The Advantages of Going Slow…..
Before we left I mentioned to some fellow travelers that I was planning on driving at about 80-90 kph. There were a few raised eye brows and the suggestion I would not be able to do it! It left me wondering if they just thought of me as a lead-foot (which I usually am) or if it is just too difficult to sit under the speed limit on a long haul drive? My motivation was partly about a traveling attitude of being relaxed and not in a hurry to be anywhere but, mostly, I was concerned that fuel would be our major expense on this trip. It has been interesting then to find it not-at-all-difficult to coast along somewhere between 80-90 kph! The Defender somehow seems to always find itself sitting on a lazy 88 kph.
Mate… she’s a tidy little unit don’t you think?
This strategy has had 2 wonderful results for us – so far. The first is the completely different feel that this holiday has had to any other I have taken. OK I admit we have three or four months to enjoy but still it only took a couple of days for me to realize that I had fully entered into a relaxation zone that is usually only achievable after a month off! It does something wonderful in your soul to have nowhere in particular that you need to be by a certain date. The focus is totally about the journey experience rather then the destination… although I can’t complain about any of the places we have arrived at along the way…
The Beach at Memory Cove, Lincoln NP
The second surprising success to this “go slow” strategy has been our fuel economy. With all the weight we have on the car and trailer (see my previous post about gear) and the less-than-sleek profile of my truck we are still managing between 12.5 – 14 litres per hundred kilometers. That’s about 22 mpg in old units. So my standard 60 litre tank is getting me about 400 kms – that’s better than I get running around Melbourne!
Pretty happy with that! I would loved to hear from my Toyota & Nissan buddies about what they manage when loaded up and towing?
markusandginnie 
You really are grey nomads! Try this site thegreynomads.com.au !
Wow what a site! Seems its a growth industry. All we need is the grey hair!
Pleased you have already found that feeling of being so different from any other sort of holiday. Australia looks so different from ‘out there’. Some of the smallest places end up as having the best experiences. i.e. We stopped in at Streaky Bay for one night and found ourselves just ahead of the Bourke Bash organised by the Bourke police and emergency services as a fund raiser for the RFD. 87 cars plus official vehicles later we were surrounded by lots of noise, music, hooters and lots of fun, so stayed three nights.
Really enjoying your blog – makes us feel as though we are there with you.
when I’ve ever checked the fuel consumption which isn’t much its around 17/100 but then I’ve never cruised at that pace, I’ll have to try it sometime when on a long trip with lots of spare time, hmmm, not sure when that’ll be, haven’t quite persuaded Linda to sell up yet!