WIN with WAECO this Winter PromotionOver $100,000 worth of prizes to be won Purchase a CF VER.B fridge/freezer at a DISCOUNTED price and you will receive a FREE cover. Then enter the competition to win a WAECO equipped Toyota Kluger, valued at over $46,000, 1 of 3 Horizon Fish Finder Boat Packages, valued at over $20,000 each or 1 of 3 ‘fridge/freezer cash backs’. More info: http://www.waeco.com.au/news.asp?id=330 Enter here: http://www.waeco.com.au/comp_winwithwaeco11.asp DOMETIC WAECO ROAD TRIPEast Coast NSW, Australia Jeep Grand Cherokee I absolutely love the new Jeep Grand Cherokee. The moment I sat inside I was blown away by the luxury and awesome layout of the dash and console. This was only surpassed when I began to drive the vehicle and experienced how quiet and smooth the ride was. 
When I picked up the Jeep from James Frizelles on the Gold Coast I was given a demo on all the features of the new model. Basically everything is automatic. From the automatic rain sensing wipers, to the headlights which sense an oncoming vehicle and automatically switch off the high beam to the 4wd modes you can simply select with a twist of a dial. It really is impressive! 
As a novice caravaner, the reversing mirror was unbelievable! I can honestly reverse the tow ball on the Jeep right under the hitch on the trailer without leaving the drivers seat. All I had to do then was to lower the jockey wheel and lock the trailer onto the ball. I actually find this heaps of fun and look forward to hooking up each time we leave camp as it is such a novelty. 
When you're driving the Jeep, it really feels luxurious. The soft leather steering wheel and cushy armrests are super comfortable which makes any long haul feel like you're in an armchair. As I currently have an injury in my lower back the electric lumbar support and seat positioning was invaluable as I could adjust it to my needs along the way with ease. One feature I used regularly was the heated seats. When I would come in from a surf I would crank up the heat on the drivers seat along with the climate controlled cabin and would warm up instantly. So handy when you're surfing in the colder climates. One of the other great features for me is the ability to slide the metal key out of the actual remote key and take it in the water with you when you go surfing. You never need to worry if a thief is going to find your keys where you've hidden them when you're in the water! 
One thing you notice immediately is the tough robust appearance of the all new Grand Cherokee. It certainly has a presence on the road and you feel great driving it. Inside it feels much bigger than the previous model and the viewing space out of the windows all round is excellent. I really hope I don't have to give it back at the end of the trip!! Dometic RM2350 3-Way absorption fridge 
The Dometic fridge comes built into the Jayco Eagle camper trailer as standard. This fridge can operate on either 240v, 12v or gas. Very easy to operate and plenty of space for your drinks & fresh food. The only problem we have had with the fridge is that it was too cold and was freezing things! Once we got the hang of the temperature control we were able to keep it at the right temperature. Even during transit on the road and switched off the fridge remained cold. This fridge made the camper trailer really feel like a home away from home. Sydney Caravan & Camping Show Cook off! 
