we did not scrimp on the actual items that were necessary. The hot water shower system we chose is a Joolca. After being out adventuring for the day we want to know we have a hot shower waiting for us. With all of research they came out on top and everyone we spoke to says their after sales service is outstanding and that what you really need.

Cooking with gas thanks to calling in favours

Cabinetry was something we knew we would struggle with. Neither of us are skilled in this area. If we wanted that professional finish we needed to hire someone with talent or find another solution. Karen is very good at thinking outside of the “box”. She came up with the idea that we would use flat pack cabinets for not only the kitchen but also for the rest of our storage solutions. It was up to Rob to make it work. Coming in at $2434 it certainly isn’t the cheapest of diy cabinetry fit-outs however we feel this is what you live with daily. The look, feel and functionality of these cabinets makes your daily life easy.

Flat pack cabinets gave us a professional finish

If the drawers don’t open or close properly, they will cause you more grief than paying a few extra $ to begin with. If they weren’t sturdy enough under continuous movement in the van they would disintegrate. We were even able to save a few $’s here by using or should we say, reinventing the use of bedside cabinets as our overheads, and adapting cube storage shelving as our basket storage. All of the products we used in our build you can find here.

Bedside cabinets were reinvented as overheads

So where did the rest of our budget go? It is unbelievable the amount that was spent on what you can’t see and the little bits and pieces like trims, nails, glue, screws, bolts and nuts. It seemed we were always buying more nuts and bolts. They are after all the all important backbone that holds it all together. If we didn’t get this right there would be no use putting all the rest together so at $3332.00 it’s not surprising that it is the second most expensive on the list. Other items that were needed such as the ladder and a few decorating items came to $1068.

Timber is mighty expensive however if the backbone isn’t strong there is no sense to building the rest

And there you have it a total of $15951.00, we are pleasantly surprised. Even though we were keeping close tabs on the running total we expected some extra blowouts and had budgeted for $20k.

That’s until you started adding the comfort items. Now these we have separated out of the main costings on the spreadsheet. Why well you really don’t need them. You can certainly live without these comfort items, but we had saved on the main budget so spoilt ourselves. These luxury items came in at $4722, so effectively we blew the budget 🙄

One of our luxury items was the purchase of the Barn-door Annex

Ok so you aren’t so handy on the tools and you need to pay labour costs we estimated our time and the extra free labour we received to an amount of $24,416.00. Our build was an 8 week (5 days a week) project with the two of us on the tools. Professionals would probably take far less time. But would probably have more men on the job at qualified tradesman pricing.

Dreamtime_Van Conversion Cost = Van + Ongoings $36,000. + Build $15951.00. + Luxury Items $4722 + estimated Free Labour Costs $24416.00 ….. Drum Roll a true cost of $81,091.00. Since completion we have had an independent valuation and now have “Le Frog Box” and we were very pleased with the valuation, however it is insured for a lessor amount at an agreed value of $100k.

Was it worth doing the work ourselves…. Absolutely…. Would we do it again…… Well maybe (but not professionally) …. but definitely not yet we want to enjoy the fruits of our labour.

So we hope this has answered your questions on how much it cost to build our camper van. Below you will find a spreadsheet of our costs. If you have any questions, you can leave them in the comment section below 👇 we will be sure to get back to you.

As we mentioned there is a huge variety of builds, here are some other vans and their conversion costs that illustrate the massive range of budgets from less than $1,000 to over $25,000.

TwoWanderingSoles – $900

DivineOnTheRoad – $3,980

KellyNicoleTravel – $7,906

SaraAndAlexJames – $25,564

All of the main products we used in our build you can find listed 👉 on our Products Link Page

Now that we are on the road make sure to subscribe to follow our next adventure.

We are heading to Tasmania on the 27th of January ride along with us.

We love to read your comments if you have any questions pop them below, we will be sure to get back to you.

We are finally on the road to Tasmania first stop Macksville

Van Conversion Interior Ideas

If making the bed every night is not for you then a permanent bed arrangement is a must. If you don’t want to be toileting in your galley space well there are a number of options available. Getting your design right for you prior to starting your build is the most important part of the build.

Here are 6 of our favourites, they are a varied bunch but have one thing that groups them together…. They are liveable, giving plenty of storage, access to a bathroom and look gorgeous

Nigel and Sue are exploring Australia in a converted 4X4 Sprinter. @nas_adventures. Warm and welcoming with a mix of timber finishes, the raw timber blends well with the white panel board. All the convenience of home can be found in this great conversion.

