Palm Beach Tourist Park, I have stayed here many times and the feel of the place is fantastic. You are warmly greeted when you enter the office, by either of the two owners; I think that is the main difference between these two parks. Palm Beach just feels like a home away from home, they are much more relaxed about things and they give you the benefit of the doubt when it comes to there cabins.

What do I mean by that, well there budget cabins have a well postioned deck and out door chairs and table for you to use to soak up the atmosphere, but are less decorated inside than the Tallebudgera Park but they will not charge you for cleaning unless you leave the cabin in a mess, a twenty dollar key bond is also required. But you have that retuened to you when you return the cabin key. The budget cabins are suited to 4 people with a double bed and two bunks, they have all the kitchen facilities including jug, toaster microwave, TV, cutlery and even washing up liquid. They give you a lot more for a lot less at Palm Beach. The only thing you will have to bring here is linen and the food and drink that you eat, although they will provide linen for you at a cost.

As for the cost of the cabins well, they are $70 dollar for 2 adults and just $5 dollars for children. If you are camping you are able to get powered sites for $25 dollars a day and if you have a motorhome you will pay the same amount unless you have aircon in the RV then you will pay $5 dollars extra per nite.

They also have the security gate at the entrance of the park and 4 pools to choose from and a BBQ area with gas operation. And you are a quick walk from the beach if you prefer the ocean to the pools. If you have to be camping or in a motorhome there is a massive area for this as well, also having three large amenities in different locations for the campers to use which are key operated. If you have the choice and you want a comfortable stay without burning a hole in your pocket I would have to recommend Palm beach tourist park.

Palm Beach will also arrange storage of your motorhome in safe surroundings unto $27.50 a week or 110 per month (please check there current prices online), you will even be able to keep your fridge or freezer running for the duration of your stay from $47.50 a week or 190 per month. There website is listed below for your convenience.

http://www.palmpark.com.au/new/xmas.html 

Enjoy your travels on the Gold Coast.

Choosing your Rv or Motorhome; Solar Systems

Hello again,  I am back to try and shed some light on choosing your Rv or Motorhome Solar System. This will include what equipment you will need.

(such as; Batteries, Charger controllers, Inverters, Solar panels the types of these and what I am currently using in my setup).

Terms used:

Voltage – Weather you are running at 12/24 volt or 240volt
Amps – Current draw of the unit you are running per hr
Charger Controller – A device that sends power from the solar panels to the battery banks.
Inverter – Makes 12 volts into 240volt (house supply)

First and foremost you need to determine what you are going to run on your solar system. To do this you need to make a list of the equipment you’re wanting to run and what power type they are/or require (i.e. 12 volt or 240 volt).

Hardware Voltage Required   

Here is some of my list to help you on your way:

LCD TV 23 inch.                         12 volt    
Wayco Fridge freezer              12/24 volt/240 volt   
500 watt Pure Inverter          12 volt
LED lights x 8                              12 volt

You may have more on your list but that does not matter at all.  What you want to have in your motorhome is why we are all different you can have what ever you want in your RV as long as you match the solar system output to the equipment you wish to run. It is also best to over estimate the power usage of your system as degrading of amps can occur if you have long runs in the conduit (wires to and from the solar panels and your batteries). Simply just follow the formula and advice below and you wont have any worries. 

You then have to find out how many watts each of the units will use:

For instant the Wayco fridge of mine uses 65 watts to run so all we need to do is divide our 65 watts by the voltage we want to use, which in this case is 12 volts and you get 5.4 amps per hour.

See the figure below:

65 watts
———-     =  5.4 Amps per Hr
12 volts

If you are unable to use this formula please click on the link below it will take you to a Watts into Amps converter page it is very simple to use just add the voltage and the watts into the correct boxes and it will calculate the AMPS for you.

 http://www.supercircuits.com/resources/tools/Volts-Watts-Amps-Converter

* Special Note: I cant find what watts my unit uses?

No problem, if you cant find the watts perhaps the AMPS are already listed on the unit instead. If this fails do a search on the model number of the unit in your internet browser, most websites will give you the specs of the unit online.

Building your Rv motorhome Solar system

Once you have done this for all the things you wish to run on your solar system we can now look at sourcing Charger controllers and batteries for your system. A good place to start is by taking the AMPS from the list above. Lets say that number comes to 15 AMPS what we then do is get a charger controller that will exceed that 15 amp limit. I chose the Blue Sky SB3024DI Multi Power Point Tracking (MPPT)  unit rated at 30 amps. Multi power point tracking simple put, loses less power from the solar panels, hence gaining more power for the batteries.

