Rod and Mavis

Greetings all. Following is an extract that has been passed to all caravan and motor home clubs in Aus. Please read. My letter to the Tasmanian Minister concerned is below that. Please action as we would hate to lose Tassie as a destination because of Goverment bungling inspired by a few caravan parks having negative input. Hi All, As you are hopefully aware we have a serious problem in Tasmania in regards to budget camping. The Regulator acting on the complaints of 4 caravan park owners is trying to make all budget camps and council controlled free or low cost sites charge the same fee as caravan parks. We must treat this as serious as it could become a virus if passed and in time spread to the mainland. There is a submission paper put out by the Government in regards to this which is due to be viewed on Dec 6th. Time is to short for the NACC to go through this submission and state our case in regards to this problem. But what we can do is to get members of our local and state clubs write a letter of concern stating item such as the high cost of the ferry means that for RV travelers on fixed incomes have to be able to stay in budget camp areas if they so wish so as they can afford to travel around Tassie.There will be many other points that I,m sure that folk will be able to use. The emails are to be sent to The Hon Bryan Green mp deputy Premier of Tasmania and his email address is <bryan.green@parliament.tas.gov.au>, Please do the best that you can do in getting this message out to all clubs where possible and I understand that the time is short. Many thanks for your help with this urgent matter . Cheers Brian Kelleher Chairman NACC MY LETTER TO THE MINISTER. To The Hon Bryan Green mp deputy Premier of Tasmania Dear sir. It is with great concern that I write to you with regard to the proposed fees to be imposed on budget/free camps in Tasmania. My wife and I had the pleasure of visiting your great State earlier this year. We spent two months touring and camping in our self contained caravan. We enjoyed the experience so much that we made the decision to return in November 2012 and stay for 6-7 months to explore the Island properly. We found that the majority of towns in Tassie were most friendly and those without caravan parks provided wonderful free camp areas. In towns supplying this free camp service we always make a point of rewarding the community by supporting the local businesses by the purchase of fuel and the necessities of life. A negative experience on our trip resulted in wide spread publicity. We arrived at Wynyard to a free camp in the show ground. Posted as a free camp in the Camps 6 booklet which is used by most travellers these days. We were most distressed to find a sign on the gate forbidding caravans to camp in this spot, motor homes only. Please see attached blog post. This cut short our stay in the area and we carried our need for fuel top up and re stock of the pantry and beverage supplies on to our next stop. We had several friends comeing over on the boat a few days after us so as you do we phoned them to tell them to bypass Wynyard explaining why. This bad publicity expanded to our travel blog, which is written by us and enjoyed by many like minded travellers. See http://travellin.kyd.com.au/2011/03/28/trip-to-tassie-week-six/ Again this bad publicity extended even further to our caravan club members and friends in other clubs. We would be most distressed to see Tasmania ignored as a caravan/ motorhome/ camper destination by owners of these means of mobile accommodation. The impost of the ocean trip to Tasmania is a heavy burden in itself for most low budget travellers as a lot of retirees are. As low budget travellers we still have to eat and use fuel for our travels. I am sure that our contribution to the Tasmanian economy is not insubstantial. We urge you most strongly to retain the great atmosphere and experience that comes from visiting Tasmania for all to share. Yours most sincerley Rod & Mavis Kyd on the track Rod and Mavis Brisbane/>http://travellin.kyd.com.au/ HF Radio Club Selcall 4014 Happy and safe travels to all. travellinkyds General Moderator Posts: 231 Joined: Thu Jun 11, 2009 6:12 am Location: Brisbane Has thanked: 0 time Have thanks: 17 time spin_number: 34 Top

Your secret is safe with us Any questions or dramas with the new van be sure to post on this site, there is plenty of help available. We received a deposit from a lovely couple for our old van,so we will be dropping off the Members forum as soon as she has left the driveway. We will still be able to view and comment on the Public forum and host Gatherings being associate members,so watch this space grin. Mavis and I hope very much to catch up with you two next year. Again welcome to a great group. Cheers to all and love to youse.

No problems Gazza

Hi All. No Nerves hit at all Gazza we just try to tell it as we have experienced it for the benefit of all. Yes we did have the same problem decals blistering! Our baby lived outside for the last 6 years no cover. Mostly she was on the road in the sun charging the batteries so we must assume that the decals do not stand up to the Aussie sun.

Hi Ian & Sue Lovely to hear from you again and congrats on the purchase. One question we knew that McDonalds were expanding products but did not know that they serviced 200 series Enjoy your travels. Cheers from us.

Hi all. With reference to copywrite I would suggest any manufacturer would be happy to see one of their vans in sparkling livery. You own it you can put what ever you like on it. Recently a Kedron was up for sale and there was no Kedron livery on it and it was done in an all over marine scene,very different! Cheers to all.

Hi All. Gazza I hate to throw water on ya fire but after we had been advised by Kedron on how to treat the bubbling decals ( hair drier to soften them then push them back into place) They then cracked. The results were not only not pretty but the red dust used to sit in the pockets and it was impossible to wash the van and not leave red runs down from the splits. Cheers to all.

Greetings John We went to Kedron about replacing the blistered and cracked decals but they wanted nearly $300 at the time (3 years ago) Our answer was to remove all with the exception of the name. It is amazing how good the van looks with no side striping. Use "Killrust Appliance white" spray pack to touch up any damage after removal of stripes and it is a perfect match. Only of course if the van is white grin . Having said all of that. We got a sign writer to stripe and put the names on our new van. It looks great and won't blister or crack.

Arthur. We found that the installation of an external power supply switch for de frosting works well. No need to touch the thermostat once you have the temp right. Cheers from us.

