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JANUARY 2017

Monday 16th

General Meetings held on the Third Monday of the Month 7.30pm at 95 South Tce. Adelaide National Council of Women War Memorial Fund Building

Next AGM —Monday 16th October 2017

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Please feel free to advise your members that for any referred vehicle purchases (both new and used) it would be my pleasure to donate an additional $200 to the club. The customers will need to advise us at the time of purchase so that we can ensure we process the contribution to the club. I have also copied in Vicki Mather our used car manager so that she is aware of this offer. If you have any questions relating to this please don’t hesitate to contact me. Glenn Sullivan General Manager, Suzuki in the City

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Topics Page No. Index 3 President’s Rattle 4 2017 Committee 5 General Meeting Minutes 6-7 Committee Meeting Minutes 8-9 Sponsors, Supporters & Advertisers 9 Part Weekend at Norm’s 10 Trip Reports & Social Calendar 10 - 12 Rob Beames Diary—Camel Cup and ON (Part 2) 13 - 15 FOR SALES— Club Polo Shirt, Cap & Beanies 16 The Great Caravan Rego Rip -Off 17 & 18 Insurance Renewals 19 Birthdays 19 Editors Report 20

Advertisers Suzuki in the City 2 Scrubblades 19 Electric Bug 21

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January 2017 Gidday Folks Please check the NEW Location for the Australia Day Picnic on Page 10 Happy New Year everyone, I hope you have had a good break and ready for the coming year, did anyone make a New Years resolution and still haven’t broken it yet? Has there been any thoughts on places to go or visit for the trip calendar, over the Christmas—New Year break? The Trip List for 2017 is looking good, but we still have vacant weekends, especially LWE’s, that need filling—if you have an idea have a word to Noellene or Peter Remember a Club is only as good as its members, so become involved and become an active part! See Trips & Social - Phil & Elaine have stepped forward as Trip Leaders for the 2017 Easter Long Week End at Black Cockatoo Bush Camp, see Pages 10 & 12 Guess what, our 40th is this year, we have already started organising some of the activities (Hall & Dinner). But we still need more suggestions for o ur 40th? We have received a new advert from Suzuki in the City, check it out on Page 2, don’t forget the New Vitara Turbo has been released so go and see Glenn Sullivan (the Manager of Suzuki in the City) for a great deal. See the article beneath the Suzuki in the City AD. For a special offer to the Club Members If you would like to order a Club Polo Shirt, Club Cap or Beanie (Page 16), see Kyla and put your name on the form at the front. A small part of the sale is a Fund Raiser for the Club Don’t forget to check out our Facebook Site looks good, 116 likes , need more likes though. It is worth having a look at, keep an eye on it. Please support the Sponsors who back the club, without their assistance and support, the Club fees would be quite a bit more expensive than they are at present, so please use their services, whenever the need arises ! They do service other brands of vehicles, check them out, you may be surprised! One of our Prime Objectives should always be to promote the Club as a Responsible, Active, Environ-mental & Friendly Club, and proud of our 40 years, YES that’s right we are now 40 years young and the Suzuki 4WD turns 45 in 2017! Check the positions page (Page 5) to find out who is responsible for what, so if you have a gripe or a problem, please contact someone on the committee and let them know Yours in Suzukiing & 4WDing Rob

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President Rob W 8254 3758 0417 86 8876 Vice President Phill D 8270 2503 Secretary Cheryl W 8254 3758 0402 07 2213 Treasurer Martin F 0419 54 9217 Membership Officer Phill D 8270 2503 Discounts & Purchasing Phill D 8270 2503 Magazine Editor Rob W 0417 86 8876 Internet Maintenance Rob W 0417 86 8876 Facebook Maintenance Kyla W 0412 92 2459 Trips & Social Noellene R 0428 84 2709 Peter R 0428 84 2709 Tools & Property Peter R 8327 2484 Technical Officer and Thomas G 0412 02 2405 Gopher & Postie Phill D 8270 2503 Fund Raisers Elaine D 0412 67 0372 4 Wheel Drive Delegate Kyla W 0412 92 2459 Welcoming Officer Rob B 8250 7987 Committee Kyla W 0412 92 2459 David B 0488 16 9367 Colin M

Just a note for those who wish to use Electronic Funds Transfer to pay their Subs, please see below :- Suzuki 4 Wheel Drive Club of SA Commonwealth Bank The BSB Number is :- 065 125 The Account Number is :- 00901550 Important Note :- Any deposit to the Club Account must have a Description of what it is, for Identification i.e. Membership!

