Trip reports of a guy on a WHV

[Britpop]

Buy the car and do both! If Aus has tagght me anything it's that there's no point earning it if you don't spend it! I'm slowly working my way through a house deposit from home and it's money well spent if I have the best year of my life. Having said that, buy a NSW reg car so you can sell it in Sydney if you decide to stay.... Still can't escape being a bit sensible I s'pose!

[Paul1Perth]

There's only me and my gf, so I appreciate you saying it would be expensive, particularly with petrol when travelling long distances.

But we thought we would save money by getting a campervan and sleeping in it, plus it's great to explore.

Like you I know very little about cars but the freedom it gives you is a very big pro for them.

Appreciate this is hard to answer (but I'll still ask!), have you got a favourite place you would recommend first-timers to visit?

 

During the summer we get a few travellers with camper vans staying in the surf club car park. I'm sure it's really against the law but no-one, including the police, seem that bothered. Must be a cheap way of doing it too. Park next to the car park with free barbecues, nice toilet blocks with showers in the park, Dome coffee shop, pub and bottle shop across the road.

 

For a few days last year we had a couple of vans and the guys and gals were putting a tent up on the beach at night and were usually just packing it away when we go down for a swim at 6:00am. I think they used to hear us opening up the club doors and we were their early morning call.

[Sheffielder7]

Cheers to all of you for your advice – that’s really helpful. I didn’t know about having to park in appropriate spots and so Camp 7 book would prove useful. Interesting to know you can get away with using surf clubs car parks. One to remember!

 

We have savings so I think we could afford it (hopefully!) but just not sure how we are best going about it.

I like the estate car idea but not sure I could convince my girlfriend on that, ha!

 

Like you say even if it means you only break even I think it would be great to have the freedom to travel where you want when you want.

Let us know how you get on with buying a car Ting as not sure if I read elsewhere you don’t need to tax it (but could be wrong!).

 

Can understand your quandary on car or farm work. Only way to solve it is scissors, paper, rock!

Edited February 3, 2014 by Sheffielder7

[tingtongman]

I just bought a ford falcon today $1,000 with reggo till the end of the month. serviced with saftey check and they are doing a road worthy on it before i get it.

 

1995 model, 6 seater 4 litre.

 

will post pics tomorrow.

[Paul1Perth]

Cheers to all of you for your advice – that’s really helpful. I didn’t know about having to park in appropriate spots and so Camp 7 book would prove useful. Interesting to know you can get away with using surf clubs car parks. One to remember!

 

We have savings so I think we could afford it (hopefully!) but just not sure how we are best going about it.

I like the estate car idea but not sure I could convince my girlfriend on that, ha!

 

Like you say even if it means you only break even I think it would be great to have the freedom to travel where you want when you want.

Let us know how you get on with buying a car Ting as not sure if I read elsewhere you don’t need to tax it (but could be wrong!).

 

Can understand your quandary on car or farm work. Only way to solve it is scissors, paper, rock!

 

You would get away with the Surf Club car parks, or one of the many car parks near the beach in WA Sheffielder but I don't know about over East mate. The beaches are a lot busier over there and I bet a lot more strict. There will be some quieter places up and down the Coast that you would be able to manage it but you would have to be careful.

 

Used to go to Sheffield a lot to see bands and for stag nights. I'm from Chesterfield originally.

[nickachu]

I just bought a ford falcon today $1,000 with reggo till the end of the month. serviced with saftey check and they are doing a road worthy on it before i get it.

 

1995 model, 6 seater 4 litre.

 

will post pics tomorrow.

 

A falcon...... good luck with that.

 

A falcon, excel and something else were cars that I was told to stay away from!

[tingtongman]

whats the ozzie saying "you buy a car and it turns out to be a lemon" haha hope its not the case. sounds good

 

$1k for the car, insruance $210 for 3 people.