DirKerk and Danny Kerk are currently spending time on the Baltic Sea. These guys have a luxury fit out modern and sleek which will suit those who like the minimalist in decor

@makai.the.van currently in Portugal. What we love about this conversion is the simplistic approach but ticks all the boxes of what is needed to live comfortably in a van.

Organisation is the key to being able to share a small space with others on a long term basis. These guys @wandering.woods have been able to pack so much into their build to include work spaces and well as leisure activities.

Though not living full time in their van @objetivocamper travel extensively with their children in tow. If you feel living with just your partner maybe a struggle checkout how these guys organise their lives to live comfortably while travelling.

We love how Van life can be so inventive, where ensuites are getting bigger in houses, Van Conversions are finding inventive ways to fit one into the smallest of places. @white.van_no.plan have done just that finding space for the little luxuries.

Making a Van Conversion feel like home

A home is the physical embodiment of the people who inhabit it. So how do we make sure that a van feels like a home?

Having items you love around you will make your van feel like home.

When building your new van, at first it’s all about wanting to make sure that it is functional that the fridge fits, the electrical system is adequate, will we have a bathroom or not, ventilation, insulation and the list goes o. Some will want to know that there’s enough room to be able to work along the way or that there is room for the surfboard. You can have all the functionality right but if doesn’t feel like home it never will.

The first rule of interior decorating is to consider the purpose the space must serve.

Decorating a van is very different from decorating a house – although a house usually serves all of those purposes that our van will. In fact, as we know, a van must serve a diverse variety of functions in a very small space. Most people would look at our vans and say it is just one space, no real kitchen, dining or bedroom. But this is where they are mistaken. For us to be able to live in this small space areas need to be devised to enable us to live comfortably.

It is natural to want people to be impressed by our Van and to want our vans to be beautiful. But, it’s important to know that, first and foremost, we want to favour function over form. That means that first we think about the purpose of each space. Some spaces are multi-function, for example the slide out table will ultimately serve as a desk, extension of the kitchen as well as an entertainment area. This kind of thinking will lead us to a comfortable and usable van.

Keeping the area clean and tidy will go a long way to making your time on the road easier. Choose furnishings that are comfortable and attractive but above all hard wearing and easy to launder.

Sufficient seating is primary, of course as there are usually only two onboard this is not so difficult. However if travelling with little ones or your favourite furry friend, consider having adjustable / temporary seating. There should be seating that is comfortable for watching television or listening to music or reading for an extended amount of time.

A comfortable mattress, a good nights sleep is essential when you are on the move. Whether you sleep across or length ways in your Van ensure you have good ventilation and mossy nets, otherwise it won’t matter how comfy your bedding is.

A good comfortable mattress is a must to feel at home

Sure our kitchens can be explained as a couple of drawers a pullout stove and a wash basin. But, we must do our best to make our kitchens as functional as possible. Fortunately, home goods stores, including Kmart and IKEA two of my favourites, have lots of space-saving accessories for the kitchen.

A function kitchen can also be beautiful. Karen happily cooks in her tiny space, tonight lamb roast for 4.

Make sure the items that are used daily are easily accessible. Basic condiments, spices, napkins, plates, cups, and cutlery must be easy to find. You’d think that this would be obvious, but not everyone gets it. When you are short on space sometimes the fundamentals in design get lost.

Have dedicated area’s or dividers in drawers/ cupboards so you don’t have to pull everything out to get that one thing you always need. If you find you aren’t using an item ask why? Is it because it is hard to get or do you simply don’t need it. If it is the later donate it to the next charity shop you see. We have a saying each item should have double use. That’s why I get away with having crystal champagne flutes, they are awesome scone cutters.

anything that can be used for two jobs is prefect.
Anyone for Champagne and scones

I could go on and on about the function of every space within in the one tiny space, but now let’s skip right to the fun part…

To turn a van into a home mix in items with personal meaning among those that fulfill your dream of having a functional transportable home. This can be done tastefully, although your husbands full size signed football jersey may have to go in favour of a more refined look.

Regardless….

