March 22, 2025 • 32 mins
Cyclones, bushfires, and flash floods – Australia's weather can turn from perfect to perilous faster than you can pack up your awning. When Cyclone Alfred approached Queensland's southeast coast, our family faced an unfamiliar threat that transformed from potential disaster to valuable learning experience.
The slow-moving cyclone (downgraded before landfall yet still delivering destructive rain and widespread power outages) highlighted a crucial truth for all travelers: emergency preparedness isn't optional – it's essential. Drawing from both this recent experience and our earlier encounter with bushfire danger, we share five critical components of an effective evacuation plan that every caravanner needs.
From assessing campground risks (those picturesque dry creek beds can flood with just 10mm of rain!) to configuring emergency alert apps, maintaining a ready-to-go emergency kit, keeping your vehicle primed for quick departure, and knowing when to make the call to leave – our practical approach demystifies disaster preparedness without inducing panic.
We've learned through experience that preparation doesn't diminish adventure; rather, it provides the confidence to explore further knowing you're equipped to handle unexpected situations. With climate extremes becoming more frequent, these discussions are increasingly vital for all travelers, especially families.
The ultimate message resonates beyond caravanning: prepare thoroughly, stay informed, and prioritize safety above all else – because while your vehicle and gear can be replaced, nothing can replace you. Join us for this essential conversation about protecting what matters most while embracing the beauty and unpredictability of Australia's magnificent landscapes.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to the Travel Australia podcast.
We are Paul, Katie and Jasperfrom the Feel Good family.
Join us as we explore thisgreat country, Australia, its
people, places and cultures.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Yes, it's the Travel Australia podcast, where we
share the latest in RV news roadtrip travel, caravanning and
camping, product reviews, guestinterviews, way to go, what to
do and so much more.
Thanks for joining us.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
This week we survive a cyclone.
Well kind of we discusseverything you need to know to
get you prepared for a majorweather event.
Alfred, was it a little bit ofa non-event, katie?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Well, it was definitely an event, Paul, just
probably not the event we wereall expecting.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
No, that's right, and we're quite happy about that.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Oh look, we really are.
And I must preface this wholeconversation and say for any of
you out there around the worldwho are in these weather event
prone areas, we absolutely takeour hats off to you for what you
deal with, for your knowledgeand how you prepare for these
sorts of events.
(01:15):
I know here in Australia,particularly in the northern
regions, we know so many peoplewho have lived and survived
through numerous terrifyingcyclones, you know, and to come
out the other end and have theresilience and the ability to
rebuild and move on is just socourageous, and so we just think
(01:38):
you're all awesome, yeahabsolutely, and it's interesting
because for our little one,jasper, we've been to Darwin
many times and we've been totheir incredible museum.
Free experience probably.
Yeah, that is an amazing place.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yeah, the number one free experience in Darwin is
their natural and history museumthere right on the water, and
it's also their art gallery, theNorthern Territory Art Gallery.
They have a Cyclone Tracyexhibit, which is historically
the most destructive cyclonethat hit Darwin, in a sense that
(02:18):
people were not prepared.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
That's right.
And I think they justcommemorated 50 years from the
date that Cyclone Tracy hit upthere and so obviously
technology and buildingtechniques and infrastructure
and all of those things havechanged dramatically over that
50 years and we're much morewell prepared and set up for
these weather events.
(02:41):
But that exhibit is incredible.
You know, even just talkingabout it I've got goosebumps all
over me because it certainlystirs up emotions that we all
have deep down inside of us thatyou know, you don't even really
know are there, even if youhaven't been through something
like this.
And to go and actually, youknow, read through and
(03:01):
experience firsthand theseaccounts of people's experiences
through Cyclone Tracy is justremarkable.
And then I think for us, paul,having then that expectation,
that anticipation that we hadwith this Cyclone Alfred moving
down the coast into an areapredominantly on the southeast
(03:26):
coast of Queensland where wejust don't get these sorts of
weather patterns, was a reallystrange time, wasn't it?
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yeah, I think they said it was around 60 or 70
years since we'd had a cyclonecross the coast that far south
still, really right on the edgeof Queensland and New South
Wales borders.
But yeah, with the cycloneTracy, jasper, having seen and
experienced that exhibit, theyeven have a room that you go
(03:58):
into that's completely dark andit is actual recordings of this
270 kilometer an hour winds, Ithink the wind gauge, once it
hit a certain speed, actuallybroken, so then they weren't
able to continue recording it,so it was even more ferocious,
but the sound and that itpermeates every part of your
(04:20):
Chilling, yeah, your being andyour senses.
And so he had experienced that.
So he was quite sensitive.
Once he heard the word cyclone,he had lots of questions and he
referenced Cyclone Tracy.
Now, it was nothing like that.
In fact, it really crossed thecoast in the end as a low
(04:42):
pressure system.
It was downgraded from a threeto a two to a one, I think when
it finally hit Moreton Bay.
And then the interesting thingwas that it took like a week,
longer than everyone expected.
It's the slowest moving cyclone, I think, ever.
So the destruction from thewind component didn't eventuate
Destruction from the windcomponent didn't eventuate.
(05:03):
However, the amount of rain inshort amounts of time did
definitely create the most havoc, and also, I think there was
450,000 homes and propertieswithout power in southeast
Queensland alone, and then, onceyou got across the border into
New South Wales, a similarepisode had happened as well.
(05:27):
So it was very destructive in adifferent version of how
everyone expected you wouldassociate to a cyclone.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Yeah, that's so true, paul.
And look for us.
We should say you know, we'vebeen off the airways with our
podcast for a little longer thananticipated, and that is
because we managed to fly home.
We'd been down to Victoria andthen, of course, across to
Adelaide for the caravan shows,having left our van up on the
(05:55):
Gold Coast.
We managed to fly in just a fewdays before what they were
originally predicting that thisweather system would hit, and so
it was a little bit of ascramble for us to figure out.
Okay, what are we doing?
We're staying in the van.
Are we going to try and seekshelter elsewhere?
Where are we parking up the van?
There was a couple of days of,I think, elevated heart rates
(06:19):
and just trying to stay as calmas we could while we prepared
for the real unknown, becauseyou know it was such an unknown.
And, of course, then we wereout of the van for longer than
anticipated, so we didn't haveour podcast suite with us.
We didn't have a lot of thethings that we normally travel.
So apologies to all of you wholisten to our podcast.
(06:41):
We are back, and we're back inthe van, which we're super
excited about and being able to,of course, get back into our
regular weekly podcast.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Oh, we've missed you.