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Suzuki 4WD Club of S.A. Inc.

General Meeting Minutes

Date Monday 21 st November 2016 National Womens’Assn, 95 South Tce., Adelaide

Meeting Opened:

7.45pm by Rob Wellington

Welcome To New Members & Visitors:

Hayley – Terrie Booth’s daughter

Apologies:

Kyla White, David Bradshaw, Meg Bath, AliceAnn Philbrook, Wendy Geerckens

Correspondence:

Club magazines:- Catchat – Mitsi 4WD Club Mag Emails In:- 3 Mt Compass CP, Finniss General Store – 10 mins out of Strath, open 7 days week, breakfast/lunch. Can cater for large groups. Trevor Wrigley, confirming how many nights at CP, Red Cross defibrillator $2600, Pac Pines Saws, TK Hire

Business arising from correspondence:

Nil

Previous Meetings Minutes:

ACCEPTED By : Peter R

SECONDED BY: Thomas G

Business Arising from Minutes

Nil

Treasurer’s Report:

BANK STATEMENT FOR 31 / 10 / 16 Opening balance: $ 8,535-05 Paid In: Xmas Dinner, Membership & Interest $ 389-18 Paid Out: AGM Dinner, Web Host Acc Xmas Dinner $ 580-50 CURRENT BALANCE OF ACCOUNT: $ 8,343-73 $ Total of all accounts: $ 8.343-73

Moved Treasurer’s Report be accepted : Thomas G Seconded : Rob B Carried: All

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Tools & Property Report:

Yes, Still there

Internet Report:

No problems

Facebook Report:

114 likes

Magazine Report:

Robert Beames Camel Cup – continued in next months mag. Phil D sent article, has not appeared in mag – Rob W to check if received, will appear next mag.

Membership Report:

25 1 pending

Technical Report:

Smart Bar , plastic, bounce back $2000-00, 4WD show

Trips & Social Report:

This Sat Mt compass, 6pm Xmas Dinner, - KK $10 Aust Day 26th Jan – Meg and Ian Bath trip leaders, more info next meeting. 17th March – 19th March – Beccy Cole, $80 at Terang Easter 2017 – Black Cockatoo

Driver Training

Nil

Fund Raising Report: Lucky envelope $10 :- Paul P Made: $46-00 Banked:- $36-00

The Birthday Report: Oct nil, Nov – Wendy G 22nd, Alex Fordred 25th, Dec – Peter J 7th , Tony S 20th, Peter R 24th, Trevor W 26th, Sandy J 30th, Jan 2017 – Elizabeth A 4th , Martin F 14th

Association Delegate:

Still waiting for rep to come out

New Business:

40th Anniversary, 14th Oct 2017 at Seaford Community Hall, caterer booked and deposit $200 paid. Members stay at Moana CP for weekend. Other suggestions for next year’s social calendar – Pt River Xmas Cruise, Parliament House, West Tce Cemmetary, West Lakes river cruise/lunch

Meeting Closed: 8-25 pm Next Meeting: 16 / 1 / 2017

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Suzuki 4WD Club of S.A. Inc. Committee Meeting Minutes Date: Monday 21 st November 2016 Held at: National Womens’Assn, 95 South Tce, Adelaide

ITEM ACTION

1 MEETING OPENED

8-50pm by Rob Wellington

2 ATTENDANCES

Present: Rob Wellington, Cheryl W, Phill Dohne, Elaine D, Martin Fordred, Thomas Grafton, Peter Rawlins, Noellene R, Rob Booth, Colin Mugford Apologies: Kyla White, David Bradshaw

3 CORRESPONDENCE

Same as GM

4 BUSINESS ARISING FROM CORRESPONDENCE

Nil

5 PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES

ACCEPTED BY: Peter R SECONDED BY: Thomas G

6 BUSINESS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES

Nil

7 TREASURER’S REPORT

Same as GM

8 MEMBERSHIP REPORT

25 1 pending, Paul P paid membership

9 OTHER REPORTS

Same as GM

10 ASSN DELEGATE

Kyla away – can anyone take her place – no response

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NEW BUSINESS

40th Anniversary – caterer deposit $200 paid. Invitations to go out April. Past members to pay by BSB by Aug meeting. Approx $20ph. Paper plates for cake as dessert, serviettes. Soft drinks to be supplied, tea/coffee. Raffle prizes to be organized. Still have honey for sale. July fundraising all sorted out. Audit – The usual thank you for Mike to do books, Elaine to organize.

