Author: Vincent

March 31, 2025

Discovery Parks – Mildura
We stayed here in March, the park itself was wonderful with all the usual features you would expect from a Discovery Park. This park is technically in NSW, on the other side of the Murrey River. Still close to town which is a 2 minute drive over the bridge.

Discovery Park Buronga is conveniently located in Buronga, NSW, right across the Murray River from Mildura in VIC, in the beautiful Sunraysia region
Website: Swan Hill Council

Fee Category: Paid

Booking: Yes

Dog Friendly: Yes

Amenities: Toilets / Showers

Dump point: Yes

Pool: Yes

Fire pits: Yes

Telstra: Good

Starlink: May have problems with trees
Discovery Park, Shadow going for his morning walk
Our Experience

We found this Discovery Park to be very good, so good we extended our stay!

Location wise, it is close to Mildura with a quick 2 minute drive over the bridge, while the park is technically in NSW, you are greeted with the Welcome to Victoria sign every time you drive over the bridge, and of course NSW won’t be outdone with the their sign on the way back.

Unfortunately for us, when we where there, Mildura was hot,hot,hot, so not too much exploring. None the less, we did get out and about during the morning usually which was pleasant. The heat did not really hit until midday, then it was back to the caravan and sit in the A/C, or the pool, which was surprisingly cold. It was shaded in the afternoon by the trees. There was another smaller pool that was in full sun. We didn’t try that one out.

There are so many huge houseboats that go past and some stop and park up for the night. They are pretty impressive and one day we would love to hire one with others. What an experience that would be.

The site we stayed on had a concrete pad and others where grassy. They were close together however it didn’t really bother us. There were groups that came and went. Everyone was friendly.

Photos

Discovery Park, sunrise over the Murray River bridge

Discovery Park swimming pool

Discovery Park main amenities block

Discovery Park amenities block

Discovery Park tree art

Shadow at the Entrance

Places of Interest that we went to.

Holden Museum – This took me down memory lane. I worked on many of these cars during my time as a mechanic. Sad to see an end to an era. Do go and support this museum if int he area. They are considering closing and we don’t want that to happen.

Mildura Working Mans Club – A good place for a drink and a feed. Prices are very reasonable and service excellent. A visitor member pass lasts for 7 days and is free so you can go back again and again.

Orange Wor ld – Yes we did the tour, and good to learn all about the humble orange, mandarins and even avocados. Everything from growing to harvesting and well worth a visit.

Paddle Steamer – Catch a ride on the iconic Mildura paddle steamer or watch it go through Lock 11 at Muludra Weir. If you have never seen a boat go through a lock, you have to see this one.

Trentham Winery – We had a lovely lunch here and they allows dogs. Nice for Shadow to be able to join us, his good looks won everyone over. A very nice setting and the Cellar Door right next door. We bought a nice bottle of Shiraz to take back to camp.

Australian Inland Botanical Garden – this is worth a look. It’s a big area and lots of different sections include other parts of the world. It was very hot when there and they do have this drive through area so you can stay in the air con. We started walking around but just got too hot. Some areas did need a little TLC. It is run by volunteers and by donation. There was also a cafe and gift shop which we didn’t visit.

Woodsies Gem Shop – if you are into gems or not this place is worth a visit. There are quite a few display cabinets showing all the different types of gem stones, jewellery, carved items, etc. Prices vary depending on what you want from $2 upwards. Part of the shop area and into the cafe area they have set the ceiling up like a cave. Very cool. You can also go for a walk in a cave itself. We didn’t do this part and was only a couple of dollars.
March 18, 2025

Nyah Recreation Reserve review
A free-camp on the Murray River where Nyah Recreation Reserve offers plenty of room with reasonable level sites with plenty of shade from the trees. We drove for about 1km around the reserve, so when we say plenty of room, there really is.
Website: Swan Hill Council

Fee Category: Donation

Booking: No

Dog Friendly: Yes

Amenities: toilets

Dump point: Yes

Pool: No

Fire pits: Yes

Telstra: Good

Starlink: May have problems with trees
Nyah Recreation Reserve camp ground
Our Opinion

When you arrive to Nyah Recreation Reserve camp site you are greeted with a large green grass area to your left, which you can camp on. I believe the amenities are there we don’t know for sure because we went further along the track to camp next to the river.