We've missed being on the mic,that's for sure, and we just
missed being in our routine.
We're so out of sync.
We've been out of our brand newvan longer than we've been in it
.
Okay, so we are back.
So, really, what we wanted tocover off and this will be
fairly quick delivery on fivemain points that we feel that if
(07:15):
you're caravanning or camping,you need to create an evacuation
plan when you are faced with amajor weather event, which,
let's face it, happens multipletimes every year here in
Australia.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Yeah, absolutely.
Look, when we first set off,you know, paul and I were
worried about pretty welleverything being so green and
new to caravanning and camping,and we certainly had separate
worries that kept us awake atnight.
But we were reallyunderprepared when it came to
the natural disaster, thebushfires, the flooding.
(07:50):
We're a country of extremeshere in Australia and I think
it's fair to say, over the lastfew years in particular, with
climate change and differentthings going on, the weather is
all over the place.
All over the place, and so youjust never know what is around
the corner.
And, being so unprepared, we hadquite a scary experience early
(08:14):
on with some bushfires and afire that was actually purposely
lit across the road from acaravan park we were staying at
and you know we actually woke upin the middle of the night it
was around midnight to the smellof smoke and an orange sky and
embers like literally fallingaround our caravan awning, and
(08:35):
it was panic stations because wehadn't even had a discussion
about well, what do we do inthis sort of situation.
So we learned a lot very earlyon from that experience and we
got ourselves, I guess, to wherewe thought we were prepared
enough.
But what we're about to talkabout now really delves a little
bit deeper into that, and it issimple stuff that we can all do
(08:58):
and that prior preparation toreally help alleviate stressful
situations If you do findyourself faced with, you know,
any major weather event, be it aflood, a cyclone, a bushfire or
whatever you've got, you knowin the country that you live in.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
All right.
So these are the top fiveconsiderations.
Let's go through the list.
Katie Number one know yourrisks.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Yeah, absolutely, and this is a really great one just
to even ask yourself or have aconversation between your you
know, your travelling party, ForPaul and I we try and keep
these conversations aroundanything to do with emergency
procedures, evacuation plans,the safety and security.
We try and keep theseconversations between us,
(09:47):
especially if you are travelingwith kids.
You know you don't want tocause any unnecessary stress or
worry with the little ones inyour family.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
What they always say is you know, be aware, don't be
alarmed.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Great saying, paul.
I love that.
So before you set up camp, youknow, just have a look around
and ask yourself, like, what isthe biggest weather threat here?
You know?
Are we camping somewhere that'sprone to flooding?
Is it in a low-lying floodplain?
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Look in the Flinders Ranges we saw only 10 mils of
rain in 10 minutes.
But what happened was therewere people that were camping in
the forever dry creek beds andthen all of a sudden, 10 mil
across that escarpment and thatamount of land and the creek
being, you know, collectionpoint, boom.
(10:38):
They were very quickly in afoot of water and scrambling to
get themselves and their gearout and be safe.
So it can happen very quickly.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
That's right, paul, and it's an excellent point.
You know, it is so tempting asyou travel around Australia,
particularly in these rural andremote areas, to camp up in
these incredible old creek bedsor river beds, you know, because
they are generally the mostpicturesque place to camp.
But look, I tell you what.
(11:06):
They can certainly flash floodvery quickly, and out in the
outback in particular, a littlebit of rain seems to go a super
long way.
And that 10 mils that we hadout at the Flinders Ranges, paul
, I mean we were camped up onhigher ground, but the hard red
ground that we were camped onquickly turned to the muddiest,
(11:31):
slipperiest, sloppiest,slushiest earth you can imagine.
And we moved the caravan out afew hours after that rain event
to try and get to even higherground, on the off chance that
you know we would expect somemore rain, which we did get.
And even just that slippery,slidey drive out to higher
(11:52):
ground was enough.
So look, really, just have thatconversation.
You know what is the biggestweather threat here?
We've spoken about flooding,bushfires, of course.
So unpredictable, and you neverjust know.
But particularly across thewarmer or the summer months,
australia is a country prone tobushfire, and more and more, it
(12:14):
seems, these days.
So have a look at where you'recamping.
A lot of these amazing placesthat we go and spend our time in
are bushland.
That is full of very easilycombustible items, so just be
very aware of that.
A good thing to do would be toresearch the fire danger ratings
and also check for local burnrestrictions, because all of the
(12:38):
states have different fire orburn restrictions at different
times of year and even regionswithin the states.
So really be aware of that.
You don't want to cop a fine,but you also don't want to be
responsible for startingsomething bigger.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Now, we did discuss cyclones.
Obviously a cyclone Alfredmaking the appearance.
You did discuss cyclones.
Obviously a cyclone Alfredmaking an appearance.
If you're in the north duringcyclone season, do know where
those evacuation shelters areand look.
If you are in the northernparts of Australia, there'll be
signs up.
The locals will know, thecouncils will tell you.
So just ask a local or visitthe VIC, the Visitor Information
(13:17):
Centre, and get informed.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Which is great, katie , because that is number two is
stay informed.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Yeah, so you know, the weather can change so fast,
as we all know, and stayingupdated is crucial.
So a couple of things that wewould suggest that are really
easy to do is to downloadofficial emergency apps.
And I mean, how do we eversurvive, Paul, without
smartphones and apps?
I mean, they're just ingrainedin our daily life now, aren't
(13:47):
they?
Speaker 1 (13:47):
My dad really.
He said it was easy Got awindow Open it.
Yes.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Yes, that is good advice.
Thank you, papa Feelgood.
But some of the officialemergency apps like the BOM, the
Bureau of Meteorology that isan excellent resource and the
state emergency services apps aswell, If you are wanting to
really stay up to date, then wewould suggest that you turn on
(14:13):
those weather alerts on yourphone so that you get those
warnings that pop up in realtime.
And a lot of these apps aregreat as far as being on the
road full time and travelling,because you can actually set
your regions as you'retravelling into these new areas
within a radius of however farout you want that warning to, I
(14:35):
guess, encounter, and so you canset up your parameters so that
you receive warnings.
For I know, when we weretraveling through the Northern
Territory, particularly acrosssummertime, paul, I would set up
, I guess, warnings on my phonethat that went out for a radius
of at least a few hundredkilometers so that even if there
(14:56):
were bushfires, you know, acouple of hundred k's up the
road, I was getting alertedabout it so that we could make a
plan accordingly.
A lot of these places, andparticularly the Northern
Territory, is a great example.
