Yuraygir National Park

After collecting the van from the factory, we stayed on the Sunshine Coast for several more days before leaving on Sunday 18th May. We spent the night again at the Yelgun rest area on our journey south.

From Monday the 19th, we enjoyed three lovely nights camping at Yuraygir National Park. The park stretches along the NSW coast, starting just south of Yamba and extending for approximately 60 km. We stayed at the Illaroo campground, which is right on the beach with a view of the Pacific Ocean. Activities here include surfing, swimming, fishing, and walking along the coast, which extends for many kilometres north towards Sandon River. The small town of Wooli is relatively nearby, and Grafton is just over 50 km inland.
 
Facilities include eco-toilets, rubbish bins, and fireplaces. 

June 6: Following a suggestion from Stephen, we purchased the black infill, which arrived today. It was purchased from Caravan and RV Works, which has just relocated to the same street as Bushtracker in Kunda Park. Best of all, it was on special at $2.00 per metre. We both feel that the black infill is a much better match with the silver cladding.

Rejuvenation

Our van was five years old when it was damaged by hail in November last year. Our only thoughts on that day were of sadness, but now all that has changed because it now looks brand new again. 

The only item not re-installed was the rear outside shower locker. This locker continually leaked whenever it rained and wasn't worth the trouble. We have also upgraded the television to the latest 24-inch LED model and replaced our Pioneer deck with the newest product from Fusion. These photos show the changes we have made.

Audio locker and new television:

Fusion deck:

DO35 hitch, Jack and WDH system:

LED reading lights:

Ceiling touch LEDS:

Awning LED lights and outside speakers:

We love the automatic awning:

Alongside this work, the bearings and suspension were serviced, and the underbody has been resealed. 

What a difference just one day makes

Just returned from the factory, and the exterior of the van is now complete, except for the installation of audio and visual equipment, which includes the outside speakers and our roof-mounted satellite dish. These will be fitted next week, along with having the underside of the van re-sprayed. Talk about attention to detail— they even purchased an RM Williams Longhorn sticker to replace the ones that were on the van.

Progress to date

Here are the latest photos taken this afternoon. There is still a fair bit of work to be done on the van's exterior, including the installation of the awning. Daniel from Leisuretainment still needs to install some of the extra audio and visual equipment, including the rear view camera and outside speakers. We are amazed by the van's transformation after it has been sitting damaged at home for the past five months. Van completion is expected on Tuesday or possibly Wednesday next week.

Van Renovation to date

Friday, 2nd May: It's now day five since we dropped off our hail-damaged van at the factory.
 
We were unaware until yesterday, when we received a call from the factory, that our awning was also to be renewed.
The call was to confirm whether we wanted to stick with our existing type of awning or pay extra to have the Dometic 12-volt automatic awning installed. After inspecting its operation yesterday afternoon at the factory, we have now decided to proceed with this option.
Here are a series of photos showing the new cladding in place.

Bushtracker Factory Visit

Saturday 26 April:
We left home this afternoon, turning north on our way to spend the night at the Yelgun Rest Area just off the Pacific Highway, north of Brunswick Heads. We often stay here on our route north to the Sunshine Coast, as it breaks the journey and makes the drive more manageable. Unfortunately for us, this weekend coincides with the ANZAC long weekend and the end of the school holidays. As we drove north towards Yelgun, traffic was very light heading our way, but there was a steady stream of traffic heading south. Upon arriving at Yelgun, the local Lions Club caravan was set up with a twenty-four-hour 'Driver Reviver' stop. There were cars everywhere, so we parked quite a distance away.
The van is booked into the Bushtracker factory on Monday, 28 April, for a complete re-skin following the hail damage we sustained in November 2013. Repairs will take a couple of weeks, so we have decided to stay and have another good look around the general area.
 
Sunday 27 April:
Sunday morning, as we headed past the Gold Coast, we were surprised by the lack of traffic, but that all changed once we crossed the Gateway Bridge. The traffic on both sides of the Sunshine Coast Motorway was unbelievable, with a never-ending stream of vehicles.
 
Monday 28 April:
We dropped the van off at the factory at the designated time and then spent three hours discussing some changes we wanted while the insurance work was being carried out. 

The changes to be carried out before re-sheeting the van include the addition of an audio/visual locker on the van's nearside, outside speakers, extra awning LED lights with dual colour on the nearside and replacing the extra-large window above our dinette with a smaller 1200 x 600 mm window. This involves re-sheeting the van interior around this area.

Tuesday 29 April:

Other changes not affected by the insurance claim include replacing the current powered jockey wheel with a Vehicle Components jack, upgrading to the latest weight distribution system, installing a new DO35 hitch, swapping out the existing blue diesel heater tank for a black one, replacing old tail lights with LED versions, upgrading the internal lights from traditional fluorescent to modern touch LED lights, and the pièce de résistance, the new Silver Cladding. This cladding adds an additional $1,000.00 to the cost compared to the standard white cladding. 

    

Disastrous Weather

November 16:
I played golf this morning just as I do every other Saturday. The forecast was for showers and storms to develop later in the day. We had been experiencing similar weather for many days beforehand, with late afternoon showers bringing thunder and lightning.
Our weather usually comes from the south, and once it reaches us, it tends to hug the Great Dividing Range to the west, with the worst of the weather affecting towns to the north, such as Ballina, Byron Bay, and Tweed Heads.
 
However, on this Saturday afternoon, the storms that battered Sawtell remained out over the ocean, and we experienced the worst weather the area has seen in many years. The storm lasted just over an hour, with twenty minutes of hail, some of which was the size of golf balls. We watched as the hailstones hammered down on our gardens, stripping leaves from trees, cracking windows, denting our awnings, and causing considerable damage to our Bushtracker.
 
Every surface on the van has been damaged, especially the top. It appears that someone has taken to it with a ball hammer; however, the four solar panels on the roof remained undamaged.
We are insured with CIL and have sent a series of photos to Bushtracker on the Sunshine Coast, who will provide CIL with a quote for repairs. A CIL assessor has inspected our van and informed me that we will need a complete re-skin.