Fuel $9,800
Food $8,600
Accommodation $8,100
Entertainment $8,000
In total recorded expenses were $34,500 but I can honestly
say it was closer to $70,000. I would never take on a trip like this without
having at least $52,000 in the bank. It’s realistic to cover things going wrong
(new car fridge $1,200) and expensive once in a lifetime experiences like the Horizontal Water
Falls Tour $1,835. Why would you come all this way and not have the cash to do
these amazing things as you probably won’t ever be here to get the chance again.
Fuel - This was our biggest expense! It was so expensive
($2.20 ltr) in some of the small outback towns, we carried two fuel jerries and
topped these up in the cheaper areas whenever possible.
Food - This was our next biggest expense! We hardly ever ate
out, making all our snacks and lunches each morning and taking them with us on
any day trips. I also cooked every night in the van utilising produce purchased
from the side of the road and fish whenever we were able to catch it or had it
given to us. Again we bought up big in the larger towns, and avoided the
smaller towns. Keeping a menu, and planning meals made this easier.
Accommodation – This could have been heaps lower if we had
not had Scarlett along with us. Having an only child, and one so young, meant
that we always went to big van parks with pools and playgrounds every other week
or so for her to socialize. There are so many free camps out there that are
beautiful, and Shane and I (had it just been the two of us) would have stayed
many more nights at them. Our favourite free camps included – Gregory Downs
Free Camp just outside Lawn Hill NT, Mary Pool Rest Area NT and Spring Creek
Rest area NT where we left our van for the day while exploring the Bungle
Bungles.Gregory Downs Free Camp |
The best caravan park was Cairns Coconut Resort, where Scarlett had an awesome time in their cool pools, playgrounds and Water Park. Followed by the Whitsundays Big 4, where we had a membership card giving quite a good discount on multiple night stays. We also invested in a Top Tourist Parks membership card giving us good discounts in their parks too.
Cairns Coconut Resort |
Horizontal Waterfalls |
So what were our top 10 most favourite things?
1. Fraser Island2. Horizontal Water Falls
3. Karijini National Park
4. Ayres Rock
5. Kakadu
6. Coral Bay
7. Margaret River
8. Cervantes9. Kangaroo Island
10. Bremer Bay
So when you add up the van ($42,000), the car ($28,000), and the
expenses ($70,000); we could easily have made a great headway into a mortgage……but in the
end it’s only money, and the experiences and time spent together as a family….PRICELESS
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