One Mile to Sydney 8th May We reluctantly departed from Forster and headed for One Mile Beach in the beautiful Nelson Bay area. We were again greeted with less than perfect weather but when you're on a road trip you have to make the most of every moment. We set up our Jayco camper and headed out to explore the surrounding areas. I had heard so much about Port Stephens and Nelson Bay and had checked it all out on google maps so I was keen to see the area. There are so many great little bays and beaches which would be absolutely amazing in sunny weather. Unfortunately it was raining and cold so we will just have to come back and visit again sometime! We stayed at One Mile Beach Holiday Park which is located right on One Mile Beach. The park had great facilities and an awesome pool for the kids. They even have a talking cockatoo named George who was hilarious! The highlight for us was the private ensuite attached to our powered site which was simply awesome to have after using the public amenities at all the other parks. For more info on One Mile Beach Holiday Park visit http://www.onemilebeach.com.au/ Our last night on our road trip south was spent at Dunleith Tourist Park at The Entrance on the Central Coast. It is located in a prime position right on the lake and just behind the beach. This was one of the best locations we stayed at. We held our last happy hour for the park guests and had a great turnout. Every one went home with some great giveaways from Waeco too. I managed to squeeze in one last surf before we left to head off the the Sydney Caravan and Camping expo. Lucky I packed my wetsuit as the further south we go the colder it gets! For more info on Dunleith Tourist Park visit http://www.dunleithtouristpark.com.au/ 
Getting ready for happy hour Waeco CF-50 fridge/freezer review 
I have found the Waeco CF-50 fridge a great addition to our trip. As we like to eat healthy we stocked the CF-50 with fresh food from home before we left on our trip. I hooked it up to the 240v at home before we left to cool it down and then loaded it into the Jeep and plugged it into the 12v outlet in the boot. The temperature remained stable at a cool 4deg while it was turned on. A great feature of the CF-50 is the ability to switch the side the lid hinges from. This enables you to open the fridge easily in a confined space without needing to move the whole unit. We left the fridge in the Jeep most of the time so we could keep food and drinks cold while on the road and it has been great to have it there nice and handy. 
To save $100 on a new Waeco CF-50 and also receive a free insulated cover click here Waeco Cool-Ice 70 review  As we have been hosting happy hour at each of our Top Tourist Park locations we have put the Waeco Cool-Ice box to good use. Loading it up with roughly 2 cartons of beer and a few bottles of wine it holds a decent amount. Fully loaded I was only putting one bag of ice in with it and I was amazed how long this lasted. After our first happy hour we had 3 days until the next one and I figured the leftover beers would have been warm. I was amazed to open the lid and actually find some ice still frozen and the beers icy cold! South West Rocks to Forster 5th May We were a bit sad to be leaving South West Rocks but very excited to be heading further south to Manning Point and then on to Forster. We arrived at Weeroona Holiday Park in Manning Point in the afternoon after around 2hrs in the Jeep. The weather improved slightly during the journey and it was great to see some sun upon arrival and allow us to set up our Jayco camper trailer. Once we had setup we took a walk down to the beach which was only a short stroll through the park. The waves were pumping but a bit out of control. Manning Point is located on the south side of the Manning River which separates it from Crowdy Head. We hosted our 3rd happy hour at Manning Point and weren't expecting many as the easter break had ended. We were surprised to meet some great people who were travelling the country and enjoyed a few beers and exchanged a few stories. It was an early night for us as we had a big day. We were up early to some great weather and packing up for our short trip to Forster. Lani's Holiday Park was our destination in Forster and we arrived to a surprise welcome message on the chalkboard at the entrance. As we were driving across the bridge from Tuncurry the water was absolutely amazing. I literally wanted to dive out the window of the Jeep into the crystal clear waters of the river! We were pretty excited about the in house cable tv which we could simply hook up to our camper trailer. Especially with the logies and the final of biggest loser to watch that night! Once we had set up we headed to the beach and I was so stoked to get some great waves at Tuncurry. We also worked hard on the tan before the clouds came through once again. Happy hour was on again and we enjoyed a few drinks with the park guests and showcased all the Waeco products. I fired up the Sovereign bbq and prepared another roast lamb and amazed myself once again! Its such a great little bbq. The next day we decided to go and check out Boomerang Beach which is about 20mins south. It was such a beautiful little town and the beach was amazing. Unfortunately