Not lost, Just Living!!

Oh the places you will go and the things that you will see... It's the road to nowhere that takes you everywhere!

[ohno-turtle]

Sugar Van, a vibrant '99 Ford Transit cruising the Beautiful Australian Sights with a couple of crazy girls. @shell.turtle & @samanthadolans

Have you met Sugar Van? Our loyal comrade in travel has her own insta account. Check out her photos and throw her a lil love. We have had such a great experience living in this beautiful girl, it actually makes me sad to think that we will be selling her on soon. :(

[ohno-turtle]

Cooking outside can be fun, cooking outside in a fly ridden campground... conversation gets weird! Listen to the Shi* that we actually say! 

[ohno-turtle]

Parking nightmare! Days are so much nicer than nights sometimes! Along our travels we have learnt small lessons when it comes to parking overnight such as : •Dont back your van into low hanging trees just to fit in a space, you'r prob going to end up with an assortment of lizards and spiders coming to live with you the following day. • check the area for snakes and obvious wildlife, if it's ptesent, find somewhere else to park. It was there first! (This was a legit experience late one night) • if your using a parking lot, park to the side out of the way of high flow traffic and make sure you are in ONE bay only! Last night we added a new experience to this, do not park under a light in a free campground. Car parks are ok, there are pleanty of liggts and fewer bugs. However if your staying out in nature... there are shit loads more bugs and a lot less lights!!

[ohno-turtle]

When you need to dry your shoes but they are too wet and dirtt to hang in the van... tie and travel! #vanlife #vanlifeadventures #converse #wetshoes #itsawanderlustlife #simplelife #adventures #notadulting #bumperbar #dryitright (at Pokolbin, New South Wales)

[ohno-turtle]

Grim days are bound to happen, regardless these views are beautiful!! #beautifulviews #aussieroadtrip #huntervalley #nsw #roadsfordays #itsawanderlustlife #notlostjusttravelling #travelologists #makethemostofit #grimweather (at Hunter Valley Wine Country)

[ohno-turtle]

It was just on the side of the road: I now own a skateboard!

One of the downsides to living from a backpack and giving up all your past momentos in life is that you don’t tend to keep hold of things that you do not use on a regular basis. 

A few weeks ago whilst parked in a carpark/freecamp one morning, I couldn’t help but think that the carpark would be amazing for a skate session; curbs, clean cement and smooth roads with very little to no traffic… Now I have not skated since highschool, none the less I let the thought go and continued on with the book I was reading. 

Cue three weeks later and low and behold sitting on the side of the road is a skateboard. I am a sucker for, what we call ‘hard rubbish’ as in stuff people have placed on the curb outside their house… I honestly have no use for most of it but I just love seeing what people have decided that they no longer want in life. I have been there, placing items i once cherished on the curb for smeone else to collect and love, its such a magical moment to find a treasure.  

OOps on a tangent, lets return… 

So I stopped ‘Sugar’ (our beloved van/house)  and picked up that abandoned little board. Standard setup nothing fancy, run of the mill brands, but I was stoaked. Not only because I love finding free shit that I can actually use, (unlike the dvd  collection we have with no dvd player) but because I now own a skateboard! 

So now I own a skateboard. Thats pretty exciting. Now.. is it like riding a bike? Can you just remember how to function goofy footed? Next time I find myself in a carpark that looks remotely smooth, i will let you know! 

[ohno-turtle]

The views are beyond beautiful. #bewong #freecamp #vanlife #vanlifeadventures #beautifulviews #holidaylife (at Bewong, NSW)

[ohno-turtle]

The art of freecamping: don't be a c**t

We have been free camping around the beautiful coast line of Australia for near on six months now. Its been such a beautiful adventure and I've loved every minute of it... almost. I need to rant. "Free camping etiquette." Where has it gone? We are avid users of the app 'wikicamps' it has some great hidden spots that we would never have stumbled across on our own adventures. Great yes, but what's not great is when people leave the area with such disrespect you can see that it's only a matter of time before we lose access to so many of these beautiful places. So what is the free camp etiquette you ask?! Let's sum it up with 5 easy points: 1. Leave no trace. So many times have we pulled up at a free camp only to find it surrounded in what can only be described as trash and tp. It's down right disgusting. You are given this beautiful space to use as you Iike, please leave it like that for the next person. It's not hard to ask. If there is no bin, take your rubbish with you. There are rubbish bins are servos, you will need to stop at some point for fuel, dispose of it there. Im sure that if your one of those people who leave their rubbish all over the ground your probably also one of those people who has a bazillion empty drink containers scattered around your car. Keep your rubbish to yourself! 2. Park within your line. This is my second biggest gripe and the simplest way I can break this down for you: if you are a car you park in the car park line, and I say line because you are one vehicle you get one space. You dont get two spaces for your setup just because you were there before everyone else. It just means you get the best spot. Too many times have I pulled up to a camp and had to leave again because multiple dickbags have decided that they need two parks each. Driving whilst tired is one of the leading causes of road accidents. Did you think about that when you decided to leave your table set up beside your van all night? No, you didn't because you my friend are a dickbag! -Do not park in the truck parking just because there is more space over there. dont be that asshat that takes up a track bay for their tiny ass camper because there are people in the car/van side. Know your vehicle and if your not a truck DON'T PARK IN THE TRUCK BAY! -Do not pull into a 'caravan only' space because you do not want to park next to another campervan. Do you know how annoying it can be to pull not be able to pull over because some pissy ass campervan has 'small van syndrome' don't be an asshole. Think about others. -If you are sharing a stretch with trucks, pull up right to the front of the bay. If a truck pulls in to a park and you are parked in the middle preventing them from pulling up, you can guarantee blinding lights and loud horns untill you move your van. I kid you not, I've seen it. In Australia truck drivers are required to rest every so often. Failure to do so can result in excessive fines and job loss. Don't be the asshole that causes that. We can sum this up by pretty much saying: Dont be that cunt, know your vehicle and park where you belong. 3. Neighbors! Not only are they inevitable but they are also fellow campers just wanting to travel and have a good time just like yourself. Respect that. Noise levels, shining torches about, drinking too much and being that asshole that gets kicked out of the club at 10pm... noone likes that guy.. Don't be that guy. 4. Free facilities. Are they not the greatest?! Toilets that flush with actual toilet paper, free BBQs so you dont have to blow out another gas can for dinner, and free drinking water! Not that you would drink it but you can wash your dishes and clothes with it without wasting water you actually had to pay for! How great are free facilities?! Now imagine that all free camps with facilities became no camping zones because some asshat kept abusing the privilege? Yes privilege because these facilities are not a right, noone has to offer these but they do and you should appriciate that by leaving the fuckers clean. Dont leave fatty ass meat juice all over the bbq, it attracts bugs and its not nice to have to clean off stale meat juice full of bugs. Toilet paper goes in the toilet, not on the floor, not in the basin and deff not on the door handle! Don't be a filthy pig. Do you display such filthy bathroom habbits at home? No, then dont do it here. It's disgusting, honestly disgusting! 5. Free camps are for everyone, unless your a dickbag! Then go home because you are not welcome here! Respect each other & respect the camp ground. You can have a great time without ruining somebody elses experience. Safe and happy travels, campers!

[ohno-turtle]

Thanks #canberra you have been... #educational to say the least. Let's head to the coast now... #newsouthwales #boarderphotos #aussieroadtrip #vanlifeadventures

[ohno-turtle]

Day 5: what a beautiful place to start the day!! Warri Rest Area, NSW.

[ohno-turtle]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTBWpI8OaCY)