We had our first trip away in our Caravan last weekend arriving on the Friday afternoon and leaving on Sunday morning.

We arrived at our destination which was Birrubi Beach Caravan Park at Anna Bay located in Port Stephens NSW Australia on Friday afternoon.

The weather was great, a little on the warm side which is what we were hoping for. We set the van up which didn’t take long as we only rolled out the awning and did not bother with the annexe. It was our first time away since buying the van so we were doing this short trip to see what we had and what we had forgotten. Our next trip will be for a longer period of time so we thought a trial run would be good and also a good break.

After setting up the van and having afternoon tea we decided we would enjoy a walk on the beach. It was a beautiful afternoon but as we approached the beach we could see dark clouds appearing from the south which looked like a storm may be approaching,but we continued our walk as it seemed like it still could be a while off.

When we arrived back at our van we watched as some newcomers arrived and set there van up. It wasn’t too long after that the storm hit and it bucketed down. We thought this will certainly test us to see if we had leaks or anything else going on with the van, one thing we did discover was ants, thousands of them all over the cupboards. We think the nest was behind the fridge and the heat drove them out.

We booked an ensuite site but didn’t think to ask if the site had a concrete slab for our awning or annexe. We were a bit surprised when we found we had a grass site which was now dirt as the school holidays had only finished the previous week. This didn’t really matter only we hadn’t bought anything with us to put on the ground. We decided to go to the local shopping centre to see what we could get to put on the ground so we would not walk dirt in the van and to get something to get rid of the ants.We found some rubber square mats that have holes in them and lock into one another, there are six in the pack and once put together they make a nice mat in front of the door and there was enough room to put our table and chairs on for when we were sitting under the annexe, we also bought some Ant rid which is great as the ants are attracted to the sweet syrup and when they eat it they take it back to the nest to feed to the Queen ant and others then they die, it worked very well.

The storm hit and it certainly rained quiet heavy with a lot of thunder and lightning which caused a blackout, we had no power so we decided to go for a drive to see what area had power as we were planning on dining out. We found a nice Tavern at Salamander Bay with reasonably priced meals, the meal and service was very good and it turned out to be a good choice. By the time we returned to the caravan park the power had been restored.

During the night we had quiet a bit of rain, when we woke the next morning we had a pool of water in front of the cupboard under the sink and there was also water in the cupboard so we weren’t sure at first whether it was from the rain or a leaking kitchen tap. After some mopping up and investigating it appeared it was a leak from our newly fitted tap, which we have repaired since we got home. We just turned the water off when we were not using it.

We had a shower of rain on Saturday morning around 6am but it turned out to be a nice day.

Our first adventure on Saturday was to take the Landcruiser (4WD) for a drive along Stockton Beach and what an adventure that turned out to be. The first part of the journey was quiet enjoyable but when approaching our destination which the Sygna a shipwreck that was washed ashore in May 1974 we were driving a little to close to the water and got bogged in a soft section of sand. We flagged down a nice young guy who was driving past and we were lucky as he had all the equipment to get someone out of a situation like ours. He tried to tow us out with out success and we even tried some new equipment he had bought which came in handy when he used his winch and these rubber ramps under the back tyres we were pulled out of the sand in no time. One thing we did learn is that it is best to drive a bit further away from the water to avoid the soft sand which can appear from know where when driving along the beach. It is a matter of experience which I am sure in time we will gain. Even after this happening I thought what a great adventure there were so many people on the beach in there 4 wheel drives either just driving on the beach or they had stopped to go fishing. We also saw some tin fishing shacks that are built in a secluded area on the beach behind the sand dunes which I believe some people live in.

That afternoon as I was doing a bit of work for this site my better half was off talking to our neighbours and it got the better of me and I decided I would go for a chat as well. What a nice couple we met they had travelled from Lismore to catch up with their son ,daughter in law and grandson, they travel when they get the chance and when their work allows them to which was interesting as I feel at times I could just pack up and go off traveling. They have traveled to a lot of places which we are interested in.

Well as this was our first trip away on our own for some time it has been a bit of an adjustment but we have survived and are looking to our next time when we can getaway, so keep watching this site for more updates on our adventures.

You can visit our gallery to see the photos we took.