Hello John and Tracey. Been following your videos now for quite some time, since your first walkthrough video on the essential caravan. Also an Essential owner. We have added a second battery, 2600 inverter, Dcdc charger, additional solar panels. Love our essential caravan and love the brand, seem to be well built and good after sales service. When building the caravan, we opted for the L shape lounge which gives more room. Love your content and places you go and show to us. Enjoy life and continue to make memories and leaving footprints. Enjoy. Owen
Thanks Owen, definitely agree with the L shaped lounge option and would go that again if we get the chance (had it in our last van). Essential is a great caravan for sure. Appreciate your comment, enjoy your travels
Couldn’t agree more.. Brodie you really are a bloody jerk!! 😡 As an indigenous woman, it was hard to see those shackles in the ground like that, but I’m glad they are still there for us all to see and learn from. Australia has such a fascinating history. Thanks again for another awesome video 💕👍🏽
It's terrible. I had to edit out alot of me cursing, grumbling and showing what they had done. I was so angry 😠 😡. I wonder if these people grow up and regret what they have done. Thanks for watching 👀
Really appreciate you taking us with you on your adventures. It looks like it was Christmas time at the time of filming or you are celebrating Christmas in July 😂 happy and safe travels 🙏🏻 hope the drone is ok 🤞🏻and hope you find a way to be off-grid and keep on travelling around 😊
Hi there, thanks for your comment. Yes your correct, it is nearing Christmas time. We have so much to share that we are becoming more and more behind. Yes the drone is ok now, our son in law blew the sand out with his compressor thank goodness. Still working on ideas to acquire more off grid power. Appreciate your support
I have a friend who had a snowy caravan, they took out the seating and put two recliners in that bolted to the floor, and loved it best thing they ever did is their words.
Thanks guys another great video. We were at the crossroads of full time or part time and the one common denominator is Health. While you guys are healthy keep doing what you are doing and don't look back. Once the little health issues become noticeable be aware they don't go away but become a a limiting factor on your travelling life style. It is then you have to make decisions. I have an eye problem that requires a 3 monthly eye injection to maintain my sight, so we have to plan a bit ahead . Now the carefree lifestyle is some what more planned. Stay safe guys Ray
And this is our exact problem at the moment, health issues. We will figure something out soon. Thanks for your input, it's given food for thought. Thank you 😊
Looking at the route you have taken so far its nearly a carbon copy of what we did last year. We left from our home in Lake Macquarie went up the coast to Grafton then crossed The Great Divide to Glen Innes. I did my back on that trip when we got as far as Ceduna and my wife had to tow the van home as I couldnt turn my head. We only just got back from doing the bits that we missed last year, This time we crossed NSW did the Eyre Peninsula, the Flinders Ranges, went up the Stuart Hwy to Uluru and Alice Springs then back home through outback Qld. We bought our first caravan 7 years ago when I retired from full time work it had all the things that we thought we wanted , 2 years ago I retired from work completely so we had one built with the things that we wish we had done the first time unfortunately you dont know that until you actually start travelling. We were fortunate that the caravan dealer we went with this time round you started with the showroom layout then you could add things, remove things, change the layout virtually do anything we did lots of things even moved a window.. We have doubled our solar, have 2 x 100AH Lithium batteries, 3000W inverter, DC to DC charger etc. We find we dont use the A/C much the Sirroco fans have been great even when in the tropics..We also avoid travelling in the north or central Australia in the hotter months thats when its good to have a home base... When we were in Onslow we camped at a caravan park that was close to the marina it was bit further away from the town center but it was a pretty good spot to take a couple of days break..
