Day 1 Wednesday 4 April Flight to Perth

 Dash off from work at 3.15pm to get the Skybus to the airport for our flight to Perth. Bit frantic, but we made it in plenty of time. We had booked a hostel 500m from the depot to make for a quick turn-around in the morning. Despite the stray cockroaches it was perfectly pleasant…

Day 2 Thursday 5 April Perth to Kalbarri

Up early we headed to the Apollo depot for opening at 8am. We were the first ones there which was good as we had a long drive ahead – 6 hours to Kalbarri. We stopped off at Gingin on the way to stock up the fridge and discovered how friendly the WA locals are as they proudly told us about their first ever ATM. Today was by far the longest day of driving, but we made it into Kalbarri in time to go to the Rainbow Jungle, which is a parrot sanctuary. Into Kalbarri itself we found our campsite in no time and the fridge had done a great job of chilling the beer. It went down great with the first campervan cooked meal of bangers & mash… a great first night, with a lovely walk to watch the sunset by the foreshore.

Day 3 Friday 6 April Kalbarri to Denham

We got up this morning to go and see the Pelican feeding on the foreshore, but unfortunately they weren’t playing ball. We then drove into the National Park and had a quick dip in the Murchison River Gorge. The roads were starting to get more remote and we had to double back at one point when we realised just how far it was between petrol stations. Arriving at the campsite in Denham we had been given a sea view which was just beautiful. Being able to open the rear door and look out over the ocean was very special.

Day 4 Saturday 7 April Denham (Monkey Mia)

Up very early this morning to go and see the dolphins at Monkey Mia. After accommodating a few stray emus on the short drive, three dolphins came into the beach for feeding. They got really close with one of the younger ones, Samu spending a lot of time playing near us which was great. It was really hotting up so we were looking forward to our wildlife boat encounter. We spotted more dolphins, some dugongs and turtles and also got a go at boom netting. This is where they lower you into the water and dragged you along behind the boat – which was great fun, although we did get told about the population of Tiger Sharks once it was too late to get out…

Day 5 Sunday 8 April Denham to Carnarvon

Today we set off along the Heritage route to Carnarvon, past Eagle Bluff and Shell Beach. At Shell Beach we spotted a sea snake which must have been over 1.5m long. Not sure if they were venomous or not, so we quickly took a photo and got out of the water a.s.a.p. Arriving in Carnarvon we had a walk along the One Mile Jetty and wanted to visit the OTC dish but unfortunately this was closed. It was very hot again so after a quick dip in the pool we settled down for the evening with a cold beer and tested our camp stove cooking with tacos!

Day 6 Monday 9 April Carnarvon to Exmouth (via Coral Bay)

Today was my birthday. After about a two and a half hour drive we arrived in Coral Bay where Mitch has organised an ATV / snorkel tour. This was lots of fun and we were up and down sand dunes before arriving at a deserted snorkel spot called five fingers. The visibility was amazing and because today was seriously hot there really was no better way than spending an hour in the sun. We saw heaps of fish and some really amazing coral. We were then taken to a spot on the cliffs where you can look down in the water and spot turtles so clearly it could be an aquarium. We then drove on to Exmouth and our campsite where we would spend the next three nights.

Day 7 Tuesday 10 April Exmouth

Yet again we were up extra early as we had booked a whale shark trip. Once on board we were taken to a snorkelling spot where we fish spotted for about 35 minutes before a very hearty morning tea and patiently awaiting the first whale shark sighting. When it happened we were in group one, and were herded into the water just in time to see an enormous 5m, 5 tonne whale shark glide by. We only got 30 seconds to begin with before it was the other groups turn but we got 2 more swims with this whale shark, who didn’t seem to mind us at all. Another one was spotted, but whilst still harmless he had been caught up in a fishing line so he was a bit less keen to swim with us. We got five swims in total, which was incredibly tiring, but an amazing experience, we seemed so tiny next to them.

Day 8 Wednesday 11 April Exmouth

Today we got a lie in until 7.30am, which seemed very luxurious given our string of early mornings. We set off to explore Exmouth which included attempting the drift snorkel at Turquoise Bay, visiting the lighthouse and off to see the cattle ship wreck of HMAS Mildura before heading back to Exmouth for a game of mini golf.

 Day 9 Thursday 12 April Exmouth to Carnarvon

Today we had to retrace our steps and head back to Carnarvon. We stopped by Coral Bay again though for another snorkel, this time straight off the beach, followed by some lunch. This was one of our favourite snorkels as it was amazingly clear and no current at all so we could just bob around and enjoy the view. It was great having the van on these occasions as our lunch would be in the fridge and within minutes we could be having a lovely picnic. We got back to Carnarvon and headed to one of the fruit plantations as Mitch was desperate to try a chocolate covered frozen banana. Mission accomplished it was time for our five minutes of fame. We met Ashleigh from the local paper back at the One Mile Jetty, who took our photo with the van and interviewed us about our trip and the competition win.