There are other types of charger controllers on the market which are simply x on/x off or pulse controllers. These types on controllers will do the job, but they will only charge the batteries to 14.4 volts and then switch off. Which can cause issues in the long run for the batteries. They cannot sense what voltage you have an the batteries, hence they may over charge a lead acid battery causing the electrolite to evaporate or turn into sulpur oxide. (may explode if it comes in contact with a naked flame).

If you have the money go with the Multi Power Point Tracking option.

If you want to know more about multi point tracking click on the Page below:

http://www.solaronline.com.au/blue-sky-energy-sb3024di-mppt-regulator.html

The solar panels

Coming up soon!

(sorry all hand got tired and am resting it on ice)around a tin labeled beer).

Calliope free campsite is situated just one kilometer off the main A1 highway west of Gladstone and south of Rockhampton, it has a massive area for both tent sites and Rv or Motorhomes alike. Calliope`s camp grounds are scattered covered with shade by surrounding trees as well as having spots so that you may charge those batteries for your solar systems. Weather you are interested in just stopping for the night or two this place has many things to see and do like; great bush walks, miles of river to explore and wildlife if you are interested in birds. Also just 2 k`s from the Calliope crossroads for fuel and supplies.

I took my SL200 man bus that I have converted in a motorhome and that is 11.4 meters in length and 2.2 meters wide and had no problem fitting in, also my parents have a Hino truck and tralier that they have also converted and that is a total of 19.4 meters they also had no trouble getting into calliope, there is a road that runs the entire outside of  calliope camp ground and sites are easy accessible from that road. Also there is no need to turn around if you think you may have trouble doing doing so, just mearly follow the road around again to the exit. 

Plenty of nature to enjoy and explore in, this place is a great stepping stone if you are heading further up north and need the time to rest and recharge beofre heading off again. Dont forget to check out the calliope historical village and the museum is just of the bruce highway north. Check it out you never know what gems you  might find. So pack a lunch and head on up for the weekend stay the night enjoy the piece and quite, have a fish and relax.

Note: You will find the calliope campsite in the camps 4 and 5 booklets in the Queensland section for more detailed directions.

If you are interested in fishing then cast a line out in the river and try your luck. Boats and kayaks are welcomed in the park so don’t forget to pack your swimmers so that you can enjoy the lovely scenery alone the river side.

Plenty of bins are provided by the local council ane are located in several handy spots for you to deposit that rubbish, they are empty regularly and lawns are keep down and well presented.

Calliope free campsite Amenities:

Plenty of shade
Plenty of space for big rigs
Riverside camping
Toilets Mens and womens
Under cover seating
Access to river

 
The Beachside Caravan Park is located right on the ocean approximately 100k`s east from Rockhampton queensland, Australia.. Accommodation ranged from $18 to $22 dollars for a powered site a night, suitable for 10 meter vehicles or less. You will have a nice contrete slab to place your outdoor furniture or park on if it gets a bit wet. The grounds were well maintained when we stayed, all rubbish bins were empted.

The caretaker was very obliging as, he stated that we were able to have a look at the site to make sure that Rv would fit in to the available spot prior to booking in. The camp site itself was very well set out giving a lot of space between the rv and motorhomes and it was so peaceful that we stayed another couple of nights - un planed.  

So in my opinion bring your caravan or motorhome and if you are not so inclined you are most welcome to still enjoy the camping experience tenting. Cabins were also availble on the beach front for $100 dollars and up but please check for correct on and off peak times.  And when you sit out of an evening, make sure you take in the breath taking views of the beach below and enjoy the sun and surf just a short walk across the beautifull white sand.  After your dip there are many BBQ areas with free gas BBQs and plenty of seating and cover from the sun.  

Yeppoon itself has many things to experience like cafes, clubs and boutiques for your shopping pleasure, If you wish to get out and let your hair down for a night of dancing and dining with fine wine, this might just be the place for you.
If you’re interested in motorsport however, what would be better than to visit The Peter Brock Experience. See the old LC six cylinder Torana XU1 that Peter Brock drove to victory at Bathurst over the larger and more common V8 Falcons of the time, all the way through to the awesome A9X and the first of the commodores, a true treat for the whole family just minutes away.

