And we're off! There's something magical about that first morning of a convoy trip—the anticipation hanging in the air at the Gingin café, Steve and Sandy pulling up with grins as wide as the road ahead, the final checks before we officially point the noses north. This is what we live for.
The Ram fired up beautifully, and the Retreat settled into its rhythm behind us like an old dance partner. Lisa had the maps sorted, the cameras charged, and that look in her eye that says she's already mentally composing her first Instagram post. We rolled out through Perth's green fringe, watching the landscape transform in real-time—from suburban sprawl to wheat country to that distinctive Mid West scrub that tells you you've crossed an invisible line into proper outback territory.
By late afternoon, we'd pulled into S Bend Caravan Park, just south of Geraldton on the Brand Highway. This place is the real deal—a proper roadside stop that marks the gateway to the north. We opted for the unpowered site at just five bucks a night. When you're only staying overnight and the weather's this good, why not save a few dollars for fuel?
The site was perfect for our setup—hard-packed sand and coastal limestone gravel that gave the Ram and the 10-metre Retreat plenty of stable ground. Drive-through powered sites mean no reversing dramas, just pull in, level up, and you're home. The surroundings are quintessentially Mid West: low coastal scrub, trees twisted by decades of coastal wind, and that enormous sky that seems to swallow the horizon whole.
As the sun dropped toward the Indian Ocean, painting everything in shades of pink and orange, Lisa and I set up the chairs and cracked open the first cold ones of the trip. Steve and Sandy did the same at their van, and we raised a toast to Day One. The facilities here are clean and functional—exactly what you need after a solid day's drive. Tomorrow we'll push further north, but tonight? Tonight we're exactly where we need to be, watching the light fade and feeling that familiar excitement building. The convoy has found its feet, and the adventure has truly begun.
