After a year being housebound we took an easy 10-day road trip to South Australia in February 2021. It was the elixir we needed to heal our Covid-weary minds. As we drove home we began to talk about how much we missed road-tripping and a vision of another caravan was formulated. No sooner were we back home in Melbourne and plans began. This time we were interested in “less is more” and a gently used EcoTourer fit the bill. Seriously, we don’t think it was used at all, but it was second-hand. It definitely has fewer bells and whistles than Silver our 2016 Jayco (read: no hot water, no washing machine, no shower, NO toilet…yikes). But without these extras an Eco-Tourer is easier to handle and easier to tow. We expect it will be every bit as fun, with fewer worries.

If we thought finding the van seemed easy, the real effort began with finding an appropriate tow vehicle.  Procuring a car post-Covid was a big ask.  We discovered the new Kia Sorrento had the proper towing capacities and is comfortable enough to be a “city” car when not on the road. Locating a new one was impossible. Dealers all over Australia told us that they wouldn’t get any for several months. This wasn’t good news since winter Down Under was fast approaching and every retiree in the state wants to escape Victoria’s winter. We ended up buying a “demo” from Perth WA that had to be transported to us and took 4 weeks. Our plans were now full-steam ahead to be on time for a ferry to Kangaroo Island at the end of May.  Joe had two weeks to organize the final details needed for safe travel (plus add a portable toilet!). The all-important 3-day shakedown cruise was nixed. It was dive right in and hit the road at lightning speed.