TonyH

Moderator please delete this duplicated post thanks

Hi Ian, Like your idea about repositioning the batteries makes a lot of sense reducing the weight on the draw bar... will be interested to hear if they (the factory) will do it for you. I have three batteries with three panels & have a Vitrofrigio (fridge) installed & have converted all possible lighting to LED with careful use of battery power, we can easily last three days with out pulling the genny out & topping up the batteries. At 50% SOC as you mention the batteries would be technically FLAT

Hi Michael, A little bit OT (off topic) Welcome to the group, you will 'find' lots of useful information on this website & news about upcoming gatherings. Looking forward to meeting you one day, down the road.

Hi Colin, Your new truck is down here.....lol Regards to you, Gayleen & the 'girls'

Hi Lea & Rick, Can u please give me the link to the website....thank you

I am a 'GOOSE' I did exactly as 32Kev did....in an attempt to get better performance out of my light, I fitted a non standard globe & shorted out the light assembly. Trying to locate parts....think I have found a replacement to fix my problem.....fingers crossed. I now know why the light output was very poor, these fridges are 12/24 volt operation and the light globe is 24volt so that is why the 'light' given off from the globe is/was so poor.

88 Crazy Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Australia 1. Australia is as wide as the distance between London to Moscow . 2. The biggest property in Australia is bigger than Belgium. 3. More than 85% of Australians live within 50km of the coast 4. In 1880, Melbourne was the richest city in the world. 5. Gina Rinehart, Australia ’s richest woman, earns $1 million every half hour, or $598 every second. ( bet she doesn’t pay tax ) 6. In 1892, a group of 200 Australians unhappy with the government tried to start an offshoot colony in Paraguay to be called ‘New Australia’. 7. The first photos from the 1969 moon landing were beamed to the rest of the world from Honeysuckle Tracking Station, near Canberra. 8. Australia was the second country in the world to allow women to vote ( New Zealand was first) 9. Each week, 70 tourists overstay their visas. 10. In 1856, stonemasons took action to ensure a standard of 8-hour working days, which then became recognised worldwide. 11 Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke set a world record for sculling 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds. Hawke later suggested that this was the reason for his great political success. 12. The world’s oldest fossil, which is about 3.4 billion years old, was found in Australia . 13. Australia is very sparsely populated: The UK has 248.25 persons per square kilometre, while Australia has only 2.66 persons per square kilometre. 14. Australia ’s first police force was made up of the most well-behaved convicts. 15. Australia has the highest electricity prices in the world. Due to the iniquitous carbon tax. 16 There were over one million feral camels in outback Australia , until the government launched the $19m Feral Camel Management Program, which aims to keep the pest problem under control. 17. Saudi Arabia imports camels from Australia (mostly for meat production). 18. Qantas once powered an interstate flight with cooking oil. 19. Per capita, Australians spend more money on gambling than any other nation. 20. In 1832, 300 female convicts mooned the governor of Tasmania . It was said that in a “rare moment of collusion with the Convict women, the ladies in the Governor’s party could not control their laughter.” 21. Australia is home to the longest fence in the world It is 5,614 km long, and was originally built to keep dingoes away from fertile land. Strangely, it’s known as “The rabbit proof fence” 22. Australia was one of the founding members of the United Nations. 23. Melbourne is considered the sporting capital of the world, as it has more top level sport available for its citizens than anywhere else. 24. Before the arrival of humans, Australia was home to megafauna: three metre tall kangaroos, seven metre long goannas, horse-sized ducks, and a marsupial lion the size of a leopard 25. Kangaroos and emus cannot walk backward, one of the reasons that they’re on the Australian coat of arms. 26. Speaking of which, Australia is one of the only countries where we eat the animals on ourcoat of arms. 27. If you visited one new beach in Australia every day, it would take over 27 years to see them all. 28. Melbourne has the world’s largest Greek population outside of Athens . 29. The Great Barrier Reef is the planet’s largest living structure. 30. And it has it’s own postbox! 31. The male platypus has venom strong enough to kill a small dog. 32. And when the platypus was first sent to England , it was believed the Australians had played a joke by sewing the bill and feet of a duck onto a rat. 33. Before 1902, it was illegal to swim at the beach during the day. 34. A retired cavalry officer, Francis De Groot stole the show when the Sydney Harbour Bridge officially opened. Just as the Premier was about to cut the ribbon, De Groot charged forward on his horse and cut it himself, with his sword. The ribbon had to be retied, and De Groot was carted off to a mental hospital. He was later charged for the cost of one ribbon. 35. Australia has 3.3x more sheep than people. 36. Prime Minister Harold Holt went for a swim at Cheviot Beach , and was never seen again. 37. Australia ’s national anthem was ‘God Save The King/Queen’ until 1984. 38. Wombat poo is cube shaped! This helps it mark its territory. 39. European settlers in Australia drank more alcohol per capita than any other society in history. 