You can drive along this track for quite a distance making this a massive camp site. The start of it has a bank so if you park up there you won’t get a view of the river however the further down the track you go the better it was. It was peaceful with not much noise or traffic along the tracks after around 8 pm. You could have a fire however we were in a fire ban season so unfortunately not for us.

There was plenty of room where we were and our dog Shadow, had a ball being off lead and running after his ball. He could have played for hours. We kept a close eye on him all the time. He never goes far as he misses us.

You must be fully self contained so no grey water can be dropped on the ground. Take all your rubbish and as they say – take photos and leave only footprints. Great to be able to help preserve this area for future use. It was very relaxing for an overnight stay.

It wasn’t very far into the small town if you wanted to walk. We were too far down the track to do that. Near the entrance were some statues and BBQ areas and tables with arch roof to help keep the sun off. Great day area.

While we where there there was not much wind, but I would think that with this many tress around you would be quite sheltered. There are signs warning about falling branches and we did find a substantial fallen branch on the ground not far from our camp. If that came down during a storm or not, we will never know.

Pictures from Nyah Recreation Reserve

Nyah Park art

Nyah Recreation Reserve camp ground track

Nyah Recreation Reserve campsite view

Nyah Recreation Reserve campsite

Nyah Recreation Reserve Murray River
March 10, 2025

Lake Lonsdale Camping
We stayed at Lake Lonsdale a few weeks ago for a over night stop on our way to Melbourne. Besides the warning about blue/green algae which means don’t touch the water, even for our dog Shadow. It was a good, peaceful place with drop toilets, which surprisingly were clean and not smelly.
Website: Lake Lonsdale

Fee Category: Free

Booking: No

Dog Friendly: Yes

Amenities: Drop toilets

Dump point: No

Pool: No

Fire pits: Yes

Telstra: Good

Starlink: May have problems with trees
Lake Lonsdale lake view
Our Opinion

This campsite is massive and made up of smaller sections along the lake and all with drop toilets. We headed to section 2 and got ourselves a lakeside spot right under some trees which gave us some much needed shade as it was very hot.

3 hours from Melbourne and on the edge of The Grampians, I am sure it is a popular location for that weekend getaway. There is a ranger that comes round and he advised that we could have a fire only up to midnight as a total fire band was being put in place. Since it was 32 degrees, too hot for us.

Unfortunately for us at the time we were there, the lake level was low and algae had broken out in the lake. Normally you can swim in the lake however due to the algae it was not advisable. It looked nice from a distance. There were signs saying don’t touch, poisonous.

The drop toilets were a pleasant surprise, as any seasoned camper will tell you they are usually a ‘last resort’ however these ones did look reasonable new and were actually nice. Plenty of loo paper and a sink to wash your hands.

We would definitely stay here again and maybe in the cooler months. Be nice if the water level in the lake is a bit higher next time. The website link above will give you an indication of the current lake level.

Images from Lake Lonsdale campsite

Campground

Warning signs

Lake Lonsdale driveway

Lake Lonsdale amenities
March 7, 2025

Bordertown Recreation Lake
This is a review of the Bordertown Recreation lake, a donation camp next to a lake and the town of Bordertown, SA. An excellent overnight stop, or stay for a few days.
Website: Bordertown Recreation Lake

Fee Category: Donation

Booking: Bookings not required

Dog Friendly: Yes

Amenities: Flushing toilets

Dump point: Yes

Fire Pits: No

Rubbish bins: Yes

Pool: No

Telstra: Good

Starlink: May have problems with trees
The Water Tower
Our Opinion

If you are passing this way and need a place to stop overnight then this is a little gem of place to consider. For a very cost donation of $10 per campsite, it comes with decent toilets, bins, dump point, water and your choice of where to camp. This can be in the dirt area under trees or on the other side of where the toilets are located, on bitumen. The dirt section is a lot larger than the bitumen section.

