Setting up our rig
I’ve divvied this bit up into stuff we bought and hoops we jumped through, I’ll do the last bit first but you can skip it if you prefer not to share our pain.
Hoops
It’s tricky to do anything without a permanent Australian address and it all feels a bit like chicken and egg scenario. If we had been at Ken’s he could have done a letter stating we lived at his but we needed an S.A. address to sort out the vehicles. So we had to get a letter, signed by the proprietor of the Belair campsite, stating that we were resident there (albeit for only a week) to be able to apply for S.A. drivers licences. Although not strictly necessary, these are more widely accepted forms of ID than either passports or UK licences. The queueing at the S.A Government Service Centre was painful and it took 90 minutes to process our application.
We had to register the Troopy and the Kimberly in person initially then changes can be made on line. Had we been in Vic, we would have gone into the Vic Roads office and transferred them into our names but because there was a change of owner and a change of state, we needed an S.A. address and the fact we had an S.A driver’s licence satisfied the criteria even though we had already left Belair.
Next we had to take the Troopy and the Kimberly to the S.A Vehicle Inspection depot where they check the VIN and chassis numbers to establish that they are not stolen, written off or modified as well as doing some basic roadworthiness checks. It turned out that the darkened window film on the back and rear side windows was too dark at only 5% visibility, despite the fact that it would be legal to totally black them out or even put curtains up. So we sat outside a window tint shop while we paid to have the tint removed before being given a clean bill of roadworthiness.
Last hoop was to drive a couple of blocks away and queue again at another S.A. Government Service Centre to register both vehicles. We had to hand write a long form only for the nice lady at the desk to transcribe it all into her special government computer, scan our application then shred it. We got new licence plates that were supposed to be fitted immediately at the roadside but we needed a beer first so we did it at the campsite.
Actually, a further hoop is to tell the insurance company that all this had occurred; we are working up to that as it involves hours of on-hold music.
Stuff
Much more exiting but very costly, I’m going to list the suff we bought to set up both the Troopy and the Kimberly and then I’ll occasionally revisit this page to comment of the usefulness or otherwise of things. Catalogues change so frequently, so I’m not going to add links as it’s really annoying finding broken or outdated links.
We got all this from a a variety of places including BCF , ARB Regency Park , Snowys , Adelaide 4x4 Atlanta Refrigeration , Myres and of course Bunnings
Engle 80litre fridge freezer and protective bag
Drop slide for the fridge to go in the back of the Troopy (so we could actually open it)
Iron Man 4X4 Deluxe Lounge Camp Chair - these were by far the most comfortable chairs and also benefitted from the arms and back being fully enclosed which protects from breezes chilling your back
Colman camp table and two benches that clip together - these are really sturdy with a simple folding mechanism and sturdy legs. we decided it would be nice to sit up at a table rather than use our comfy chairs.
12V LED strip light bars that clip onto awning poles and have either white or orange lights, the latter deterring bugs at night.
MaxTrax recovery tracks (in lovely lime green)
ARB tyre deflation tool (essential for airing down for off-road driving) - this brand had a dial gauge so no need for batteries, seemed to be nicely made and came in a protective bag
Bushranger compressor to inflate tyres for when you return to on-road driving - it appears that you largely get what you pay for with this kit and although this one was not as expensive as the ARB one, it is well regarded with good reviews.
Iron Man 4x4 Large Recovery Kit plus two sizes of soft shackle and a shackle block
Long handled shovel, pick axe and an axe, all potentially needed for vehicle recovery, fire wood preparation and bush dunny making
C-Gear multi camp mat - a nice outdoor ground covering that lets sand through but not back up so it stays comfy and clean
Bellini single ring induction cook top (hob) - the Kimberly has a very efficient diesel cook top but it takes ages to heat up. It also a gas stove in the outdoor kitchen but that’s, well, outdoors and at the point of buying this it was too cold to use.
Pan set - Cooks collective 5 piece set
Pillows and sheets to suplement those sent by Ken and Roberta