You know it's pretty well oneroad, you know it's that Stuart
Highway that runs up the middleand everything shoots off from
that.
So if you've got a bushfire acouple of hundred kilometres up
(15:17):
the road, you do need to beaware of it.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Yeah, it is great advice, and the only thing I
would say is that the alerts cansometimes in these regions in
that season be thick and fast,like you'll be getting alerts a
lot.
So just be prepared for thatAgain, be aware, not alarmed.
Absolutely prepared for thatAgain, be aware, not alarmed.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Absolutely.
And if you are a travelingfamily, we would say again just
be discreet with all of thissort of stuff, because you just
don't want you know what reallyis a simple alert to notify you
to turn into panic stations withthe family.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Yeah, Traveling up in the Cape there with Tony Davies
from Australian 4x4 Tricks wasa real eye-opener because there
were so many bushfires and hesaid, well, it's just normal,
mate.
I was like, okay, well, itactually calms me down to hear
that he said, yeah, no, this isnormal.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
You're driving through smoke really thick.
Yeah, it's normal mate, youknow, and I'm like oh righto.
So, yeah, be of the mindset that, yeah, this is just part of the
seasons as well when you're inthose areas.
Now listen, as far as apps,maps, resources, we will direct
you back to our website, thefeelgoodfamilycom.
Loads of free resources there,but the ebook in particular, the
(16:37):
ultimate touringing Guide toAustralia, has all of this
information, the exact apps andmaps and resources that you'll
need to safely, securely,confidently, comfortably tour
Australia, you know, for thecost of less than one night's
camping.
Awesome resources there.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Absolutely Okay.
Another good thing would be tofollow the local emergency
services on social media.
You know they all post thosereal-time critical updates onto
their social accounts, so makesure that you are just following
those specific accounts and wealso have a little
battery-powered radio.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
It sounds very old school, but make sure that, well
, you've got batteries, that areyou not dead batteries?
But certainly if your phonefalls out of signal or there's
powers down or you've got anissue with comms being on, any
of those ABC network radiostations in remote locations
(17:40):
will certainly be able to getthe information that way.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
Yeah, that's right, Paul.
The more informed you are, thefaster you can react.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
All right.
Number three pack a grab and gobag.
Again, in our e-book, theUltimate Touring Guide to
Australia, we have a verydetailed list of what to pack in
that grab and go bag.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
Yeah, look, this was the biggest lesson we learned in
that fire situation that wewoke up to in the middle of the
night was that we were totallyunprepared, with a bag
pre-packed, ready to grab and goand look in an evacuation.
You don't have time to be.
Oh, hang on a second, should Ibe packing this?
And where's those specialdocuments that we need?
(18:20):
Have all of the importantthings already pre-packed into
what becomes literally a bagthat you grab and go.
It's your emergency bag.
There are many things andeverybody's different, and again
in that ebook that Paul wasreferencing, the Travel
Australia Guide, we do have atemplate for a grab-and-go bag
(18:41):
with a list of suggested itemsthat you can then add to, but
some of the I guess theeasy-to-access essentials we
would include would be your IDs,insurance documents, any
important documents that youhave with your traveling with
you, and to keep digital copiesof these as well is a great tip.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yeah, look, just take a photo and then send it to
your partner's phone or yourtraveling companion's phone, so
that you've got a backup plan.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Yeah, that's an excellent idea.
I know for us too, Paul.
Like things like our licensesand our passports.
I've taken digital copies of,and then I've also sent them
back home to my mum so that shehas a copy of those documents as
well, and that's a really greattip for when you're traveling
overseas as well Make sure thatsomebody back home has a copy of
(19:33):
your passport documents.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
You're the most efficient woman I've ever met.
Hayley, I'm learning stuffabout you all the time.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Thanks, del.
Okay, now, what else do we wantin that grab and go bag?
A little first aid kit, anyessential medications, great to
have a torch or headlamp, havesome spare batteries, a phone
charger, a little power bank youcan pick those up now from
Kmart for five bucks orsomething.
But having a power bank toensure that you can keep your
(20:00):
devices, particularly yourphones, charged, water in
bottles, some non-perishablesnacks so you know, might be
some muesli bars or somethinglike that that's easy to throw
in that bag, to know that you'vegot a little bit of something,
just in case.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
And, of course, we can't forget our little
four-legged furry family members.
If you're travelling with petspet food, leash medications,
things that obviously arereliant for their wellbeing as
well just consider those littleguys.
Don't leave that to the lastminute.
Jasper keeps asking for a dog.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Yeah, he's really on that.
I need a friend to play with atthe moment bandwagon.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
I've promised him a goldfish.
You should see him roll hiseyes.
Anyone else had a littleeight-year-old you know, rolling
their eyes.
He's like Dad, we can't travelwith a goldfish.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
I'm like yeah the best pet ever, mate.
That's very funny.
I can just picture him in theback seat with this goldfish
bowl on a travel day.
Yeehaw, look just quickly, paul.
A couple of other things thatwe have in our grab and go bag
is essential toiletries likeeven if it's just spare
toothbrushes and toothpaste anda change of clothes for each of
(21:09):
us.
So you know.
You just never know, in theevent of an emergency, how long
you'll be away from your home onwheels.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Speaking of home on wheels number four, keep your
rig ready to roll.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Yeah, so you know, if you are towing a caravan, like
us, you do want to be able tomove quickly in the event of an
emergency, of course, if it issafe to do so.
So we would say, regardless ofwhat style of traveller you are
this applies to whether you'retowing a van like us or whether
(21:41):
you're sleeping in a swag or atent keep your vehicle or your
tow vehicle fueled.
Never let it drop below half atank.
This is a rule of thumb that weuse traveling around the
country anyway, because you justnever know when your next fuel
station is going to be, orwhether you know when you're in
the outback are they actuallygoing to have enough fuel there
(22:03):
for all of the travellers.
We've waited at fuel stationsbefore because they've been
waiting for the tankers to comeand refill the stations.
So always have half a tank offuel, because I mean, I couldn't
even imagine being in anemergency evacuation situation
and hopping in your vehicle andhaving that fuel light come on.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Oh yeah, Heightened situation, that sort of trigger
point, it would go downhillreally quickly.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
Yes, Okay.
Also, do your regular checks Ifyou are towing with your
caravan.
Make sure your hitch and yourbrakes, your tires, are all in
good and working order Again.
You don't want to be doing lastminute repairs or fixes in
order to be able to move quickly.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
Now at least two exit routes.
Now we would say in Australia,particularly in some of these
remote places, there's only oneroad in and out.