the weather was a bit overcast and the wind a bit too fresh for a swim. Pretty sure we will be back to visit Forster and the beautiful surrounding areas in the near future. Info on the parks we stayed at below Weeroona Holiday Park 21 Main Road Manning Point NSW 2430 Australia Phone: 02 6553 2635 Fax: 02 6553 2858 holiday@weeroona.com http://www.weeroona.com/ Lani's Holiday Island 33 The Lakes Way FORSTER NSW 2428 02 6554 6273 http://www.lanis.com.au/ Jayco Eagle Outback Camper Trailer review  I have only ever gone camping with a tent and tarps and all the other gear you have to take when you go on an adventure. Having the pleasure of using the Jayco Outback Campertrailer this trip has been absolutely awesome! Don't get me wrong, I still love the chance to rough it but I think I will find it very hard to go back to a tent after experiencing the joys of the Jayco camper trailer.  When I picked the camper trailer up from Jayco Gold Coast I was given a quick rundown on how to erect it and the basics on setting it all up. It was a bit of information overload and I must admit most of it went in one ear and out the other! So when we arrived at our first destination I did my best to try and recapture everything I was told. I was surprised how simple it all came together.  Set the ground stabilisers, unclip the roof stays, wind up the roof, pull the beds out each end and secure with props, lock in the door and you're basically almost there. All that's left is to hook up all the services and erect the awnings. I've now got it down to about 40mins in total which includes getting the beds and inside all in order. Pretty good for a novice.  It's almost a home away from home too. My wife insisted on bringing our little flatscreen tv (which I am now grateful for!). We purchased an antenna which easily plugs into the antenna jack which is located on the external wall. There are plenty of power outlets inside too which we have plugged in our nespresso machine, toaster and various battery charges for our growing collection of latest gadgets. The fridge, sink and stove are all of ample size and allow us to conduct our master chef skills with ease! Storage wise there is countless compartments to put all our food, pots & pans, cutlery & crockery and there is even a mini wardrobe to hang clothes in (which my wetsuit is actually hanging right now!). Outside under the annex we used the external power outlet to power our Waeco CoolFreeze fridge for drinks, our stereo for tunes and an additional flouro light to enhance the existing light which is fixed to the side of the camper.  Towing of the camper trailer was very easy. I am not experienced in towing things by any means however I would liken it to towing my 4.8m aluminium boat. I could feel it was there however it never posed an issue and being compact was very easy to reverse into position on site.  The Jayco Outback Camper trailer in my opinion is excellent value for money too. For around $27,000 tow away it is a great investment in enjoyment for a young family. I am told the re-sale value is excellent too. I would strongly recommend to try it out so call your local Jayco dealer for more info. We can't wait for our next trip in a Jayco! Hema HN5i product review 
The Hema HN5i Navigator has been extremely useful during our trip. The device is easy to navigate, nice and slimline which is great for storage and has a great battery life so you don't need to keep plugging it into the power supply. One particularly great feature which we used was the ability to search for a petrol station while on the road. The "distance to empty" indicator on the dash of our Jeep Grand Cherokee was showing only 50km. We were expecting a petrol station much sooner and feeling slightly nervous we consulted the Hema. We were relieved to find the was a petrol station only 20km down the highway on our route. We set this as our destination and were able to compare the distance to empty gauge on the Jeep to the distance to destination on the Hema which gave us peace of mind to know we weren't going to be left on the side of the highway with an empty tank! Scotts Head to South West Rocks 29th April Upon arriving at Scotts Head it was pretty obvious this great little town was very cruisy. Unfortunately the weather wasn't kind to us and and we a fair bit of rain during our stay but we tried to make the most of it. The Scotts Head Holiday Park is located right on Forster Beach and in behind the headland. An awesome location for a caravan park. We arrived just after the Easter holiday makers had departed so the park was basically empty. The amenities are centrally located and accessible with a code which is much better than needing a key each time you need to use them. There is a general store, bottle shop and cafe conveniently located just outside the entrance. At the other end of the park is the Scotts Head bowls club which is open for meals. Although short, we enjoyed our stay at the Scotts Head Holiday Park. Before we left for our trek down to South West Rocks we had a walk around the headland and were excited to see a large pod of dolphins playing in the calm waters of the bay. They were even surfing the waves. I decided to head out on my ski and join them for a few nice ones too. 