Greeting old fella Mal & Kerry Lovely to hear from you two. Glad that life is now layed back and progressing as you wish it to go. Love too yas from us

Greetings all. Must say it is great to see the amount of feed back and participation on the site lately. We were truely worried that this site was in decline. Keep this site growing with not only healthy debate but good info on your travels. The Kedron mob is a great mob of people that we have come to love and respect during our travels. We have made some life long great friends in the years that we have been participating with this group. Keep it going and we hope that you will experience the same level of satisfaction that we have gained. Any news is good news, even personal stuff,because some of us will know you and love to hear about what is happening in your lives. For those that don't want to read it, the option is there for them. Post Post Post. Get us moving and hearing about our friends. Post Gatherings, even if they are a family trip away and you would not mind some company. Someone might reply and turn up. If you want to invite non Kedron friends not a problem. All campers have the same goal. Enjoyment no matter what you sleep in it does not matter. There is no shame in having no one reply. We are the initial no show Gathering posters on the Kedron site grin. I does not matter. Enjoy and if you want to post it do it. If you have dramas in doing it PM us and we will help you through. Keep the site active friends, It is a good place. Cheers to all

Thanks again to everyone that replied. Down to the ring around stage now. Again thanks and happy travels to everyone. Cheers.

Thanks again to King & Deb for the reply.

Thanks for the rapid replies guy's much appreciated.

Greetings all. Does anyone have a contact for a manufacturer of custom shade cloth awning walls that will supply to the Brissie area. Thanks in advance and cheers Rod & Mavis.

Hi all. Tyre pressures are absolutely unique to each individual rig that we run. People can only advise on a starting point for you to run at and the rest is up to you. Outside air temperature also has a great influence on pressures. Every rig has different weights and balances. Alignments are very different on each machine. If you run with tyre pressure monitoring gear, check the variations of pressures after a run and follow manufacturers advice.If not do it manually to evaluate the change in pressures. Two psi increase is a good ball park change (increase) after about 100kms on tar for a correctly inflated tyre. For off road again its individual and something that you need to feel comfortable with and is totally dependant on the surfaces that you are travelling on. We feel warm and fuzzy on some dirt with 30 front and 35 rear on the tug (which is heavilly loaded) and 30 on the van this is dependant on the road conditions we may find changes are needed. Beach work deep mud and bull dust is another story depending on the sand/mud/dust condition generally much lower pressures must be used on the soft stuff. Having said all that our van is 18'6" internal and weighs in at 3540kgs loaded for bear as was shown on the Caboolture weigh bridge before a run to Perth in July. Learn as much as you can about your tyres from those that can steer you in the right direction. Each rig is different so pressures are individual and for safety and economy you have to know your rig. No one can tell you the exact pressures to use on your rig, only you can determine that. Experimentation and learning is a rewarding past time. Good luck and happy travels too ya from us

Greetings all. On a previous topic I made the comment that the alloy plate was sealed and should not be polished (as advised by a van manufacturer). Since that revelation I have done a lot of research and find that that was totally un tru please forgive me Unaware of Kedron factory process but the manufacturers of the plate definitely do not treat the alloy. We have had to use "purple" polish on our new van due to the stains acquired from much mud running,red dust and other normal use abuse . So far it is the best that we have found but are open to recommendations. Cheers to all.

Greetings soldups Mal & Kerry. So glad to hear your news.The best of your lives is to come and Mavis and I wish you both all the best. We WILL catch up soon. Love and best wishes. Please try and get to Cecil Planes guy's love to see ya

Greetings all. We did the loop of Tassie starting Feb this year for two months. We turned right off the ferry and attacked the west coast first. We found two months so inadequate that we are heading back November 2012 for about 7 months to enjoy a steady trip with lots of fishing, cray fish,scallops and oyster eating It is very hard to give advice for short trips but we are sure that you will enjoy the experience.When you hit Sheffield be absolutely sure to buy a meal at the Chinese restaurant and ice creamery. Two of the best Asian meals that we have had since living in Singapore.The free camp there is great and you are not far from Cradle Mountain. There are lots of free camps and most of the Island is extremely RV friendly and has great fresh produce everywhere. In Hobart, the Show ground is a good central camp and if you are CMCA members you get a $4 a day discount. If you have some time have a search through our blog starting Jan 2011 and you might see something that interests you. http://travellin.kyd.com.au We are both sure that you will love the experience. Cheers and good luck.

Well done guy's How exciting for you !

Greetings all. Our swivel toilet has endured some very rough off road travels with no ill effects at all.

Hi all. A friend of ours changed the cupboards in the ensuite to have doors in the main cabin and turned them into a pantry.

Hi David. We have a Webasto installed in our new van. We specified this heater after having the same in our old van and finding it great. Our personal choice is for diesel due to availability of fuel. Gas heating requires that an extra gas bottle be carried/installed. We have had to insulate the ducting from the heater but this is the only thing that we had to do. The diesel is easily accessed for top up when the tug is refuelled. We do use a lot of fuel as our heater generally runs all night in the colder climates. Having said that the 12 litre tank lasts us for 4 nights.

Hi all. We can not see that with a 21' van that an ensuite is a problem. This is an absolutely huge van by any standards so it can accommodate an ensuite and still give an adequate living area. We chose the combined Shower toilet with separate basin (that worked grin) to our own design and are very happy with it.Plenty of room for a comfortable shower and ablutions at the basin with the curtain keeping everthing outside dry. It gave us a much larger living area while still having a laundry and allowed us to keep the van length to our requirements (18'6").We chose this length reluctantly over our 16'6" XC to allow more room to live comfortably full time and stay within our legal tow weight (3500kg's). This we achieved within 40kg's,so happy and much relieved. Good luck and happy travels to all.

I removed the old studs and put in a rivet, looks ok not out of place when the alloy is polished