Meet Troopy

I have anthropomorphized Matilda. She is a she. She is a dear. She has heart. She has determination. I love her, but she is 2WD and way underpowered. She did carry us up the road to Eungela and we saw the honeyeater, but we would never do that to her again. Matty was our doorway into this wonder of travel-living, this awesome pursuit of new birds in new places, but she also limited us. A lot. We had to choose routes and destinations based on her limitations… not too steep, not too muddy, not too sandy, not too rough. Her dual-fuel was a great money saver, but only when we could find autogas and it is not readily available once you get away from the cities. I am now and will always be, grateful to my Matilda.

Meet Matilda Two, Troopy....

Troopy and us... 

Yes, that is a snorkel. 

It was a difficult decision for us to make, but we are doing it. On 10 November we will trade Matilda One in on Troopy and our adventure will go up several notches. She will look like this except that she will have spotlights and all terrain tyres. The Toyota Landcruiser Troopcarrier (commonly called a Troopy) is the most dependable vehicle in Australia. It is not fancy, but it is tough, durable and powerful. We are fully aware that there is less room in Troopy, and there are less comforts and amenities. We will cope. Because now there will be wondrous parts of Oz that are open to us… the Birdsville Track, Gibb River Road, Arnhem Land… we are coming!  And Princess Parrots, you can fly, but you can’t hide.

Yes, there is now going to be a Matilda II and we call her Troopy. I. Am. Grateful.

Birds. Peace. Love. Earth. Laughter. Music.