Gloomy morning in Scotts Head 
One of the dolphins playing close to shore Here's some info on the Scotts Head Holiday Park if you'd like to visit this great little town. Host : Brad & Jodi Young Address :1 Short Street, Scotts Head NSW 2447 Office Hrs :8.00am to 6.00pm Daily Ph :1800 821 545 Fax :02 6569 8123 http://www.scottshd.com.au/ South West Rocks It was a very wet journey from Scotts Head however as it was only short it wasn't too bad. I would have to say South West Rocks is my favourite town so far on the trip. There's a heap to do here and literally a picture postcard little town. We are staying at the South West Rocks Tourist Park which is located on the banks of the river and a short walk to the town centre. First impressions of the park is that it is quite big but very well laid out and clean. Our site was located right on the waterfront which was a fantastic outlook. The majority of the sites had either concrete slab or shade cloth flooring. The centrally located amenities were accessed by a code and were also extremely clean and had great hot showers. For the kids there is a great pool and games room and the river is easily accessed via a couple of steps down to the cleared entry area. We have used our base at South West Rocks to check out some of the other towns in the area. The driving around here is great. It's all through little farms and is unbelieveably green and lush. We checked out a little place called Hat Head which was simply amazing. Although it was raining the creek running out at the base of the headland was crystal clear and had great little waves rolling through. Another great spot to check out is the Trial Bay Gaol which is located out on the headland at South West Rocks. Built in the 1800's to house prisoners to build a breakwall on the spot for ships to anchor in the bay. It was then used during WW1 to lock up all the germans living in Australia at the time. Now it is a tourist attraction and must be the best location for a prison in the world! Today we took a road trip down to Crescent Head which was only about 40mins away. I was fortunate to get a few great waves on the point however there was about another 50 guys with the same idea! The crowd reminded me of Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast. 
Setting up camp 
Trial Bay Gaol 
View from the guard tower at the gaol 
Skippy is now the only prisoner on the grounds of the gaol 
View east from the gaol 
Looking back at SWR 
Crescent Head Here's some info on the South West Rocks Tourist Park for when you come and visit. South West Rocks Tourist Park Gordon Young Drive South West Rocks NSW 2431 Tel: (02) 6566 6264 http://www.southwestrockstourist.com.au Sovereign Barbeque is a winner! I am a huge fan of a bbq. When at home I would normally cook on my bbq at least a few nights a week so when I found out we were getting a bbq for our trip I was pretty excited! The Sovereign bbq is an awesome little machine. It looks great, easy to clean and cooks meat really quickly. We cooked a great Aussie bbq with steak and some snags and served it up with a simple salad. Very easy to whip up with very little preparation. The meal I am most proud of producing out of the Sovereign was a lamb roast. I was told it does a great roast so I thought I'd test it out. I fired up the bbq and set the heat to low and closed the hood for about 10 mins to heat it up. I then threw a few vegies and rack of lamb with rosemary and garlic into a roasting tray, drizzled some oil over it all and some salt & pepper and placed it onto the bbq plate and closed the hood. 40mins later an amazing roast lamb emerged and it tasted damn good! My wife was extremely impressed. Especially as it was the first ever roast dinner I have cooked! 
The prep - before 
Yum! Yamba to Scotts Head 26th April This morning was time to pack up and head for Scotts Head. We woke to more rain and it didnt let up the whole time we were packing up the Jayco. For the fellow campers out there you will know packing up in the rain is not much fun at all! All I can say is that I was glad to be packing up a camper trailer and not a tent! After drying myself off and joining my wife in the Jeep (who had been sitting in the warmth of the passenger seat watching the whole charade) we headed off for Scotts Head. I set the Hema Navigator for our destination, locked in the cruise control, sat back and enjoyed how effortlessly the Jeep towed our camper in the tough wet conditions. Setting up in Scotts Head was much easier as the sun was shining and we weren't so rushed. We held our first "Happy Hour" at the Scotts Head Tourist Park and met all the friendly campers. We treated them to some cold beer and wine and showed them all the latest product on offer from Waeco. The Jeep Grand Cherokee was also a hit with the blokes who were very impressed. 