[dxboz]

Had many falcons in my time in Oz - wouldn't go past them - loved my big old falcons -never ever heard anyone say stay away from a falcon - gee I miss my old cars - would have one again in a minute

[dxboz]

Nickachau - think you were wrongly advised - they were both the most reliable cars in their time

[nickachu]

Nickachau - think you were wrongly advised - they were both the most reliable cars in their time

 

This was from people that worked at car auctions. Those were the only ones on sale within my price range so I stayed away from them.

Im sure some people will have had great times with them, but that's just what I was told.

[Paul1Perth]

The taxi drivers in Perth still use Ford Falcons as they are so reliable and when they do break down, cheap to fix. I've often had guys say the car has done 200,000+ Km's on the same engine and gearbox with no problems.

 

We bought a new hyundai excel which we ran for years and then gave to our son. It had one service, the free one, and I did all the maintenance after that. My son eventually bought himself a better car when he got a job and we gave the hyundai to a friends son. It had 190,000Km on the clock and was still going fine. Unfortunately the friends son wrote it off.

[tingtongman]

this isnt a $1,000 lemon is it?

 

 

[Paul1Perth]

Looks like a $1000 bargain to me mate. How's the engine and gearbox and what does it have on the clock? Those engines are pretty reliable.

 

Would look better with matching wheel hubs though.

[tingtongman]

Looks like a $1000 bargain to me mate. How's the engine and gearbox and what does it have on the clock? Those engines are pretty reliable.

 

Would look better with matching wheel hubs though.

 

the ride is great no problems, it has 260k on the clock so its a lot, its also an automatic, I'm used to manual. The car seems quite solid and much of what you expect for a 1k car. Me and my friend think we could flip it for about $200 profit, but we dont think its worth the hassle of finding another car so we decided against it

[skippy79]

A station wagon would have been better for traveling, but you can't go wrong for $500 a piece. The best thing from falcons and commodore is that every car yard will have spare if you break down. If traveling take and extra fan belt and some tools.

 

I assume your going back rural for some farm work? A weeks work and you'll have the car paid for

Get some camping gear and go exploring in the weekends now!

[tingtongman]

A station wagon would have been better for traveling, but you can't go wrong for $500 a piece. The best thing from falcons and commodore is that every car yard will have spare if you break down. If traveling take and extra fan belt and some tools.

 

I assume your going back rural for some farm work? A weeks work and you'll have the car paid for

Get some camping gear and go exploring in the weekends now!

their are 3 of us so its even cheaper.

 

I think we are going back to farm work, office work just aint for us, even though thats what we thought we wanted before. I got a call from my old boss today saying he wants me back, guess I am good for something after all. Not sure if I will go back their or elsewhere. Got a car now though, so a lot more freedom to do whatever I want.

 

Heading to Brisbane tomorrow.

[skippy79]

their are 3 of us so its even cheaper.

 

I think we are going back to farm work, office work just aint for us, even though thats what we thought we wanted before. I got a call from my old boss today saying he wants me back, guess I am good for something after all. Not sure if I will go back their or elsewhere. Got a car now though, so a lot more freedom to do whatever I want.

 

Heading to Brisbane tomorrow.

 

 

if he wants you back that means you were doing a good job, and better than what some are doing now, or he can't get anyone. hit him up for a pay rise or tell him your going to one of his neighboring farms, that'll piss him off and you might just get a few bucks and hours/bin more

[jjgibbs]

My second car out here was an EA Falcon S ( think the S was for sport ) went like stink handled like crap but never had a problem with it over 300 000ks on the clock and every electrical item worked even the air con. The guy was selling it as when you started it you kinda had to keep the revs up bit hard to explain but quickly found the problem (stupid design really) one of the main cooling pipes ran over the top of the spark distributer was slightly leaking changed that out and all was good again.

[tingtongman]

if he wants you back that means you were doing a good job, and better than what some are doing now, or he can't get anyone. hit him up for a pay rise or tell him your going to one of his neighboring farms, that'll piss him off and you might just get a few bucks and hours/bin more

 

haha, I wish, hes never short of workers, especially this day and age in oz.

