I have committed the cardinal sin of blogging. I haven’t, well… blogged.

Since February.

As a copywriter who regularly advises clients of the benefits of frequent blogging, this is probably not a good thing.

In my defence, after my last post when we had just sold our beloved campervan, we then left our jobs, sold our house and cars, said goodbye to everyone we knew, panic-bought a few souvenir fridge magnets to remind us of 9 years in Brisbane and packed up our entire antipodean life into 101 boxes and a 40-ft shipping container.

Our last night in Australia with a better than average view.

Oh, we then emigrated (or re-migrated?) 10,000 miles to the UK, found a job, found a house, started a business, and emptied those 101 boxes in a completely new part of the country.

I know, I know. It’s a weak excuse. Especially because we’ve actually only opened 80 of the boxes.

But we’ve made it, and are now living in a little village near Bristol. Despite having a similar name, Bristol is – unsurprisingly – not like Brisbane. I won’t dwell on the differences (it does rain quite a bit) but on the plus side, it is a similar distance from some excellent campervanning country.

Croyde Bay, North Devon, UK

Baggy Point, North Devon

Just as Brisbane has the wonderful Sunshine Coast on its doorstep, Bristol is less than two hours from the rugged North Devon coastline and its long, sandy surfing beaches. It’s a place we know and love, having spent the first part of our honeymoon there. Okay so you swap warm summer evenings lazing next to a beach barbeque for bracing afternoons huddled behind a stripy windbreak, and Queensland’s spectacular pelicans have been replaced by absolutely ginormous seagulls. But it’s all okay. The fish and chips are good. There’s always the tinkle of an ice-cream van in the distance.

Raincoat and wellies instead of togs and flip-flops?

And amid the chaos of the last few months (loosely interpreted as a career break for CV purposes) we’ve managed to escape to both Devon and Dorset for a few long weekends for a proper medicinal dose of sea air. It’s been great. It would be amazing in a campervan.

I must admit when we arrived back in the UK it was tempting to replicate our to-do list from 2010, which went something like:

• Buy minibus
• Convert into fabulous campervan
• Have lots of holidays
• Write a blog

But our recently acquired status as Sensible Adults suggested that providing a new home for our toddler was probably a priority, so finding accommodation and employment were pushed higher up the list. For the time being, we are campervan-less.

So what’s the best way to explore counties such as Devon, Dorset and Cornwall if not in a campervan? The obvious answer is, of course, to find a gorgeous little whitewashed B&B hideaway perched on a remote cliff-top with a roaring open fire and fresh pastries delivered every morning… but while the AUD/GBP exchange rate remains resolutely in the doldrums, we were looking for something a little more modest.

Camping was the rational option, but with the three of us still very much in the acclimatisation stage (even in a centrally heated, double-glazed house), sleeping under canvas seemed like a step too far. So we eased ourselves into the northern hemisphere’s climate with a more comfortable combination of hotels and lodges. One of our favourite places in the country deserves its own post, so I’ll review where we stayed in the next blog.

It’s sunny!

In the meantime, if any non-Queensland readers need convincing that it’s one of the best places in the WORLD to travel in a campervan, check out the summer edition of the UK’s excellent Campervan magazine for some familiar photos. Or take a look at the Surf n Turf article here.

So many people have been in touch since my last blog post to enquire about our campervan. We recently sold it to a fantastic couple – Ann and Nigel – who fell in love with it as much as we did. In fact, they flew all the way up from Canberra to view it, before driving it back (1,200km) later that day. Phew! And having suffered from a slight identity crisis over the last five years, the campervan finally has a name: Dolly. I think it suits her. I’m sure many adventures await.

We are about to embark on our own adventure, and relocate back to the UK after 9 years in Brisbane. It’s a sad farewell but we’re looking forward to spending much more time with our families. And with plans already afoot for our next campervan project (the lime green kettle and gingham cutlery have already been packaged up and shipped back), the blog will continue. Hurrah! See you on the other side 🙂

Best bits of the Campervan Converts:

How to make fabulous seat cushions part one and part two

How to make TERRIBLE cushions (only one part required)

Everything you need to know about campervan plumbing

How to wire a campervan

Delicious food you really really need in your campervan

How to fit a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom into a glorified taxi

11 simple steps to achieve your diy campervan

How did it all start?

Fabulous bespoke campervan now for sale Low mileage! Free miniature pans and gingham cutlery! Discount for blog readers! One careful lady owner!* (*And her husband. Also the previous owner, which was a childcare centre, but we have all been very careful). The time has come to embark on a new campervan build project that will accommodate a rather lively one-year old, so we are selling our beloved first campervan. The vehicle specifications are: Toyota Hiace Commuter van SLWB, 2006 model 2.7-litre engine, 4-speed auto gearbox 40,000km on the clock Air conditioning/CD player/electric windows in the front The living space briefly comprises: Living area with extremely stylish cushions which fold out to form a double bed. Fully equipped kitchen with:

• Two-ring gas burner
• Waeco 80-litre fridge
• 24-litre electric boiler with hot/cold running water
• Powerful ceiling fan and vent
• Plenty of storage including wine cupboard

Dual entry bathroom/ensuite with:

• Thetford cassette toilet
• Large basin with hot/cold running water
• Storage cupboard and drawers
• Union Jack styling (can be adapted with additional stars if sold in Aust/NZ)

We can also throw in additional items such as the awning, wheel lock, table/chairs and fabulous lime green whistling kettle to seal the deal (although please don’t say yes to the kettle).
If you know anyone who might be interested and would like further details, please contact me at rach680@yahoo.co.uk.

So the blog has taken a bit of a backseat recently. In fact, our spontaneous mini-break adventures have also taken a backseat. And all because our lovely, little, grown-up campervan doesn’t have a backseat.

At least, not one that will take a new baby. A new baby and his monolithic car seat. Not to mention four changes of clothes per day, a bumper box of Huggies and Trevor his favourite life-size tiger.

Samuel arrived a few months ago, and is clearly another campervan convert.

But, oh. The stuff!

Every inch of our campervan is already crammed with the essentials. Now, I’d be willing to forgo the pretty tealights, but that is not going to free up much space.

Here is our campervan:

Here is our free storage:

Last month, we managed a weekend away in a lovely child-friendly apartment on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

Two-and-a-half people.
Two nights.
Two hours from home.

This was our luggage.

Needless to say, the art of taking off at a moment’s notice with everything packed up is eluding us.

So how can we convert our campervan – again – so that it fits another person and all his paraphernalia? Is it possible?? It must be possible. In George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces, he meets a couple who convert a tiny 1960s ambulance into a campervan that sleeps six. SIX!

Our sleeping arrangements would be okay; the fold-out bed is 1.4m wide so Samuel would squeeze in that.

(Of course we would likely be sleeping upright in the front seats once he’d made himself comfy.)

We could fill the wine cupboard with nappies, use the kitchen sink for bathtime and have meals on our picnic rug.

The car seat is the real problem. The centre console between the two front seats is wide enough to be replaced with a third seat, but I’m not sure it could safely take a baby seat – certainly not rear facing.

Is this the end of the road for campervan#1? Is it time for a new conversion project?

If you have any other suggestions, please do let me know – our campervan is itching to go further than the driveway!

And while Samuel seems very happy sitting in a drawer, we really need that space for bedding.