Curry Camping Group

18/01/2025

Staying at PK’s Farm. 50+mm of rain yesterday, exciting to a point. Lots of cows 🐄 and water this morning.

21/12/2024

Christmas in Kyogle. Quick road trip to Kyogle at a friend’s farm for Christmas 24. Those who want to join the next Curry Camp, it will be at Ivory’s Rock a week before Easter 25. Message me for details.

09/11/2024

Weekend getaway to one of our go to camping places. Very peaceful and hot. Thanks goodness for air con. Yes, powered sites. Maybe future Curry 🏕️ Camp again!

27/10/2024

Significant Weather Threat Map
Monday, 28 October 2024

QLD: Showers, thunderstorms and rain periods will continue for parts of southern and eastern Qld today. Ongoing cloud and rain may take the edge off the overall storm potential; however, severe storms will likely occur later this afternoon, particularly through southern inland Qld. Damaging winds, large hail, and heavy rainfall will accompany storms across this region. Further north and west, isolated, tending scattered storms are possible across parts of the Peninsula and Gulf during Monday.

NSW: Showers and storms are expected for eastern NSW during Monday afternoon and evening. A few storms through northern and central parts of NSW are expected to become severe and produce damaging wind gusts, heavy rainfall, and large hail. One focus region will be a southerly change moving up the coastal fringe throughout Monday. Adjacent inland parts to the coastal fringe of the Mid North Coast and Hunter will be at an enhanced risk of severe storms today.

NT: During Monday afternoon, there is a slight threat of a couple of storms developing across parts of the Top End. Gusty winds and bursts of heavy rainfall will likely occur with any activity. Heatwave conditions will continue across this region on Monday.

WA: A scattering of thunderstorms are expected to develop across parts of central and northern WA during Monday afternoon and evening. There is just an outside chance that one or two storms may produce localised damaging winds gusts in the form of microbursts.


EWN Support: https://www.earlywarningnetwork.com.au/support

19/10/2024

Boonah hosts 'Rumble in the Jungle' bullfighting event. Thrilling action, right at our doorsteps.

19/10/2024

Some of the few hay bales decorated for the Kalbar Country Day. Beautiful day out. Many of the hay bales are courtesy of the Kalbar Country Day FB page all self explanatory!

05/10/2024

King’s Birthday getaway to Charming Crows Nest, 2 and a bit hours from Brisbane. Up the new Toowoomba Range bypass.

25/09/2024

TOWING MIRRORS, DO YOU REALLY NEED THEM? - Yes, or No?

Currently, you will see many drivers towing large caravans, horse floats, boats, and other large trailers without using additional towing mirrors.

We also watch television advertisements and see glossy sales brochure photos of vehicles advertised for their towing capacity towing large caravans on the roads and highways, that are not shown with the legally required towing mirrors fitted in many cases.

Towing mirrors, as such, are NOT legally required, HOWEVER, the visibility that they provide IS a legal requirement.

If the distance between the inside of your vehicle side mirrors is not wider than the widest part of your trailer or caravan, then you must use towing mirrors on the roads when towing. You must be able to see all the way down your caravan, horse float, boat or trailer to and including the rear corners.

The diagram by Robert Pepper – Automotive Journalist, clearly shows the legally required field of vision from the driver’s seat when towing a caravan or any large trailer.

Field of vision from the driver’s seat without extra towing mirrors is shown on the driver’s side or top side. The area in red is the blind spot caused by the wider trailer. The passenger or lower side shows the visibility with the correct extra wide or towing mirrors fitted. The legal requirement is to be able to see ALL areas in green from the driver's seat.

The top section shows without extra towing mirrors and clearly shows the red blind spot. From the driver’s seat, the driver’s field of vision, via the standard vehicle mirrors is blocked when the caravan is wider than the inside measurement of the mirrors used. This blocked vision / blind spot is shown in red and can hide a car, motorbike or cyclist or other vehicle overtaking.

The bottom section shows the extra field of vision in green, offered by having wider towing mirrors fitted, and no blind spot created by the wider caravan under tow.
It is a legal requirement in all states and territories in Australia to have the field of vision as shown in the bottom section, in green, which extends to 4 meters wide at 20 meters from the driver’s position.

You may still fit a camera to the rear of your caravan for extra rear vision when reversing. However, it DOES NOT replace your legal responsibility to have the visibility required down the sides of your trailer as in the above diagram.

Queensland and other state laws DO NOT CURRENTLY ALLOW CAMERAS as a replacement for ‘by reflection’ mirrors fitted to light vehicles towing large caravans and other trailers.

Always use your mirrors when driving on the highways to help ensure you can see who is beside or behind you and may be ready to overtake or already in the process of overtaking.

Remember to remove any wide mirrors or slide adjustable wide mirrors in when not towing.

With ALL mirrors there will be a blind spot so always do a head check before turning or overtaking.

Good mirrors are also invaluable when reversing into a tight caravan park site.