 

My second car out here was an EA Falcon S ( think the S was for sport ) went like stink handled like crap but never had a problem with it over 300 000ks on the clock and every electrical item worked even the air con. The guy was selling it as when you started it you kinda had to keep the revs up bit hard to explain but quickly found the problem (stupid design really) one of the main cooling pipes ran over the top of the spark distributer was slightly leaking changed that out and all was good again.

 

our runs like a dream, we have a problem with the locking, I cant look the car from the drivers side, but it will never open from the drivers side, not sure why that is.

[tingtongman]

Me on the way to Brisbane (car wasent running when I took this picture officer, keys were out and the handbrake was on, stuff in traffic 8-))

 

[Sheffielder7]

You would get away with the Surf Club car parks, or one of the many car parks near the beach in WA Sheffielder but I don't know about over East mate. The beaches are a lot busier over there and I bet a lot more strict. There will be some quieter places up and down the Coast that you would be able to manage it but you would have to be careful.

 

Used to go to Sheffield a lot to see bands and for stag nights. I'm from Chesterfield originally.

 

Thanks again Paul for the advice about surf club car parks. It might not be worth risking it in certain places then. I did read that a good tip to avoid getting in trouble is to leave your keys in the ignition so you could just say you were stopping for a quick break – though not sure if that’d work!

Good to hear about someone who lived near me that has moved to Aus. When did you move over and how has it compared with Chesvegas? I take it you have found something to help you get over missing Derbyshire oatcakes…?!

Have you had much chance to travel or have you been working more? I am concerned about where the balance lies there, but I suppose that’ll depend on funds and the situation.

[Paul1Perth]

Thanks again Paul for the advice about surf club car parks. It might not be worth risking it in certain places then. I did read that a good tip to avoid getting in trouble is to leave your keys in the ignition so you could just say you were stopping for a quick break – though not sure if that’d work!

Good to hear about someone who lived near me that has moved to Aus. When did you move over and how has it compared with Chesvegas? I take it you have found something to help you get over missing Derbyshire oatcakes…?!

Have you had much chance to travel or have you been working more? I am concerned about where the balance lies there, but I suppose that’ll depend on funds and the situation.

 

Chesvegas! Not heard that for a while but it's a happening place eh.:biggrin:

 

We moved here in 92, rented in Como for a year and then bought a house closer to the beach. We always wanted to be as close as we could afford to a nice beach. It's been brilliant and me, the wife and 2 kids all love it. Being close to the beach makes a massive difference to the lifestyle, if that's what you're after that is. I actually know some people who don't care for the beach and the Ocean for some reason???? That's two of the major things that brought us here.

 

I've been lucky enough to have a job where I get chance to travel a lot. The first job I had I got a lovely trip to Vanuatu and was in the Solomon Islands for a month. This job I've been to all the major cities in Aus and a lot of the smaller places. Townsville, Darwin, Toowoomba. Every place is different but I've not really been anywhere within striking distance of the Coast that I didn't like in some way.

 

Didn't like Kalgoorlie one bit and I don't really care for Canberra. We've also been over East as a family to Sydney, Melbourne, Surfers Paradise, Sunshine and Gold Coasts. We loved the Sunshine Coast and could easily spend some more time on the East Coast. I really like Darwin and Townsville too. Smaller but nice places with a good vibe. Always something to do. I love sport and have really gotten into all things water sports and surf club since I've been here. You can usually find an outdoor 50m pool wherever you are.

 

Climates are totally different in every place you visit and the flight times have to be experienced to make you realise how big the country is. Most places are warm but the humidity is different. Here in Perth we get a sort of dry heat which feels a lot more comfortable, even at high 30 degrees than it would over East. Darwin and Townsville can be very sticky at certain times of the year. I try to plan to be in those places in June/July when it cools down a bit in Perth.:wink:

 

All up Perth has been just about a perfect place to settle for us and I know it grates on a lot of people but you know the saying "living the dream". Well this is pretty close mate.:wink:

[Sheffielder7]

Chesvegas! Not heard that for a while but it's a happening place eh.:biggrin:

 

We moved here in 92, rented in Como for a year and then bought a house closer to the beach. We always wanted to be as close as we could afford to a nice beach. It's been brilliant and me, the wife and 2 kids all love it. Being close to the beach makes a massive difference to the lifestyle, if that's what you're after that is. I actually know some people who don't care for the beach and the Ocean for some reason???? That's two of the major things that brought us here.