40. The Australian Alps receive more snowfall than Switzerland. 41. A kangaroo is only one centimetre long when it is born. 42. Sir John Robertson, a five-time premier of NSW in the 1800s, began every morning with half a pint of rum. He said: “None of the men who in this country have left footprints behind them have been cold water men.” 43. The Box jellyfish has killed more people in Australia than stonefish, sharks and crocodiles combined. 44. Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world. 45. The average Aussie male drinks 96 litres of beer per year. 46. 63% of Australians are overweight. 47. Australia is ranked second on the Human Development Index (based on life expectancy, income and education). 48. In 2005, security guards at Canberra ’s Parliament House were banned from calling people ‘mate’. It lasted one day. 49. In Australia , it is illegal to walk on the right-hand side of a footpath. 50. Australia is the only continent in the world without an active volcano. 51. Aussie Rules footy was originally designed to help cricketers to keep fit in the off-season. 52. The name ‘Kylie’ came from an Aboriginal hunting stick, similar to the boomerang. 53. 91% of the country is covered by native vegetation. 54. The largest-ever victory in an international football match was when Australia beat American Samoa 31-0 in 2001. 55. There are 60 designated wine regions in Australia . 56. Melbourne has been ranked the world’s most liveable city for the past three years. 2011, 2012 & 2013. 57. If all the sails of the Opera House roof were combined, they would create a perfect sphere. The architect was inspired while eating an orange. 58. Australia is home to 20% of the world’s poker machines. 59. Half of these are found in New South Wales. 60. Moomba, Australia ’s largest free festival, held in Melbourne , means ‘up your bum’ in many Aboriginal languages. 61 No native Australian animals have hooves. 62. The performance by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the 2000 Olympics opening ceremony was actually a prerecording- of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. 63. The wine cask (goon sack) is an Australian invention 64. So is the selfie. 65. Durack , Australia ’s biggest electorate, is larger in size than Mongolia. 66. The world’s first compulsory seat belt law was put into place in Victoria in 1970. 67. Each year, Brisbane hosts the world championships of cockroach racing. 68. In 1932, the Australian military waged war on the emu population of Western Australia . Embarrassingly, they lost. 69. Canberra was created in 1908 as a compromise when Sydney and Melbourne both wanted to be the capital city. 70. A gay bar in Melbourne won the right to ban women from the premises, because they made the men uncomfortable. 71. In 1992, an Australian gambling syndicate bought almost all the number combinations in a Virginia lottery, and won. They turned a $5m purchase into a $27m win. 72. Eucalyptus oil is highly flammable, meaning gum trees may explode if ignited, or in bushfires. 73. In 1975, Australia had a government shutdown, which ended with the Queen firing everyone and the government starting again. The then Governor General Sir John Kerr, acting on behalf of the Queen, fired Labour’s Gough Whitlam and Installed Malcolm Frazer a Liberal. In a famous speech, Whitlam said, “God may well save the Queen, but nobody will save Malcolm Frazer, from now on he will be known as Kerr’s cur.” 74. A bearded Australian was removed from a darts match in the UK , after the audience started chanting ‘Jesus!’ at him, distracting the players. 75. There have been instances of wallabies getting high after breaking into marijuana crops, then running around and making what look like crop circles. 76. An Australian man once tried to sell New Zealand on eBay. 77. In 1940, two aircraft collided in midair, in NSW. Instead of crashing, the two planes became stuck together and made a safe landing. 78. The male lyrebird, which is native to Australia , can mimic the calls of over 20 other birds. If that’s not impressive enough, he can also perfectly imitate the sound of a camera, chainsaw and car alarm. 79. Some shopping centres and restaurants play classical music in their car park to deter teenagers from loitering at night. 80. Despite sharing the same verbal language, Australian, British and American sign language are all completely different languages. 81. In 1979, debris from NASA’s space station ‘Skylab’ crashed in Esperance , WA . The town then fined NASA $400 for littering. 82. There have been no deaths in Australia from a spider bite since 1979. 83. There is currently a chlamydia outbreak among koala species, which has led to a 15% drop in koala populations. 84. In NSW, there is a coal fire beneath the ground which has been burning for 5,500 years. 85. An Australian election TV debate was rescheduled so it didn’t conflict with the finale of reality cooking show Masterchef. 86. Chinese explorers travelled to Australia long before Europeans arrived. As early as the 1400s, sailors and fisherman came to Australia for sea-cucumbers and to trade with Indigenous peoples. 87. The first European to visit Australia was Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon, in 1606. More Dutch explorers visited the country over the next hundred years, plotting maps and naming it ‘New Holland’. 88. Captain James Cook first landed on Australia ’s east coast in 1770. In 1788, the British returned with eleven ships to establish a penal colony. Within days of The First Fleet’s arrival and the raising of the British flag, two French ships arrived, just too late to claim Australia for France .

