Wollongong Shellharbour Kiama Transfers Dan with a Van

06/06/2026

The long weekend is here and it’s DOUBLE DEMERITS, so switch on and don’t be paying the NSW Government any extra “taxes” this weekend.

Had a run to the airport this morning and police were everywhere on the way back. They were on both sides. Saw one parked facing the southbound traffic, tucked behind that little safety mound that separates north from southbound. Then another one just before the Picton Road underpass with a driver already pulled over going northbound. And near the top of Mount Ousley there was another one pointing the radar down the hill, right in that familiar spot where it drops from 100 to 80.

Wherever you’re off to this weekend, take it easy. No one wants to cop any “I did something silly” taxes. Have a great long weekend.

Kind Regards
Danny McDonogh
Dan With a Van
ABN 47 641 021 049
BSP 413845

05/06/2026

What are you up to this weekend?

I’m flat out with bookings so I won’t get to poke my head into much, but I did notice last week when I was in Sussex Inlet that they have a Viking Festival on for the long weekend. If you’re heading down, go for the fun of it. The movie costumes, the noise, the whole bit. As a history tragic I’ll just say the promo takes a few creative liberties, so don’t turn up expecting a history lesson, but do expect a good time.

If you’re out and about, hope you make a great weekend out of it. Even if it’s just a coffee somewhere new and a slow walk back to the car.

Kind Regards
Danny McDonogh
Dan With a Van
ABN 47 641 021 049
BSP 413845

Send a message to learn more

04/06/2026

Has anyone noticed diesel quietly dipping under $2.00 a litre. Funny thing is, at the beginning of the year I would have called $1.97 a litre expensive, and that was only five months ago.

For me it’s pretty simple. As long as it stays under that mark, there will be no fuel adjustment charges on bookings.

I know a fuel adjustment setup can look a bit fiddly from the outside, and it is a more complicated system to implement properly. But it does have its benefits. It can be fair both ways. When fuel settles, you are not paying extra. When it blows out, it is handled transparently instead of quietly baked into everything.

Hopefully it holds where it is for a while.

Kind Regards
Danny McDonogh
Dan With a Van
ABN 47 641 021 049
BSP 413845

Send a message to learn more

03/06/2026

Saw a note about deer on a community page today and was reminded of an encounter I had on Mount Ousley a few weeks ago.

It was about 6am and I was heading down the mountain when I spotted a deer standing in the middle of the uphill lanes. On my side of the road, only about a metre from the edge, was what I assume was its mate, standing there watching. My best guess is that one of them had jumped the concrete median barrier.

The scary part was that some vehicles in the uphill lanes had stopped, but traffic was still moving in the other lanes because not everyone could see what was happening ahead.

As someone who spends a lot of time driving around the Illawarra, especially during the early morning hours, I have noticed deer seem to be most active between midnight and sunrise. On one airport transfer a few months ago, I counted around 20 deer along Mount Ousley alone.

They are beautiful animals, but they can be incredibly dangerous near busy roads. At the speeds vehicles travel on Mount Ousley and Memorial Drive, a collision could have devastating consequences for both the occupants of the vehicle and the animal.

Whatever the long term solution ends up being, I think we need to keep looking at practical safety measures such as wildlife fencing in known hotspots.

If you're travelling in the early hours of the morning, especially around Mount Ousley, Memorial Drive, and the University area, keep your eyes peeled and give yourself plenty of room to react.

Stay safe everyone.

01/06/2026

Saturday morning I had called the Origin bus off. Not enough interest, time to move on. Then Saturday night, with a booking from a group of four, we were back in business. Event buses are a whole different beast. Once you commit, you want to fill every seat possible and bring the cost down for everyone. That means plenty of messages, plenty of questions, last minute bookings from passionate Origin supporters, and trying to work out pickup times before you even know exactly who is coming. All of that while Jean Claude is still busy doing airport runs, cruise transfers and the usual week of bookings.

The middle of the week was a bit of a whirlwind. An early airport run saw a bus full of excited young travellers heading off to Bali before sunrise. A few hours later I was welcoming another family home, squeezing in some office work from the car park in between. Next it was time for this week's main event, Origin night. We ended up with a full bus and a fantastic group on board. I watched the first half at The Locker, a pub a few hundred metres from the stadium, then made my way back to Jean Claude and watched the second half on my laptop so I could be waiting in the bus when my people came out. The crowd inside Accor Stadium was so loud that every roar came about thirty seconds before the action reached my screen. By the end of the night the trip home was full of smiles, plenty of opinions about the game, and a shared belief that there is nothing quite as confusing as a New South Welshman cheering for Queensland.

Friday brought a wonderful family pickup at Circular Quay and just enough spare time for a cracking coffee at Zupano before heading off. Then I finally pressed pause for a few days to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. We found a beautiful spot at Sussex Inlet with a spa overlooking the water, spent our time exploring Cudmirrah and Berrara, and finished it all off with a coffee and donut stop in Berry on the way home. Weeks like this remind me how lucky I am. Great customers, plenty of adventures, and thirty years with my favourite travelling companion. Thank you to everyone who jumped aboard this week and trusted Dan With A Van with your journey.

30/05/2026

30/05/2026

Cross the water and leave NSW where am I?

27/05/2026

Was not even sure the Origin bus run was going ahead this week because there seemed to be zero interest early on. Then Saturday night rolled around and funny how things change because all of a sudden the messages started coming through and now the bus is full. So here I am doing the last minute prep to take a busload to Origin and trying to make sure I have not forgotten anything important.

I do not even have an Origin jumper because I was going to buy one but got too busy. So the packing checklist currently looks like this. Socks blue check. Shorts blue check. Undershirt blue check. Un**es blue check. Hawaiian shirt blue check. I think I am ready. Jean Claude is fuelled up and ready for another big road trip with a crew of footy fans who are already fired up before we have even left.

Now I just hope Billy forgot to pay the refs this year. Hope everyone has had a cracking week and safe travels to everyone heading along to the game.

Send a message to learn more