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Suzuki in the City—Page 2 Electric Bug—Page 19

Scrubber Blade—Page 17

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Email Mt Compass, 30 attending Xmas Dinner. Martin to write out cheque for $900-00 for Xmas Dinner. Last year club subsidized cost of meal, not this year. Holden Club invite to join them at Peake – Phill Dohne Seen past members, Kurtz & Mary at funeral.

12 MEETING CLOSED 9-20pm NEXT MEETING; 16/1/2017

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Note for Trip Leaders Please remember the Trip Leader is the person in charge of the trip, so direct all enquiries to that person. They are the person who has made the original booking or contact with the owner, and should be the only person to maintain that contact, unless the Trip Leader so directs ie. Cabin bookings.

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Australia Day—Thursday 26th January 2017 Here it is. New venue at Eastwood, corner of Main and Birkin Streets. Access by Main Street only, enter via Fullarton and Glen Osmond roads. Great little park with lots of shade, two barbies and tables and a uni-sex toilet for those who, well, enough said. Meg & Ian are kindly supplying tea, coffee, sugar, milk, drinking water, plastic plates, poly mugs and nap-kins. Please BYO food, cutlery, chairs, drinks and glasses. Cheers, Ian. Phone 82236755 or 0417808683 ——————————————–—————————————

Terang Country Music Festival

Terang Racecourse 17th—19th March 2017 We will be leaving on Wednesday 15th March 2017. Free camping, no power but toilets and showers available. Cost Week-end pass: Early Bird: $80 (ends 26/1/17) 2nd Release: $90 (ends 16/3/17) Gate price (all sessions): $100 Under 16 FREE

We have a great program for you, including Beccy Cole, Greg Champion, Annie Wall, Luke Austen, Fanny Lumsden, Georgia State Line, Tim Farren, Kiara Rodrigues and more.

Events and artists in magazine and flyer on next page

———————————————————————————— See over for more trip information

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************************************************************************************************** WeneedideasandsuggestionsforthecomingMonths,pleasegetin

Noellene’searwithyourthoughts

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For All Trips—Please Contact the Trip Leader First and then Noellene

Phone 0428842709 petenoels@gmail.com

Easter Long Weekend 2017 Black Cockatoo—Naracoorte

14th—17th April 2017

Experience bush walking, bird watching and enjoy th e flora and fauna in 120ha. virgin scrub. 1-2 hours easy walking along a marked trail from the ca mp ground.

Camp beneath shady gum trees beside a water hole stocked with fish and yabbies. Barbeques, tables, flush toilets, hot showers and in a natural setting. Power site $25 p/n Power only 4 hours p/day. unpow-ered $10 p/n. If requiring a cabin please let Phill know. (Limited power available until further notice.) A great opportunity to test your four-wheel driving skills on our new 4 x 4 driving course, or just relax and take in the beautiful scenery. $20 half day and $30 full day. Use our campground as a base to explore the wineries at Coonawarra and Padthaway of the scenic Limestone Coast and visit the World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves. All can be visited comfortably with day trips. Dogs are allowed and have to be kept on a lead at all times. Dump site available. RV friendly destination. 14km from Naracoorte see mud map in magazine Be self sufficient, bore water available and is OK for drinking.

CASH ONLY . ALL BOOKINGS BY PHILL ONLY.

