Australia 2026

Preparing for a trip is a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. Part of the fun is learning how to navigate all the intricacies of the adventure to come. Most of the last couple weeks in Alaska have involved figuring out how to transfer funds, making sure key reservations are in place, starting to gather up what we will need to bring with us. For example, we will need to have a six-month supply of any medications we will need. Normally our pharmacies and insurance companies only allow up to 90 days. With just a few days before we depart, we’re spending a lot of time thinking hard about what we could possibly need that might be difficult to find in Australia.

For us, the goal is to purchase a camper van when we arrive in Sydney and make sure everything is working properly and set up the way we want. Key features we’re looking for is a comfortable bed in the back, a dual battery system, a fridge/freezer (runs off the second battery), solar panel on the roof for continuous charging of the second battery, and an awning over the sliding door for shade. We want to take time to sort all this as it will be our home for the next 6 months.

We made it! Arrived in Sydney on the evening of 2 December after about 20 hours of traveling. I was amazed that we made all our flight connections. We flew from Anchorage to Portland where we had a one hour layover, just long enough to use the restroom and board our flight to Honolulu. Fortunately our arrival and departure gates were near to each other. We only had an hour layover in Honolulu which involved a bit more rushing but we made it for our final 10 hour flight to Sydney! We arrived at 8PM local time, whizzed through immigration and biosecurity inspections and picked up new SIM cards for our phones (rates are amazing here – we went with a plan that provides 70 gigs a month, and includes free international calls and texts). We opted to use Turo for our rental here for a couple weeks while looking for a vehicle to purchase. It is the first time trying this service. Finding the public pickup lot where we receive the car was a bit of a challenge – there are loads of areas for Uber, taxi, and buses. Public parking is a bit of a walk. We finally fit our mountain of luggage into the car and headed to our Airbnb for the next couple of weeks. We picked up some amazing Thai food on the way at the last restaurant in our area still open. Best noodles I have ever tasted in my life! The water was out at the Airbnb neighborhood, so we ended up driving to the nearest convenience store for a few bottles to get us through the night. It was pretty late by the time we settled in.

Week 1 + 2

Our first full day was all about adaptation and preparation. This included changing currency, opening a bank account, and obtaining basic food supplies for the next few days. The area we are staying in, Brighton-Le-Sands, is near a beach and has convenient access to lots of amenities. Considering we are just 10km from the airport, it is surprisingly quiet here. We are staying in a small Airbnb, really a renovated single car brick garage. It has a large window that opens on to a small courtyard with many plants and a small fountain pond (we call it the “puddle”). Our place has a small refrigerator, cook top, sink, and ensuite. It is small, but has everything we need, especially air conditioning. This was critical during our third or fourth day when temps it 40 degrees C (104 F). Like anywhere else we are here in the weeks leading up to Christmas, and the decorations and signs of the season are everywhere. I spent many hours during the first few days looking at online ads for campervans. We also visited a couple camping stores to see what our expenses might be if we needed anything like a secondary battery, solar panels, or 12v refrigerator. The big ones here are Anaconda and BCF (Boating Camping Fishing). There is also a 4WD Supa Center, MW, and other specialty shops that offer different items from rooftop tents to 4×4 accessories. One of the best things about getting kitted out this time of year is all of the massive holiday discounts on gear! Combined with the exchange rate and what would be out of our price range back home is possible here.

People here use Marketplace but also a local Aussie only site called Gumtree. It is sort of like their version of Craigslist, but a bit easier to sort out what you are looking for. Our first inspection was of a 1999 pop-top Toyota Hiace with low miles. It had some issues, the main one being over priced. I began to expand the search to 4x4s as a back up. The Toyota Hilux is ubiquitous in Australia. It is similar to the Tacoma, but not as wide and not as long. And they are built tough. We test drove a nice 15 year old Hilux with a canopy over the bed and considered it a viable option. But then we inspected a really nice 2008 Landcruiser Prado.

The Landcruiser we test drove was in great shape for the age (2008) and the rooftop tent was comfortable enough that we decided to move forward. We hired a company to do a mechanical inspection and the results identified a couple of issues that would need repairs. One of the CV boots was shot and the seller was aware of this. He had two new CV axle assemblies waiting in the bed of the rig to be installed. Earlier in our search we inspected a 2002 Landcruiser at a shop nearby (Husky Offroad). They buy vehicles at auction and fix them up for travelers, everything from vans to off road vehicles. Although we were not interested in that rig, we did ask if they work on private vehicles as well. So it worked out really well that we already had a shop in mind when we were buying this one! The Prado has a dual battery system and a DC-DC charge system with solar connections. It has a 270 degree swing out awning on the passenger side and a shower awning on the driver side rear. We found a 12V refrigerator, a drawer system, and a couple of handheld UHF (CB) radios for more remote camping.

Week 3

Our third week started out on a sad note with the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach about 15 miles north of where we are staying. Two shooters, a father and son, killed over a dozen people at an outdoor Hannukah celebration at Bondi Beach last night (14 December). We were out shopping for the day and ended the day at Maroubrla Beach for a swim. We saw a larger police presence than normal on the road and wondered what was going on but didn’t learn about the attack until we looked at the news that night. Our hearts go out to all of the victims and others affected by this horrific attack. We are grateful to be safe and healthy.

While our new home on wheels was in the shop, we spent time shopping for things we would need for our adventure. We also took some time to see the sights around Sydney and enjoy some of the beaches in the area. One trip took us to Kamay Botany Bay National Park We took a short hike along sandstone cliffs above the ocean to a lighthouse. The park is located at the entrance to Botany Bay and was where Captain Cook first landed in Australia.