Kicking off our 2026 Travels!

Monday, the 2nd of March, we begin our eagerly anticipated 2026 adventure!

We've been wondering whether we could leave on this date, given the forecast. It was expected that there would be heavy rain in our area, just as the system caused when it passed through the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, and Western New South Wales. Initially, the forecast predicted an 80% chance of rain on several days before our departure, but as the days drew closer, those chances decreased. It's quite remarkable how, even with all our modern technology, weather forecasts can still be so unpredictable for just one week.

When travelling west through New South Wales, our favourite routes are the Golden Highway and the Gwydir Highway. This holiday, we decided to take the  Gwydir Highway, which heads west from Grafton. Our first night's stop on this scenic route is at Cangai Bridge, just 150 km from home. This free camping spot is lovely for a peaceful getaway, especially during the week when we often get to enjoy it all to ourselves or with just a few fellow campers. This time, there were ten groups here, but since the area is so spacious, everyone has their own space to enjoy and relax.

This site is on private property, so please remember to take all your waste with you to keep the area beautiful for everyone. If you're visiting a site without facilities, it's a good idea to come well-prepared. Bring plenty of water, a trusty camping stove or portable grill for cooking, and don't forget a toilet. Cangai Bridge is a fantastic place to immerse yourself in the stunning scenery and enjoy a refreshing swim in the Mann River.

From here, we continue our journey westward, climbing the Dividing Range as the highway passes through Gibraltar Range National Park and through charming towns like Glen Innes and Inverell. Just 32 km west of Inverell, we take a minor road to one of our absolute favourite spots—camping right alongside the beautiful Gwydir River in Bingara. We've been camping there since 2008, when we picked up our first Bushtracker. The friendly locals kindly ask for a donation, which we're always happy to provide. While the campsite itself is simple, with no facilities, the town offers everything we need, including a well-stocked IGA, a friendly butcher, and a bakery.

Travelling from Bingara to Barraba will be a first for us, but I've always been eager to visit here and film the painted silos. Back in 2019, we explored the silo trail in Victoria. The Barraba silo was painted by Fintan Magee, the same artist who created the fantastic mural on the Patchewollock silo. That mural features a striking 35-metre-high image of local farmer Nick Hulland in the Wimmera district of Victoria.

 

During a challenging drought in New South Wales, the Barraba silo was beautifully painted, showcasing Fitan Magee's artwork of a water diviner searching for groundwater. He dedicated twenty-four days to completing this mural, and today there are more than fifty painted silos across Australia, with new ones being added continually. It's inspiring to see how art brings hope and vibrancy even in tough times.

We then headed further south to Manila, bypassing Tamworth by taking Rushes Creek Road. This route connected us to the Oxley Highway as we headed to Gunnedah. Along the way, we spotted more painted silos that hadn't been painted since our last visit, so we happily took out the drone once again to capture them.

After our quick stop, we continued along the Oxley Highway, heading southwest through Tambar Springs and along The Black Stump Way. We spent the evening camping at the local sporting club in the small town of Coolah. There are no facilities, but camping is free, and public toilets are just a short stroll away for those who need them. That evening, we dined at the club. They have a Chinese restaurant, which we thought was average, but then we are spoiled by what we can have at home. We were truly lucky to witness such a stunning sunset, setting a high bar for any future ones we hope to see.

We kept driving along the Black Stump Way until we reached the Golden Highway, about 10 km east of Dunedoo, then proceeded to Dubbo, where we refuelled before heading south to Wellington, Molong, and Cudal, before stopping for the evening in the small town of Eugowra, where we stayed at the Myall Street Park. It's a lovely area with lush green grass and potable water available for a donation. Best of all, we had the whole place to ourselves for the evening. 

We prefer exploring less-travelled roads whenever we can, even if it means a bit more time on the road. We're happy to take this route to avoid busy roads like the Newell Highway.

Our journey the next day took us south to Grenfell for another silo photo opportunity.

 The MidWestern Highway led us to West Wyalong, and then we enjoyed spending the evening at the showgrounds in Weethalle, just like we have before. It's only a $10 fee per night, and the campground provides toilets, showers, drinking water, and power. We're perfectly happy to pay our fee, but we always use our own facilities.

The nearby country club, within walking distance, serves exceptional pizzas, and we can highly recommend the supreme. We shared our table with fellow travellers Cathie and Arthur, who, at 82, still tow their van and love a good yarn about their travels.

The next day, we continued along the MidWestern Highway towards Hay. The sides of the roads are so damaged that whenever we can, we ride the white line in the middle of the road. These roads were never built for the size and number of trucks now using them.

