Most RVers we meet travel to the northern states in the winter, but disappear back home for the summer months. Denyse and I usually leave our Mackay home in March if we are heading south to New South Wales and Victoria writing travel stories/videos for Caravan World. The onset of the winter gales sends us back north for the winter. If we’re going north and west through to the NT and WA we don't leave until well into April.
For the summer months we prefer to stay around the Mackay area, where the weather is warm to hot, but tends to remain stable. Having said that, Cyclone Dylan had crossed the coast just north of us (with little damage) when I wrote this at the end of January.
We find that summer can bring major bushfires in SA and the southern states, while hail storms and flooding rain can occur in Queensland’s southern areas and northern NSW. Summer travel in the top end can be very hot with possible heavy rain, plus the odd cyclone. In the red centre there can often be heavy rain from low pressure systems or cyclones, with roads closed for a long time.
So where exactly is the perfect place to be in your caravan in the summer?
In our case, we spend it in places within a day or so's drive of Mackay. Indeed, in this part of Queensland we are spoilt for choice. Checking the seven-day forecasts on the Bureau of Meteorology website with mobile wireless broadband gives us some idea what may happen ahead of time, giving us the option of heading home before the onset of severe weather or heat waves.
It’s a pity to leave your van sitting un-used for the summer months, but I know a lot of people who do just that.
YOUR SAY: What do you do with your van in this time? If you travel in the summer where do you go? What places are the safest and easiest to escape from in case of a disaster? Do you travel far from home? or like Denyse and me, just travel to places within a couple of days drive?