Easter In Yamba 20th - 26th April 2011 Well what an awesome start to our road trip. Easter in Yamba was so much fun! We had awesome weather and great little waves on Good Friday with all our friends. This was followed by fresh prawns and cold beers to welcome in the evening. After dark, the crew we spent the day with partied the night away at a local house party we were invited to. Great way to top off an awesome day. Easter Saturday was a bit of a slow start after such a big day & night. My mate Bruce and I launched my boat and spent most of the day fishing in the Clarence River as the southerly wind ruined any chance of surfing or fishing outside. We managed a few small catches but nothing to write home about! We woke Easter Sunday to torrential rain and it basically didn't stop all day. We spent all morning in our Jayco camper watching the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach and decided to go watch the final at the pub and have some lunch. Congratulations to Joel Parkinson on winning! Yamba Surf club opened it's doors and the bar for their weekly drinks so we enjoyed a few quiet drinks with the locals. It was great to check out all the memorabilia on the walls of one of the oldest surf clubs in Australia. We were determined to make the most of Easter Monday after being housebound the day before. Bruce and I headed back out in the boat and this time managed to troll a line out around the inshore reefs with only a mid sized taillor to report on. It was great to get outside and see Yamba from the perpective of the boat. The southerly wind had blown up again so we headed in for a surf in the protected beach break at Yamba main beach for some fun little waves on a wedgey rip bowl. Day 1 - Yamba 20th April 2011 We were so excited to wake up this morning to start our journey down the east coast. It was an absolute pleasure to drive in the luxury of the all new Jeep Grand Cherokee. It towed our Jayco Outback camper trailer with ease. We arrived in Yamba to great weather and the fantastic laid back community we had been longing for. As we are new to the camper trailer experience we were lucky enough to be located beside a Jayco employee who gave us the crash course in setting up (which saved us hours and a few arguments!) Thanks Brent. After settling in and having some lunch we headed to Turners Beach and I managed to sneak in a few nice waves before I had to head back to prepare dinner and test out the Sovereign barbeque. It all ended well with a few nice wines and listening to our new neighbours singing hits from the 70's! Winners are grinners.... 14th January 2011What a way to start 2011! After I took out 3rd place in round 3 of the Nutri-Grain Ironman Series I vowed to myself that I would win one of the final two rounds of the series. I never thought i could win both! It was such a rewarding feeling to actually be back in top form and stamp my authority once again on the series. Congratulations to Shannon Eckstein for winning his 6th ironman series. Simply an amazing effort. Although Shannon won the series, it was great personal satisfaction for me to be the only one to win two rounds. Thanks for the support throughout the series. Keep following my progress into the Aussie titles in April. Check out some of the images and media from Portsea and Noosa..... 
