The Mechanic’s Quote, Marketplace Realities, a Train Mishap, and Deciding on Our Jayco
On our ninth day in Australia, we focused on sorting out our vehicle modifications, gathering essential gear for the caravan, and making our final decision on which home-on-wheels to purchase.
- Visiting the Auto Electrician and Checking the Pajero’s History
First thing in the morning, I went directly to the local auto electrician shop. I had emailed them the night before to check if they used the highly reputed REDARC brand for the Electric Brake Controller, and to ask about the pricing for an Anderson plug, but I hadn’t received a reply yet.
When I arrived at the workshop, the staff checked my inquiry and answered my questions directly. The pricing structure turned out to be different from what was previously stated because the shop had actually made a mistake in the wording of their email quote:
Without an Anderson Plug: $650 AUD (Brake controller only).
With an Anderson Plug: $950 AUD (Corrected price).
The Brand: It wasn’t REDARC, but they assured me the performance would be just as effective.
An Anderson plug is useful for charging a caravan battery and running a fridge while driving, which is great for future resale value. However, I already knew that the caravan we were considering didn’t have an Anderson plug anyway. Installing one on the car right now would be over-specification. I decided to focus strictly on what we needed immediately and went with the $650 AUD option without the Anderson plug.
Since they were fully booked, they asked me to bring the car back in two days. They also requested a $300 AUD cash deposit to secure the booking. Since I didn’t have cash on hand, I walked to a nearby shopping mall to withdraw it from an ANZ ATM using my Wise card.
The terms stated that withdrawals were free up to a certain limit, but the ATM still charged a $2 AUD local operator fee. It was a bit annoying, considering I could have avoided it if I had my NAB card ready. Oh, NAB… Regardless, I paid the $300 cash deposit to the shop and completed the booking.
Before leaving, I called the mechanic workshop where the Pajero’s previous owner had last taken the car for repairs to verify its history. The staff sent over the digital service history invoice right away. It showed an extensive list of repairs totaling around $3,000 AUD. Knowing the car had a valid Roadworthy Certificate (RWC) and a documented service history gave us peace of mind that the vehicle was in good condition.
- Picking Up a Router at Flemington and the Express Train Mishap
Next, we headed to JB Hi-Fi to look for a Wi-Fi router for the caravan. To run our SwitchBot automated climate control for our cat, BELL, a stable internet connection inside the caravan is essential. Since caravan park Wi-Fi can be unreliable, we planned from the beginning to install a dedicated router powered by a mobile SIM card.
I was looking for a well-reviewed TP-Link router, but the retail store only had a higher-end model (the Archer MR500) priced over $140 AUD. While in the store, I checked Facebook Marketplace and found an upgraded model—the TP-Link Archer MR600—listed for just $80 AUD. I messaged the seller immediately, and they agreed to let me pick it up that afternoon.
We decided not to buy the router at the retail store, purchased a standalone $19 AUD/month SIM card with 20GB of data instead, and took the train toward Flemington Racecourse to pick up the router.
We arrived on time, but the seller suddenly stopped replying to my messages. We ended up waiting outside for over 30 minutes. Just as I gave up and decided to head back, they finally replied and brought the router out.
It was a bit frustrating, but the seller was decent and mentioned I could message them if I had any trouble setting it up. Coming from Japan where punctuality is strictly observed, this experience really made me feel like I was in a foreign country. After a brief walk around the Flemington Racecourse area, we headed back to the station.
Catching the Wrong Train
The trip back proved to be a bit difficult at Footscray Station. There were many different platforms and train lines, making it hard to figure out which one to take. I finally spotted a train that looked right and ran to catch it.
Once on board, I monitored our location on Google Maps. The direction was correct, but the train completely bypassed Deer Park Station and kept traveling south without stopping. It turned out we had accidentally boarded an express train. We had to get off at the next available stop and take a local train back. This time, I made sure to check the station details on the digital departure board before boarding. It was a tiring day with a lot of walking, though fortunately, Melbourne’s transport system allows unlimited travel within a 2-hour window under a flat fare, so it didn’t cost us extra.
- Deciding on the Jayco Caravan
Once we returned to our room, I inserted the SIM card into the Marketplace router and tested it. The Wi-Fi turned on without any issues, confirming it worked perfectly. With that sorted out, we finally made our decision regarding the caravan.
We chose the Jayco.
Since the black marks on the ceiling corners could indicate a past leak, I negotiated with the seller. I asked for a $500 AUD discount to cover the cost of DIY materials and labor to clean and seal the area properly.
The seller agreed to the discount.
This brought the final price down to exactly $12,500 AUD, which fit right into our budget. Additionally, the seller agreed to hold the caravan for us until we are ready to pick it up and said it was fine for us to visit once before the pickup day to clean the interior. We are very grateful for their flexibility.
With our vehicle adjustments scheduled and our caravan chosen, things are moving forward. As long as BELL finishes her quarantine safely, we are in a good position to start our journey.
Tomorrow is moving day. We will check out of our place in Deer Park and move to a pet-friendly Airbnb in Keilor Downs to prepare for welcoming BELL.
What’s Next?
Tomorrow we relocate to our new base in Keilor Downs. With the auto electrician appointment coming up and the Jayco caravan locked in, we are moving into the next phase of our preparation. Stay tuned for the next update!
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