OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
  Camping in style with an
 ADVENTURE OFFROAD CAMPER

                                                                                               
Now here's a great idea for a holiday, the original meals on wheels. Very economical on fuel and I promise you won't breakdown as sadly they don't go anywhere. For those who like nothing better than good food, beer and wine then maybe parked up at the back of the North Star Hotel in South Australia in one of these is the perfect holiday. Give them a call? Sounds great.
I also prefer my camping to be a little more remote and far far away from the madding crowd.  In the ten years that we have been camping our accommodation has gone from a 2 star two man tent, to a 3 star ridge tent, 31/2 star roof top tent, to a 1 star swag and now finally what maybe the ultimate offroad accommodation set up, a 5 star Adventure off road camper trailer.
The single pole ridge tent was a really great well made tent but it still involved a bit of setting up, blowing up mattresses, making beds and setting up a kitchen. Next day if you wanted to move on then it all had to come down again, even if wet. So we sold the tent on a Land Rover forum and I sold most of my cricket memorabilia and other junk on ebay to finance the purchase of a Aussie Traveller rooftop tent Now that was a really great tent. Made here in Australia. Sleeping perched up high above the ground on top of our Defender away from all the creepy crawlies and snakes made perfect sense. Our bedding was never damp and in the morning you could open up the windows and enjoy the view. My fondest memories of that tent is listening to England regain the ashes in 2005 on a small transistor radio stuck underneath my pillow in the early hours of the morning. I shed tears I tell you TEARS! But not as many as I shed when we lost 5-0 in the following series.
Regardless of what the manufacturers tell you, not only with this brand but with most of the other roof top tents, once they are up they are up. So before setting up camp we had to make sure that we had everything that we needed, beer, food, wine etc. We had this tent for about 4 years. Our stay in one place was limited to how long our fridge could run before we had to break camp and drive around to charge up the auxiliary battery. We also found ourselves being confined to the local areas around the campsite. If you needed the toilet in the middle of the night it meant a precarious trip down the ladder, and finding the rungs was never easy after a bottle of red wine. You always knew when you were reaching the bottom rungs as your bottom met a cold wet Labrador snout. Well meaning, heart in the right place but not required at 2am. We eventually sold the rooftop but not before we had a suitable 5 star replacement. A very a grateful 130 owner on a Land Rover forum bought it, who incidentally didn't own a mad Lab.

Swag? Yes we've got a swag and used it for the first time at Mungerranie Station on our way to Birdsville track. Swags are great, such an easy way to bed down for the night. Such a shame that during the night at Mungerranie we had to endure a dust storm that Banjo our lovable Lab took exception to and insisted on getting inside the swag with us. Very cosy but get those bloody dew claws cut!
On arrival at Birdsville a trek of over 600km up a lonely dusty track just because it was there, we set up the roof top tent. In the middle of the night the howls of the Dingoes kept us awake, a fantastic experience. Quite safe up on top and safe anyway even if we ventured outside I'm sure, but it was spine chilling none the less to hear the Dingoes call. Next day Banjo's bone had been pinched!
Birdsville is on the edge of the Simpson desert, something that we just had to see along with Big Red a large sand, so we had no choice other than to break camp and then put the tent back up again on our return to the campsite. Which proves my point about rooftop tents. Mind you I still miss it despite having to clamper on the roof amongst the dust and dead bugs splattered over the cover to pack it all away. Oh my aching back! Okay I hear you! So I'm getting old, but not old enough to sell the Defender for a Winnebago or a caravan. No our current set up is a Adventure Offroad camping trailer, the des res on wheels. What a fantastic piece of kit made in Adelaide by a family company, they've thought of everything. Heaps of storage space, 4 burner stove, sink, water tanks, power. But the great thing about this is that the tent folds completely away underneath, leaving a still usable kitchen area. Mickey Thompson offroad tyres, offroad suspension, even room to take a tinny on top. The downside? Banjo is now able to jump up on the bed as we are no longer sleeping 2 metres up! Still its a queen size bed so I guess there's plenty of room.
I'm starting to think that you think that Banjo is one big spoilt dog? Whatever gave you that idea?
When we collected our trailer from the factory, Paul the co owner of Adventure Offroad campers gave us lots of brochures before we left. "Here these may make it easier" Puzzled but now I know what he meant as we get stopped all the time. Delayed at petrol stations, even at traffic lights! At the campsites fellow travellers come up and ask about our set up. Did you bring a beer?

A Land Rover Defender and an Adventure Offroad Camping trailer, ideal to go just about anywhere off the beaten track here in Australia. The English nurse wants to do some remote nursing, far remoter than when we lived in Woop Woop and with this set up there's no excuses.
The Defender it's like a big piece of Meccano so it's easy to drill a few holes bolt a few bits on here and there. That's exactly what I've done in the rear. Home made storage drawers that hey! I thought I did a good job. Sadly they had to be sold to make way for the dog. These were replaced with storage cupboards and even a seat. A satellite phone the size of two shoeboxes hide beneath a false floor, the Dog yes even has his own 12v fan. I'm trying without much success to teach him how to switch it on. Heres me thinking that Labs were supposed to be clever and seeing eye dogs!

The storage drawers took away the need for carry plastic boxes. Everything had a place so there was no searching around in the dark. When Banjo came along I sold them to you've guessed it a bloke on a Land Rover forum. Maybe I should go into business?

Along came MarkII
Theres storage space under the padded seat on the left.
The back storage area has room for two gas bottles with ring stoves fitted, or tools and spares. The small cubby box on the left has space for filters, fuses, bulbs etc.

The cupboard on the right again space for camping gear and spare parts, food etc.

The dog? Well I thought he could have all this floor space. But no he prefers to perch up on the right top area, the space  I reserved for our bags.

He gets a great view from up there and loves nothing better than to flaunt himself at passing motorists. He's such a tart.
 

Well thanks for looking in and maybe we'll see you up the track