We're very aware of that.
Look, in that situationhopefully you've got really good
comms and you can get help tofly into you of Australia, like
(23:19):
we saw a few years back in themajor fires where a whole
township of I think there was350 holidaymakers along the east
coast there down in the southparts of Victoria, new South
Wales that had to be evacuatedoff the beach.
That would be incrediblyfrightening and scary scenario.
Absolutely they were allrescued.
But yeah, sometimes you don'thave another exit opportunity.
(23:40):
We certainly in Yippoon had tworoads and one of them was
blocked, so fortunately we had asecond road out.
But yeah, be prepared if youcan have at least two exit
routes.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
And, look, this can just be a little you know,
couple of minute conversationbetween you and your traveling
partner when you do arrive intothese campgrounds to, just you
know, clock each other and say,okay, how are we getting out of
here?
If we need to evacuate quickly,what's the plan?
Is it route or route?
I think in Australia we sayroute, but I'm pretty sure in
America it's route.
(24:15):
It's both spelt the same.
You say it, however.
You want it.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
Something else I've got that song, isn't it on route
66?
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Yeah, or is it route 66?
.
Oh, I don't know.
I thought they said route andwe say route, but maybe they say
route as well, and maybe in theUK they say route.
I don't know.
If you know, let us know, getin contact with us.
It's the question of the day.
I thought there was somethingelse that I wanted to say on
(24:44):
that, Paul, and now it's totallygone in and out of my head.
Oh, look, yes, in the event ofyou know a huge weather system
coming, or you know, if you knowthat something is approaching
that you are going to have tomove on fairly quickly with,
make sure, if you are towing,that your van is either hitched
(25:07):
and ready to go or very easilyable to be hitched.
We are quite minimalistic withour camp setup and we've got a
pretty good system now ofknowing who does what job when
we're packing down camp, and so,again, this is a really great
thing to put in play for yourtraveling party to know who does
(25:30):
what, what are the thingshappening and how quickly you
can and calmly remember youdon't want to be panic stations
but how quickly and calmly youcan get packed up to hitch and
go.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
Love it.
And there is a reason why whenyou're at a caravan park, they
make you leave your hitch to theroad or curbside, and that
really is because if it hits thefan, it's got to be as orderly
in the chaos as possible.
So good thoughts to have in theback of your mind and be
prepared.
(26:03):
Finally, number five, leaveearly, not at the last minute.
If you've got an opportunity toleave early, which in the case
of a cyclone non-event, elfrid,we felt we didn't have the time
to hitch up and drive 300kilometers to get out of its
path.
The other confusing part aboutthat cyclone was well one it was
(26:24):
300 kilometers across the whole, like it was so big as in its
width.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Yes, width.
Yes, yeah, there was a, reallythat.
You know the?
I guess the span of where theimpact zone was was so large
that it was confusing everybody,even the meteorologists.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Exactly so we made a plan B, but anyway, if you, if
you can leave early, leave early.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Yeah, definitely Look , especially in bushfire and
flooding situations too, becausethe longer you leave it,
obviously the more intense orthe worse the situation can get,
and you just don't want to everfind yourself in a trapped sort
of situation or scenario whereyou just can't get out because
you've waited too long to go.
(27:16):
So a couple of really goodpointers here.
Of course, in Queensland, as wesay, if it's flooded, forget it
.
Yeah, never drive throughfloodwaters and look again.
Unfortunately, you know, evenwith the cyclone Alfred here in
southeast Queensland, you know,sort of being rapidly downgraded
and not considered a cyclone,there were still cases of
(27:39):
vehicles being swept away and,very sadly, to loss of life from
people entering flood waters.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
Just tragic.
Not necessary Again.
If you see a fire coming, leavebefore you see the flames or
thick smoke and don't drive intoa fire.
It seems obvious, but ithappens.
I think the biggest mistakepeople make is just waiting too
long to leave.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
Absolutely.
And look at the end of the dayyour vehicles, your gear, your
caravan, all of that stuff thatcan be replaced, but your life
can't, and that is the mostimportant thing.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
Look, the final thought on all of this is
prepare today, travel safetomorrow placed, but your life
can't, and that is the mostimportant thing.
Look, the final thought on allof this is prepare today, travel
safe tomorrow.
You know, it's such anincredible backyard we've got
here to explore, but justknowing your preparedness is
part of the adventure.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Yeah, absolutely.
And having that evacuation plan, staying informed, keeping your
rig and your vehicles ready togo, it means that you actually
can travel with confidence.
You know that you can still getout there and feel like you are
prepared as well as you can befor whatever the conditions
throw at you, Love it Okay,travel safe.
(28:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Yes, make memories, keep adventuring Exactly All
right.
Quick message from thisepisode's sponsor.
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(29:16):
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Speaker 2 (29:24):
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(29:47):
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Speaker 1 (29:51):
How good is the Nike story?
We do love that.
Those guys have created such anincredible product, but also an
incredible business and lifefor themselves.
They're legends.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
They absolutely are.
It's super inspiring.
You know, if you need a littlebit of get up and go to inspire
you to follow your dreams, thenread up on the team from Nike
and what they have created.
It's just awesome.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
Aussies doing incredible things.
Now, we talked about many timesbeing off-grid in our off-road
zone.
Sojourn a family bunk van andthe very first year that we had
our van, we actually putourselves to the challenge and
were off-grid for a year, by wayof meaning that we were
unplugged from mains power.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Oh yeah, Sticking it to the man, Katie, as you like
to say I loved it.
It was the best 12 months Ithink we've ever spent, because
not only did we feel like fullyfledged campers, you know, we
were also being as sustainableas possible.
We were generating our ownpower from the sun baby.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
It's the power of the sun.
Feel alive Now.
This week's takeaway, I likethis.
It's related to that Off-grid,more like on life, where the
only notifications come from thewildlife.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
I really, really love that.
You know, because don't we justget hammered with notifications
, like my phone constantly givesme notifications from things
that I didn't even know exist.
On my phone, apps that maybeyou know, a million years ago I
downloaded and all of a suddenI'm getting a notification about
and you can just get sobombarded.
But isn't it awesome whenyou're out camping and literally
(31:36):
your notifications come fromyou know the birds in the trees
and the wandering wildlife?
Speaker 1 (31:42):
Look, we're in a caravan park at the moment.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
Yes, the notifications are coming from
the kids, the hundreds of kidsthey are, and they start early
morning.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
We start early morning.
They're up earlier than us, ohman.