This is a big park with plenty of trees and very flat. We didn’t need to level the van and put blocks under the car tyres only because the car is not level with the van. The toilets were clean with a hint of urine and flushing, a bonus in this class of camping. There is a dump point and potable water, though we didn’t need to fill our tanks.

We felt safe and is always encouraging when other caravans turn up and stay as well. There was a little bit of road and train noise, (the train tracks are not too far away), and other than that it was all good.

The only thing to note is that there are Jumping Jack ants, (also known as Bull ants), in the area, so maybe camping in tents may not be the best idea unless you can find a spot where the ground is clear. They didn’t give us any problems. Doesn’t matter where you go in Australia there seems to be ants.

This lake is not swimming one due to water quality, different depths and items at the bottom of the lake. In fact we saw signs that you can be fined if caught. The lake area was originally dug out out to make a bank for a road bridge and rather than fill it in, they decided to turn it into a lake. Interesting to walk around the lake on the walking tracks as there is some great art works to see along the way.

Jetty on the Lake, Shadow out for a walk

The Lake beyond

Bordertown Recreation Lake campground

Bordertown Recreation Lake campground
February 9, 2025

Lake Albert Caravan Park
Lake Albert Caravan park is located in Meningie in South Australia right on Lake Albert. We stayed at this park for 9 days over the busy Australia day weekend. This park is located just a quick 5 minutes walk from the township of Meningie, a small town with all the basic amenities that one would expect to be there.
Website: Lake Albert Caravan Park

Fee Category: Paid

Booking: Bookings needed

Dog Friendly: Yes

Amenities: Yes

Pool: Swimming in Lake Albert

Telstra: Good

Starlink: May have problems with trees
Lake Albert Caravan Park
Our Opinion

Due to us being a bit behind in our bookings, we didn’t realise that Australia Day was just around the corner. When searching for a place to stay, everywhere was already booked out however we came across this one and jumped on it. Unfortunately we could only get an unpowered site for the 9 days we needed. Turned out to be a great place as not only did we get a nice lake side spot, but it was also sheltered from the wind.

The park itself is well run with clean amenities. Our only item of note is that the amenities block was along way from the unpowered section of the park. Our smart watches counted approx. 350-385 steps to the amenities one way. We got our step count up each day and met our daily targets during our stay.

They put on an Australia Day event, which was well attended by the campers including cocktail bar! Plenty of drinking, music and dancing. It was a great afternoon enjoyed by all.

If you are into boating – kayaks, catamaran, jet skis, small boats and water sports, then this place is excellent. When we were they, there was a family party of about 70 people enjoying all the water sports and fun to watch. Plenty of places to launch the boat with a very easy grassy areas acting as a boat ramp and very shallow entry to the water. You could walk out about 50 metres into the lake and still be waist deep in water which makes it ideal for families. We saw people fishing, how successful they were I don’t know. Catherine did see some fish that were caught on her walks with Shadow so they are there.

Pics From around Camp

Lake Albert Caravan Park camp view

Lake Albert Caravan Park camp view

Lake Albert car and WaterSki

Australia Day drinks

Shadow and Vincent in the lake

Early morning fishing

Meningie Town sign

Meningie Town Bushranger

Evening get together
January 27, 2025

Millicent Lakeside Caravan Park
Our review of the Millicent Lakeside Caravan Park is a positive one. A nice picturesque park with lovely green grass, and level sites. If you are after somewhere to stay that is quite and centrally located to a number of attractions then this place should be on your list. There a cockateels there that do make a bit of noise at night but soon quieten down..
Website: Millicent Lakeside Caravan Park

Fee Category: Paid

Booking: Bookings needed

Dog Friendly: Yes

Amenities: Yes

Pool: Swimming Lake next door

Telstra: Good

Starlink: May have problems with trees
Millicent Lakeside Caravan Park campground
Our Opinion

We stayed here for 3 weeks over the Christmas and New Year break. We loved it. It was a reasonably quite place, at a reasonable price. Not the newest place we have been to in our travels, but still, it was kept clean and felt safe.