Great story & recovery, so good you had 'extra' pairs of hands to assist The photos also make it easier to relate to your difficulties! A little 'off topic' ...... have a read of this current thread on Exploroz http://www.exploroz.com/Forum/Topic/108848/Anyone_understand_the_new_camping_fees_in_Vic.aspx?ky=&sn=&p=%2fforum%2fdefault.aspx%3fpn%3d1 talking about what you were saying about paying for a site unseen & also good info for people who arent aware of the new National Parks booking scheme

CURSE you people that got 'straight' over that sand hill..... I was just taking it nice & easy to show Peter, Helen Karen & Paul how easy it would be....LOL

Easy as......... Open fridge door, with both hands using thumb & pointer fingers hold the light cover & gently pull (rocking slightly) the cover towards you....... Try & pull it squarely as the cover is held on by four plastic pins which can easily break off. When removed you will see the globe .....it is a tiny festoon type globe..... probably available from Jaycar or similar. To replace cover simply line up the pins & holes then gently push back on.

Greetings all, Annie & I are at Port Augusta now after leaving all our new & old friends @ Parachilna this morning. We have had the most wonderful trip seeing many new & wonderful sights sharing soooo many laughs @ just having a wonderful time with many like mined people. Colin & Gayleen did such a terrific job organising this trip, for which we are truly grateful. I'm not one for writing trip reports........ but I'm sure that there will be a full trip report submitted very shortly & hopefully a lot of Karens & others photos posted on this site in due course. It has been a wonderful trip & now Annie & I can start our honeymoon......lol ...without 20 other people tagging along (20 wonderful people)

Safe travels....cu on the 20th Annie & Tony

Hi Mark & Simone, Re battery prices, don't know were you are geographically at the moment, when I replaced my three AGM's I went to Alco Batteries www.alcobatt.com.au (they have many branches around this great country)....your in the trade you will be able to get a trade discount....my three batteries from Alco $750 from memory (about 18 months ago) Re lithium batteries, if you do a search on this site you will find a couple of threads on this very subject I think all your questions on lithium batteries & charging will be answered there. Hope your wallet doesnt get bashed about to much....LOL A tip for you & everyone.....When replacing batteries, open front cover & undo the nuts securing the gas struts to the van body, you can then SLIDE the the cover to the left & remove it.....making it SO MUCH EASIER to lift the batteries in & out

Hi Stu, welcome to the forum. As I have a a full ensuite(in our van), I'm not that familiar with the combo units .....but if flow improves whilst tilting/lifting the basin, it sounds like you may have a kninked drain hose?