Yelling and carrying on.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Yep Out there on their bikes, scooters, living
their best lives.
Polly, it's just awesome.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
All right.
Now next week we are back intothe mix.
Baby, we are back.
We have got some special guests.
They are full-time travellinglegends.
Can't wait to talk to them.
Plus, we're going to update onthe new tow vehicle.
Look out For big news.
Thanks for joining us.
Take care, look after yourselfand look after your family.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
Happy Trails, bye.
Welcome to the Travel Australia podcast.
We are Paul, Katie and Jasperfrom the Feel Good family.
Join us as we explore thisgreat country, Australia, its
people, places and cultures.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Yes, it's the Travel Australia podcast, where we
share the latest in RV news roadtrip travel, caravanning and
camping, product reviews, guestinterviews, way to go, what to
do and so much more.
Thanks for joining us.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
This week we survive a cyclone.
Well kind of we discusseverything you need to know to
get you prepared for a majorweather event.
Alfred, was it a little bit ofa non-event, katie?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Well, it was definitely an event, Paul, just
probably not the event we wereall expecting.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
No, that's right, and we're quite happy about that.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Oh look, we really are.
And I must preface this wholeconversation and say for any of
you out there around the worldwho are in these weather event
prone areas, we absolutely takeour hats off to you for what you
deal with, for your knowledgeand how you prepare for these
sorts of events.
(01:15):
I know here in Australia,particularly in the northern
regions, we know so many peoplewho have lived and survived
through numerous terrifyingcyclones, you know, and to come
out the other end and have theresilience and the ability to
rebuild and move on is just socourageous, and so we just think
(01:38):
you're all awesome, yeahabsolutely, and it's interesting
because for our little one,jasper, we've been to Darwin
many times and we've been totheir incredible museum.
Free experience probably.
Yeah, that is an amazing place.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yeah, the number one free experience in Darwin is
their natural and history museumthere right on the water, and
it's also their art gallery, theNorthern Territory Art Gallery.
They have a Cyclone Tracyexhibit, which is historically
the most destructive cyclonethat hit Darwin, in a sense that
(02:18):
people were not prepared.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
That's right.
And I think they justcommemorated 50 years from the
date that Cyclone Tracy hit upthere and so obviously
technology and buildingtechniques and infrastructure
and all of those things havechanged dramatically over that
50 years and we're much morewell prepared and set up for
these weather events.
(02:41):
But that exhibit is incredible.
You know, even just talkingabout it I've got goosebumps all
over me because it certainlystirs up emotions that we all
have deep down inside of us thatyou know, you don't even really
know are there, even if youhaven't been through something
like this.
And to go and actually, youknow, read through and
(03:01):
experience firsthand theseaccounts of people's experiences
through Cyclone Tracy is justremarkable.
And then I think for us, paul,having then that expectation,
that anticipation that we hadwith this Cyclone Alfred moving
down the coast into an areapredominantly on the southeast
(03:26):
coast of Queensland where wejust don't get these sorts of
weather patterns, was a reallystrange time, wasn't it?
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yeah, I think they said it was around 60 or 70
years since we'd had a cyclonecross the coast that far south
still, really right on the edgeof Queensland and New South
Wales borders.
But yeah, with the cycloneTracy, jasper, having seen and
experienced that exhibit, theyeven have a room that you go
(03:58):
into that's completely dark andit is actual recordings of this
270 kilometer an hour winds, Ithink the wind gauge, once it
hit a certain speed, actuallybroken, so then they weren't
able to continue recording it,so it was even more ferocious,
but the sound and that itpermeates every part of your
(04:20):
Chilling, yeah, your being andyour senses.
And so he had experienced that.
So he was quite sensitive.
Once he heard the word cyclone,he had lots of questions and he
referenced Cyclone Tracy.
Now, it was nothing like that.
In fact, it really crossed thecoast in the end as a low
(04:42):
pressure system.
It was downgraded from a threeto a two to a one, I think when
it finally hit Moreton Bay.
And then the interesting thingwas that it took like a week,
longer than everyone expected.
It's the slowest moving cyclone, I think, ever.
So the destruction from thewind component didn't eventuate
Destruction from the windcomponent didn't eventuate.
(05:03):
However, the amount of rain inshort amounts of time did
definitely create the most havoc, and also, I think there was
450,000 homes and propertieswithout power in southeast
Queensland alone, and then, onceyou got across the border into
New South Wales, a similarepisode had happened as well.
(05:27):
So it was very destructive in adifferent version of how
everyone expected you wouldassociate to a cyclone.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Yeah, that's so true, paul.
And look for us.
We should say you know, we'vebeen off the airways with our
podcast for a little longer thananticipated, and that is
because we managed to fly home.
We'd been down to Victoria andthen, of course, across to
Adelaide for the caravan shows,having left our van up on the
(05:55):
Gold Coast.
We managed to fly in just a fewdays before what they were
originally predicting that thisweather system would hit, and so
it was a little bit of ascramble for us to figure out.
Okay, what are we doing?
We're staying in the van.
Are we going to try and seekshelter elsewhere?
Where are we parking up the van?
There was a couple of days of,I think, elevated heart rates
(06:19):
and just trying to stay as calmas we could while we prepared
for the real unknown, becauseyou know it was such an unknown.
And, of course, then we wereout of the van for longer than
anticipated, so we didn't haveour podcast suite with us.
We didn't have a lot of thethings that we normally travel.
So apologies to all of you wholisten to our podcast.
(06:41):
We are back, and we're back inthe van, which we're super
excited about and being able to,of course, get back into our
regular weekly podcast.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Oh, we've missed you.
We've missed being on the mic,that's for sure, and we just
missed being in our routine.
We're so out of sync.
We've been out of our brand newvan longer than we've been in it
.
Okay, so we are back.
So, really, what we wanted tocover off and this will be
fairly quick delivery on fivemain points that we feel that if
(07:15):
you're caravanning or camping,you need to create an evacuation
plan when you are faced with amajor weather event, which,
let's face it, happens multipletimes every year here in
Australia.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Yeah, absolutely.
Look, when we first set off,you know, paul and I were
worried about pretty welleverything being so green and
new to caravanning and camping,and we certainly had separate
worries that kept us awake atnight.
But we were reallyunderprepared when it came to
the natural disaster, thebushfires, the flooding.
(07:50):
We're a country of extremeshere in Australia and I think
it's fair to say, over the lastfew years in particular, with
climate change and differentthings going on, the weather is
all over the place.
All over the place, and so youjust never know what is around
the corner.
