Days 2 and 3...

Day two was a wasted day, it was cold and windy, and it rained. I returned to Milsons Point during the day to get some photos, but the light was lousy. In the evening it rained so much, there was no point going out. Instead I spent most of the day in my room catching up with emails and the like.

Day 3 ...

This is my first introduction to the camper van life style, there were a few hiccups, and I'm sure there will be more. But to start at the beginning, I was up early, got to the airport in plenty of time. The flight to Hobart good, I had a window seat, the plane had a lot of empty seats.

Upon arrival at Hobart airport was I was fascinated to watch the Quarantine Service dogs running up and down the conveyor sniffing the luggage before the passengers could retrieve their belongings. I saw some luggage taken off the conveyor. In Sydney I hear people discussing their intention to smuggle vegetables into Tasmania; I hope it was their luggage the dog identified.

As we entered the terminal building we were invited to voluntarily surrender any prohibited items, a few steps later, and around a corner, we passed Quarantine Officers with sniffer dogs. Some passengers were taken aside; boy I bet they felt stupid after ignoring the amnesty bin a few paces earlier.

As for the weather, it's fine, cloudy and very windy. The forecast is rain for the next couple of days, followed by a cold front. This is not looking promising.

After my luggage, I collected my camper van. I was delighted to discover they'd upgraded me to a bigger van than the one requested. It's a recent model Mercedes and comes complete with a TV and video player. After completing the paper work I was required to watch a DVD explaining every aspect of the van, it's features and how to use and care for the van. That video had so much information, my head was spinning. Fortunately there is a DVD in the glove box for later reference.

Well, there is a video in the glove box alright, but it doesn't relate to my particular van. It's okay, but the video I saw at the office was specific to my make and model, while the video I have is at best generic. I'll manage, end of story.

Before I left the office I purchased a National Parks pass that gets me into all the National Parks. That saves paying every time I enter a park, especially as they charge a daily entry fee at each park. I was told I'll be saving money when I visit my third national park.

I had the option to buy a tank of fuel at the outset, with no obligation to return the van with a full tank. Or I could drive away with an obligation to return the van with a full tank. I opted for the first option, it may end up costing more, but at least I wont be hunting for a service station on the last day; one less thing to worry about.

The camper van feels huge, I'm still getting used to its dimensions and handling. It doesn't turn on sixpence and the steering is heavy. It's also too long for the marked car spaces in every car park I've yet been to. Not many I'll admit, but enough to know parking isn't as easy as with a car.

My first task was to stock up on groceries. I drove across the Causeway to Sorell and was severely buffeted by crosswinds. The van presents a big surface to the crosswind, not fun at all.

At Sorell I stocked up on the things I thought I needed, but I'm sure to have forgotten some things; only time will tell. From Sorell I decided to drive into Hobart and find a camping ground close to where I wanted to be. My GPS listed all the camping site, I selected one and off we went. All went well until the voice instructed me to turn right into a one way street with traffic running to the left. Not only was it a one way street, but the GPS got the street name wrong. At the next intersection it again instructed me to turn right, which I did, but again the street name was wrong. Suddenly I had a crisis of confidence in my GPS.

On my way into Hobart I had passed a few camping grounds, so I unplugged the GPS and retraced my route to a camping ground I'd seen earlier. At least I knew where it was and unlike the GPS, I had faith in my judgement. I booked in at my chosen camping ground and launched into my first camper van experience.

Before leaving the supermarket car park in Sorell, I had stowed all my groceries in the cupboards. When I arrived at my camp site, I found most of my provisions on the floor. Two of the cupboard doors had failed their first test. Fortunately nothing was broken or spoiled, it was mostly tinned goods and packaged items.

The van came with less than fully charged batteries, so tonight it's connected to the park power supply to get fully charged. The van has solar panels on the roof, but they won't collect many rays in the coming days.

The camping ground is immaculate, I had been warned that facilities in Tasmania are excellent, and this one certainly lives up to that reputation. I cooked my dinner in the communal kitchen, it's facilities are first rate. Rather than eat in the communal dining area I brought my dinner back to my van. Silly me, I stepped into my van and spilled my dinner onto the floor.

Rather than use the shower in my van, I decided to use the camping ground's shower. This is when I discovered that I hadn't packed a towel. There will be more shopping tomorrow.

It's early days; I'll get used to the pitfalls, and work out a routine, but it may take a few days. My wireless internet is a headache too. I have good signal strength, but can seldom connect to any sites. It times out on just about every site; very frustrating.