It was Thursday afternoon that we finally got the call from our agency, “Do you want to go to Papunya for a few weeks, you need to be there by Thursday next week?”

I was kind of busy when they called, chasing my 2y.o nephew around the car park at the Collingwood Childrens Farm, so just replied, “yes, sounds great”.  The itchy feet had been getting unbearable and it had suddenly got cold in Melbourne, perfect timing for a road trip.

So it was that on Friday morning we found ourselves running around doing last minute jobs and organising the house, ready for a six week trip away.  As we drove past a caravan shop, not somewhere I had ever felt inclined to visit before I saw a funky little camper trailer.  Bill was crossing three lanes of traffic before I had even finished saying “…that camper trailer is cute!!”.  I apparently had been completely oblivious to him slow driving past the caravan shop for the previous 2 years and dropping hints about how much fun one would be.

Caravans and camper trailer have always seemed so daggy, all beige interiors and old people driving at 80kms an hour up the highway.  This was not a space that interested me at all, until this mean looking black camper trailer appeared.

The OPUS camper trailers are designed around an old fashioned concertina pram, with two ‘wings’ that flip out from the trailer base forming 2x (midget) double beds and leaving a sitting area in the middle of the trailer.  The kitchen pulls out from the side of the trailer and there are large storage lockers and 2x 80lt water tanks.  The gas and water are all plumbed, you just need to connect up when you stop.  Plus it looks very cool and takes 10 minutes to set up, which means more drinking time – happy days.  A quick check of the internet revealed positive reviews and not to many negatives… it seemed to be a goer.

Considering we nearly got divorced last time we set up a tent, the investment in an easy to assemble camper trailer alternative seemed to be wise.  Without a second thought we were putting down a deposit and arranging pick up for the next day.  Then off to the butchers, fishmongers and grocer shop for six weeks of essential supplies!!!

I had scheduled 2 hours for the pick up of the camper trailer…. this unfortunately turned into about 4 because of course the Rangy last towed the boat which means that the trailer socket got full of salt water which of course I had not rinsed off, because I was preoccupied with the fact that Bill had fallen over and broken his wrist… so that long winded story meant that we needed a new trailer socket.  The Rangy being a Rangy means no-one but Rangy can touch the electrics, so the kind man at the camper van shop just wired a whole new plug…. now we have two!!!

So the electrics worked and we went to hitch up and now the tow bar was not the right type so we had to do a lightening trip around town, no 4×4 shop had the right one, apparently a specialist item which needed special order and the handing over over a couple of hundred dollars.  A last ditch stop at Supercheap revealed the tower we needed as a stock item for under $100.  Amazing balls!!!!!

So we picked up the mean camper trailer!!!

Sunday morning was spent loving packing spices, my favourite knives, the SCOBY mother and other essentials like scented candles etc etc.  Followed by Sunday afternoon were we just threw all other essentials like clothing, sheets and went-bix in a massive pile in the back of the car with the promise to sort them out on the trip.

We filled the water tanks, hitched up and were off to join the grey nomads on the open road, heading for warmer weather.

For those interested in a quick review of how we found our new camper trailer here are the pro’s and con’s so far.

 

 

 

Pro’s

• The OPUS is a relatively cheap camper trailer ($20,000 to $28,000) with good off road credentials
• Lots of storage, of a sensible size.
• Easy to put up, literally one person and 10 – 15 mins after pulling up you will be sitting down and drinking a glass of wine
• Easy to tow, 110kms an hr up the highway with no issues and handled sandy and rocky roads with ease.

Con’s

• The beds are midget size, I am 5′ 2″ and I can stretch out on the ‘double’ bed, any taller and you will need to sleep with legs bent.
• The mattresses provided are hard, super firm.  You will need to go straight to Clarks Rubber and get a new mattress.
• There is not a great seal between the canvas and the trailer when it is put up, meaning entry sites for midges and mosquitos.