And, being so unprepared, we hadquite a scary experience early
(08:14):
on with some bushfires and afire that was actually purposely
lit across the road from acaravan park we were staying at
and you know we actually woke upin the middle of the night it
was around midnight to the smellof smoke and an orange sky and
embers like literally fallingaround our caravan awning, and
(08:35):
it was panic stations because wehadn't even had a discussion
about well, what do we do inthis sort of situation.
So we learned a lot very earlyon from that experience and we
got ourselves, I guess, to wherewe thought we were prepared
enough.
But what we're about to talkabout now really delves a little
bit deeper into that, and it issimple stuff that we can all do
(08:58):
and that prior preparation toreally help alleviate stressful
situations If you do findyourself faced with, you know,
any major weather event, be it aflood, a cyclone, a bushfire or
whatever you've got, you knowin the country that you live in.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
All right.
So these are the top fiveconsiderations.
Let's go through the list.
Katie Number one know yourrisks.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Yeah, absolutely, and this is a really great one just
to even ask yourself or have aconversation between your you
know, your travelling party, ForPaul and I we try and keep
these conversations aroundanything to do with emergency
procedures, evacuation plans,the safety and security.
We try and keep theseconversations between us,
(09:47):
especially if you are travelingwith kids.
You know you don't want tocause any unnecessary stress or
worry with the little ones inyour family.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
What they always say is you know, be aware, don't be
alarmed.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Great saying, paul.
I love that.
So before you set up camp, youknow, just have a look around
and ask yourself, like, what isthe biggest weather threat here?
You know?
Are we camping somewhere that'sprone to flooding?
Is it in a low-lying floodplain?
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Look in the Flinders Ranges we saw only 10 mils of
rain in 10 minutes.
But what happened was therewere people that were camping in
the forever dry creek beds andthen all of a sudden, 10 mil
across that escarpment and thatamount of land and the creek
being, you know, collectionpoint, boom.
(10:38):
They were very quickly in afoot of water and scrambling to
get themselves and their gearout and be safe.
So it can happen very quickly.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
That's right, paul, and it's an excellent point.
You know, it is so tempting asyou travel around Australia,
particularly in these rural andremote areas, to camp up in
these incredible old creek bedsor river beds, you know, because
they are generally the mostpicturesque place to camp.
But look, I tell you what.
(11:06):
They can certainly flash floodvery quickly, and out in the
outback in particular, a littlebit of rain seems to go a super
long way.
And that 10 mils that we hadout at the Flinders Ranges, paul
, I mean we were camped up onhigher ground, but the hard red
ground that we were camped onquickly turned to the muddiest,
(11:31):
slipperiest, sloppiest,slushiest earth you can imagine.
And we moved the caravan out afew hours after that rain event
to try and get to even higherground, on the off chance that
you know we would expect somemore rain, which we did get.
And even just that slippery,slidey drive out to higher
(11:52):
ground was enough.
So look, really, just have thatconversation.
You know what is the biggestweather threat here?
We've spoken about flooding,bushfires, of course.
So unpredictable, and you neverjust know.
But particularly across thewarmer or the summer months,
australia is a country prone tobushfire, and more and more, it
(12:14):
seems, these days.
So have a look at where you'recamping.
A lot of these amazing placesthat we go and spend our time in
are bushland.
That is full of very easilycombustible items, so just be
very aware of that.
A good thing to do would be toresearch the fire danger ratings
and also check for local burnrestrictions, because all of the
(12:38):
states have different fire orburn restrictions at different
times of year and even regionswithin the states.
So really be aware of that.
You don't want to cop a fine,but you also don't want to be
responsible for startingsomething bigger.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Now, we did discuss cyclones.
Obviously a cyclone Alfredmaking the appearance.
You did discuss cyclones.
Obviously a cyclone Alfredmaking an appearance.
If you're in the north duringcyclone season, do know where
those evacuation shelters areand look.
If you are in the northernparts of Australia, there'll be
signs up.
The locals will know, thecouncils will tell you.
So just ask a local or visitthe VIC, the Visitor Information
(13:17):
Centre, and get informed.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Which is great, katie , because that is number two is
stay informed.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Yeah, so you know, the weather can change so fast,
as we all know, and stayingupdated is crucial.
So a couple of things that wewould suggest that are really
easy to do is to downloadofficial emergency apps.
And I mean, how do we eversurvive, Paul, without
smartphones and apps?
I mean, they're just ingrainedin our daily life now, aren't
(13:47):
they?
Speaker 1 (13:47):
My dad really.
He said it was easy Got awindow Open it.
Yes.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Yes, that is good advice.
Thank you, papa Feelgood.
But some of the officialemergency apps like the BOM, the
Bureau of Meteorology that isan excellent resource and the
state emergency services apps aswell, If you are wanting to
really stay up to date, then wewould suggest that you turn on
(14:13):
those weather alerts on yourphone so that you get those
warnings that pop up in realtime.
And a lot of these apps aregreat as far as being on the
road full time and travelling,because you can actually set
your regions as you'retravelling into these new areas
within a radius of however farout you want that warning to, I
(14:35):
guess, encounter, and so you canset up your parameters so that
you receive warnings.
For I know, when we weretraveling through the Northern
Territory, particularly acrosssummertime, paul, I would set up
, I guess, warnings on my phonethat that went out for a radius
of at least a few hundredkilometers so that even if there
(14:56):
were bushfires, you know, acouple of hundred k's up the
road, I was getting alertedabout it so that we could make a
plan accordingly.
A lot of these places, andparticularly the Northern
Territory, is a great example.
You know it's pretty well oneroad, you know it's that Stuart
Highway that runs up the middleand everything shoots off from
that.
So if you've got a bushfire acouple of hundred kilometres up
(15:17):
the road, you do need to beaware of it.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Yeah, it is great advice, and the only thing I
would say is that the alerts cansometimes in these regions in
that season be thick and fast,like you'll be getting alerts a
lot.
So just be prepared for thatAgain, be aware, not alarmed.
Absolutely prepared for thatAgain, be aware, not alarmed.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Absolutely.
And if you are a travelingfamily, we would say again just
be discreet with all of thissort of stuff, because you just
don't want you know what reallyis a simple alert to notify you
to turn into panic stations withthe family.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Yeah, Traveling up in the Cape there with Tony Davies
from Australian 4x4 Tricks wasa real eye-opener because there
were so many bushfires and hesaid, well, it's just normal,
mate.
I was like, okay, well, itactually calms me down to hear
that he said, yeah, no, this isnormal.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
You're driving through smoke really thick.
