More than 1.7 million Australians are expected to hit the road, destined for their annual Easter camping holiday.
This year, with the Easter and Anzac Day long weekends within a week of each other, camping and caravan enthusiasts can enjoy a more extended break than usual.
But holidaymakers are being reminded of the importance of planning because, as the team at Battery World knows all too well, a poorly organised camping trip, especially with the family in tow, can result in a group of not-so-happy campers.
“Being ill-prepared for an off grid camping trip is the biggest error you can make and could ruin what would otherwise be an enjoyable break,” says Battery World General Manager Johnny Kennedy.
“Our team across the country can advise you on the most suitable battery and solar power equipment for Easter trips, whether big or small and don’t forget your car battery health check, you don’t want to be all packed and reach to hit the road, only to have your battery go flat.”
Queenslanders Annette Jones and her partner Kev are full-time caravanners, having journeyed 43,000 kilometres since taking their lives on the road two years ago.
As Easter approaches, the ‘All Around Oz’ duo is keen to share some of their key learnings and tips for a successful long or short-term camping journey.
“For those new to camping and caravanning our best piece of advice is to slow down,” says Annette. “Initially, we hopped from place to place, ticking off our bucket list, which became exhausting.
“We now spend at least 4-7 days in an area if possible. In remote parts of Australia, this isn’t always possible as the distances between towns are vast.”
As for the most vital piece of equipment, the couple swears by their tyre pressure monitor.
“As the name suggests, these devices monitor tyre pressures and alert the driver if there is a slow leak or problem with a tyre.
“Some rigs already have TPM built in, but caravans don’t. We have separate TPMs for our van, so all eight tyres are monitored.”
When it comes to powering up their travels, they use two 200ah lithium batteries, 840w solar on the roof and a 3000w inverter.
“We also carry a 400w portable waterproof solar blanket for cloudy days when we want to give our batteries a boost,” Annette adds. “And if you want to camp off-grid, put as much solar on the roof and the largest batteries as you can afford.”
Fresh from traversing the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, Annette rates fishing in the Gulf of Carpentaria; the Queensland Dinosaur Trail and floating down Bitter Springs in Elsey National Park in the Northern Territory, as some of the most memorable experiences they’ve had in the past two years.
Having travelled as far north as Cape York, the entire east coast of Australia and across the Savannah Way, from Normanton to Cairns, Annette and Kev are living the Australian dream.
And they have a solid piece of advice for fellow adventurers: Do your own research or speak with industry experts like those at the more than 110 Battery World stores nationwide.
“There’s lots of advice across social media so we found it best to do our own research on our set-up, the gear we needed and how we wanted to travel around Australia – it’s working out well so far.”
Whether experienced or just starting your adventure, the team at Battery World is available to help you plan and power a great Aussie Easter adventure.
BENEFITS OF A SOLAR CAMP SET-UP
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Quiet and odourless: Recharging with the use of Solar is completely silent and produces no emissions. Don’t be that person at a quiet remote camp running a generator for eight hours a day.
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Eco-friendly option: Recharging using Solar creates clean energy, unlike running petrol-powered generators.
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Safety: Solar doesn’t rely on fossil fuel to run, making it a kid-friendly and safe option, especially if you’re camping in the bush or high-shrub areas.
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Long-lasting: Investing in good quality solar panels will maximise the working life of the panels.
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Easy to use: Solar panels are easy to use and super versatile, enabling you to park the tent in the shade and position the panels to take full advantage of the suns position and maximise the charging input — they can recharge and power up everything at your campsite, from torches, cameras and the all-important music device.
Before you hit the road, head into your local store. Not only can you get your vehicle battery health checked, but they can also test your deep cycle battery that powers your camp site! You can chat with the team to ensure you have everything covered to power your camping passion.
