Glenda and I have been searching for some months for a campervan of our own.
We have relocated campers across The Nullabor, from Christchurch to Auckland and hired them in New Zealand and Queensland.
The bug bit and months have been spent searching the web from Gumtree to CarSales.
There were several close calls but none quite ticked the boxes for both of us.
I suggested to Glenda we wait until after Christmas but she is persistent and she found 'the one'.
It ticked more boxes than we were hopeful of, Toyota HiAce, long wheel base, diesel, 4 X 4WD, 5 speed manual, low kilometers, a layout we could live with and generally very good condition for a late 1994 model.
Within hours of it being listed on Gumtree we had made a deposit and arranged for me to fly to Melbourne the following Tuesday to inspect and hopefully if satisfied drive the van home to Adelaide.
After travelling a few too many stops on the tram and a bit of a walk on a hot 36C day I arrived where the camper was located at Albert Park. Some hours were spent on inspection and completing the paperwork before I departed at 7.30pm for the drive to stay overnight with my niece at Casterton in western country Victoria, arriving at 1.30am Wednesday.
The trip back to Adelaide was uneventful. The Toyota diesel performed economically and smoothly.
Hours of work and a week or so after personalising the camper with a touch-up and kit-out this last weekend arrived with time for a short overnight trip away.
We departed mid-morning Saturday driving leisurely along the coast road via Noarlunga and Yankalilla to Normanville and a pre-booked powered site at the Jetty Caravan Park on the banks of the Bungala River and seafront. Normanville is a pleasant 90km drive from Adelaide.
We set up camp erecting the awning, fold up chairs and table and settled in before exploring on foot the scenery which Normanville has to offer and the photographs reveal.