Great story. What caravan have you got now? Yes we would not travel at this time of year again but as mentioned before we were on a time frame to meet our daughter and this was the quickest way
@@onlyleavingfootprints We have a 20ft Concorde its a brand that you can only buy from Concorde Carvans in Belmont NSW. They are built for them by GM Grand Caravans in Victoria,
Hi Jon and Tracey, if you are happy with your current caravan, just upgrade your 12 volt electrical system to lithium batteries. You may need a system like 200-400 amp-hour battery, a suitable dcdc1240d charger (redarc or itechworld or kickass) plus a 3500 watt inverter to run the aircon all night long. The chargers I mentioned allow solar input without the need for a solar controller, with the redarc bcdc1240d giving priority to green solar energy when available over electrical energy. There are some great lithium batteries available now and the prices are becoming a lot cheaper. This upgrade would be a considerable amount cheaper than a caravan upgrade to get the same result, and Jon would get his full night sleep in aircon. Travel Safe. G.D.M.
Hey there, great advice. We already have lithium batteries but we don't have the weight allowance to accommodate upgrades. We are pretty much on the limit now. Thanks for the info though 👍
Thanks guys another great video. Hmm sand where sand shouldn't be. Just love those old buildings. Are you going to head across to Karijini ? Safe travels
Yep bloody sand lol. No we didn't go to Karijini this time around as it was just to hot. Plan on going back there in the better season. Thanks again for watching
Hi guys, first I would be looking for a second hand caravan that has been built for off grid, second we have a Crusader Musketeer Recliner and love it and we have chosen to live in a over 55 lifestyle community resort, works well for us being retired and still active caravaning, off to Tassie in February next year for 4 months and the manager looks after the house while we're away.
Thanks John, we tried an over 50s, lived there for 2 years, but it so wasn't for us. We bought there because of the convenience, maybe we were to young to be there at that stage, being just over 50 when we moved in. Good to hear you love the recliners. Thanks for watching 👀
Hi guys, I enjoy your videos. We also have an essential van, a 21.6 Cruiser, we dont do a lot of off road and mainly caravan parks at the moment although we have set up for off road. One question for you, how do you find your drawer locks, we find that even over minor bitumen corrugations they fail. But apart from that we live our van.
Hi there, our drawer has only failed once but I think that was my fault not the locks. We have driven over alot of corrugations and not had any other problem. Enjoy you van and travels. Thanks for watching 😃
Hi Sharon, I am Also an essential owner. Purchased our caravan in October last year and received it out of the factory March 2024. So far, we are very happy with our essential caravan. We have the 18 foot 8 Cruiser couples van. They build great vans at reasonable prices, not sure if you have any issues if any? We can’t find any faults at this stage but talking to other owners, they don’t seem to have troubles. Looking forward to our South Aus trip in November. Enjoy your travels.
Why not put your bread in one of those containers with the green lids …keep the ants out! Nice to see the memorial plaque for the fisherman who drowned during Cyclone Bobby Hugh Hatch was a good friend of my brother
I really dislike graffeti. The shackles are a grim reminder of how badly indigenous people were treated. Is it any better? Love the videos, I get to see places I will never visit, thankyou.
Up grade the current caravan to more solar for off grid if your caravan is good don't replace it , i don't trust new ones simple , and why buy another house or rent ? Your house is on wheels and can change the scenery and shit neighbours at any time 😊 a recliner ooo yourl sleep in it and never make it to the bed 😂
These the dilemma hahaha. We loved the recliners we had in our house and miss them alot. I hear what you say about the new caravans, I think we would go back to something like our old Jayco Heritage, it was a top little caravan. Thanks for watching
Hello John and Tracey. Been following your videos now for quite some time, since your first walkthrough video on the essential caravan. Also an Essential owner. We have added a second battery, 2600 inverter, Dcdc charger, additional solar panels. Love our essential caravan and love the brand, seem to be well built and good after sales service. When building the caravan, we opted for the L shape lounge which gives more room. Love your content and places you go and show to us. Enjoy life and continue to make memories and leaving footprints. Enjoy. Owen
Thanks Owen, definitely agree with the L shaped lounge option and would go that again if we get the chance (had it in our last van). Essential is a great caravan for sure. Appreciate your comment, enjoy your travels
Couldn’t agree more.. Brodie you really are a bloody jerk!! 😡
As an indigenous woman, it was hard to see those shackles in the ground like that, but I’m glad they are still there for us all to see and learn from. Australia has such a fascinating history. Thanks again for another awesome video 💕👍🏽
Your very welcome. Those shackles were a grim reminder of what should not have happened. Thanks for watching
I totally agree with you about the people who graffiti historical places.