The weather was a bit of a shock, since we are Queenslanders. Having to use the heater a few times in the evening was a shock. I can now understand why everyone heads south in summer. The weather was up and down, we did not get much rain, but the temperature ranged from 18 to 33 degrees, the average would have been 23. Overnight temps got down to as low as 13.

One of the best features of this caravan park is the Millicent Swimming Lake which is next door. This is a council run Lake, so all of Millicent have access to this lake. It is free and plenty big enough for everyone going to a max depth of 1.8M and safe for anyone. There is a pontoon you can jump off. We certainly used it on those occasional hot days that came along during our stay. It is NOT DOG FRIENDLY, there are NO DOGS signs everywhere around the lake.

Millicent Swimming Lake , a council run facility

Millicent Swimming Lake , a council run facility

Millicent Swimming Lake information sign

Millicent Lakeside Caravan Park campground

Millicent Lakeside Caravan Park campground

Millicent Lakeside Caravan Park campground un-powered sites

Attractions

There is quite a few things to do around the Limestone coast, with Millicent being at the southern end. If you like spending time along the coast, or exploring inland towns then there is a few things to do around here. Below is a list of what we got up to –
- Mt Gambier, about 30 min away, A few things to look at around here, some things though are not dog friendly, Centenary Tower, Blue Lake, The cave Garden, Umpherston Sinkhole 🐶
- Kilsby Sinkhole 💰💰 this is where you can snorkel and drive as it also has some caves.
- Little Blue Lake, just outside Mt Gambier, you can swim here 🐶
- The Barn, a high end restaurant, excellent meal 💰💰
- Mt Burr, about 10 min away, a walking trail (dog friendly 🐶) and also at the local store – American Burgers yum yum.
- Conunda National Park, sand 4wd, go to information centre for maps.
- Tantanoola Caves, worth a look 💰
- Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park, worth a look, you can snorkel here, or you could, it was closed when we went,
- Mt Schank Volcano, a good hike up and around the perimeter
- Naracoorte, which has an excellent museum, 30 -40 min away 🐶 💰
- Penola, which is about 30 -40 min away, historic village here. 🐶
- Beachport, Southend, Port MacDonnell, all coastal towns to have a look at. 🐶
There are wine trails, and more, this is just a sample of what is available. To see more have a look at our Facebook page at around the date January 2025.

Kennels

There are few things on that list which are not dog friendly. We left Shadow at the Weedon Springs Boarding Kennel and Cattery (Glencoe, SA), about half way between Millicent and Mt Gamier. They were excellent and are on Facebook.
January 18, 2025

Kohlhagens Beach Campground
Our Kohlhagens Beach Campground review is a positive one, a free campsite just west of Wagga Wagga, NSW. A place worth staying at for an overnight stop or maybe for a night or two if you want to explore the area.
Website:

Fee Category: Free

Booking: No bookings needed

Dog Friendly: Yes

Amenities: No

Pool: No

Telstra: Unknown

Starlink: May have problems with trees
Kohlhagens Beach Campground
Our Opinion

It was a surprise to find a sandy beach this far from the sea, and the sand, while a little course was good to walk on with bare feet. Just a warning though, there seems to be a bit of broken glass around.

A good camp, that is far enough away from the road, so little to no traffic noise. You do have to be self-sufficient though as there is nothing provided. The one rubbish bin we saw was full to the brim.

The entrance can be a bit tricky to find as it is next to a farm yard entrance. Wikicamps has it pinned pretty accurately. Once you find the road then it is about 1km down a dirt road to the campsite, nothing to arduous just take it easy.

The Murrumbidgee river, while muddy looking was ok for use to take a dip in, it was very hot when we were there so it was a welcome relief from the heat. We saw some fishing boats going up and down the river, so there must be some fish in there. Plenty of shade provided by the trees, and campfire pits dotted around the place.

There are some permanent people there, but they kept to themselves, also there is plenty of room as this is a reasonably large campsite.

Kohlhagens Beach Campground beach

Kohlhagens Beach Campground Track

As always, if you have any comments, please leave them below.
January 13, 2025

2024 – Year in Review
What does it cost to travel around Australia in a caravan? This is probably the number one question asked, quickly followed by “will I still be married afterwards?”