Wall art is one good way to personalise your Van. We may not have a lot of wall space, but carefully chosen pieces can add such warmth to your Van. Old pictures with sentimental value can be re-framed into a collage in a way that blends with your design. Vintage, antique or pop art can also be used tastefully. Often, it brings character to an otherwise bland space.

A commissioned piece of art like this of our
grandchildren can be the perfect family heirloom

A new piece of art Karen created especially for the sliding door.

Items from childhood, such as a toy car or a jewelry box, might find a home in your small space. Think of displaying items that are reminiscent of a special occasion, vacation, or event these will make you feel at home.

For many people, shelves of books are what makes them feel at home. Bookshelves can be one of the most attractive design features in a home, but in reality they are impractical in a van. If books are your thing make sure you have a display area for a few. Sure you can’t have hundreds but a carefully chosen few that you swap at the next book exchange will give you the sense of being truly at home.

A small area has been created for books right near a comfy seating
area with a handy reading light, everyone needs a reading nook.

Some people have a connection to a culture or era – either their own or another. In recent years, Mid-Century Modern has been popular. We’ve all known people who were born and bred in Australia with Eastern European ancestors whose house looks like an Asian temple, replete with gongs and a statue of the Buddha. If you love these cultural influences use them in your Vans design, but make sure you stay with the design throughout. A small space can quickly become overwhelming with too many conflicting things going on.

Now this is a great idea if you love pop art. cover the ceiling
and use a pop of colour in your furnishing to tie it all together.
(Photo found on internet).

Colour …. Oh I love colour and if I could I would use every colour of the rainbow. Colour has its place and we should embrace it, try colour as accents in areas that you can change. Keep walls and ceiling’s light to encourage a brighter atmosphere. Use your old Aunty’s 1970 crocheted throw rug as an occasional injection of colour. Use pop art on the walls to brighten your day but keep your furnishings somewhat neutral. Layer with textures and and pattern to increase the look of richness. Again inject the colour of your cultural love, red for Asia, blue and white for Greece as examples.

Finally making your Van a home, isn’t about removing something. Instead, it’s about adding something. Adding some decor that gives your home personality is essential. By adding accessories that bring colour, beauty, happiness, love and new life to your small space called home.

If you are interested in the products we used on our build on our product page is a list. Many of these items we sourced secondhand, others we purchased from the manufacturer or retailer. We have found them online and listed them for you. Some of the links supplied we have an association with and we will receive a small commission if you purchase, but it is free to look and for you to do your research 😊 we can not promise all links to work as retailers may remove items, but we will do our best to update them 👍

The Van Conversion Build

“An active mind can not exist in an inactive body”

We were fortunate to find a 2020 Renault Master LWB courier van with 8000 klm and still under warranty for an extremely good price. It was then a matter of planning out the conversion and ordering the components. We are of the mind if it can be reused, recycled or reinvented we will. We also knew that we had a very tight budget, short on time and we only had limited skills. We are not builders or tradies.

Finding this 2020 LWB Renault Master on Facebook Marketplace was a great find.

Taking all of this into consideration we read many blogs and watched hours of YouTube on Van Conversions, the things that came to the forefront with all of these builds was the need for careful planning from the outset of power source, storage, weight, ventilation and insulation without these components carefully considered our Van just wouldn’t be liveable. No different to living on a boat or planning a container house really.

Buying items on eBay and MarketPlace may save you money but it takes time to find the right stuff, research prior to looking was the key. This was in our favour as Karen could research, look for items, purchase and then store them awaiting the building phase. For example we knew the installation we wanted to use and waited to find it, when it came available on Marketplace we bought 11 bails, mmmm a few to many for the van conversion. We purchased the 11 for $100, saved 2 for us and sold 9 for $250 within 2 hours. Bargain! and so it continued.

We are not cabinet makers and new our limitations in this area. To have that professional finish to the van we needed to concede somewhere that we couldn’t totally DIY. This is where flat pack furniture came into our build. The only items of furniture we built from scratch was the water tank / seat, fridge box / seat and the annex box. All other items, kitchen, overheads, storage boxes, and garage storage were all prefabricated that we could alter to suit our needs. We sourced kitchen cabinets from IKEA and the overheads from Kmart.

we used flat pack furniture to make sure we had a professional finish. it also saved use $.