Trip Leader—Phill & Elaine Dohne 8270 2503

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Camel Cup July 2016

Day 6 Monday 11 July 2016 Woken up by Julie in a panic, there was no power. It turns out it was nothing to do with our equipment but the caravan park. It is a beautiful sunny day today. After packing up said good by to Kyla and David. They intend travelling up the Oodnadatta track hopefully via Finke to Alice Springs conditions permitting. We on the other hand intended to go out to Lake Eyre via Muloorina and then out to a bore on Kalamurina and then take Walkers crossing to Innamincka. However on making enquiries locally had to change plans. The road to Muloorina and Lake Eyre is open but extremely slippery. This is likely to risky for the caravan. The bore on Kalamurina has been caped which is a pity because it was very spectacular when I last saw it in the early 80s so going there is a waste of time. Walkers Crossing no one seems to know much about it but last time I was there it was very boggy after rain. As a result decided to go south to Lyndhurst and go 195km up the Strzelecki to Montecollina bore. The caravan park owner has been very helpful with information. He even rang Muloorina for me. Apparently 2 cars rolled on the Lyndhurst road yesterday and another on the Birdsville track. Station owners around here are so fed up with tourists leaving rubbish behind that they will not permit anyone camping on their land even on the sides or roads. They have even been known to move them on in the middle of the night. We stoped at Farina again but this time the bakery had not run out so made the most of it. Toped up the fuel tanks at Lyndhurst and tried again to ring Rachel at home but despite having limited mobile phone coverage could not connect. The Strzelecki track has mostly dried out so we only had to contend with wheel ruts. Plenty of people camped at the bore. We met a lady ( Racheal ) ln her early 40s who was cycling from Broken Hill to Allice Springs for charity. Last year she cycled rom Adelaide to Perth. Noticedwater dripping from caravan tank. I could not attempt repairs or I will loose the remaining water I can only catch what I can in containers. The weather today has been beautiful. They are talking about sealing the Strzelecki track but I noticed that there are several isolated stretches already done.

Day 7 Tuesday 12 July 2016 The water tank is compleatly empty. Have caught most of the water over night in containers. I was able to clean of the mud to find the leak and found that the drain valve has been broken by a flying rock. I will try and buy a replacement at Innamincka but this is unlikely. I most likely have to buy some water containers and replace the valve after the trip. While under the van noticed that wiring to one of the vans brakes has been ripped out. Last night discovered that the wiring for the reversing camera is also damaged. We did not have enough containers for all the water so gave some to Racheal ( the cyclist ). Spent more time talking to her. It seems she has put quite an effort in to get through. She spent 5 days pushing her bike over the sand hills on the Cameron corner road and she estimates it will take her another 4 or 5 days to get to Lyndhurst. Today is partly overcast with a cool breeze. Pretty good for driving but a little chilly out side. Left camp about 10 30. Made a couple of stops to stretch our legs including the Moomba look out. Moomba look out is the only place we have had reliable mobile coverage for a few days and is the only place we are likely to get it in the next few days. I was able to receive a message from Rachel at home that all is well. The Geodynamics plant south of Innaminka has developed considerably and they have built a high voltage line to Innaminka. Innaminka has grown in size. I was unable to get a new valve for the caravan and could not buy water containers so we bough

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.Day 7 Tuesday 12 July 2016 Cont. a couple of 10L containers or spring water. Went to the pub for a drink. Made camp in the common. There has been a lot of rain in the north of the state recently although most of the water and mud has dried out there is still some boggy ground around and also puddles of water but fortunately the main roads have mainly dried out. Most minor roads from Innaminka are still shut but the main roads fortunately were still open. I have constantly noticed since leaving home how green the country is. This is especially so after Moomba the country is very green. The country is greener and more lush than down south. Some country between Moomba and Innaminka resembles irrigated cow pastures from down south.

Day 8 Wednesday 13 July 2016 Today we stay in Innaminka. Today we have a break from driving, catch up on a few jobs and hopefully relax a bit. After breakfast did a temporary job of fixing the electric brakes on the van. I had a look at the water tank problem and decided to attempt fixing the problem with epoxy putty which I purchased from the store. I had some in my spares kit but it was past its usable life. The repair looks ok but I will not know if it has been successful until I refill the tank tomorrow. We had a shower and caught up on the washing. The showers we filthy. It looks like they have not been cleaned for some time. I tried to buy a map of south west Queensland but despite it only being a short distance away there we none available. The are plenty on this side of the border. Visited the pub, It in now run buy some a station which also runs Birdsville. As a result of the being no resident owner it has lost some or its appeal. We went for a long walk this afternoon. The Cooper is flowing across the causeway and apparently about a month a go it was over 5 meters deep there. Went to the hotel for evening meal. The town streets are now bitumum and a few oil field contractor’s have set up depots here.

