So… COVID-19 put a massive dent in our plans for the Grand Tour… We were originally planning to head off in September 2020. We postponed that to January 2021 but COVID-19 and all the uncertainty of border closures throughout 2020 caused us to push that back to August 2021.
As borders and travel gradually eased during 2020 we managed to get in a number of weekend trips to get used to hitching, towing, parking and all the necessary skills. As of February 2021 the borders are still a bit ‘iffy’ so we decided to take a five week shakedown trip out to Lake Mungo following the Murrumbidgee River via:
The return trip is via Victoria (mostly) along the Murray River (mostly) through:
- Mildura
- Robinvale
- Lake Boga
- Rochester
- Corowa (Rutherglen region)
- Craigieburn; and
- Tarrawingee.
We were originally intending to spend Easter in Echuca but it was impossible to get a booking hence we dropped south to Rochester on the Campaspe River.
By coming back through Victoria this trip provides us the opportunity to drop down to the Supreme Service Center in Craigieburn (Melbourne) and get a few warranty fixes done to the van.
Our final night will be a stopover at The Plough Inn in Tarrawingee. The Plough Inn is one of the numerous pubs around the country that permit caravans and campers to park (generally at no cost) for a night or two in return for having a meal and drink in the pub. These pubs can be found on a website called Country Pub Camping, which is a no cost website updated by members as they find these pubs.
This trip gives us a chance to live in the van and fully test it over a lengthy series of towing legs and stopovers. We should encounter a range of road conditions from dual lane freeway to country roads and some corrugated dirt roads. Hopefully this will set us up with enough experience to confidently attempt the Grand Tour later in the year.
Our Route
Trip Posts
Day 1 – Jugiong
So… finally we’re away on our five week shakedown trip to Mungo National Park. Accordingly… in the days before we left our septic system kept…
Days 2-4 – Narranderra
Day 5-7 – Hay
After Narrandera it was off to Hay, the half-way point between Sydney and Adelaide and the start of the Hay Plain. Despite the weather being…
Day 8-10 – Balranald
Hay Plain Emptiness We left Hay after a slightly cooler night and headed off along the Hay Plain to Balranald. Jo took the wheel for…
Day 11-13 Mungo National Park
So… we set off from Balranald, a bit sad to leave such a comfortable camp site. Before we left though we stocked up on some…
Day 14-20 Mildura
So.. back to civilisation after three wonderful days in Mungo National Park. The road from Mungo Main Campsite to Mildura was very similar to the…
Day 21-23 – Robinvale
So…just a short trip, less than one hundred kilometres, from Mildura to Robinvale. Really enjoyed a simple tow on the bitumen after the trip to…
Day 24-25 – Lake Boga
So… another easy tow from Robinvale southeast past the Andrew Peace Winery, at Piangil, through Swan Hill and on to Lake Boga. Somewhere between Robinvale…
Day 26-29 – Rochester
So…We were originally going to stay in Echuca for Easter but couldn’t get a booking anywhere. Rochester is a small town 25km south of Echuca…
Day 30-32 – Corowa (Rutherglen District)
So… after our Easter layover in Rochester we towed on to Corowa, which is on the NSW side of the Murray but only about 10km…
Day 33 – Craigieburn
Day 34 – Tarrawingee
So… our final night has finally arrived. After leaving the Supreme Service Center in Craigieburn (Melbourne) we decided that we would break up the long…
Shakedown Trip Stats
So… we kept records of our trip details mainly out of interest but also to help us get an idea of the costs and effort…