Exciting news for Wave Warriors! 26th December 2010
Kelloggs Nutri-Grain has come on board as a sponsor of the innaugural Wave Warriors Junior Challenge. It's fantastic news for the event!As part of their sponsorship they will be providing the board and swim bouys from the Nutri-Grain Ironman series for the Wave Warriors courses PLUS the Ironman Van will be paying a visit to North Wollongong beach during the 3 day competition. Ironmen Zane Holmes and Shannon Eckstein along with Ironwoman Hayley Bateup will be there signing autographs! Click here for more info..... Wave Warriors Junior Challenge 12th December 2010DO YOU WANT TO BECOME AN IRONMAN OR IRONWOMAN STAR OF THE FUTURE? WAVE WARRIORS IS WHERE IT ALL STARTS! WE'RE EXCITED TO INTRODUCE TO YOU A BRAND NEW CONCEPT IN JUNIOR SURF LIFE SAVING COMPETITION. IRONMAN CHAMPION ZANE HOLMES HAS A GOAL TO GIVE BACK TO THE SPORT WHICH HAS PROVIDED HIM WITH ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES. TEAMING UP WITH SURF BOAT PROMOTER PETER HICKEY, THEIR GOAL IS TO ASSIST AT THE GRASS ROOTS LEVEL IN GENERATING STARS OF THE FUTURE! WITH A FUN & FRESH APPROACH IN CONDUCTING THE EVENT WE AIM TO ENSURE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT TIME. EVERY COMPETITOR WILL BE TREATED LIKE A WINNER & THE WINNERS WILL BE CHAMPIONS! CHECK OUT THE EVENT WEBSITE WWW.WAVEWARRIORS.COM.AU 
Ironman Van 28th November Kelloggs Nutri-Grain have launched a new Ironman Van to promote the Ironman series this summer. The Van is actually a 44 seat bus converted to feature leather lounges, plasma tv, video games and is completely wrapped in Ironman imagery including myself 10ft tall on the side of it! The opening weekend in the van was awesome. I flew down to Sydney and boarded the bus which took us to visit the nippers at Manly, North Steyne and Queenscliff and then down the coast to Warilla Barrick Point. Myself, Matt Poole, Tom Atkinson and Ali Day met all the nippers, signed autographs, had photos taken and gave away heaps of cool stuff to the kids. They absolutely loved it and we had a great time. The van will be travelling around all summer promoting the series and visiting beaches along the way. Keep on eye out for it, you can't miss it! Check out the photos below......  
Waeco ambassador! 20th November I'd like to announce a new partnership with Waeco Pacific. I have just signed a deal to become a lifestyle ambassador for Waeco. I'm super excited about it and can't wait to use all their cool products! I'll be road testing their products over summer and will be updating my website with news of my travels. Check out the new icebox they have made for me! Click on the logo below to check out their website too......... 
Collecting my cool new icebox, with Natalie King from Waeco Another setback, but I'll bounce back! 18th October 2010 Last Friday was just another average Friday afternoon training session on the ski at Northcliffe Surf Club. The conditions were pretty rough and rugged, but just the sort I live for. I was putting in one last session before I was heading down to race in round 2 of the Fenn Cup in Sydney the following day. Ten minutes into the session I snapped my paddle clean in half while navigating my way back in on a tricky wave. I should have taken this as a warning sign and finished up right there. I decided to swap my ski for my board and enjoy a few waves, which is a decision I now regret. While paddling back out after a wave I was confronted by quite an unexpected dumping wave. I made a last second decision to grab my straps and roll under the wave. I didn't manage to get a good enough grip with my right hand before the wave pummelled me and ripped the board from my hands, snagging my ring finger and snapping it between my knuckle and 1st joint. At the time it wasn't painful and I initially thought it was just dislocated. After a precautionary visit to the hospital for an x-ray it was confirmed I had suffered a spiral fracture clean through my bone. With round 1 of the Kelloggs Nutri-Grain ironman series in five weeks the timing couldn't be worse for me. Setbacks are not foreign to me though. I am on the road to recovery from back surgery in April and the whole of last season out of competition. It's just another hurdle for me to jump. It's happened now and I'm determined to put my foot on the line at Currumbin on Nov 21. I've trained too hard and endured too much to let this affect me. In saying this, I can't deny the fact that my rivals and in particular my main rival Shannon Eckstein is in top form after taking out his 3rd World Ironman Title last week. Even when I'm 100% fit I can't give these guys an inch so it will certainly be a test for me over the next few weeks to try and maintain my fitness. They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I guess I'm getting pretty strong now. I had surgery yesterday to have screws fitted to hold the bone together while it heals. I'd like to thank my doctors for going out of their way to help me. I really appreciate the support and the effort you made to slot me into your busy schedules. Dr Hal Rice from QScan and Dr Peter Friis and Dr Peter Rowan at Brisbane Private Hospital. Here some pics of the injury............  
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