In January we made one last trip in Australia to have an important update done to Max.
We travelled to Brisbane in Queensland to install a brand new roof conversion camping top. Our old vertical opening pop top was quite functional but a bit cramped and not very comfortable because the low roof height didnt allow you to sit up in it. More importantly though, it also was too tall to fit into a standard container, which meant that shipping overseas was going to be extra expensive.
Amanda and Max went in troopy convoy with Amanda’s brother David to stay at David’s wilderness sanctuary in northern New South Wales (about two hours drive from Brisbane) whilst the work was done. On the way, we visited the Indignous Art Biennale in Shepparton, and spent time soaking up the impressive collection of Australian and international masterpieces in the Australian National Gallery in Canberra. Then Hugh met us in Brisbane for the trip home. A round trip just short of 5,000km.
We chose the Headspace Camper top because it is a brand new entry to the overlanding market, designed by a young Australian entrepreneur engineer called Ollie Smith. Whenever possible, we prefer to buy local, wherever we are. Ollie has been making roof top coversions for Landrover Defenders for a few years now but we were customer #2 for the troopy version so we got to share in the excitement of a new product design. We are thrilled with our new top. It’s beautifully made with lots of space upstairs and some extra thoughtful features to make it super comfortable and practical.
With the final renovations complete, there were only a couple of days left to get Max ready to leave. There was still quite a bit to complete, including last minute electrical works, fitting a new solar panel and roof top box, some interior modifications, a major service and the decisions about which equipment and supplies we’d fit into our tiny home on wheels.
Then before we knew it, Max went into to the container and we waved her goodbye for her voyage to India.