The Anzac on the Wall By Jim Brown I wandered thru a country town, 'cos I had some time to spare, And went into an Antique Shop to see what was in there. Old Bikes and Pumps and Kero lamps, but hidden by it all, A photo of a soldier boy … An Anzac on the Wall. 'The Anzac have a name?' I asked. The old man answered 'No’, The ones who could have told you mate, have passed on long ago. The old man kept on talking and, according to his tale, The photo was unwanted junk, bought from a clearance sale. 'I asked around,' the old man said, 'But no one knows his face, He's been on that wall twenty years .... deserves a better place. For someone must have loved him, so it seems a shame somehow.' I nodded in agreement and then said … 'I'll take him now.' My nameless digger's photo, well it was a sorry sight A cracked glass pane and a broken frame … I had to make it right To prise the photo from its frame I took care just in case, Cause only sticky paper held the cardboard back in place. I peeled away the faded screed, and much to my surprise, two letters and a telegram, appeared before my eyes The first reveals my Anzac's name, and regiment of course John Mathew Francis Stuart … of Australia’s own Light Horse. This letter written from the front ... my interest now was keen; this note was dated August 7th, 1917 'Dear Mum, I'm at Khalasa Springs, not far from the Red Sea They say it's in the Bible … looks like a Billabong to me. 'My Kathy wrote, I'm in her prayers … she's still my bride to be, I just can’t wait to see you both, you're all the world to me. And Mum you'll soon meet Bluey, last month they shipped him out I told him to call on you, when he's up and about.' 'That bluey is a larrikin, and we all thought it funny, He lobbed a Turkish hand grenade into the Co’s dunny. I told you how he dragged me wounded; in from no man's land He stopped the bleeding, closed the wound, with only his bare hand.' 'Then he copped it at the front, from some stray shrapnel blast, It was my turn to drag him in, and I thought he wouldn't last. He woke up in hospital, and nearly lost his mind Cause out there on the battlefield, he'd left one leg behind.' 'He's been in a bad way Mum, he knows he'll ride no more Like me he loves a horse's back, he was a champ before. So Please Mum can you take him in, he's been like my own brother Raised in a Queensland orphanage he’s never known a mother.' But Struth, I miss Australia Mum, and in my mind each day I am a mountain cattleman, on the high plains far away. I'm mustering white-faced cattle, with no camel's hump in sight, and I waltz my Matilda, by a campfire every night I wonder who rides Billy …!! I heard the pub burnt down!! I'll always love you … and please say Hooroo, to all in town'. The second letter I could see, was in a lady's hand, An answer to her soldier son, there in a foreign land. Her copperplate was perfect, the pages neat and clean it bore the date, November 3rd 1917. 'T'was hard enough to lose your Dad, without you at the war I'd hoped you would be home by now … each day I miss you more' 'Your Kathy calls around a lot, since you have been away, To share with me her hopes and dreams, about your wedding day. And Bluey has arrived … and what a godsend he has been We talked and laughed for days, about the things you've done and seen' 'He really is a comfort, and works hard around the farm, I read the same hope in his eyes, that you won't come to harm. Mc Connell's kids rode Billy, but suddenly that has changed. We had a violent lightning storm, and it was really strange.' 