To 12 Volts and beyond

See the thing about caravaning for Sara and me, is that neither of us has done it before. Sure we've slept in a van, but they were the onsite kind, not the transportable kind. So when people start talking about three way fridges, solar panel connections, Anderson plugs, anodes for hot water heaters, electric brakes, inverter switches and the benefits of awnings with zips, we get a little lost.
Apparently though, getting away from it all requires an understanding of at least the above. If there is no understanding, you are guaranteed to be the only person in the caravan park drinking organic green tea.
So Sara and I decided that it would be important to try out staying on an unpowered site. No electrical hook up, no tap with really ordinary tasting water running out of it. Just us, Kimmy the Wondervan, and nature. Oh, and about a hundred other campsites filled with Harley riding people who grew up in Oztrail mosquito tents.
So we left the site by the beach and drove 200 metres to the edge of an oval (opposite a really nice Harley and a nicer Triumph Marg) and Sara reversed in at a slight angle. Near enough. Annex out without walls, no problem. Kids running around happily, no problem. Disco disconnected, no problem. 12V system working...dunno, but the solar panel will fix that. Hot water...dunno, but if there's sun, we've got a solar panel. Fridge on...dunno, but we think it works on 12V especially if the solar panel is hooked up.
So it was time for the solar panel to do its thing and let us live off the grid. We connected it (Anderson plug) and sat back. Every so often Sara and I would check the voltage on the battery. We were like proud parents as the battery now consistently pushed 13.5 on the ampmeter. No worries, everything under control. A quick call to Ian Grant the van man, answered a couple of issues, and we settled back.
The first only slightly chilled light beer didn't raise concerns. However, by this morning, when we found the battery still healthy, and the freezer defrosted all over the floor, doubts were expressed. Back to the manual. Apparently, the 12V doesn't do much except turn lights on, with or without a solar panel. It'll run the fridge when you are moving, but only just. The three way fridge really only works two ways; gas and 240V which is what you get when it is plugged in to a power point. Banished the panel, got the gas working, and by 5:30 tonight we had cold beer. Anyone want a solar panel?

PS In between all of this, the boys were jumping off a bridge into the river, Ivy and I went boogie boarding, Sara took the kids fishing, and Ollie and I watched Punter get a century, after lunch.
PPS Ivy took the photos of the site and Ned in the river.
PPPS Bikies do play cricket, Ned and Ollie right in the mix.