I’m gearing up to start planning my next driving adventure. The question is, where should I go? I’ve budgeted three weeks for this one – not quite enough time for a big desert trip. I’m leaning towards Tasmania – I can get the ute there easily from Melbourne, and it’s got a lot packed into a relatively tiny space.
That’s the thing with driving trips in Australia. Often, you end up spending all day driving in order to get to the scenery you want to experience, and don’t have that much time left over to actually hang out in it (that is, if you’re on a time budget). I enjoy tackling new terrains in the 4×4, but I’d still love more time to chill in these amazing remote locations. Tasmania could be the answer, by virtue of its small geographic size – in addition, of course, to being absolutely stunning.
The next question is, what can I do to improve my ride? I’m forever looking for ways to transform my ute into the ultimate recreational vehicle, and planning my next trip is a great excuse to make some additions. Gas bottle holders, custom fitted to the back of my tray, are something that I thought of last time – I’ll put that on the list.
I’ve also been meaning to investigate the options for aluminium toolboxes for utes. Melbourne readers, do you have any recommendations for someone who could do a custom one for me? I’ve got something quite specific in mind, as I’d like to be able to store my camera equipment in it. It’ll need to be ultra strong and secure, too, to make it worth my while.
I sometimes worry about storing that gear in the front, you see – it’s my livelihood and worth a lot of money, but I can’t resist bringing it on the road. The creative inspiration I get from these remote locations makes all the investments and planning worth it, so I might as well go the whole hog.