Yeah, it's normal mate, youknow, and I'm like oh righto.
So, yeah, be of the mindset that, yeah, this is just part of the
seasons as well when you're inthose areas.
Now listen, as far as apps,maps, resources, we will direct
you back to our website, thefeelgoodfamilycom.
Loads of free resources there,but the ebook in particular, the
(16:37):
ultimate touringing Guide toAustralia, has all of this
information, the exact apps andmaps and resources that you'll
need to safely, securely,confidently, comfortably tour
Australia, you know, for thecost of less than one night's
camping.
Awesome resources there.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Absolutely Okay.
Another good thing would be tofollow the local emergency
services on social media.
You know they all post thosereal-time critical updates onto
their social accounts, so makesure that you are just following
those specific accounts and wealso have a little
battery-powered radio.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
It sounds very old school, but make sure that, well
, you've got batteries, that areyou not dead batteries?
But certainly if your phonefalls out of signal or there's
powers down or you've got anissue with comms being on, any
of those ABC network radiostations in remote locations
(17:40):
will certainly be able to getthe information that way.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
Yeah, that's right, Paul.
The more informed you are, thefaster you can react.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
All right.
Number three pack a grab and gobag.
Again, in our e-book, theUltimate Touring Guide to
Australia, we have a verydetailed list of what to pack in
that grab and go bag.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
Yeah, look, this was the biggest lesson we learned in
that fire situation that wewoke up to in the middle of the
night was that we were totallyunprepared, with a bag
pre-packed, ready to grab and goand look in an evacuation.
You don't have time to be.
Oh, hang on a second, should Ibe packing this?
And where's those specialdocuments that we need?
(18:20):
Have all of the importantthings already pre-packed into
what becomes literally a bagthat you grab and go.
It's your emergency bag.
There are many things andeverybody's different, and again
in that ebook that Paul wasreferencing, the Travel
Australia Guide, we do have atemplate for a grab-and-go bag
(18:41):
with a list of suggested itemsthat you can then add to, but
some of the I guess theeasy-to-access essentials we
would include would be your IDs,insurance documents, any
important documents that youhave with your traveling with
you, and to keep digital copiesof these as well is a great tip.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yeah, look, just take a photo and then send it to
your partner's phone or yourtraveling companion's phone, so
that you've got a backup plan.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Yeah, that's an excellent idea.
I know for us too, Paul.
Like things like our licensesand our passports.
I've taken digital copies of,and then I've also sent them
back home to my mum so that shehas a copy of those documents as
well, and that's a really greattip for when you're traveling
overseas as well Make sure thatsomebody back home has a copy of
(19:33):
your passport documents.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
You're the most efficient woman I've ever met.
Hayley, I'm learning stuffabout you all the time.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Thanks, del.
Okay, now, what else do we wantin that grab and go bag?
A little first aid kit, anyessential medications, great to
have a torch or headlamp, havesome spare batteries, a phone
charger, a little power bank youcan pick those up now from
Kmart for five bucks orsomething.
But having a power bank toensure that you can keep your
(20:00):
devices, particularly yourphones, charged, water in
bottles, some non-perishablesnacks so you know, might be
some muesli bars or somethinglike that that's easy to throw
in that bag, to know that you'vegot a little bit of something,
just in case.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
And, of course, we can't forget our little
four-legged furry family members.
If you're travelling with petspet food, leash medications,
things that obviously arereliant for their wellbeing as
well just consider those littleguys.
Don't leave that to the lastminute.
Jasper keeps asking for a dog.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Yeah, he's really on that.
I need a friend to play with atthe moment bandwagon.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
I've promised him a goldfish.
You should see him roll hiseyes.
Anyone else had a littleeight-year-old you know, rolling
their eyes.
He's like Dad, we can't travelwith a goldfish.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
I'm like yeah the best pet ever, mate.
That's very funny.
I can just picture him in theback seat with this goldfish
bowl on a travel day.
Yeehaw, look just quickly, paul.
A couple of other things thatwe have in our grab and go bag
is essential toiletries likeeven if it's just spare
toothbrushes and toothpaste anda change of clothes for each of
(21:09):
us.
So you know.
You just never know, in theevent of an emergency, how long
you'll be away from your home onwheels.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Speaking of home on wheels number four, keep your
rig ready to roll.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Yeah, so you know, if you are towing a caravan, like
us, you do want to be able tomove quickly in the event of an
emergency, of course, if it issafe to do so.
So we would say, regardless ofwhat style of traveller you are
this applies to whether you'retowing a van like us or whether
(21:41):
you're sleeping in a swag or atent keep your vehicle or your
tow vehicle fueled.
Never let it drop below half atank.
This is a rule of thumb that weuse traveling around the
country anyway, because you justnever know when your next fuel
station is going to be, orwhether you know when you're in
the outback are they actuallygoing to have enough fuel there
(22:03):
for all of the travellers.
We've waited at fuel stationsbefore because they've been
waiting for the tankers to comeand refill the stations.
So always have half a tank offuel, because I mean, I couldn't
even imagine being in anemergency evacuation situation
and hopping in your vehicle andhaving that fuel light come on.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Oh yeah, Heightened situation, that sort of trigger
point, it would go downhillreally quickly.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
Yes, Okay.
Also, do your regular checks Ifyou are towing with your
caravan.
Make sure your hitch and yourbrakes, your tires, are all in
good and working order Again.
You don't want to be doing lastminute repairs or fixes in
order to be able to move quickly.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
Now at least two exit routes.
Now we would say in Australia,particularly in some of these
remote places, there's only oneroad in and out.
We're very aware of that.
Look, in that situationhopefully you've got really good
comms and you can get help tofly into you of Australia, like
(23:19):
we saw a few years back in themajor fires where a whole
township of I think there was350 holidaymakers along the east
coast there down in the southparts of Victoria, new South
Wales that had to be evacuatedoff the beach.
That would be incrediblyfrightening and scary scenario.
Absolutely they were allrescued.
But yeah, sometimes you don'thave another exit opportunity.
(23:40):
We certainly in Yippoon had tworoads and one of them was
blocked, so fortunately we had asecond road out.
But yeah, be prepared if youcan have at least two exit
routes.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
And, look, this can just be a little you know,
couple of minute conversationbetween you and your traveling
partner when you do arrive intothese campgrounds to, just you
know, clock each other and say,okay, how are we getting out of
here?
If we need to evacuate quickly,what's the plan?
Is it route or route?
I think in Australia we sayroute, but I'm pretty sure in
America it's route.
