On The Road with John

Update 2 – Portland
We started this road trip in Portland, and it’s been an interesting first stop. Maybe not so much a small town as I first thought — with a population of around eleven thousand people, it’s actually a decent-sized place.
After some excellent help from the local tourist info centre, we planned out our next couple of days. But first, I had to swap out the old second battery system in the ute and replace it with a new lithium setup. If you missed that drama, check out last week’s post.
The funny thing is, after travelling more than 3,000km, we arrived at a caravan park with only three vans in it… and got parked next to another van from Perth, who lives only about 25km from where we live. Small world.
Our first touring day took us out to the Petrified Forest and Blowholes along the Cape Bridgewater and Discovery Bay scenic drive. It’s a really nice drive with some amazing coastal scenery. On the way back I checked out one of the local beaches and even put a foot into the freezing waters of Bass Strait.
We also did the Gannet Drive to Point Danger. There aren’t many open coastal views for most of the drive, just coastal scrub, but if you go clockwise after the lighthouse there are a couple of spots with fantastic views — ocean in the middle, cliffs behind, and green farmland stretching in the foreground. It would make an incredible photo if only there was somewhere safe to pull over.
Day two was spent exploring around town. We started with a drive out to the breakwater where you get a great view of the harbour, with ships being loaded with woodchips bound for Japan and China to make paper products.
Next we headed to the tram depot to catch the tram that runs along the foreshore to the old water tower, which has been converted into a war museum with a lookout at the top. More on that shortly
Before the tram arrived back from its first run, we had a look around the station. There’s a small museum out the back and a toy electric tram running around a track, which was nicely done and a good way to pass the time.
By the way, the tram station isn’t an old railway station building that was repurposed, as I first thought. It was purpose-built to recreate a period-style station, and they’ve done a great job.
When we boarded the tram, I assumed it would need to turn around so the driver wasn’t sitting backwards. Instead, it continued in the same direction of travel and headed off the opposite way to what I expected. It first went down to a saltwater wetland — something I’d never heard of before, but here it is.
That stop is also where the Powerhouse Museum is located. Apparently it’s open seven days a week… just not this Sunday. Maybe after Anzac Day the bloke in charge needed a sleep-in.
The tram then rolled along the foreshore with commentary from the conductor as we travelled. What I could hear sounded really interesting, although the PA system might be due for an upgrade. The final stop was the old water tank museum. The full trip took exactly one hour and was definitely worth doing.
After the tram ride, we drove back to properly explore the water tank museum. The old tank has been converted into a multi-level military display with some real surprises inside. On each level there are large murals painted on the walls depicting scenes from the Second World War.
We paid our $4 each and the bloke handed us a really nice pair of binoculars in a pouch. I joked that it was a great buy for $8… apparently he wanted them back when we finished.
As I climbed the tower admiring the murals, I nearly missed the anti-aircraft gun sitting inside until I reached the third level. There was some really interesting gear on display, and at the top you get a full 360-degree view from the ocean across to the town.
As for Portland itself, there are a couple of main streets with all the shops and cafes you’d need, plus plenty of old Victorian-era buildings. The info centre gives you a map showing where the best ones are and their history.
One that stood out was the old courthouse. Built in the 1800s, it’s still being used today as a courthouse. And that’s not the only building still serving its original purpose — the old Customs House is still used today by Border Force.
Before leaving town, I made a quick trip to the local tip to get rid of the dead AGM battery… and they didn’t even charge me to dump it.
Our time in Portland has now come to an end, and it’s been a really nice first Victorian stop. I imagine living here would be very relaxing and a great place to raise a family.
That wraps up this update. From here we’re heading to Warrnambool for a couple of days, so let’s see what that brings.
Don’t forget, if you haven’t already, subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow the other social media pages to keep up with how this trip is going. Videos will come at some point.
You can find us at @ontheroadwithjohn
Happy Travels 🚐

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1 month ago | [YT] | 2

On The Road with John

**🚐 ROAD TRIP UPDATE #1 – THE SECRET’S OUT…**

Well g’day everyone!

