Somewhere in-between breaking down in the Northern Territory and launching Happy Camper Pizza, we managed to take part in a historical event – Australia’s first ever Airstream Rally.

Officially, it was the inaugural rally of the Wally Byam Caravan Club International (WBCCI) “Down Under” Unit – an Aussie arm of the Airstream club started in 1955. Thanks to Ruby Mason from Airstream Australia and Simon Matthee from Small Giants for setting up the “Down Under” Unit.

That’s Ruby wearing Wally Byam’s famous globe-trotting hat.

Even though Airstreams are so loved around the globe, there still aren’t that many here in Australia. Plus we’re a HUGE country, so our first rally was very small.

This is Peggy Sue, a 1966 Trade-Wind owned by Jessie and Scott from Airstream Dreams.

She became the “hub” for the all the kids. There were six, four and under. Stealing the show was Georgie and Robbie’s 1946 Curtiss Wright Clipper, Abeona (meaning Goddess of Journeys), home to their mobile production studio, Silver Pod Productions. 

The 22-foot trailer is a collaboration between Wally Byam and Curtis Wright based on Wally’s pre-war Airstream Clipper. (You can read a previous post about her here) Towing her was a faithful purple Volkswagen named Aurora who I hold fully responsible for my newfound Kombi obsession.

As our Airstream Wallabee is off the road, we brought along Allegra, a 1965 Caravel which has been converted into our Happy Camper Pizza food van. (You haven’t lived until you’ve tasted “Adventure Before Dementia” – our French-inspired pizza of caramelised onions, creme fraiche and lardons.)  No Airstream rally would be complete without the National Flag and a pink flamingo – which is how the whole pink flamingo craze began. Of course my kids wouldn’t leave the flamingo alone and kept pulling its head off!

But when you’ve got 500 metres of absolute beachfront to play with at the Tathra Beach Family Park, flamingo and even Kombi obsessions are easy to forget.  

Happy belated New Year everybody!

Our 2014 started on a high at NYE on the Hill, a 3-day camping and music festival on a farm in Victoria.

Happy Camper Pizza was invited along to feed the friendly, music-loving crowd.

It was the perfect excuse to hit the road again with the kids now that our other Airstream, Wallabee, has been repaired.

We found an amazing welder who fixed her up just in time to head to the Festival.

Thanks so much to Amy who read my blog post about Wallabee’s rear-end separation issues and offered the services of her talented husband, Dean.

“He can fix about anything” she said. And despite this being the first Airstream he had ever laid eyes on, he did what every caravan repairer in Melbourne couldn’t do.

Wallabee looked great surrounded by pine trees and Kombis.

The music and camping festival was kid friendly, filled with good-vibing folk who found Juju’s tutu obsession endearing.

She was lucky to have her best friend to party with (also costume obsessed) while I manically chased our two-year old twins around the camp while Remi made pizzas.

A Kombi tent!

No one got much sleep, but what better way to bring in the New Year and eat pizza?

When a friend suggested we team up our Airstreams for a weekend at Clunes Booktown Festival, Remi and I were intrigued…

A whole town dedicated to the simple pleasure of curling up with a great book?

Would anyone lift their nose out of their book long enough to eat pizza? It was worth finding out.

Every year in May, booklovers from around Australia head to Clunes to fossick for second-hand and out-of-print treasures whilst soaking up the historic atmosphere of the old gold town.

It is one of just 16 international Booktowns in the world and now boasts seven bookshops. (And two Airstreams)

We set-up outside the Town Hall, next to the Dumbo Feather Airstream.

Dumbo Feather has a 1960s Ambassador it uses to share its amazing magazine, complete with coffee, mulled wine, beer and sweet treats.

With pizza added to the mix, there were happy campers all over Clunes.

Between pizza making and parenting, we didn’t get to indulge in much book browsing.

But we did visit the most amazing book shop ever – Itty Bitty Book Van .

“Enid” is a 1950s vintage caravan, kitted out as a travelling children’s bookshop. Our kids were in bliss!

Books, Airstreams, pizza, beer and coffee. A perfect weekend.