48-Hours To Get Home: Towing, Flights & Our Dog's Adventure Across Australia
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- Ever wondered what happens when your dream road trip turns into a logistical nightmare? In this episode, we share the intense and stressful journey of getting our car, caravan, and dog Oz from Karratha back to Torquay, all within 48 hours. Watch as we deal with a catastrophic breakdown, navigate last-minute travel arrangements, and make it home safe and sound. Spoiler: Oz had quite the adventure himself!
Who are we?
We’re a couple with a passion for travel and adventure, currently living full-time on the road in our caravan with our dog, Oz. For the past year, we’ve been exploring the stunning landscapes of Australia, sharing our journey on RUclips. Our channel is all about embracing the freedom of the open road, discovering hidden gems, and offering practical tips for those looking to embark on a similar lifestyle. Whether it’s tackling challenges, finding the best dog-friendly spots, or simply soaking in a sunset, we’re here to inspire and inform fellow travellers.
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#VanLifeAustralia #CaravanLife #FullTimeTravel #TravelWithDogs #AustralianShepherd #oursaltylife #RoadTripAustralia #breakdown #OffGridLiving #AussieAdventures #ExploreAustralia #DogFriendlyTravel #TravelTips #NomadLife #LivingOnTheRoad #zoverv #ram1500 #towtruck
#AustralianRoadTrip #CaravanLife #PetTravel #VehicleBreakdown #RACVTotalCare #DogTravel #OutbackAustralia #TravelChallenges
Thank you for sharing your all. Totally understand! Not only the trauma of the car, but the logistics of having to arrange everything, needing to go out and buy suitcases (we were do thankful we had a KMart near us at the time, too), pack for a big weather change, defrost snd clean the fridge, sort out your beloved dog .... People don't realise all the chaotic stuff that has to be done. Having said that, I am glad you had a great time at Bullara Downs. It's a real hoot. Hold on to those awesome memories. Keep sane. And you've got a new subscriber in us.
I know!!! It all feels ok now that the dust has settled but it definitely was stressful in the moment! Can’t wait to get out there again and keep on travelling. We will definitely go back to Bullara.
We know just how you feel. We are also from Geelong area now travelling full time. Sadly our Ram died in Mount Isa where we spend 2 months waiting for repairs. Thank goodness for RACV who offered to return our setup back to Geelong but due to our van being 10m it would have been a bit of an issue so we waited for repairs to be done in Mount Isa. All good and back on the road.
Oh no! We just scraped in with the length of our van at 8.9m - I feel for you! Glad to hear that you are back on the road now.
The logistics of getting home cannot be appreciated enough. Massive effort guys, my heart sank when the crate was not big enough, must say though and probably camera angle the replacement did not look any bigger.
In technical terms we went from a PP60 to PP90 so yeah, must have been the angle! It was a nightmare at the time but worth it now that we are all home safely and planning the next steps! Thanks for your message!
Such a crappy situation but you guys have definitely made it look better than it would be!
Missing you guys heaps!
See you all soon!!
Love The Hanger Tribe 🤍
It’s so nice to see the kids and Rio - that is for sure the silver lining. We miss you guys too- we will catch up somewhere next year I’m sure!
We feel your pain, however there are always worse scenarios that could have eventuated. We are currently stuck in Darwin for several weeks after we broke a stub axle on our caravan. We have to get new components fabricated at a machine shop and installed. It will probably be a 2-3week exercise. Not as big a logistical challenge as what you guys are going through. I suppose we have to learn to be flexible and roll with the punches. Hopefully it is all sorted shortly and you can continue on your travels.
So very true! We’re happy to be home and surrounded by people and places we know but we also can’t wait to get back out on the road.
We spent two years on the road and having a breakdown or accident came to mind now and then. Thankfully we were ok. Hope you get the Ram sorted.
Thanks - we will be fine! We’ve been lucky that it’s not an accident or an illness!
@@Oursaltylife very true
Such a disappointing experience for you both but you just got on with handling the situation. When we come to Australia in December to begin our two year lap we will be bringing our Shih Tzu dog with us so hugely appreciate seeing you life traveling with Auz. I would love to see how you have your van set up and any packing tips. We are coming from NZ. Collecting caravan and Land Cruiser in Melbourne.🌺😁🐶
Oh you will love Australia with your pup. We followed lots of people travelling with dogs to learn from their experience which was very helpful. We hope to pay that forward by sharing our experience. So far, so good. We love travelling with Oz.
What a Journey. Things happen for a reason i always say. What was wrong with the Diff ? .
Looks like the crown & pinion - still waiting on confirmation of that.