 

I've been lucky enough to have a job where I get chance to travel a lot. The first job I had I got a lovely trip to Vanuatu and was in the Solomon Islands for a month. This job I've been to all the major cities in Aus and a lot of the smaller places. Townsville, Darwin, Toowoomba. Every place is different but I've not really been anywhere within striking distance of the Coast that I didn't like in some way.

 

Didn't like Kalgoorlie one bit and I don't really care for Canberra. We've also been over East as a family to Sydney, Melbourne, Surfers Paradise, Sunshine and Gold Coasts. We loved the Sunshine Coast and could easily spend some more time on the East Coast. I really like Darwin and Townsville too. Smaller but nice places with a good vibe. Always something to do. I love sport and have really gotten into all things water sports and surf club since I've been here. You can usually find an outdoor 50m pool wherever you are.

 

Climates are totally different in every place you visit and the flight times have to be experienced to make you realise how big the country is. Most places are warm but the humidity is different. Here in Perth we get a sort of dry heat which feels a lot more comfortable, even at high 30 degrees than it would over East. Darwin and Townsville can be very sticky at certain times of the year. I try to plan to be in those places in June/July when it cools down a bit in Perth.:wink:

 

All up Perth has been just about a perfect place to settle for us and I know it grates on a lot of people but you know the saying "living the dream". Well this is pretty close mate.:wink:

 

Wow it sounds like you’ve experienced a lot in the last 22 years and seen so many places. Glad you are loving it. The beach and the outdoor lifestyle is a big lure for me – Filey beach is just not quite as appealing!

 

And although the climate sounds like it might take some getting used to, it’ll make pleasant change from the cold here. It was snowing yesterday and is set to rain all-day today – hope I’m not making you miss the UK too much.

 

We have no set in stone plans yet but were thinking of flying into Perth from China and working our way east. Is there much work in Perth for us to stop there for a while or a route you’d recommend to drive on to if we manage to buy a campervan? (sorry to bombard you with questions!)

 

It’s just a shame we lost 5-0 in the cricket as I can imagine that will warrant some stick!

[keepescaping]

Enjoyed reading this mate, keep it up!

[Paul1Perth]

Wow it sounds like you’ve experienced a lot in the last 22 years and seen so many places. Glad you are loving it. The beach and the outdoor lifestyle is a big lure for me – Filey beach is just not quite as appealing!

 

And although the climate sounds like it might take some getting used to, it’ll make pleasant change from the cold here. It was snowing yesterday and is set to rain all-day today – hope I’m not making you miss the UK too much.

 

We have no set in stone plans yet but were thinking of flying into Perth from China and working our way east. Is there much work in Perth for us to stop there for a while or a route you’d recommend to drive on to if we manage to buy a campervan? (sorry to bombard you with questions!)

 

It’s just a shame we lost 5-0 in the cricket as I can imagine that will warrant some stick!

 

I'm an aussie supporter now so "we" won.:wink:

 

You lose track of who is playing for England and you see all the players in the news and things here, so you know who they are. It's just easier to support where you live and call home.

 

The climate took no getting used to at all. Loved it from day1.

 

It's a long drive to anywhere from Perth. I'm talking days not hours btw, it takes 6 hours to get down to the South Coast, Esperance. Good thing is as soon as you're out of the City you can switch the cruise control on and it's a pretty relaxing drive with very little traffic. I would suggest though, coming to Perth, having a look round and see if you can get a job and then flying over East and buying a campervan there. I think they would be cheaper there too, a lot get sold on by other travellers in Sydney especially. Seen loads for sale around the backpackers places near Kings Cross every time I stay there.

 

Good luck.