(24:15):
It's both spelt the same.
You say it, however.
You want it.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
Something else I've got that song, isn't it on route
66?
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Yeah, or is it route 66?
.
Oh, I don't know.
I thought they said route andwe say route, but maybe they say
route as well, and maybe in theUK they say route.
I don't know.
If you know, let us know, getin contact with us.
It's the question of the day.
I thought there was somethingelse that I wanted to say on
(24:44):
that, Paul, and now it's totallygone in and out of my head.
Oh, look, yes, in the event ofyou know a huge weather system
coming, or you know, if you knowthat something is approaching
that you are going to have tomove on fairly quickly with,
make sure, if you are towing,that your van is either hitched
(25:07):
and ready to go or very easilyable to be hitched.
We are quite minimalistic withour camp setup and we've got a
pretty good system now ofknowing who does what job when
we're packing down camp, and so,again, this is a really great
thing to put in play for yourtraveling party to know who does
(25:30):
what, what are the thingshappening and how quickly you
can and calmly remember youdon't want to be panic stations
but how quickly and calmly youcan get packed up to hitch and
go.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
Love it.
And there is a reason why whenyou're at a caravan park, they
make you leave your hitch to theroad or curbside, and that
really is because if it hits thefan, it's got to be as orderly
in the chaos as possible.
So good thoughts to have in theback of your mind and be
prepared.
(26:03):
Finally, number five, leaveearly, not at the last minute.
If you've got an opportunity toleave early, which in the case
of a cyclone non-event, elfrid,we felt we didn't have the time
to hitch up and drive 300kilometers to get out of its
path.
The other confusing part aboutthat cyclone was well one it was
(26:24):
300 kilometers across the whole, like it was so big as in its
width.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Yes, width.
Yes, yeah, there was a, reallythat.
You know the?
I guess the span of where theimpact zone was was so large
that it was confusing everybody,even the meteorologists.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Exactly so we made a plan B, but anyway, if you, if
you can leave early, leave early.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Yeah, definitely Look , especially in bushfire and
flooding situations too, becausethe longer you leave it,
obviously the more intense orthe worse the situation can get,
and you just don't want to everfind yourself in a trapped sort
of situation or scenario whereyou just can't get out because
you've waited too long to go.
(27:16):
So a couple of really goodpointers here.
Of course, in Queensland, as wesay, if it's flooded, forget it
.
Yeah, never drive throughfloodwaters and look again.
Unfortunately, you know, evenwith the cyclone Alfred here in
southeast Queensland, you know,sort of being rapidly downgraded
and not considered a cyclone,there were still cases of
(27:39):
vehicles being swept away and,very sadly, to loss of life from
people entering flood waters.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
Just tragic.
Not necessary Again.
If you see a fire coming, leavebefore you see the flames or
thick smoke and don't drive intoa fire.
It seems obvious, but ithappens.
I think the biggest mistakepeople make is just waiting too
long to leave.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
Absolutely.
And look at the end of the dayyour vehicles, your gear, your
caravan, all of that stuff thatcan be replaced, but your life
can't, and that is the mostimportant thing.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
Look, the final thought on all of this is
prepare today, travel safetomorrow placed, but your life
can't, and that is the mostimportant thing.
Look, the final thought on allof this is prepare today, travel
safe tomorrow.
You know, it's such anincredible backyard we've got
here to explore, but justknowing your preparedness is
part of the adventure.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Yeah, absolutely.
And having that evacuation plan, staying informed, keeping your
rig and your vehicles ready togo, it means that you actually
can travel with confidence.
You know that you can still getout there and feel like you are
prepared as well as you can befor whatever the conditions
throw at you, Love it Okay,travel safe.
(28:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Yes, make memories, keep adventuring Exactly All
right.
Quick message from thisepisode's sponsor.
This week's podcast is broughtto you by Nakey, home of the
world's first 100% recycledhammock, made from 37 plastic
post-consumer water bottles andweighing less than one kilo.
(29:16):
Nakey products will not onlymake you feel good see what I
did there but they make theenvironment feel good too.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
Love it, nakey, relax wherever you go.
Seriously, what are you waitingfor?
We love the Nakey products somuch.
We have so many of the Nakeyproducts and they are all
awesome.
Look, if you want to get yourhands on some Nike products,
jump on over to our website andtake advantage of the awesome
15% feel-good discount code thatour good friends at Nike have
(29:47):
provided for our awesomefeel-good family audience.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
How good is the Nike story?
We do love that.
Those guys have created such anincredible product, but also an
incredible business and lifefor themselves.
They're legends.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
They absolutely are.
It's super inspiring.
You know, if you need a littlebit of get up and go to inspire
you to follow your dreams, thenread up on the team from Nike
and what they have created.
It's just awesome.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
Aussies doing incredible things.
Now, we talked about many timesbeing off-grid in our off-road
zone.
Sojourn a family bunk van andthe very first year that we had
our van, we actually putourselves to the challenge and
were off-grid for a year, by wayof meaning that we were
unplugged from mains power.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Oh yeah, Sticking it to the man, Katie, as you like
to say I loved it.
It was the best 12 months Ithink we've ever spent, because
not only did we feel like fullyfledged campers, you know, we
were also being as sustainableas possible.
We were generating our ownpower from the sun baby.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
It's the power of the sun.
Feel alive Now.
This week's takeaway, I likethis.
It's related to that Off-grid,more like on life, where the
only notifications come from thewildlife.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
I really, really love that.
You know, because don't we justget hammered with notifications
, like my phone constantly givesme notifications from things
that I didn't even know exist.
On my phone, apps that maybeyou know, a million years ago I
downloaded and all of a suddenI'm getting a notification about
and you can just get sobombarded.
But isn't it awesome whenyou're out camping and literally
(31:36):
your notifications come fromyou know the birds in the trees
and the wandering wildlife?
Speaker 1 (31:42):
Look, we're in a caravan park at the moment.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
Yes, the notifications are coming from
the kids, the hundreds of kidsthey are, and they start early
morning.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
We start early morning.
They're up earlier than us, ohman.
Yelling and carrying on.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Yep Out there on their bikes, scooters, living
their best lives.
Polly, it's just awesome.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
All right.
Now next week we are back intothe mix.
Baby, we are back.
We have got some special guests.
They are full-time travellinglegends.
Can't wait to talk to them.
Plus, we're going to update onthe new tow vehicle.
Look out For big news.
Thanks for joining us.
Take care, look after yourselfand look after your family.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
Happy Trails, bye.
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