Beachside Caravan Park Yeppoon Amenities:

BBQs (gas)
Toilets
Under cover seating
Men’s and women’s Separate Hot showers
Laundry mat (3 dollars a load) Dryers, Irons

 
Kenilworth is situated 1 hour north of Brisbane along the tourist drive through the picturesque rolling hills of the surrounding area. The town has cafes, parks, and restaurants and all the other necessities in order to stock up those depleting motorhomes pantry and fridges.

If you like your meat as much as I do then you can’t go past the local butcher; I would recommend trying the chicken snitzel and or the T bone steak. These have always been of great size and quality. The other wonder of Kenilworth is the town owned cheese factory, which is a must not just for the cheese but other dairy products as well, like yogurts, and many other local products.

Enjoy your stay there as well as free taste testing of the cheeses and maybe catch the free demonstration on what goes on behind the closed doors with there cheese making viewing platform.

If you are looking for somewhere to cool of why not take a walk down to the river and take a dip in the mountain spring water, very refreshing indeed.

Kenilworth accommodation:

 
Need a place to stay at Kenilworth, try the show grounds on Elizabeth street for $10 a night on there powered sites. This provides a quiet area to relax and unwind taking in the atmosphere of this friendly little town.

Other accommodation in the area if you are looking for somewhere to stay for free, just 1-2k out of town just past the bikers café is a Freebee site  little yabba creek picnic area you can park up overnight. The amenities little yabba creek has are toilets, unfortunately no drinking water or showers, but lets face it what do you want for free.

This is ideal or Rv`s and motorhomes that have solars systems for lighting and an on board water supplys. If you have a shower you will be living the high life indeed.

Amenities:

Suitable for big rigs, Rvs and motorhomes

Men’s and women’s Separate Hot showers
Toilets
Swimming Pool (small cost required)
Laundry mat 500 meters from the park (3 dollars a load)
Dump site

No matter what type or style of motorhome or RV that you decide on there are a couple of things that you will need to think about taking with you on your wanderings. Weather you have the best solar panels that money can buy and a battery system to backup all the appliances that you are running, the best thing to take with you is a good quality generator.

Now there are a lot of generators on the market and many types of them as well. The most common types in rv`s and motorhomes are run on Petrol or Diesel.

Finding the right Generator for your needs:

Make sure that you consult a dealer for the best generator to choose for your needs.  One of the main things to consider is type and watt size of your generator. All you need to do, to get this right, is make a list of your equipment you are running in you motorhome and show this to youre local generator dealer and they will find the best unit to suit your needs.

But here is a rough guide to help you in the right direction. Please check the lists below for types and general uses of each of the types listed:

I have the Scorpion 2300watt pure magnet generator in my bus, it is not the quietest generator on the market but compared to the GMC there is a major difference. The 2300 watt that I have will power all LCD tvs and powertools alike. It has a 10 litre petrol tank and will give you 10 hours of running on a tank of fuel.

The motor in my scorpion in the 6.5 HP mitsubishi and this is very easy to start compared to the GMC version of the same type. I purschased mine from Repco, but there are other dealers if you dont wish to purchase from them.

Make and Types of Generators:

Some of the more well known house hold brands of generators are Honda, Dunlite, Yamaha, Scorpion and GMC.

Most of these produce the pure sine/pure magnet types.

Pure/sine wave – pure magnet Generators:

If you are going to run equipment like laptop and desktop computers, set top boxes, LED/LCD TVs, Vcr`s and DVD recorders  it is best to have what is called a pure magnet/Pure sine wave generator, without getting to technical this just means that it will give your equipment a constant power supply at 240volt.

Modified sine wave generators:

These types of generators are used primarly for fridges, rear projection tvs, power tools that are not so sensitive to a rise or fall in the voltage. Some of these types of generators have AVR (auto voltage recovery) this system will try and keep the voltage as close to 240 volts as posible, but it still not as good or as reliable as Pure sine wave.

The other thing to have with these types of generators is what’s called a uninterrupted power supply (UPS for short) this will maintain the power supply and stop any other damage being caused by the generator running out of fuel.

Using and storing the right fuel for you generator:

And that brings me to the next important thing on the list FUEL weather that be diesel or petrol, you will always want to carry at least 20 litres of either fuel handy just incase you find yourself in the middle of no where (which happens quite a lot in Australia). The containers are well marked now a days with yellow and or red.

The Red containers are for Petrol and the Yellow are for diesel.

This makes the likely hood of putting the wrong fuel in your generator or heaven forbid your RV,  much less likely.