When we visited Old Onslow we could not believe what people have done there.
It's terrible. I had to edit out alot of me cursing, grumbling and showing what they had done. I was so angry 😠 😡. I wonder if these people grow up and regret what they have done. Thanks for watching 👀
What a beautiful ANZAC memorial. Love all the wee statues. Quaint wee town. Amazing what some of the small towns have. Great video. Cheers Judy
Thanks so much! We love the small towns as well, they have so much to offer. I think this war memorial was the best so far. Thanks for watching
Really appreciate you taking us with you on your adventures.
It looks like it was Christmas time at the time of filming or you are celebrating Christmas in July 😂 happy and safe travels 🙏🏻 hope the drone is ok 🤞🏻and hope you find a way to be off-grid and keep on travelling around 😊
Hi there, thanks for your comment. Yes your correct, it is nearing Christmas time. We have so much to share that we are becoming more and more behind. Yes the drone is ok now, our son in law blew the sand out with his compressor thank goodness. Still working on ideas to acquire more off grid power. Appreciate your support
I have a friend who had a snowy caravan, they took out the seating and put two recliners in that bolted to the floor, and loved it best thing they ever did is their words.
Fantastic thanks for that feedback
Another great video. We love how you check out lots of interesting places. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for watching 👀
Thanks guys another great video.
We were at the crossroads of full time or part time and the one common denominator is
Health.
While you guys are healthy keep doing what you are doing and don't look back.
Once the little health issues become noticeable be aware they don't go away but become a a limiting factor on your travelling life style.
It is then you have to make decisions.
I have an eye problem that requires a 3 monthly eye injection to maintain my sight, so we have to plan a bit ahead . Now the carefree lifestyle is some what more planned.
Stay safe guys
Ray
And this is our exact problem at the moment, health issues. We will figure something out soon. Thanks for your input, it's given food for thought. Thank you 😊
You guys make great videos thank you 👍
Thanks for watching! We appreciate the support
Looking at the route you have taken so far its nearly a carbon copy of what we did last year. We left from our home in Lake Macquarie went up the coast to Grafton then crossed The Great Divide to Glen Innes. I did my back on that trip when we got as far as Ceduna and my wife had to tow the van home as I couldnt turn my head. We only just got back from doing the bits that we missed last year, This time we crossed NSW did the Eyre Peninsula, the Flinders Ranges, went up the Stuart Hwy to Uluru and Alice Springs then back home through outback Qld. We bought our first caravan 7 years ago when I retired from full time work it had all the things that we thought we wanted , 2 years ago I retired from work completely so we had one built with the things that we wish we had done the first time unfortunately you dont know that until you actually start travelling. We were fortunate that the caravan dealer we went with this time round you started with the showroom layout then you could add things, remove things, change the layout virtually do anything we did lots of things even moved a window.. We have doubled our solar, have 2 x 100AH Lithium batteries, 3000W inverter, DC to DC charger etc. We find we dont use the A/C much the Sirroco fans have been great even when in the tropics..We also avoid travelling in the north or central Australia in the hotter months thats when its good to have a home base... When we were in Onslow we camped at a caravan park that was close to the marina it was bit further away from the town center but it was a pretty good spot to take a couple of days break..
Great story. What caravan have you got now? Yes we would not travel at this time of year again but as mentioned before we were on a time frame to meet our daughter and this was the quickest way
@@onlyleavingfootprints We have a 20ft Concorde its a brand that you can only buy from Concorde Carvans in Belmont NSW. They are built for them by GM Grand Caravans in Victoria,
Hi Jon and Tracey, if you are happy with your current caravan, just upgrade your 12 volt electrical system to lithium batteries. You may need a system like 200-400 amp-hour battery, a suitable dcdc1240d charger (redarc or itechworld or kickass) plus a 3500 watt inverter to run the aircon all night long. The chargers I mentioned allow solar input without the need for a solar controller, with the redarc bcdc1240d giving priority to green solar energy when available over electrical energy. There are some great lithium batteries available now and the prices are becoming a lot cheaper.
