Australian CamperTrailers national meet at Nyngan 2009   monday 12volt, batteries & solar panel workshop     Monday was the first official day of the week long meet. Members had volunteered to host workshops on a variety of subjects which centered around camper trailers & camping in general.     Jamie Hazelden is owner of Dynamic Solar Solutions on Queensland's Sunshine Coast & a keen member of the Australian CamperTrailers Group with his modified Landrover 130 & flipover camper trailer. He presented three workshops this year, the first on 12volt power, solar panels & batteries. This is a topic which is debated within the group & very often misunderstood. To get hands on, face to face information from a professional is a great asset to the group members.     Jamie explained the different types of batteries, their uses in off road vehicles & camper trailers which can be very different to normal everyday car batteries. The usual camping application is a high draw over a number of days using a 2way fridge, lights & perhaps a computer or Cpap machine. In these circumstances a 100amp hour deep cycle battery is a minimum requirement.       Recharging 12volt batteries can often be a problem when camping away from 240volt power. Solar panels are becoming more common these days as a means of recharging 12volt batteries in the bush. Jamie showed the different types of panels available, setting up a panel to the optimum size for your requirements & how to include a solar regulator into the system between the panel & battery. It was pleasing to see most had a good grasp on the subject at the end of the workshop.

campertrailer walkabout

    Dave Cook hosted the first camper trailer walkabout to be held at a national meet. This is a Sunday morning event at the Queensland & Victorian weekend get togethers. Members give a brief talk on what they like about their camper, points they don't like & modifications they have done  or they would like to do to make camping all that more enjoyable. There were a number of camper trailers who had been build by their owners.

scoobie workshop

    Jessica & Sherri Cox & Sue Christie-Cox hosted a Scoobie workshop for the kids. What's a scoobie??? Scoobies are pieces of scoubidou string that are shaped into different forms and objects. Scoubidou string is basically a piece of thin plastic tube that can be easily manipulated. These scoobies can be made into ornaments, keyrings, jewellery, craft projects, animals or anything that you wish to try and make, they are great for entertaining the kids and have become one of the latest crazes.

getting the best from a digital camera   

    Carlisle Rogers, editor of Campertrailer Australia Magazine was along again this year giving tips on how to get the best from your digital camera, carrying on from last years talk of what the magazine looks for in submitting an article. He explained how the controls worked in both automatic mode & how to take advantage of manual settings & he encouraged those attending to get out & experiment a little, using various settings to grab that perfect photo.

    He told a few secrets in getting the once in a lifetime image, focusing on early morning or late in the afternoon as the prime times when light & colour presents more favorable conditions to those during the day when the light is very harsh.          

dream pot

    Donna Zwerus held another workshop on the use of the Dreampot The Dream Pot consists of a double layer insulated outer pot with one or two stainless steel inner pots & lids which can be used as saucepans.