Hope this helps you chose the right generator for youre rv-motorhome.

In order to cure or season your camping oven all you will need to do is follow the 3 simple steps below.  The oven will need to be cured prior to use, as this stops any of the internal surfaces from rusting and contaminating the food within.

Why do we need to season or cure our camp ovens from new?. Good question, the answer is curing  the surface of the camp oven is very important in order to stop any rusting of the cooking surfaces. This will ensure that youre oven lasts for many happy cooking years.

Step 1) Seasoning or curing youre Camp oven:

Wash the camp oven with hot soapy water in order to remove the any packaging firm, this will prepair the camp oven for the heating stage.

Step 2) How do we season or cure our camp oven for use:

This is a very simple step indeed, all we need to do is remove the camping ovens protective coating, to do this we place it in the oven at 250 degress celcius (remove after 10 minutes with oven gloves) then  cover with solidified oil both inside and outside of the oven, put it back in the oven at 250 celcius until it starts to smoke and changes colour the colour you are after here is a nice burnt black.

Note: If you don`t have an oven or you are  in the great out doors just place it in the fire to complete steps 1 and 2.

Step 3)   

Make sure that you cover the entire camp oven with the grease supplied by the camping store after you have compled the above steps. This will lubricate the surfaces and stop any degrading both internal and external.

Once you have done this step you are ready to cook. 

My review of this product

Which brings me to another must have when you’re out there enjoying your camping experience and dinner time rolls around. I like to break out the 4.5 quart camping oven. In my opinion it has to be one of the best things for cooking a full roast meal in just hours, while still enjoying the wilderness, wandering and exploring.

One of the things I have found with my oven was that you can put them on the fire and walk away, see the sights and when you get back you have a full roast meal there waiting for you, truly awesome. The only down side that I have found is that they are a pain if you don’t clean them straight away or just plan don’t want to.  But the food that they produce and the taste are out of this world.

For prices and availability please check out the site below:

Click Here To Enter Camping R Us And View Products.

When Nature Calls use a Thetford Porta Potti 365:

Why do I use the thetford porta potti 365?  Well no one likes to be caught short and no where to go,  and when you really need to go, there is only one thing you should be thinking about, the Thetford porta potti 365 is a must for your camping kit. 

 The Thetford is compact enough to sit in any postion and is very descrete, although it havs a compact design the creature comforts of a full size (home) tolilet are still there to be had, I have this Porta Potti in my motorhome and have found it to be very robust and easy to use and clean.

When it comes to breaking down the waste, Biomagic seems to be the best product that I have used to break it down, it has a lovely smell that does kill those odours and it is safe for the environment and septic tanks. It seems to have this uncanny ability to lubricate rubber seals of the system too.

How to use your thetford Porta Potti 365:

After you have removed your Porta Potti from the box locate the release tab and separate the two tanks and lid assembly, Remove the thetford sample bottle and put aside if you are using Biomagic. One you have separted these two tanks follow the steps below:

1: With your finger place a small amout of biomagic around the seal on the top of the waste tank. (to do this pull the handle at the front of the unit) once you have lubricated the seal make sure to close the handle again. 

2:  Then simply grab the lower tank and remove the screw lid from the waste exit pipe (should be located on top of the waste tank) then twist the pipe towards the outside of the tank. Place the tank on its end with the waste pipe facing upwards. Pour 2 litres of water in to the waste tank exit pipe and then add up to 100mils of biomagic.

3: Screw on the waste pipe lid, twist pipe back into the centre of the waste tank and lock together the waste and rinse water tank.

4: Remove the plastic from the seat. Remove the rinse water tank screw and fill with 15 lirtes of water and up to 50 mils of biomagic. Note: the more you use here the less smell you will have, and it will help keep the seal lubricated as we did in step 1.

5: Replace the rinse lid, test the flushing plunger and wawy you go.

Thetford Porta Potti 365 Features:

- 15 litre rinse tank capacity

- 20 litre Waste tank capacity

- robust plunger flusing system

- split body and Rotating empting spout

- ergonomic carry handle for that trip to the dump site

 (all parts are available from your local Thetford dealer camping stores)

Materials and tools needed for this section:

- Solder
- Conduit
- Socket set
- Cable Ties
- Multimeter
- Heat Shrink
- Wire strippers
- Soldering Iron
- Ring eye terminals
- Red and black wire, 40 amps (battery cable)
- 35 amp inline auto reset-able fuse 12volt.

