Louis and Ann met in Malta nearly 40 years ago, when Australian born Ann went to stay with her cousin. Ann’s cousin was friends with Louis and that is where the holiday romance blossomed. Three months later they were married, and Louis moved to Australia to begin a new life in a new country.
Louis and Ann have had four Avida/Winnebago motorhomes. Their first purchase was a 2007 Leisure Seeker, a C type (bed over the cabin) motorhome. They bought it so their two children could join them on their travels and discover Australia as a family.
Back then, despite many young Australians now travelling in motorhomes and caravans, some even full time, Ann and Louis could not convince their children, Patrick and Amanda, to travel with them in their motorhome. They said ‘Motorhoming is only for old people.’
So, after travelling for two years by themselves in 2009, they decided to change from a C type to a B type Avida Winnebago Esperance, as there was no need for extra people to come along with them. Louis had done his research and had concluded the B type motorhome was going to be more fuel efficient with the more streamline luton peak.
Louis stated that he had a chemical background and worked in various leading hand roles. In fact, one of the jobs he had was making glues for the sidewalls of the Avida motorhomes and caravans.
After loving the lifestyle for over 8 years, in 2017 they decided to upgrade to another B type Avida Esperance. Unfortunately, however, in 2019 the Mintoffs had a 4WD T-bone them. Luckily everyone was OK but unfortunately the Iveco chassis was a little worse for wear. This led to their fourth Avida motorhome, a B type Esperance again.
Originally heading off for long weekends, the Mintoffs have now travelled near and far. Louis, being a shift worker, used to get RDOs so this would extend their weekend and he usually didn’t need to be back at work until later on Monday, for the evening shift. Louis commented ‘We used to travel more when I was working. Now we travel eight weeks away and eight weeks back at home and no more than 200 kilometres in any one stretch. It is all about the journey these days.’
Since the children wouldn’t join them, they decided to adopt two dogs as company on their travels. And what dogs do you think they have? Maltese Shihtzu, of course. DJ is 7 years old and Sasha is 3 years old. Louis remarked, ‘They are great conversation starters! Who could not love these adorable dogs? People come over and talk to us so they can pat the dogs and then end up telling us their life story. The only downside travelling with pets is that you can’t go into the National Parks. But we usually travel and stay by the coast, so we don’t find this a problem.’
Asked where their favourite place in Australia is and they said they love beaches and tend to stay near them. Ann said, ‘There is something Zen about hearing the continuous crash of waves on the shore and walking along the beach with sand between your toes. The dogs love it too’.
If you visit Fitzgerald Bay near Whyalla in South Australia, you might see the Mintoffs there. Parked in their Avida Esperance on 2km of beach, this is their favourite spot in Australia. It is one hour from Port Augusta. They have often witnessed the spectacular site of dolphins playing in the bay.
Their second favourite would be Port Albert in Victoria, just before Phillip Island. It is a small fishing village. Asked who catches the fish and Louis says, ‘Ann catches them all.’ I guess that is lucky as Louis does all the cooking, so at least he is contributing to the day’s activities. Not sure if it is a ploy but Ann says with a glisten in her eye, ‘Louis cooks better than me.’
Usually travellers head north in the winter to escape the cold, however the Mintoffs head south to escape the people. Only once did they head north, but decided that there were just too many people in the free camps that they wanted to stay in.
They never have a defined plan when they travel. Before they set off in the morning, they decide on the direction they will travel, mark three to four free camps in the free camps book that they may stay at for the night, and off they go on their adventure. They are always parked off the road and ready for happy hour between 1pm and 3pm.
What’s for happy hour at the Mintoffs? Homemade red wine made with love, together with their Italian neighbours from a homemade recipe handed down from generation to generation. Three to four neighbours get together to make 150 litres of wine at a time. They use South Australian grapes and can drink it chilled or at room temperature.
Ann commented, ‘We prefer motorhomes as opposed to towing a caravan, Mainly because of the safety aspect. Free camping is what we enjoy best and whilst you tend to pull up somewhere early in the afternoon and no one is around, sometimes you may need to move in the middle of the night if you feel uncomfortable with the neighbours that may pull up later on. This hasn’t happened very often, however knowing you can just jump into the front drivers’ seat and take off without leaving your vehicle is peace of mind.’
Both Louis and Ann reminisced about the trip they went across the Nullarbor. They were nervous at first given the distance between towns, the isolation and what they needed to prepare, however said that it was fine once they got there and saw what it was like. They were amazed at how green the Nullarbor was and the amount of wildlife they saw on their journey, from eagles and hawks in the sky, to sheep, emus, and dingos on the ground.
There are so many places they had planned to travel this year, with Broome, Uluru, Tassie and New Zealand all on the list. However, like most, their plans have been put on hold. Will Ann and Louis venture to the outback away from the coast this year as they are ‘stuck’ in New South Wales for a time? Only time will tell…………
Mintoff’s Motorhome Tips
- Carry less stuff – you don’t need it. Ann used to take suitcases full of clothes, but now they know they will never wear them all.
- Carry enough for whoever is travelling in the vehicle. If you have guests for dinner or happy hour, they will bring their own plates and glasses.
- Cook every meal inside or on barbeques you find on your travels – the first few times they headed out they carried 2 barbeques – one gas and one electric. Now after 13 years they have none.
- Always carry extra FRESH water with you wherever you go – 4 x 10 litres. As they say, it is ‘worth more’ than a big BBQ.
- Carry a rope to hang out the washing – you can tie it between the awning arms or between trees.
Mintoff’s Must-Haves
- Oven – if you are wanting to free camp.
- Solar – if you are wanting to free camp.
- Slide out – for extra room.
- Washing machine, if your motorhome or caravan will allow it. It is handy to wash your clothes and not have to go to a laundromat. Only use the washing machine when you can connect to mains pressure, as a short cycle uses 50 litres of water and the long cycle uses 100 litres.
- Generator – if you want to do a lot of free camping and be self-sufficient. Ours is 4 kilowatt and powers our whole motorhome. We had to remove the slide that fits a smaller generator on to enable them to fit it.
For further information contact Avida’s Nationwide Dealer Network on 1300 4 AVIDA (1300 4 28432).
Avida products are made to last and that is why with every new Avida we provide a very important attribute we simply call “peace of mind” with our market leading 3 year factory backed warranty, 5 year structural guarantee, 2 year emergency roadside assistance, coupled with our comprehensive nationwide accredited service network we are with you all the way.
DISCOVER Avida: Avida is a family owned business that commenced manufacturing in Australia in 1965, with the formation of Freeway Camper Company. From 1978 to 2013 Avida manufactured motorhomes, campervans and caravans under the name of Winnebago Industries, where we were famous for Winnebago motorhomes like Leisure Seeker, Birdsville and Esperance. Today Avida still remains in the hands of the original family, where we employ and support hundreds of Australians at our huge 10 acre site in Western Sydney NSW. Not only do we continue the tradition of the Avida Birdsville and Esperance, we have also expanded our range of motorhomes and caravans.