Day 9 Thursday 14 July 2016 Time to move again. After packing up camp toped up the fuel and filed the water tank. The repairs I have done has reduced the loss to a drip. This not ideal but will at least have some water. We still have the 2 10L of spring water purchased earlier and Juile has bought another to be safe. Julie rang Raymond to check on Coffee and all is well. She also left a message on Danusir answering machine. The going east of Innamincka is good. The road is bitumen once we crossed the border except for a few kilometres near Durum Downs. The country is still very green and in some places where there a bridges the water is up to it. The country changes a lot every thing from vast gibber plains to undulating sparsely vegetated areas. Stopped at Burke and Wills bridge Had a look at Ballera processing plant from the road. Stopped for break near some cattle yards and later passed Santos Jackson plant and Naccowlah plant. Have made good time today got much further than I had planed and made camp at Noccundra water hole near Noccundra hotel. The spot is free and seems very nice. We made camp just on dark so did not have time to check it out. We arrived in town in plenty of time but spent time in the pub. This pub was some where I especially wanted to visit on this trip. I visited it aprox. 30 years ago when it was the only building in town and the manager was the only person in town. In those days every one who visited wrote there name on the wall my self included but that is all gone. The pub still has atmosphere though as it is run by two women ( mother and daughter ) who are very friendly and helpful and have a lot of local knowledge. This trip so far has been unusual for a out back trip as there has been no heat, dust, road corigatiomst or flies.

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Day 10 Friday 15 July 2016 Cold night, sunny day with cold wind. Went for a walk to explore. The waterhole is a good spot to camp. Showers and toilets are available next to hotel although basic the are practical. The pub and the entire town is owned by the station. The hotel is run by the 2 ladies and the elder ones husband who we did not meet as he was sick. Although the pub has changed a lot it is still a good place to visit. Had a coffee and a toasted sandwich at the pub. Julie rang Danusir. All is well at home despite rain, cold and strong winds. The road to Thargomindah is all bitumum with some very long sections or dead strait road. The bitumum width is always changing so is the country. The country is quite arid normally but like every where else this trip it is quite obvious that there has been a lot or rain recently. Arrived at Thargominda early afternoon and set up camp in local caravan park for 2 nights. After showering and Julie doing some washing we went for a walk into town to top up our food supply made attempts to buy a drain valve for the tank but without success. Visited the tourist information centre and went for a long walk to the hydo power plant demonstration. This plant use to generate power for the towns street lights using artesian basin water. The bore is over 800 meters beep and water temperature of 82 deg. C. This hydro plant was the first in Australia and only the third in the world.

Day 10 Saturday16 July 2016 Awoke to a overcast and cool day with misty rain. Julie l did the river walk this morning despite the weather. We returned via the town and had a coffee in a cafe before returning to camp. The rest or the day it was raining. The country was starting to dry out a bit so this rain may cause more problems. Got sick of sitting around in the van so went to get some fuel and visit the pub. Road house has been shut for 4 years but will open under a new owner. The only other place in town to buy fuel is the Toyota deal-er but he was shut. Will be open tomorrow Sunday for 1 hour. Will have to make sure I don’t miss it. The pub was nothing out of the ordinary until you read the literature on the wall and meet the proprietor. They wrote a song about her Surly Shirly because or her no nonsense approach to running a pub.

Day 11 Sunday 17 July 2016 No rain overnight but big puddles or water every where and at least the van is dry. Plenty or wild life to-day. Lots of goats east of Thargomindah, and also emus and Kangaroos were thick east or Eulo. De-toured up to Yowah to an opal market and we had giant hamburger for lunch. I had intended to camp at Eulo to night but the park was closed for major upgrade. The river view caravan park at Cunnamulla was booked out but managed to get one of the last sites in the town park. The country is still very green and there is lots of water laying every where. Enquiries at the Eulo pub earlier about roads shows that all roads are open even to Hungerford where I had intended to go. Despite this they are considered to be dangerous and are likely to be closed tomorrow when the next up date is done. Because of this we will avoid them,0 it may take some time for all the roads to dry out to a safe standard.