- *Note: Battery of suitable size and type – should be the same AMP hrs as the original

Choosing the battery type:

Hi again, and welcome to the next level of installs for your RV or Motorhome. Here we need to understand three things before we start.

1. The battery must be the same type i.e. lead acid (wet type) or the more common AGM (Absorbed Glass Matt Battery type) these are true deep cycle batteries. Some examples of these are Concord and Full River. There is also a GEL battery type on the market.
2. The batteries must be the same AMP hours i.e. 80 amp/hrs or 120 amp/hrs and the same type.
3. Always measure the area that you have so that the batteries will fit without rubbing or pulling on the wiring and the battery cases.

Locating the Battery:

Please make sure that if you are using the (wet type) battery as in sulfuric acid type, you have these mounted outside the cabin or living space as these batteries give off hazardous fumes that can cause harm to humans and can explode if exposed to naked flames.

The other types AGM, GEL batteries can be mounted in the cabin or living space, and these are the type of batteries that I would recommend to use in this application as they are true deepcycle. The main reason for this is that deepcycle batteries can last longer then normal batteries and are designed to be maintained (charged) by solar systems.

Also you are able to mount them anywhere and you won’t have worry to about fumes. Once you have found an appropriate spot for the batteries, it is time to add them to your system.

How to add the battery in parallel to your system:

Please see the diagram below on how to install/add your new battery to your solar system.

It is very simple to do this, and all we need is two cables. The cables will be made up from your RED and BLACK battery cable and ring eye terminals as listed above. All we do is trim off enough cable of each colour so that it reaches from the positive on the first battery to the positive on the second battery.

Then we strip the wires, grab our heat shrink and slip that onto the cable at both ends then fix our terminals with our terminal pliers. Then just slide the heat shrink up the terminal and use our heat gun to melt it to the wire and the terminal. Then fit conduit to the cable to cover the wire and the base of the terminal (this will be yellow in colour). Please repeat this process for the negative cable.

Connecting the batteries to your charger controller:

*Note: Leave the Positive from the charger controller detached from the positive battery terminal at this stage.

From your charger controller there will be two wires, one being positive and one negative. Attach the Negative to the Negative terminal on the second battery (as stated in the diagram above). Please note that all your accessories will have to be hooked up in this manner also i.e. (TV, radio, fridge, and inverter). Now before you connect the positive to the first battery please make sure that you have at least a 30amp auto reset-able fuse at 12volt, inline on the positive side between the charger controller and the batteries.

Once you have done this, you can now fit the positive cables.

Testing the Solar System:

Once all your leads are connected we take our Multimeter select DC voltage from the settings and put the red lead on the positive of the first battery and the Black lead on the negative of the second battery. What you should be seeing is 12.5volts on your meter.

If the charger controller is operating i.e. showing 4 to 25 amps you should then see what is showing on the charger controller LED display (if you have one, and most do) lets say 14.4volts for example. This shows that both batteries are being charged and you have hooked things up correctly.

Then all you do is check your accessories and your done, very simple.

Check back later for more Install/repairs.

Lake Dyer is one of those places where you just don’t want to go home from, close enough to the city but still has, that out in the middle of no where feel about it. I stayed a short 7 days. But it was very quite and I had a great sleep, truly a great place to unwind. The people that take care of the park are great, easy to talk to, laid back happy kind of people. Nothing seems to much hassle and they actually listen to you, a rare thing indeed.

I would recommend giving them a call a planning a trip.

When you have revitalized it is just a short 1k trip to the town centre, should you require supplies, fuel, water or just go some where for dinner, if you choose not to cook.

Location:

The RV Camp at Lake Dyer is situated 6 k’s off the warrego highway at Laidley. Just continue through town over a train crossing and a small bridge till you hit forest rd on your right, then proceed for another 1k and then take the lake dyer turn off on your next left. Total k`s from Brisbane CBD would be around 80k.

Accommodation Available:

Large powered RV powered sites that will take at least 16 meters in length, (call them for complete list of  measurements). Tents sites, No cabins, Long or short term stays.

Amenities:

Locked Gates, No dump site, (but one is provided in the town centre), Hot Showers/Disabled, Toilets/Disabled, Gas BBQs, Kids playground, Plenty of seat shade, access to Lake Dyer.

TV reception:

Tested on a Omni 3000, and HD digital Tuner you will get most channels only ones I had trouble with was ABC2 all the other main channels were fine.

Special:

Listed in the camps 4 and 5 Editions