Day 10 Friday 13 April Carnarvon to Geraldton

Today was the start of a couple of longer drives to get us back to Perth. We had to get to Geraldton today, but we made a lunch stop in Northampton and visited the most haunted property in the state, the Oakabella homestead.

Day 11 Saturday 14 April Geraldton to Perth

Today we were driving from Geraldton to Perth to drop the van off by 4pm, but were determined to fit some fun things in so we made a detour to see the Pinnacles in the Nambung National park. This was a great stop off and we took heaps of photos before driving the last leg back to Perth. Determined to get the most out of the last day we stopped by a winery in the Swan Valley to get a bottle of wine to take home and drink whilst remembering our trip.

DAVID FELTON

We found the perfect location amongst the beautiful flowering Jacaranda trees on the Brisbane River. We set up the scene and to make sure our models were looking good.  I even had to swap shirts with one of the models because it worked better for the photo. I was happy to though as the photos turned out brilliantly.

The photos will hit mX newspapers across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane so keep an eye out!

Don’t forget to head to www.facebook.com/hippiecampers to enter the Hippie Camper Get Refreshed Competition. Hurry entries close November 30^th!

It was time to get our hands dirty and to help those people with rebuilding their houses. We started off digging mud out of the houses. Our team was split up in a “digging team” and a “Carry away team”, which worked very efficiently.  After a lot of sweating, hard working and removing a lot of mud we went over to the next house. The Government has given people living in the valley a land swap agreement where they can swap their block of land in the valley for one on the hill provided they cover the costs of moving their home up on to the hill! So we helped a lovely man and his family disassemble his house literally brick by brick, roof tile by roof tile.

We stacked roof tiles on pallets with the radio blaring and cool drinks on offer.   After hours of stacking/dragging tiles, cleaning and detaching wooden planks from the roofing  our workday came to an end.   It was fantastic to help out and I’ve never appreciated a cold drink from the Hippie fridge or the air conditioning of the Hippie Camper more!

We encourage all Hippies young and not so young to get out and volunteer for such a great cause!!  To register for a volunteering session just contact the lovely Casie on: lockyervalleyfloodrecoveryvolunteers@hotmail.com and let her know if you want to do a half day 9-12pm or full day 9am -3pm shift. They’re there every Sunday and they’d love your help.

Simply tell us in 25 words or less where you’d take your new look Hippie Camper to get refreshed and you could win free flights and a 10 day Hippie Camper hire complete with all the mod cons needed for a chilled out road trip.

So what do ya get????

• The Prize:
  • Return flights from major capital cities in Australia for 2
  • 10 day Hippie Camper Deluxe Hire
  • Free camp chairs and table, gas bottle and GPS

Valued up to $4,000 (Terms and conditions are available on the website)

So what are you waiting for – Jump on Facebook and enter today!!!!

www.facebook.com/hippiecampers

Some months later and just a short taxi ride from the airport we finally picked up our Hippie Camper in Sydney, needless to say how excited we were to finally hit the road. Our first destination were the impressive Blue Mountains just a one drive out of the city. If you are heading there, get a map from the info centre and drive to some of the remote spots away from the mayor tourist bus stops. The landscape is beautiful, you can go for different walks or a swim in a creek and there is hardly anyone else around.

After our relaxed start, we drove south to Canberra visiting some of the cities free museums and the Australian parliament. Overall the city was worth stopping over, but it’s not a place you would like to spend all your holidays in. So we continued our journey towards Melbourne, stopping for lunch in the country town of Albury. Our Hippie Camper scored some brownie points with a local shop owner and some entertaining stories about road tripping and a free meal later we departed to Melbourne.

Unfortunately we underestimated the caravan park situation in the city and had to make some phone calls before finding a nice park in Coburg not too far out of the CBD. The following day we left our Coburg base by public transport to discover one of Australia’s most amazing cities, and trust me there is a lot to discover. Within the city centre, it is the most convenient to take a walking tour or hop on the free tram which takes you from the CBD to all the big sports facilities,  the Docklands and lots of other good places. My personal recommendation for the city is the Eureka Skydesk, a skyscraper lookout with memorable views over the whole city.

Two days later we left Victoria’s capital with many new friends, photos and big city impressions to spend a day in Phillip Island. Even though the island is populated, it still seems to be a place with a lot of nature and some great wildlife (wallabies, penguins, koalas, wombats and all kinds of birds), some of it in nice wildlife parks. Having ticked off some island fun off our list, we spend the night in Geelong to start one of the must dos in Down Under on the next day: The Great Ocean Road.

If you have been in Australia and haven’t done it, come back and make sure you do it self driving! We took two days for our experience of a road, I would rate the most attractive I have ever travelled. There are so many places to stop (almost every car park is worth it), go down to the ocean, or hike/drive up a mountain (Apollo Bay is quite awesome for that), the possibilities are numerous. We felt the biggest advantage in having our own camper was to be able to take the roads less travelled (e. g. Cape Otway Lighthouse or Triplet Falls Park).

From the ocean we went inland to the mountain ranges of the Grampians National Park. Just the drive to Halls Gap, where we made camp, would have been worth it as we were driving through the most original Australian towns with just a couple of hundred inhabitants.