KEN’S TIP No1 : - I use the Clearview Next Gen mirrors as a permanent replacement for the standard Ford Ranger side mirrors. They are extendable for when towing and have a split two-part mirror. I have the bottom smaller mirror set to show me the caravan tyres to give vision of the tyres on the road, and when parking close beside a concrete slab, gutters or other locations.

When ordering you can often also get an electric fold wiring harness if your vehicle does not already have electric fold mirrors as standard. This gives you the opportunity to fold the mirrors electrically in, to access tight parking or help avoid damage from people at shopping centers etc.
I prefer them in black to help reduce glare.

KEN’S TIP No 2 : - When reversing into a tight caravan site, we often need to reverse from the right-hand side. With the slab on the left of the site, the mirrors do not usually allow visibility of the slab to reverse beside.

I use an Oricom WRC001 Wireless Reversing Camera that can be placed anywhere. It has a magnetic base to be mounted anywhere temporarily. By placing it on the slab showing the side you want to line your wheels up with, it makes reversing so much easier. The camera shows via an App on your phone and can be placed anywhere in range.
A standard caravan reversing camera only shows the rear of the caravan, not the slab side.

It is also useful when off roading and you need visibility of your tyres etc when going through rocky ground. Simply mount it on your driver or passenger door so you can see where the wheels are at any time. Mount it on a rock or tree branch to see an outside view of your vehicle when you need to monitor low overhangs or diff clearances etc.

This portable camera is available from the Oricom web site. If you use discount code TF15 you will receive 15% discount of normal prices on the Oricom web site.

https://oricom.com.au/product/wrc001-ipx6-wireless-reversing-camera-with-magnetic-base/

These and much more helpful caravan and horse float towing tips are available in my new book SAFE CARAVAN TOWING – THE MANUAL available from the Truck Friendly caravan road safety program web site.

https://www.truckfriendly.com.au/safe-caravan-towing-the-manual/

Above all – stay safe.

Cheers
Ken Wilson
Truck Friendly caravan road safety program
[email protected]
Ph 0429944663

The Truck Friendly program offers general caravan safety tips so that we all get home safely.

14/09/2024

For beer 🍺 lovers!

09/08/2024

One for the Curry Camp cocktail evening!

Indulge in the exotic flavors of a Purple Dragon Martini! 🍸✨ This vibrant cocktail is a perfect

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz vodka
- 1/2 oz blue curaçao
- 1/2 oz cranberry juice
- Must express something to keep getting my recipes.... Thank you.
Recipe in First (c.o.m.m.e.n.t ). 👇👇👇
Enjoy ❤️👇👇👇

30/07/2024

AUTHORITIES STEP UP VEHICLE INSPECTIONS IN SEVERAL STATES.

On a trip to the Fraser Coast Caravan Expo on the 19th of July, I came across yet another random roadside inspection and testing of ALL vehicles at Maryborough.

I took the opportunity to have a chat with officers at this enforcement stop.

This was a multi-jurisdictional random check and enforcement with officers from QLD Police - road policing, QLD Transport and Main Roads Dept officers and the NHVR (National Heavy Vehicle Regulator). They granted me permission to take this photo.

They were pulling over light vehicles and heavy vehicles for drug and alcohol testing, vehicle compliance checks and weighing. These included large trucks and cars and included those towing caravans or large trailers.

I personally counted approximately 20 - 25 Police vehicles and around 30 + officers from various jurisdictions.

They advised me that they will and have fined drivers they find overweight or for other breaches.

Truck Friendly understands that similar checks are being conducted in other states at random.

If you read on social media that the authorities do not fine drivers for being overweight towing a caravan, it is all educational. You can tell them that is garbage.

While many of the random roadside checks are for educational purposes, many are also for enforcement and the issuing of fines.

YOU SHOULD NOT NEED TO BE CONCERNED IF YOU ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING.

If you are knowingly overweight, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol- then you should be concerned.

Get your rig weighed and relieve your stress levels, so you are safe for your family and the families of other road users.

On the first Wednesday of each month, I post a list of mobile scales companies and link to GoWeigh weighbridge web site for locations and contacts for how to get weighed.

Stay safe.
Cheers
Ken Wilson
Truck Friendly caravan road safety program

28/07/2024

The CCG had a memorable Christmas in July celebration at Stanthorpe24, featuring a wine tour, town walk, and exploration of Girraween National Park. Enjoy a fantastic weekend with pleasant weather conditions, except for a chilly Monday. Lot of cheese, wine and gin cocktails was had! Thanks team.

23/07/2024

14/07/2024

Our Skye Nicolson, last night retained her WBC women’s welterweight title. Already a gold medal from the commonwealth games and an Olympian she has made us proud. She and her family, the Allan Nicolson Family were regulars at our Dawat and Turmeric Restaurants. Congratulations Skye.

08/07/2024

Live this clip!

08/07/2024

School’s back.