When it came to the fit-out, the framing timber was much cheaper from a lumber yard than from the local Bunnings, however the ceiling tongue and groove proved cheaper from Bunnings. We searched internet wholesalers or secondhand for just about everything else. The lining boards for the walls we went straight to the manufacturer and we were surprised at the number of alternative profiles we had to choose from. The stove we had picked out Karen sourced on Marketplace in a Camping Bundle. For $300 we got the stove, camping chairs and a whole bunch of other stuff that we have on sold leaving us with the stove and Chairs and money in the bank.

The gas stove was another great buy on Marketplace

There are some items in the build where we needed the professionals regardless. If we wanted everything legal for our modification plate, registration and insurance. These items are our 240 volt and 12 volt electrical systems, and gas lines. Now some of the prep work we did do ourselves. We ran all electrical wiring and had the professionals check it prior to wall linings going in and the the professionals did the final fit off for legal requirements, but it saved us $$$$$. The gas lines needed to be done by a licensed gas fitter, but we fitted the gas locker and insulated the stove recess ready for installation, again this saved us lots of $ in hourly fees that a qualified person isn’t required for.

The items we didn’t scrimp on were the electrical and plumbing systems. After lots of research we went with the Renogy Energy system DC/DC, 2000w Inverter/charger, Solar Controller and the new technology 400W SunPower Maxeon all hooked up to our 200 amp hour Invictor Lithium Battery and smart charger alternator. After living on a boat for 10 years, we have discovered the importance of living off grid, power and water you can not do without. On the boat we have our own desalination unit but in the van we have maximised the space in one of the seats for 166 litres of water. Yes its not a lot but with good water saving techniques this will give us enough for our requirements.

Using quality electrical equipment will save time and $’s down the way.

There was a huge debate on whether to have a shower and toilet onboard. We certainly like the idea of the convenience of our own facilities, however it comes at a big price. That price is on space. As we wanted our bed length ways in the van we were already taking up extra floor space. Karen could not get her head around a slide out toilet into the galley area or standing in the mud for a shower.

This is where thinking outside of the “Box” helps. Our fold down slide out ensuite was developed. We constructed a fold down deck that incorporates a shower tray that can drain into a grey-water tank.

The fold down deck being fitted. shower tray can be seen on the underside.

The shower screen is your typical camping foldout screen with the base securely hooking onto the deck providing privacy and water protection to the inside of the van. The joolca instant hot water system hooks onto the barn door, quick fasteners for the water and gas are at the back of the van.

The shower screen folds out to keep everything dry .

The toilet when required, simply slides out into the shower screened area, again giving you the privacy required. We feel we have developed the best for both needs, when required we can utilise our own facilities without taking up valuable floor space internally. But the coolest thing about the deck is we can back into any parking bay, fold down the deck set the table up and take in the view.

What about wet weather guys? Again in our research we fell in love with the barn door annex and imported one directly from the UK. It sets up in 12 minutes provides a secure anti room plus an extra room for the ensuite. It can easily be unhooked from the van and you can drive away, tour for the day and return to your reserved camp spot.

Weight was a huge consideration throughout the build. Two things we found were critical, insuring that the weight is distributed evenly and that we allow weight for the extras we are bound to carry. Flat pack items are an easy way to calculate weight as each items weight is clearly listed on the box and in many cases we found that the weight was on the webpage in the items description. This was mighty helpful when deciding on the kitchen cabinets. For example under the bench we were planning on having two sets of narrow drawers. But two sets were heavier than one larger set this we were able to calculate prior to ordering.

Flat pack furniture has the weights listed on packaging and usually on websites.

Our intention was to do all the planning, research and ordering before we were in a position to start the build. We would have all the components ready to go, eliminating delivery delays. This worked great in our circumstance with the actual build only taking 8 weeks.

So now that we are on the homeward stretch we are starting to look at our options for our first road trip. Stay tuned for the fun to begin ❤️🚐❤️

We actually took the van into Bunnings Warehouse to
try out trims and finishing touches such as the cornice

We plan to do a walk through video so watch out for it in coming weeks.

We love to read your comments if you have any questions pop them below, we will be sure to get back to you.

If you are interested in the products we used on our build on our product page is a list. Many of these items we sourced secondhand, others we purchased from the manufacturer or retailer. We have found them online and listed them for you. Some of the links supplied we have an association with and we will receive a small commission if you purchase through the link, but it is free to look and do your research 😊 we can not promise all links to work as retailers may remove items, but we will do our best to update them 👍