Day 12 Monday 18 July 2016 We are long way from home and only a week left so today we will head south and try and get some kilo-metres out the way. Had heard of an old lady who runs a pub by herself in the outback so stopped at a place called Barringun on the N S W boarder to meet her. Only the pub and a small restaurant just up the road Mary is 92 and bought the pub with her husband 39 years ago. Her husband died quite a few years ago but she decided to stay on. She lives with her dog and her parrot. She says she will stay there running the pub until she dies. One of her 7 children visits her every Friday to bring up her grocer-ies. She is a lovely old down to earth person and very easy to talk to. I spoke to her for over an hour on everything from politics to the attitude of people including kids in to days world. She is still very much with it and is a very down to earth. She is a dear old lady and often shuts the pub for a short time during the day so she can see her favourite TV shows. Stoped in Bourke to have a look around and to stretch our legs. Both Bourke and north Bourke surprised me. They are bigger than I expected and very tidy. There are a couple of hardware store and a couple banks. Refuelled but had to wait in a long queue

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If you would like to order a Polo Shirt or Cap please put your name down on the order sheet or see Kyla.

Cost :- Shirt $30.00

Cap $15.00 Beanie $20.00

These articles are also a small Fund Raiser for the Club

Suzuki 4WD Polo Shirt

WANTED TO BUY: Hayforks for Currency Creek Property contact Phillip Flaherty 0411707176

See February for the next instalment of Rob & Julies Trip Diary—up North

with a lot of army vehicles .Apparently they have ordered 2000 Litres for there convoy for 2 days con-sumption. Had not intended to go as far as Cobar today but the going was a lot easier than expected so booked onto the local park for 2 nights. All the driving is wearing us out. Went for a walk to the bowl-ing / golf club as we had been given a couple of discount vouchers for a meal but unfortunately the res-taurant is shut this week for renovations Weather was overcast today but not cold. Not much wildlife but heaps of dead roos on road. Passed more army vehicles. Apparently there was some sort of exercise involving 2000 soldiers at Cultana near Whyalla and they are all returning home.

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The Great Caravan Rego Rip -Off By Morgan Lane - October 5, 2016 2108 0

The alarming disparity of registration costs makes absolutely no sense and it could cost you a small fortune. Here’s the breakdown state-by-state.

By Phil Lord

Transferring a caravan into your name and registering it can be either as cheap as chips or a state-sponsored form of highway robbery. It just depends on which state you live in.

For images, videos and the full RV Daily experience, read this in our online magazine.

It all looks peachy in the ACT at first, because the Territory doesn’t charge stamp duty for caravans, but from there things turn sour. For 12 months’ registration, a 1500kg van is $372.90 and a 2000kg van is $531. Not by any means a bargain, but it gets worse.

For the dream off-road rig, say a LandCruiser 200 Series and a tandem-axle full size 24ft-plus off-road van, the ACT wins the rego price-gouge: it’s an eye-watering $1954.90. What’s worse is that hit isn’t down to the LandCruiser, it’s the caravan with a whopping $1447.80 annual rego fee for a 3000kg van.

ou’ve gone all out and have a van that weighs from 3055kg to 3304kg Tare in the ACT, you’d be even more tempted to move out of the nation’s capital, costing a staggering $1579. Those 12-month rego fees incorporate a two percent discount over registering the van for a three- or six-month period. Bargain? Well, no, it’s not.

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In NSW, you don’t pay a cent in stamp duty to transfer a van’s rego into your name. But the warm feeling from getting such a concession cools when rego is due. There’s a set $64 component for all vehicles, then a Motor Vehicle Tax, component, based on Tare weight. For the typical caravan, weighing from 1505kg to 2504kg Tare, it’s $407 a year, just $44 less than a vehicle in the same weight range. But from 2505kg to 2794kg bracket (which has a $640 fee) onwards, caravan owners are hit with the same fee as a vehicle in the same weight range. For the Cruiser and van combo, you pay a hefty $1368 at the annual rego time in NSW.