I would be interested to know what the cost for the tow to Geelong was. I understand that Total care is covering about 100 km but hopefully I'm wrong.
I met a couple in outback Queensland who are having a mechanical issue with their Ram and it was the same story the local mechanic wasn't prepared to work on it. I lost touch but I think that they were considering having it towed to Brissie. I like the Ram but these stories concern me.
Total Care covers the towing of the car and the van to any destination in Australia if you are more than 100kms from home and the car can’t be repaired within 3 days. They have a cap of $15000 per year. So our towing is fully covered and our flights were covered up to $2400. Because RACV organised the towing we don’t know how much it was but they have confirmed we were fully covered.
@@Oursaltylife That's really interesting. In Vic the RACV site says for total care: "Regional areas: 100km in any direction from where you've broken down, or to the nearest attending RACV Service Centre". Plus $2400 max for taxis, hire accommodation etc. I will look into it a bit more because I had no idea it was so good even though I have been in TC for years (too many old cars).
@@jbjb3372yep the T&Cs for total care have a specific section for if you are more than 100ks from home
Just curious Why wasn’t the car taken to Perth to a dodge dealership to get repaired thanks
It’s not the genuine diff so not covered under warranty and not a Ram part. We could have taken it to Perth and found someone who could repair it but weighing everything up it was going to be in our best interests to go home.
Not sure if you know the voice over is in mono not stereo
No, didn’t know that - thanks
That’s really tough guys. I’d be on some serious medication with those sort of problems! I’ve just got to see how this turns out so I’ll sub now. As long as you’ve got each other, it’s a good relationship builder. Put the “buy me a coffee” button on your page so I can help. Best wishes from Gippsland.
Oh thanks Di! Yes, definitely a relationship builder and we’re fine! It was a devastating few days but we’re home now and making the most of it. No need to buy us a coffee but thank you. We’ll do an update once things are sorted but we’re not at the mechanics yet!
wow that's a tough one to swallow but obviously no choice. I can only imagine how stressful and disappointing this must have been. I'd be devastated as I'm sure you were. So much planning and excitement halted so rapidly. So frustrating when you do everything you can to minimize these types of problems. Well done on handling it I'm sure in real life it was horrible few days.
Out of interest was Perth not an option ? This is not to be rude but I'm assuming the relocation costs to Melbourne exceeded the RACV cover?. Look forward to you getting back on track and watching your updates. Good luck with the fix and returning to your adventures.
Hi, yes so stressful. Perth was definitely an option but when we thought about it we realised that we would be stuck in a caravan park or hipcamp with no car, we don’t know anyone to repair it and we’d sitting around waiting for the time to pass. At home we have family & friends to spend time with, a house to stay in and cars to borrow and a mechanic we trust so we decided to make lemonade from the lemons. We are out of pocket by about $1100 for the flights. The towing was fully covered by RACV.
@@Oursaltylife yeah i get it, makes sense. I’ll look into RACV I have NRMA they only cover up to $3000.00 from memory. Thanks for sharing
You definitely got lucky with RACQ covering tow that far! Hire car probably be cheaper than flights n now U gotta get over to wa again if that's what U want to do.... Good luck.
@@katiehamilton2080yeah we weighed all that up … with hire car costs, accomodation, petrol and one way drop off fees it wasn’t worth the wear and tear on us of driving 5000+ kms. RACV will cover $2400 in relocation costs which includes all of the above.
Surely you could get a change over diff delivered All the gear and no idea . LandCruiser had a diff problem in cooktown within one week we got one delivered and fix their
Given the option we chose to take the whole car back to a mechanic that we know - it was an option to just ship the diff back & forth from Perth to Melbourne but given the time it would take we took the option to have it towed home. Its not a standard Ram diff and there were a range of factors we needed to weigh up and for us, returning the whole car to Melbourne was the best option. We’re happy with that decision.
Landcriuser
Haha! Luck of the draw I reckon!
Tthis is a ridiculous story any aftermarket diff can be repaired in Perth worst thing you could do tow a expensive caravan with a tiltray 5000 kms really
Given the option we chose to take the whole car back to a mechanic that we know - it was an option to find someone in Perth who could repair it or to just ship the diff back & forth from Perth to Melbourne. There were a range of factors we needed to weigh up and for us, returning the whole car to Melbourne was the best option. We’re happy with our decision.
What duff diff was fitted as this maybe good information to save me with the same issue
This makes no sense you are not telling us the real story any aftermarket diff can be repaired in Perth really caravans get bashed by trucks towing them this is a ridiculous story
I’ve replied to your other comment - it made sense for us to come home.