Tonight, Sunday 8 March, we are camping for two nights at Sandy Point Reserve outside Hay. It's located in black soil country, and it would be nearly impossible to extract oneself if it rains while camping here. There has obviously been rain over the past week or so, as evidenced by the large puddles and churned-up dirt where people have tried to leave, although we have found a dry spot for our stay and have also checked the weather for this period. On our first evening, we estimated there would be at least fifty vans parked for the night and just as many on our second night. Filled with fuel today at $2.299 cpl, which is quite a shock.

Tuesday morning, 10 March, has us heading further west as we join the Sturt Highway. It was only a short 132 km trip to camp just south of Balranald at Yanga National Park. Once again, we've checked the weather to ensure no issues, as the area is also on black soil. We could see evidence of recent rains with a boggy hole we needed to negotiate to back into our site.

Our journey on Wednesday, 11 March, takes us further west. As we passed Euston and were about 20 km east of Mildura, we saw a massive dust storm approaching, driven by very strong winds. As we continued past Mildura, the dust thickened, and visibility dropped to about 200 metres, but fortunately, after about 20 km, the dust cleared.

Needless to say, poor Betty is now covered in a thin layer of fine dust.

A Little TLC

On Monday, 13 October 2025, we packed our van as if we were going on holiday. We then went to the local Coffs Harbour weighbridge and took the van to ABCO Caravan Repairs the following day, Tuesday, for a service and some updates. There was no rush, as our holiday was not scheduled until sometime in the new year.

ABCO Caravan Services has built a strong reputation for providing high-quality work. Many Bushtracker owners rely on it for repairs, particularly because it is the only service centre outside the Bushtracker Factory in Queensland that specialises in this brand.

After installing the Starlink Mini on our Chevy's roof rack, we can maintain a reliable internet connection for our van and vehicle while on the road. It significantly eases communication and entertainment on the road. Our Oyster Satellite Dish on the caravan's roof lets us access free-to-air TV with a VAST decoder, offering a variety of viewing options while camping. As a result, we removed the old TV aerial from the van's roof because it's no longer needed with our satellite and internet systems.

The current springs in the Simplicity Load Sharing Coil suspension might be underrated. Darren from ABCO confirmed this after reviewing the weighbridge measurement. Once the new springs arrive and are installed, he will also service the van, checking the bearings, brakes, and wheel alignment. Since a new Bushtracker represents a significant investment, it's crucial to get the right springs from the start. Unfortunately, our experience hasn't reflected this, as Bushtracker acknowledged the springs were incorrect but chose not to replace them, leaving us to cover the cost.

During our trip to Tasmania, our Bulldog electric jack malfunctioned; we could raise it, but had to manually retract it. It has now been replaced by a more durable Black Jack Maxi, whose base folds flat when retracted. We asked Darren to ensure that, when the new jack is raised, it fits tightly within the A-frame's contour. We are delighted with the result he achieved by designing it this way.

We also bought a canvas jack cover and a drawbar cover from our local Drifta and Camping store, which makes excellent products.

 

While we've truly enjoyed using our Nature's Head composting toilet, we've chosen to switch to a more compact, ergonomic model. The OGO Origin fits well in our combined ensuite. It offers the same excellent features, plus the added convenience of a button that automatically stirs the coir after use, unlike the manual handle on the Nature's Head.

Showing the exhaust fan outlet and the power supply connection.

An accumulator tank has been installed alongside the new Seaflow RV Supreme MK2 water pump. This configuration offers several advantages: it ensures smoother water flow, minimises noise, and extends the pump's lifespan by reducing cycling. The SHURflo Accumulator is a bladder-style pressure tank that also dampens pulsations, pressurising and stabilising water flow. Overall, the accumulator helps to make the system quieter, reduce power consumption, and lessen water pulsation, contributing to a more efficient and durable setup.

We've upgraded our internal Thirsty Nomad water filter to a newer, more efficient model that provides improved purification. Additionally, we've improved our external filter to a 1-micron bore water and sediment filter, guaranteeing even cleaner water.

I bought an aluminium door handle on eBay to replace the plastic one we'd broken before, which wasn't fit for purpose.

 

In our previous Bushtracker, the bathroom occupied the entire rear of the van, wasting space. Considering how much time we actually spend in there, it wasn't ideal. Our current van, however, features a larger combined ensuite. The only minor drawback is the older exhaust fan it originally had. We replaced it with a high-quality three-speed exhaust fan that prevents mirror fogging and significantly improves comfort. Thankfully, I don't wear a toupee; it would be sucked away by the new fan's suction.

Having the van at ABCO was very convenient because they removed our rims and tyres for us. They then took them to a nearby tyre outlet, where we installed BF Goodrich 265 x 75 x 16 KO3S tyres. This significantly simplified the process and made it less stressful.