'Last Wednesday, just on midnight, not a single cloud in sight, It raged for several minutes, it gave us all a fright. It really spooked your Billy … and he screamed and bucked and reared, And then he rushed the sliprail fence, which by a foot he cleared' 'They brought him back next afternoon, but something's changed I fear, It's like the day you brought him home, for no one can get near. Remember when you caught him, with his black and flowing mane? Now Horse Breakers fear the beast, that only you can tame,' 'That's why we need you home son …… Then the flow of ink went dry …… This letter was unfinished … and I couldn't work out why. Until I started reading, the letter, number three A yellow telegram delivered news of a tragedy. Her son killed in action … Oh! What pain that must have been, the same date as her letter … 3rd November 1917 This letter which was never sent, became then one of three. She sealed behind the photo's face … the face she longed to see. And John's home town's children, when he went to war, Would say no greater cattleman, had left the town before. They knew his widowed mother well, and with respect did tell, How when she lost her only boy … she lost her mind as well. She could not face the awful truth, to strangers she would speak “My Johnny's at the war you know … he's coming home next week.” They all remembered Bluey, he stayed on to the end. A young man with wooden leg, became her closest friend. And he would go and find her when she wandered, old and weak, and always softly say … 'Yes dear … John will be coming home next week.' Then when she died, Bluey moved on … to Queensland some did say. I tried to find out where he went, but don't know to this day. And Kathy never wed, a lonely spinster… some found odd. She wouldn't set foot in a church … she'd turned her back on God. John's mother left no Will, I learned, on my detective trail. This explains my photo's journey, of that clearance sale. So I continued digging, cause, I wanted to know more. I found John's name with thousands, in the records of the war. His last ride proved his courage… a ride you will acclaim The Light Horse Charge at Beersheba of everlasting fame. That last day in October back in 1917, at 4pm our brave boys fell … that sad fact I did glean. That's when John's life was sacrificed, the record's crystal clear. But 4pm in Beersheba is midnight over here ... So as John's gallant sprit rose, to cross the great divide, Were lightning bolts back home, a signal from the other side? Is that why Billy bolted, and went racing as in pain …? Because he'd never feel his master, on his back again …! Was it coincidental …? Same time ... Same day … Same date …! Some proof of numerology … or just a quirk of fate …? I think it's more than that you know, as I've heard wiser men, Acknowledge there are many things, that go beyond our ken Where craggy peaks guard secrets, neath dark skies torn asunder, Where hoof beats are companions, to the rolling waves of thunder Where lightning cracks like 303's, and ricochets again, Where howling moaning gusts of wind, sound just like dying men Some Mountain cattlemen have sworn, on lonely alpine track, They've glimpsed a huge black stallion …with Light Horseman on his back. Yes Sceptics say, it's swirling clouds, just forming apparitions. Oh No, My friend you can't dismiss all this as, superstition. The desert of Beersheba … or a windswept Aussie range, John Stuart rides on forever there … I don't find that at all strange. Now some gaze upon this photo, and they often question me, and I tell them a small white lie, and say he's family. 'You must be proud of him.' they say … I tell them, one and all, That's why he takes … the pride of place … The Anzac on the Wall. Lest We Forget