Difficult questions to answer, when everybody has different expectations and budgets. We can only give our experience so far.

We started off on our travels in August 2024. Initially staying in Brisbane for 2 weeks while we got things tidied up, then heading north as far as Townsville, then all the way south to Millicent in South Australia.

5 months, and a few lessons have been learnt along the way.

Money

The number 1 question everybody seems to want to know is how much does it cost to travel around Australia. Well for us it has cost us this much, lets break it down.

2024 Expenses summary

This does not include insurance (car & caravan), or our storage fees. In 2025, this is looking to be about 10K combined.

Fuel

This is another favourite, how much fuel does it take to travel around?

Total Klm 11,539 Km
Total Cost $4,604.58
Average L/100km 20.01 L/100
Avg cost/tank $124.45

Note: this is a combined towing/not towing fuel figure.

This is what I expected, I did a lot of research about this, since we are driving a 5.6L V8 petrol Nissan Patrol, so before purchasing the vehicle a lot of things were looked at, safety, reliability, off-roading, towing. The conclusion I came to, it doesn’t matter what you drive, if your GCM is about 6+ Tonnes, your fuel consumption will be about this figure.

Unusual expenses
- When back in Brisbane, we bought more accessories for the caravan and car, this was over $1000.
- We had a wedding to attend, which involved us staying at an expensive caravan park (Over $110/night), plus because we were part of a group, there was plenty of eating out and drinking.
- We bought a generator, it became obvious that you cannot always rely on the sun, and new portable solar panels, as the ones we had failed.
- We bought a smart TV, as the one that came with the caravan was not smart.
- Both of us had some medical issues, which involved CT scans, MRI’s and specialist doctors.
Summary

Now that we have been in the caravan for 5 months, I think it is safe to say we have most things that we need. Do we want more stuff, yes, but that will always be the case, every where you go you will always find new stuff to buy.

So unless stuff breaks, we should be able to travel a bit cheaper in 2025. Hopefully.

Average/month = $6,300 or 1,600/week

We hope 2025 can be a bit cheaper. At this rate we will run out of money in a few years time. ☹️

Plans going forward

We need to get our expenses below $5.000/month. So to achieve this we are going to try –
- More free camps – caravan parks can be expensive, and now that we have a generator, we should be able to stay off grid longer.
- Caravan park discounts– take advantage of the special deals that come around.
- Less eating out/takeaways – This is getting expensive, for us it starts at $50 and can get quite easily to over $100. That’s almost a weeks groceries!
There you have it, we are very lucky to be able to do this at this time in our lives, but it will be a shame if we have to stop due to lack of money.

As always thoughts and comments below.
January 3, 2025

Stuart Town Recreation Reserve
Website:

Fee Category: Donation

Booking: No bookings needed

Dog Friendly: Yes

Amenities: Toilets

Pool: No

Telstra: Unknown

Starlink: No problems experienced
Stuart Town Recreation Reserve
Our Review / Opinion

Stuart Town, located in the Central West region of New South Wales. Originally known as Ironbark, the town is famously immortalised in Banjo Paterson’s poem, “The Man from Ironbark,” which reflects its colourful past during the Australian gold rush era.

With a current population of approximately 240, it is a small place.

Lake Burrendong is situated nearby, this large water reservoir offers opportunities for fishing, boating, and camping.

No bookings, just turn up. When we were there we were the only ones there, one other caravan did turn up, otherwise the place was to ourselves. There are flushing toilets and a defibrillator. The sites were flat, so no problem levelling up.

The grass was full of Bindies, so dog boots needed for our little dog.

There really isn’t much else to say here, for an overnight stop it was good. Not much else around here.
December 28, 2024

Coonabarabran Golf Club Campsite
Website: Coonagolfclub.com.au

Fee Catagory: Patronage at the club

Booking: No bookings needed

Dog Friendly: Yes

Amenities: Toilets during trading hours

Pool: No

Telstra: Data Flakey

Starlink: No problems experienced
Coonabarabran Golf Club campsite
Our Opinion / Experience

Coonabaraban Golf Club campsite – Coonabarabran is known as the “Astronomy Capital of Australia” due to its proximity to the Warrumbungle Observatory and the Siding Spring Observatory. Apparently, every year around Labour Day long weekend there is a StarFest. Could be worth a look so check out their website.

