OUR SETUP. Charlie - inside & out

We've had some friends mention that they're having a look at the blog and keen to see how we're getting about and what our setup is like. So, we took some pics and have included some info on each one...

Meet Charlie a 1989 Toyota Landcruiser HJ75 Troopcarrier with a 2H 4L turbo diesel pushrod engine. Tom & I bought Charlie in September 2009 with the intention to one day take him on a big trip around Oz. When we bought Charlie, he was practically an empty TroopCarrier shell compared to the beast that he is today. He came with a bullbar, snorkle, dual batteries & fuel tanks, small Hella spotlights, tinted windows and some big arse tyres (and obviously all of the essentials). Other than that, he was our blank canvas for us to create our dream machine.


When we went to buy him from the dealer, we had a 3rd party mechanic check done & the mechanic told us that for a 1989 model, it was in very good condition and we would be mad not to buy it.

That was exactly what we wanted to hear!!

Our first trip away was to LandCruiser Mountain Park, about 2hrs west of Brisbane. With a makeshift awning and a mattress moulded in between the wheelarches, we loved our first adventure.

So much so, that one of us got a little excited and drove her throw the 'mud pit'...




As you could imagine, we needed a new radiator after this little muddy number.


Over the next few months, mechanically, we had a brand new air conditioning system fitted, two brand new batteries, completely rewired as the last owner was doing loads of home jobs and left us with a load of cables that lead nowhere, new clutch fluid reservoir, new wheel bearings all round, new alternator brushes & seals, new right hand sway bar bush fitted by Tom & Craig - boy that was a laugh!!

We also added a load of new essentials that were absolutely paramount to our comfort and storage during our adventure. 

We bought from Ebay - a 2nd hand Rhino Roof Rack system

Fitted a fire extinguisher that we hope we'll only ever need to use as an ornament 

A fan running off the deep cycle battery - angled to my side of the bed of course :)

I sewed some dark blue curtains. We've hung them with picture wire along the top & bottom of the curtains, totally blacks out the entire cabin - crucial for those 5am sunrises!!

Washed the flithy lambs wool seat covers & installed a storage net between the two for all of those bits & bobs that need a home

Installed a UHF, generously donated by my brother. 

"Flash for cash east bound on Princes Highway"

British Translation - There is a policeman with a radar gun coming your way.

Had a new Sony CD player & speakers installed. Has an AV port so we can plug the ipod straight in - VERY handy.

Had security screens with mozzie mesh installed over the two windows closest to our heads to keep the breeze flowing & all sorts of nasty out.

A cabinet maker built & installed a draw system - to our design. 

The big draw on the left - "The Pantry" is where we store our food.

The bottom right draw "The Man Draw" is Tom's draw full of tools & nuts & bolts & stuff

The top right draw "The Cutlery Draw" contains all of our cooking utensils, herbs & spices, knives & forks etc.

Directly behind the draw system in the middle bay is the "Treasure Chest" this is a big open trunk for us to store all of those camping essentials that can't go on the roof.

Directly behind the front seats are two seperate boxes - Toms box and my box - where we store all of our  clothes.

The Water bladder runs along the right hand side of the draw system, over the wheel arch. It can hold up to 200L of water but we only ever store as much as we need because it's so heavy.

We moved the small Hella spotties to the outer edge and had some Narva spotlights installed - one broadbeam to light up the entire road like it's daytime and one spotlight to light up the road directly infront.

Installed an ARB awning that is mounted to the roofrack & takes no more than 1minute to put up. Fully water tight & gives great shade - an absolute must for us!! There's also a zip on mozzie net that boxes you in like a tent - ideal to keep those little critters out of our face & food!

This "Bushmans Wheelie Bin" is ideal for storing our rubbish, firewood & the Yabbie pot. Keeping all of the smelly stuff out of the cabin - ideal!

There are a few items with us that have already travelled around Oz that definitely need a mention - 

The "Simpson Lamp" seen here charging via solar panel. This lamp did the rounds with Tom's brother Will, and is off for round two!

This cooker really has done the rounds - temporarily donated by my Dad - I have no doubt that it's older than me. And the Gas Cylinder & billy (tea pot) are also back for round two - another one of Will's.

And last but not least the Engel 39L Fridge. Funny story about this fridge - it's 25 years old and obviously didn't come with the cover. So I called up Engel to ask them whether they had another similar designed fridge that a cover would fit on our fridge for. Would you believe that even though they stopped making this design of fridge so many years ago, they are still producing the cover because there are still so many out there alive & kicking.... Still freezes beer if Tom forgets to change the dial. Bloody fantastic! Thanks Dad :)

And of course, with over 350,000km on his clock Charlie no doubt would have done a few rounds but none like the one he's currently on.