All the driving made us want to go for some serious hiking and you bet the Grampians are the right place for that. Impressive rock formations, breathtaking views until the horizon and pure natural pools inviting for a swim, in other words we had a stunning time.

As time is flying by when you are having a good time, we started to make our way back east towards the coast, driving past Melbourne and spending the night in the chilled out coastal town of Lakes Entrance. Two days later which were packed with some nice national parks and sunny hours at beaches we arrived back into Sydney. At the start and end point of our journey we put the icing on the cake by visiting the Sydney icons Bondi Beach, Botanic Gardens, Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. And after precisely 3,512 kilometres it was time to waive our loyal and fun loving companion goodbye: Thank you Hippie Camper we will take you for another journey soon!

Now let me ask you a few questions. Do you like partying? Do you like to have a good time with your friends? Do you like to take your mind away with your favorite music? Then the festivals in Australia, which are held throughout the whole year, are the one and only thing you can’t miss out.

Most of the festivals start in December/January when the summer starts. DJ’s from all over the world are attending and even people from all over the world are going to these events. The weather will be nice; a lot of people around you, the music is loud, drinking your favorite drink without worrying about who will drive home, camping and much more fun!

If you like Reggae and Dub music then the Reggaefest in Byron Bay is perfect for you. If you don’t know yet where you would like to spend new years then maybe you should consider the Pyramid Rock Festival or the Peats Ridge with your friends. Most of these festivals are going for more then 1 day and the tickets include free camping. How else is a better way to spend your festival days then with a Hippie Camper? You don’t have to build up your own tent, or worry about how to cook your food.

Hippie Camper; perfect for two people to sleep in and nice to chill in with a few friends after you have partied hard at the festival. Time to rest and sleep! In the morning cooking some nice breakfast, and wash the dishes. All is possible with the Hippie Camper.

A very important tip is to bring an esky along as you probably will not be able to plug into mains power. This will limit the time for the fridge to work in the Hippie Camper. That is when the esky comes in handy. Another useful tip is to keep in mind that you book early at Hippie Camper. The earlier you book the better, and if you would like to save some money it would also be cheaper. This will reduce your total costs. Another very important thing is to be safe and check the vehicle before you leave. Make sure everything is stored well, and the van is locked properly.

Furthermore it is all about enjoying and having a good time! No worries as they say in Australia.

Cheers,

Marsha Aulette H.

Lesley Van Loo captured this incredible photo of a Kea flying away from her Hippie, and we gave her a digital camera for her efforts.

Alex Krasinsky put in a mammoth effort with his 74 day “Crossing Oz” blog. Alex scored a video recorder, as well as heartfelt admiration from the Hippie team! Please check out the blog if you have a chance, it is a detailed travel-log which really offers an in-depth insight in to what it means to travel Australia (whether you choose a campervan or not).

Here’s one of the highlights from Alex’s story:

After the short detour we set off in direction of Atherton. This drive turned out to be long, straight and soporific. Not long and the juicy green rainforest turned into red dirt and outback feeling.

In Tolga we actually took a turn and headed on a small and deserted road to Lake Tinaroo. There we got to go for a swim and sunbake a bit. Because it was getting late we decided to have a look at the Tinaroo Falls and look for a place to sleep, instead of continuing the drive to the other falls. Unfortunately the Tinaroo Falls werent ‘available’ because they were working on the dam. Although it kinda was waterfalldisasterday we kept driving and a beautiful part of the lake opened up in front of us.

You may have noticed that we have changed the prize structure to 1st, 2nd and 3rd, rather than allocating a specific prize to a type of entry. That way, no matter what your creative forte, you’ll have the opportunity to win any of the awesome prizes on offer.

“I´m a 19 year old girl looking for the best method to get from Cairns to Sydney with a friend. In these expensive days Hippie Camper would be the best way!”

Congratulations again Annika, we hope you have a great trip.

We also received some other great entries in the comp, which really reflect the love out there for road-tripping and for Hippie! Here are just a couple:

“I have always wanted to travel around Australia” – Corey

“there is no better way to see Oz!” – Louise

“While visiting from Canada I would like to see as much of the country as possible! Pick me!” – Christina

“I love to travel! Driving gets you in closer than bus tours + campers are fun!” – Robyn

The expo will be held at Town Hall, Sydney this year and over 200 travel companies will be exhibiting. It’s a great opportunity to research your next trip around Australia or abroad. There are also countless freebies and some awesome competitions.

The cost to attend is a measly 5 bucks – and you can score a 2 for 1 deal by joining the online Expo Community.

Hippie Camper will be there with flying colours. Representatives Mia and Elysha will be available to tell you everything you need to know about campervan rental in Australia or New Zealand. You can even book your trip at the expo if you’re super keen.

Also, since we love giving away free stuff at Hippie, we’ll also be GIVING AWAY a 7 day campervan holiday in Australia or New Zealand!! All you need to do is visit us at stand 28 and fill in a simple form telling us why you should win.

When you see this poster, you've found us.

We’re really looking forward to seeing you there very soon. Peace out.