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TR: Vanlife, Newcastle -> Melb 19-Dec-2011 At 1:37:50 AM ryguy

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I got an old plumbers van, gutted it and repacked it with a bed and some ropes. king of the road.

The idea has been brewing but recently our friend of a friend landlord wanted his house back and I saw this as a great chance to minimize my rent and up my adventures. I work a 2 weeks on, 1 or 2 weeks off schedule with geological exploration and try to fill my off time with climbing. so i took off from Newcastle after a few scattered months/years based in and climbing all around NSW.

First i'd meet a Canadian friend of mine, who is climbing in the bluies, though i met her last year this time in China. Monday we went to Nowra (since we couldn't get into point perp because of military use) and climbed some dry stuff out on the new side. It was cool weather and a nice change from the bluies, though not really much different sandstone and such. After a day we then headed out to Bungonia. Got there late in the afternoon and did some bouldering while we scoped the gorge with plans to do a few pitches in the am but then there was a rain and it wouldn't have been dry in the morning. or it could have been but Alison was being a wuss and wouldn't walk down (and up) the steep gorge again. much of the bottom looks like black slap to some 23+ trad pitches on orange limestone. there needs to be more development on the good limestone IMHO.
so we jumped in a few caves without any maps and luckily found our way out... surprisingly, but ok. Grill Cave is pretty extensive and easy to access. It starts off with a few steel ladders that make it feel touristy and then carries on to many many possibilities. We dove into a mouse hole and started taking mental notes on how to get out, but some how ended back up at the beginning ladders without backtracking, must have been a multilevel loop somewhere.
Hogans hole has a few more caves that could be great if you bring a rope and ascenders.

Made my way down to Melbourne via Canberra where i tried to call a friend of a friend but they were just leaving town. So I jotted some online notes of a guide to Pierces Creek and drove in, trying to recall landmarks or a number of roads i needed to passed to get to the most popular bouldering area. When I be in near by, I marched around and around looking for a regular path that boulders use (i was thinking something wide enough to pass thru with a pad on your back) but only found some awful roo trails and a lot of thorny/raspy undergrowth. Same with my luck for boulders. I found them scattered here and there but with with just V0 walk ups or many easily plucked flakes off unclimbable (or Vteen) boulders with no sign of crash pads laying around the base previously.
I did most the obvious finger to hand cracks that were immediately roadside and clean, but didn't find much else than a some beautiful meadows at dusk.
I popped into my van after a can of tuna on bread and my first solo night, sleeping very contently and hapiliy until about 1am a flash light and calls of "hey mate, you campin in here?"... ah shit, park ranger? Groggy eyed I open the door to a methed out squirley eyed fell with a thuggy looking friend with a neck tattoo behind him. "hey there" he blinds me with his flashlight and sticks out his hand, I c--k my arm to reply with a fist and he states "whoa, just wanted to shake your hand. I wasn't going to rob you. Did you hear anything out here?" uhhh, like the sound of your killing and burying your latest rape victim?, nope nothing, i heard nothing. 'OK, have a good one".. they drive off and i sleep with a steak knife by my side the rest of the evening.
I drove and walked around a bit more in the AM and unfortunately didn't find much more to my liking so I hit the road again. Just under 7 hours to Melb.

Drive, drive, bad coffee, drive, drive.. .I pass a sign for Mt Buffalo and regret not staying there for the night instead of the Canberra hills. But at least I still have my organs.

6pm Friday. I park in Long Term lot B and take a Mexican shower as men and women pass with a mixture of stunned or envious eyes. I skybus to the city for dinner and drinks and a sleep on my friends floor. Then skybus back for a 11am flight to Perth.
I'm out in the WA bush now finishing up an gold exploration project before xmas but am dreaming of the open road adventures to come in my new home on the road.

You'll see my Plumber's vans in araps for xmas and for 2 weeks around New Years I'm booked on a the ferry to TAS.
stick out your thumb on my weeks off and I'll be keen for victorian road trips in 2012.