Some of you already guessed it… but it’s time to make it official 👇
👉 **We’re zig-zagging our way around VICTORIA!**

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**Day 1 – Perth to 10 Mile Hill**
We rolled out of Perth at *stupid o’clock* (5am 😅) chasing daylight and dodging a storm.

Ended up camping at 10 Mile Hill (about 75km east of Norseman)…
✔️ Only a bit of rain
⚡ BUT an absolutely unreal lightning show that night

Not a bad way to kick things off!

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**BUT… here’s where it got interesting 😬**
That first night, the **2nd battery in the ute completely died.**

So… bush fix time.
Ran a cable from the caravan battery just to keep the freezer alive. Not ideal — but it worked 👍

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**Day 2 – Eucla**
Pulled into the caravan park to recharge (both us *and* the batteries 😂).

Fuel prices? Yeah… they hurt 💸
But being smart about where we filled up — and keeping the right foot in check — helped a bit.

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**Day 3 – Easy cruising**
Honestly… pretty uneventful. And that’s exactly how we like it.

Scored a powered site in a tiny town for **$15** — couldn’t say no to that!

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**Day 4 – BIG push to Adelaide**
This was a mission.

We *had* to get to Elizabeth before the shops shut to grab:
🔋 New lithium battery
⚡ New DC-DC charger (old one wasn’t compatible)

Rolled in at **4:30pm** — just made it!

Parking the car + van? Thought it was going to be chaos…
…but somehow a perfect spot opened up right when we needed it 🙌

Also — Adelaide 👏
Those wide roads and endless green lights make towing through the city *so* much easier.

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**Late night finish**
Pushed on another couple of hours and pulled into a tiny roadside stop (maybe an old rail siding).

After a massive day… rolling in at **9pm** felt VERY good.

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**Day 5 – Portland bound**
Nice easy run (with a bit of a sleep-in)…

👉 Forgot about the time change again 🤦‍♂️

Arrived in **Portland** around 3pm and set up for a few days.

Quick stop at:
📍 Tourist info centre (to plan the next few days)
🛒 Woolies (restock the fruit & veg we couldn’t bring across)

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**So that’s where we’re at right now 👇**
Settled in, ready to explore Victoria and see what it has to offer!

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**NOW I NEED YOUR HELP 👇**

Last post you legends came through with heaps of awesome suggestions 🙌
I’ve read every single one — but keep them coming!

👉 **What are your MUST-SEE spots in Victoria?**
👉 Hidden gems? Free camps? Epic views?

Drop them in the comments ⬇️ — I’m checking them all!

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Till next update…
**Happy travels 🚐💨**

1 month ago | [YT] | 1

On The Road with John

We almost didn’t go on this road trip…

For over 12 months now, I’ve been dropping hints about a new road trip — and not just any trip, this will be the longest one I’ve ever done.

To be honest, the last 4 weeks had us questioning whether we’d even go ahead, especially with the current fuel situation. But in the end, we figured… if you keep finding reasons not to do something, you’ll probably never do it.

So we’ve committed. And now it’s time to let the cat out of the bag — just a little.

We’re heading east tomorrow… and our next destination is Victoria.

Over the next 5 weeks, we’ll be zig-zagging our way across the state, exploring everything from coastal towns to inland gems as we continue the journey east.

Our first port of call (so to speak) is Portland, where the series will begin. From there we’ll be making our way through Warrnambool, the Grampians, Swan Hill, Echuca, Ballarat, the Great Ocean Road, Melbourne, the Dandenongs, Lakes Entrance — and plenty more in between.

But that’s not the end of it…
Once Victoria is done, the journey continues — we’re just not revealing where yet. More on that soon 👀

If you don’t want to miss any of it, head over to YouTube and subscribe to @ontheroadwithjohn so you can follow along from the very start of this next big adventure.

1 month ago | [YT] | 6