Before we left for this trip, we were relying on countless caravan accessories and appliances to make our busy lives easier, so deciding what would be most useful on our 10-month adventure posed a challenge.
1. Weber Barbecue
The Weber baby Q we received as a pre-trip gift has to be the most useful appliance in our caravan – this bad boy cooks a perfect roast every time. It helps us save money on groceries, too, because Court can make her own gluten-free bread and slices. The Weber is compact as well, so it easily slides under the van’s bench seat for storage.
2. Nespresso Coffee Machine
Deciding whether or not to leave the luxury of our Nespresso coffee machine at home was the subject of much discussion. Court thought it was extravagant; I insisted it was necessary. In the end, I won the debate with a small concession: to avoid wasting even more storage space with the Nespresso milk frother, we bought a tiny $10 stick frother from Kmart.
3. Billy and Camp Oven
Technically, these are separate accessories, but they go hand in hand when you’re camping in the great outdoors – an adventure around Australia wouldn’t be complete without them. Whenever possible, we like to get back to basics and cook dinner in our camp oven. We also enjoy stoking the fire to get the billy boiling for morning cuppas and coffee, and, if we’re lucky, a bush shower!
4. Artificial Turf Mat
No one wants to plant their feet into red dust or prickly grass when stepping out of their caravan in the morning. A fake turf mat is a cheap and simple solution that’s added a lot of comfort to our trip. It also doubles as a yoga mat on which Court enjoys doing her stretches each morning after being cooped
up in the caravan.
5. Laptop
Having the laptop lets us listen to music, sort through our photos each week, and stay in touch with family and friends. We keep it charged with a small power inverter that plugs into a 12-volt socket in the car or caravan.
With our favourite accessories in tow, we’re still able to enjoy the finer things in life, such as good food and coffee, while on the road. Deciding what to pack may have taken some deliberation, but in terms of utility and space, we think we’ve nailed it!