Our van has been at ABCO for nearly four months, just four days short of that mark. It was great to pick her up and bring her home to repack and prepare for our upcoming trip.

Chev Suspension Upgrade

We booked our Silverado into Vehicle Transformations last week, located in Beresfield, just outside Newcastle. We had heard glowing reports about their workmanship and quality on several Facebook sites, and we are glad we did.

The suspension enhancement incorporated a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) Kit, which features heavy-duty rear leaf springs specifically designed for the Silverado 3500, complemented by additional leafs. This modification also entailed the installation of spring hangers and mounts from the Silverado 3500HD. Furthermore, the front torsion bars and upper control arms were recalibrated. As a result of these adjustments, the existing Boss load helper airbags have achieved improved compatibility.

The modifications made to our Chev are impressive, and the difference in ride quality is unquestionably better than before we dropped her off. We could notice the difference within the first 100 metres once we left their premises.

Silverado 3500HD spring hangers and mounts.

Additional leafs.

Our New Starlink setup

Previously, we purchased a Starlink Gen 2 unit mounted on a pole, connected to our generator box. However, its size made it awkward to store, forcing us to run our inverter to use the dish.

We ordered the Starlink Mini ahead of our four-month trip to Tasmania. Its integrated router provided reliable performance, enabling us to stream television shows and use our mobile devices over Wi-Fi without any issues. To power the Starlink Mini, we purchased a 12-volt power solution from All Terrain Action, a Melbourne-based company. Our order included a 12V to 48V converter, an Anderson 50A connector, a 25 cm output wire with a 7.5 amp fuse, and a 30 cm long 16 AWG 5.5x2.1 mm female connector. We connected the Anderson plug to our Anderson outlet on the drawbar, which powers our electric jack.

Upon returning home, we considered permanently mounting the mini dish on the canopy of our Chevrolet. We were interested in a solution from Outcamp, a South Australian company, that offers a remote-controlled 12V to 24V power supply with an Anderson plug. This package includes two remote controls that can turn the mini dish's power on and off from up to 50 metres away. 

Remote-controlled power supply.

Our Outcamp remote-controlled power supply is attached to the inside of our canopy to power our Mini Starlink dish.

Rouge Canopies, based in Dubbo, New South Wales, manufactures a mount that attaches to the crossbars of our canopy. The Rouge Canopies Starlink Mount is only 46.46 mm high, allowing us to drive into our garage without needing to remove it. The mount features a black textured powder coat that matches our Midnight Edition Chevy. 

You can also purchase a 3mm UV-stabilised polycarbonate cover, available in black or clear. We chose the transparent cover to enhance heat transfer, especially during camping trips in Northern Australia. Additionally, we ordered a three-metre power cable to replace the original fifteen-metre cable that comes with the mini dish. The new cable will connect to the power supply linked to our lithium battery in the canopy.

Starlink has unveiled a new plan called Standby Mode, which we have adopted. This upgraded Pause feature ensures that you stay connected, even when you’re not actively using your regular service plan.

For just $8.50 per month, you gain access to unlimited low-speed data, making it perfect for essential activities such as making calls, sending texts, and effortlessly reactivating your service during emergencies or in areas with limited coverage. Furthermore, you'll continue to receive important software updates, keeping your system running smoothly and up to date with the latest enhancements.

Tasmanian Trip Costings

Below are the costs from our recent four-month trip around Tasmania, starting from our home on the NSW mid-north coast. We left home on January 5, travelled to Tasmania on January 20, returned to the mainland on May 21, and came back home on June 7.
The return trip on the Spirit of Tasmania boat for a 4WD and caravan at 16 metres, with two-berth cabins both ways, totalled $2,438.18.
 
Accommodation costs at caravan parks in Griffith, NSW, and in Tasmania, at the following sites: Cradle Mountain, Bothwell, Cambridge Park near Hobart, Port Arthur, Ross, Bridport, and Port Fairy in Victoria, on our return from Tasmania, totalled $1,917.98.
 
The national park stay was at Mt Field, costing $80.00.
 
Our low-cost camping fees totalled $1,137.46.
 
Tour expenses, covering the Woolnorth Tour to Cape Grim, the Macquarie Harbour and Gordon River Cruise, the West Coast Wilderness Railway, the Cape Raoul boat trip, the Isle of the Dead boat tour, Port Arthur entry fees, the Bruny Island cruise, and the Maria Island cruise, amounted to $3,008.00.
 
During the trip, we travelled a total of 10,345 kilometres and consumed 2,290 litres of fuel, with an average of 22.14 litres per 100 kilometres. Considering Tasmania's terrain, we are quite satisfied with these results.