Click on the link, watch the van come into the picture from the bottom left />http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/video-van-caravan-crash-ditch-3420593

Ditto to Sue & Ann's comments..... And, DONT forget the tropical strength aeroguard...

After an exhaustive study researchers have come to the conclusion that..... "A womens...I'll be ready in five minutes" & "a mans I'll be home in five minutes" are exactly the same.

Hi Pete, What a bummers, not a good start to the holiday. A stone hitting any object at the 'right angle' & speed can cause damage..... regardless of high density foam. I suggest you tape the crack/hole up with gaffa tape or similar & when you get back to civilisation order a new 'window BLADE' I believe that is the correct name for the 'window GLASS' PS...... Don't let it destroy your holiday......

Hi Danny, I can see what you have achived...... you won't have any dust or mud wasp problems with your heater intake now. From what I see in the photo, have you mounted the filter assembly inside the PVC pipe, and your using the PVC as shield to protect the filter? If so when running the heater and with the filter mounted where it is ..... doesn't this create a resonace in the PVC tube and exaggerate/increase the air intake noise when your standing outside the van?? ( I know and appreciate that you would be inside the van enjoying the heater BUT I am concerned also about the noise outside the van) My other concern, now not so great as you have mounted the filter in such a way that it probably won't get wet..... but if it did, any 'dirt' trapped in the filter membrane would turn 'hard' (when dry) reducing air flow to the heater which in turn would make the heater run inefficiently. (through reduced air flow) Although I haven't finished installing the air intake muffler that I purchased from Graeme Yost I have done a trial fitting of it and it greatly reduces the air intake noise. Looking at the design & construction of it, water is not going to be a problem and I also believe mud wasp nests in the pipe will be a thing of the past (fingers crossed) PLEASE DONT TAKE THIS THE WRONG WAY.....WITHOUT PREJUDICE......while I respect your initiative, idea and construction I feel you could have fixed your 'problem' a lot cheaper & more easily with the Webasto air intake filter. I have no affiliation with Graeme Yost other than being a satisfied customer! Hi John, I can only speak about the Webasto heater as that is what I'm familiar with but the heater air intake only 'uses' fresh outside air on the 'intake'

Hi Danny, Can't work out what your trying to show us in the second & third photos.......

Very clever......I like that!

Hi to all following this post, I saw Graeme's post above about being able to supply air intake 'silencers' for the Webasto heaters...... being a considerate person (some may disagree ......lol) I am only too aware of the noise the heater makes when operating, anything to quieten it down interests me. So I gave Graeme a call to make a general enquiry about price & availability. To my amazement he lives & operates out of Hobart which was very handy for me as we are currently touring in Tassie. Arrangements were made & Annie & I went around to his office/home to purchase one of these intake mufflers. Graeme I believe has recently been appointed a distributor for Webasto, & he was only to keen to show me some of his stock holding of Webasto product. I made enquiries about pricing of various parts & kits & his pricing seemed very competitive. (Cheaper than eBay & your getting genuine product) PLEASE NOTE I have NO affiliation with Graeme or his company, but I believe you could do a lot worse than.......... not contacting him 0418130971 with any enquiries or pricing on Webasto products or parts.

Hi Rod, Mine is also roughly two meters long,supported in the middle as you are going to do & it is fixed to the side of the van with stainless steel self tappers. The quality of the chrome on towel rail/shower curtain rods nowadays leave a lot to be desired......after fitting give the rail/rod a good polish with a quality product to slow down the formation of rust on it, also polish the mounting brackets as they tend to blister/corrode. If you have any rod left over also (if you haven't already got one) consider fitting a towel rail from the shower ceiling very handy for drying when travelling or airing in inclement weather

Hi all, I have it on good authority that the Federal Gov subsidy for sat phone purchases is finishing earlier than originally planned. The subsidy will now finish on 31st March 2014. So if ur considering getting a new sat phone u had better get ur act together Edit 1.3.2014 Copy of e mail I received from Doug Taylor Hi everyone For those of you who have recevied this email, it’s more than likely that you have already purchased your Sat Phone and probably had the extra benefit of the Government Satellite Subsidy. Well sadly the Subsidy is rapidly coming to a close, it was confirmed yesterday that the Subsidy Scheme will cease on the 31st March 2014, 3 months earlier than we were originally told. Hence the reason I’m emailing you is so that you can let all your friends know who maybe thinking of purchasing a SatPhone, now is the time to act very quick or they will miss out. Another idea might be to lobby your local member of Parliament, you never know if we complain, something might happen, if we don’t, be assured nothing will happen and we will lose the Subsidy. Once again we hope your Satphone is serving you well Kind Regards Doug Taylor www.satsleeve-australia.com.au www.lakecomm.com.au www.radtelnetwork.com.au