This is a basic campsite with toilets at the club, which are available for use during club hours. Other than that you have to be self contained. There is plenty of space, no need to book. Great for Starlink.

The club asks that you buy a beer, and/or a meal. We decided to have a Chinese meal at the restaurant located inside, which was a decent size. If you have a dog and want to eat at the club, there is an outside balcony area where you can sit. You just have to bear in mind, that by the time you pay for your meal and a beer, your free camp has just turned into an expensive camp.

Also available is a shaded area with a bbq. Suggest you check if you can use this area first. Visitors can enjoy a game of golf as well.

The ground is on a slight slope, which depending on your gear (and where you park) it may mean that you can’t get your van level. We couldn’t get level but close enough. Other than that, it was a good place with only a few minutes drive into the town centre.

If you are driving through this area, then this is a good place to stay overnight – safe and quite.

A couple of pics

Coonabarabran Golf Club building

Coonabarabran Golf Club playground

Have a look at our NSW Campsites to find more potential campsites.
December 18, 2024

Voting when on the road

Next year the Federal election will be held, and depending where you are there may be others. In Queensland we have recently just held the State elections.

If you are travelling around Australia, or going overseas for an extended period of time, then it is possible to advise the AEC (Australian Electoral Commission) of the fact that you have no fixed address. What this does is stop the AEC chasing you when you inadvertently don’t vote at an election, which you may be unaware of, or may not even be able to vote at.

This process is to inform AEC that you are an itinerant voter. Which means you can vote if you can/want to, but if not then you won’t get fined.

As far as I know this applies to all elections, council,state and federal.

Below is an explanation of how I have gone about this. It was not as straight forward as I thought it should have been as there is no direct link to the form you need.

You need to use the People with no fixed address enrolment form.

How I did it

Go to this page on the AEC site and click on the Enrol to vote with no fixed address

After that you land on another page, click on No fixed address enrolment form

Select you state, then fill out the form using your last registered address., also make the selection as below.

Once this form has been submitted, you should get an email confirming you are now an Itinerant voter, this may take a few days.

Itinerant Confirmation letter

confirmation letter

That’s it, all done. One last thing to have to think about when on the road.

I hope this information may be useful to someone out there, and if there are any corrections to be made, please leave a comment.
December 10, 2024

Faithful Bingara Riverside Camp West
Website: WikiCamps

Fee Catagory: Donation

Booking: First in, no bookings

Dog Friendly: Yes

Amenities: No

Pool: No

Telstra: Data Flakey

Starlink: Depends on site, lots of trees
The family at Faithful Bingara Riverside Camp West enjoying an afternoon drink.
Our Opinion

There are 2 campsites here, one on each side of the river. The bigger one is accessible off White Rd, while the one we stayed at is accessible off Gwydir Tce. Drive by the golf club on a dirt road, turn right into the camp ground. There are a few pot holes to navigate. This campsite is a lot smaller than the one on the other side of the river.

There are other campsite further down the river, which would be worth checking out, they all seem to get positive feedback on Wikicamps.

We enjoyed out time here, making some new friends with the campers already here. The river itself was flowing at a moderate pace, and we were right next to it. The site was level, the grass nice. You would normally pay for a site like this, we couldn’t believe our luck with this one.

You do have to be self contained, as there are no facilities. There are a few dump points around town so that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

This is going to be one of our favourite places to be if we are in the area. Just depends how busy it will be on the day as mentioned earlier, this campsite is small, the other one on the other side of the river is huge. The town looked nice, we didn’t spend much time there.

A few Pics from campsite and lookout

Bingara bridge with the Gwydir river

The view of the Bingara town from H.F. Batterham Lookout

The view of the Bingara town from H.F. Batterham Lookout

H.F Batterham Lookout