This upgrade would be a considerable amount cheaper than a caravan upgrade to get the same result, and Jon would get his full night sleep in aircon.
Travel Safe. G.D.M.
Hey there, great advice. We already have lithium batteries but we don't have the weight allowance to accommodate upgrades. We are pretty much on the limit now. Thanks for the info though 👍
Thanks guys another great video. Hmm sand where sand shouldn't be. Just love those old buildings. Are you going to head across to Karijini ? Safe travels
Yep bloody sand lol. No we didn't go to Karijini this time around as it was just to hot. Plan on going back there in the better season. Thanks again for watching
Hi guys, first I would be looking for a second hand caravan that has been built for off grid, second we have a Crusader Musketeer Recliner and love it and we have chosen to live in a over 55 lifestyle community resort, works well for us being retired and still active caravaning, off to Tassie in February next year for 4 months and the manager looks after the house while we're away.
Thanks John, we tried an over 50s, lived there for 2 years, but it so wasn't for us. We bought there because of the convenience, maybe we were to young to be there at that stage, being just over 50 when we moved in. Good to hear you love the recliners. Thanks for watching 👀
Hi guys, I enjoy your videos. We also have an essential van, a 21.6 Cruiser, we dont do a lot of off road and mainly caravan parks at the moment although we have set up for off road. One question for you, how do you find your drawer locks, we find that even over minor bitumen corrugations they fail. But apart from that we live our van.
Hi there, our drawer has only failed once but I think that was my fault not the locks. We have driven over alot of corrugations and not had any other problem. Enjoy you van and travels. Thanks for watching 😃
Hi Sharon, I am
Also an essential owner. Purchased our caravan in October last year and received it out of the factory March 2024. So far, we are very happy with our essential caravan. We have the 18 foot 8 Cruiser couples van. They build great vans at reasonable prices, not sure if you have any issues if any? We can’t find any faults at this stage but talking to other owners, they don’t seem to have troubles. Looking forward to our South Aus trip in November. Enjoy your travels.
The DJIs are tough little buggers!!! Hope you sort it. :) I'm learning hand start and catch.
After this debacle, Jon mostly catches it now. They are a great little product. Thanks for watching 👀
Why not put your bread in one of those containers with the green lids …keep the ants out!
Nice to see the memorial plaque for the fisherman who drowned during Cyclone Bobby Hugh Hatch was a good friend of my brother
Haha yes good idea but don't think a loaf would fit. How cool that you got to see that memorial of your brothers friend. It was a nice tribute
Tracie and Jon, have you always got at least 4G ? Do some areas have 3G? Have you noticed ? I'm looking for a rural area in Qld,without 5G?
There was alot of places that was only 3G but all.the towns we visited had at least 4G. We relied on our Starlink alot .. thanks for watching 👀
490gees for a house in a small country township tell them their dreaming 😂
I couldn't believe the price. But check out real estate . Com and the prices of other houses in Onslow omg 😲
Thanks for watching 👀
I really dislike graffeti. The shackles are a grim reminder of how badly indigenous people were treated. Is it any better? Love the videos, I get to see places I will never visit, thankyou.
Those shackles were horrible. We are glad you are enjoying our travels
Don't for get they sunk a Japanese submarine in Sydney harbor in the war.
Oh thats right .. crazy hey . Thanks for watching
Dont forget they sat off shore and shelled Newcastle until the guns at Fort Scratchley fired on them.
Up grade the current caravan to more solar for off grid if your caravan is good don't replace it , i don't trust new ones simple , and why buy another house or rent ? Your house is on wheels and can change the scenery and shit neighbours at any time 😊 a recliner ooo yourl sleep in it and never make it to the bed 😂
These the dilemma hahaha. We loved the recliners we had in our house and miss them alot. I hear what you say about the new caravans, I think we would go back to something like our old Jayco Heritage, it was a top little caravan. Thanks for watching