Phil Crockart maps out the route for his upcoming journey.
When the Covid-19 pandemic first struck back in earnest in 2020, it threw a giant spanner in the Big Lap works, forcing grey nomads off the road and into a strange state of limbo.
While no true traveller could ever be described as being happy about being stuck in one place indefinitely, there is perhaps one sub-section of the grey nomad fraternity that saw more of a silver lining in the situation than most … the planner!
As an ex-member of the Australian Defence Force, self-confessed ‘extreme planner’ Phil Crockart readily admits to being a ‘bit anal’ when it comes to trip preparation.
“I feel an adventure such as a Big Lap or even half a lap requires a bit of real forethought,” he said. “In fact, everything has to be planned to the finest detail.”
So, rather than sitting around feeling frustrated by border closures and travel restrictions, Phil has happily whiled away the hours plotting future routes on Google Maps, and drawing up Excel documents listing exact dates of where he and wife Pam will be on their next trip, where they will stay, and even their projected daily mileage.
For many travellers, the planning process is hugely pleasurable in itself and helps build a sense of delightful anticipation of the adventures ahead.
The ‘planners’ often take it next level.
All too aware of the volatility of the Covid situation, Phil and Pam have resisted the urge to return to the road on a ‘big one’ too early. Instead, Phil has been nailing down the intricate details of an upcoming three-month trip.
“On our next trip, we will set out with friends to cover the half lap from Murray Bridge near Adelaide across the Nullarbor to Perth, up to Broome, across to Darwin and then down the Centre to the Flinders Ranges then home to Murray Bridge,” he said. “We have agreed that we will travel for a maximum of four hours (about 300 kilometres) and will rest mainly at free camps, and every three days we will stay at a caravan park in order to wash dirty clothes, charge the battery and buy supplies if needed.”
Phil and Pam travel in a Jayco Swan camper with a sophisticated electrical set-up that enables them to stay out in the bush. They also try to travel with enough food and water to last at least two weeks.
“Our freezer stores enough food to cover that and we top up every week,” said Phil. “We carry 20 litres of water in the camper and a 10-litre cask in the car, and we have 20 litres of fuel in the jerry can … and, when it comes to fuel stops – and everything else – we plan, plan, plan.”