For the Northern Territory, you pay three percent stamp duty for vans. Registration is based on Tare weight, so a 1500kg van for example is $190.05 a year, while a 2000kg van is $218.05. Our Cruiser and van combo would cost $1146.70.

In Queensland, you’re free of any stamp duty on rego transfer. And your caravan rego? It’s just $195.35 a year, so long as the ATM is less than 4500kg. The Cruiser and van example would cost you $912.85.

Tasmania has no stamp duty to transfer registration on a caravan. Registration charges aren’t exorbitant either, from 500kg to 4500kg a trailer or caravan costs $191.60 for 12 months. Tasmania is the only state where you have to pay a third-party personal insurance on a caravan, it’s covered by the tow vehicle in every other state/territory. It’s not excessive though, just $62 a year for all caravans. The damage for a year’s rego in Tasmania for our hypothetical dream ‘Cruiser/caravan rig combo is $940.63 a year.

Victoria is the state with Australia’s most caravan registrations, about 40 percent, and interestingly doesn’t capitalise on that potential bonanza situation by charging stamp duty. It would be easy enough to become confused by the VicRoads website though that doesn’t clearly separate caravans in the registration calculator. Simply put, there is a $6.20 registration transfer fee for any ‘trailer’ that includes caravans and the annual registration fee only amounts to $56.90 no matter the van you choose as long as it’s under 4.5 tonne. For annual rego, our LandCruiser and caravan would cost $850.50 combined.

In WA, you don’t have to pay any Vehicle Licence Duty (stamp duty). For annual rego, it’s $5.12 per 100kg of Tare (vehicles are $20.48 per 100kg kerb weight). So using our LandCruiser 200 and van scenario, you’re up for $710.65.

SA is the state to live in if you want cheap vehicle and van rego fees. SA charges no stamp duty for caravans and only $93 for rego per year. The Cruiser and van combination is a downright bargain at just $450 a year.

It’s a cruel joke, especially in the ACT and in NSW, that a caravan, which is probably parked up for at least half the year, the balance of which is probably travelling out of the state it’s registered in, can cost so much to register. Why the Northern Territory persists with stamp duty when the rest have abolished it is another anomaly residents in that jurisdiction have to bear.

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22nd November 201622nd November 201622nd November 201622nd November 2016 totototo 20th February 201720th February 201720th February 201720th February 2017 November 2016November 2016November 2016November 2016 December 2016December 2016December 2016December 2016 Wendy G 22nd Peter J 7th Tony S 20th Peter R 24th Trevor W 26th January 2017January 2017January 2017January 2017 Sandy J 30th Elizabeth A 4th David B 4th February 2017February 2017February 2017February 2017 Martin F 14th Robert B 7th Stephen (Rolly) 18th

H appy B irthday F olksH appy B irthday F olksH appy B irthday F olksH appy B irthday F olks———— H ave a G reat D ayH ave a G reat D ayH ave a G reat D ayH ave a G reat D ay

1st January 20171st January 20171st January 20171st January 2017 To 16th January 2017To 16th January 2017To 16th January 2017To 16th January 2017 Paul & Aliceann P 15th January Robin & Cheryl W 24th January Robert B 31st January

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Gidday Folks

Thanks to everyone who has given me things to publis h.

Ok –some formal stuff. Should you need anything amended (i.e. email and any other updates please contact the Membership Officer, so he can amend the records. He will, then let me know or email me the appropriate updates to publish. The Reason being is that…... 1. Our records remain up to date. 2. Some of the documents I get can’t be edited by me without great difficulty.

If it is really last minute, still let me know and I will do my best to make sure it makes the magazine

but also liaise with the appropriate person.

The Magazine is produced in Microsoft PUBLISHER and then Converted to PDF Format for Publishing

All articles for the February 2017 Magazine are

Due by the 16th February 2016

Contact me at any stage on Rob Wellington on 0417 86 8876

Email:- robin.wellington@bigpond.com

What we need is articles on anything, if it interests you, the possibility is someone else could also be interested. So come on Folks—Articles Please

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Front Page Photo

Absolutely Sensational Sunset over the Simpson Desert Taken 5.30pm 26th July 2012

Photo supplied by Peter & Pam Van Der Brocke

Snail Mail Address —3 Burwood Road (Postal) Munno Para West 5115

Post Box has been Closed