Wollongong Shellharbour Kiama Transfers Dan with a Van

20/10/2026

Are you or any of your friends BIGBANG VIPs? Heading to Accor Stadium on Saturday 31 October and still working out how you’re getting there and home? I’m putting together a Build a Bus from the Illawarra for their 20th anniversary concert. These are transport seats, not concert tickets. The price works on a sliding scale, so the fuller the bus gets, the cheaper it is for everyone. Once we reach 10 passengers, it locks in at $85 per person return.

That includes:
- Pickup from your nearest main road on the way up
- Drop off to your door after the concert
- No parking to organise
- No train changes to navigate
- No worrying about how you’ll get home

There’s karaoke and party lights on board too, if you’ve got any voice left after the concert! The BIGBANG bus will run once we have enough passengers, so get in touch if you’re interested. Message me directly or text 0415 500 109 with your passenger numbers and pickup suburb. Seats are allocated first in best dressed. If you know a BIGBANG VIP, tag them below or share this with them.

We also have 9 transfer seats remaining for Foo Fighters at Accor Stadium on Tuesday 10 November. You can message me about those too, just let me know which concert you’re booking for.

Kind Regards,
Danny McDonogh
Dan With a Van

Send a message to learn more

19/10/2026

Coming Home, Killing Time and Swimming a Few Extra Laps!

It's funny how this business works. Some weeks it feels like everyone in the Illawarra is heading overseas, and other weeks they're all coming home. Last week was definitely a coming home week! Jean Claude and I spent most of it collecting people from their holidays and bringing them back to reality. I've noticed I tend to have a bit of a script with my passengers. When I'm dropping people off to start their holidays, I always tell them to "Do embarrassing things!" I genuinely believe that when you've let go of your self consciousness enough to embarrass yourself, you've reached what I call "peak holiday". And when I'm dropping people home, I always send them off with "I hope the real world is kind to you." Because let's face it, coming home from a holiday can be a bit of a shock to the system! Tuesday was a particularly long day, with an early drop off in Sydney and six hours to fill before collecting another group. So I found myself a little office at Mascot Library and got stuck into some work. Great little spot, actually! And being in Mascot, I couldn't go past Hong Ha for a feed. Have a look at the queue! You know somewhere's doing something right when people are happy to stand around waiting for lunch. And don't worry, I've only photographed the backs of their heads.

The highlight of the week, though, has to go to Jacob. Friday night was his first ever swimming club, and we entered him in the 12 metre race. Nice and easy, we thought. Well, Jacob had other ideas! He heard a whistle and took off, swam his 12 metres, realised it wasn't the start and had to swim all the way back. Then another buzzer went and off he went AGAIN! Another 12 metres and another swim back. Eventually, a lovely young girl came over, held his hand and made sure he waited for the right buzzer. Finally, the race started, and would you believe it, after swimming a grand total of 60 metres in a 12 metre race. I reckon he got his money's worth out of swimming club that night! This week he's going in the 25 metre race, just to ease him in, but I reckon he's not far off doing the 50s. Sunday was a bit of fun too, taking an old school mate and a group down to the Nowra races for the day. It was great to see them making use of the onboard karaoke on the way home. As I always like to say, 1% of us sing because people like to hear us. The other 99% sing because it feels good. And I'm all for a feel good world! Come to think of it, that's probably another version of "peak holiday". Just letting go and enjoying yourself!

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, I've finally got something pretty exciting up and running. The Cruise Build a Bus is officially LIVE! The idea is simple. If we can get people sharing a bus to and from the cruise terminals, everyone gets a better price. The more seats booked across the day's services, the cheaper it becomes. On weekdays, fares can get as low as $35 per person each way! The catch is the 9 am timing. We arrive at the terminal at 9 am for people heading off, and collect returning passengers at 9 am. But here's how I look at it. Get to the terminal early, drop your bags (and yes, I've checked that the terminal allows it!), then head off and enjoy Circular Quay for a couple of hours. Grab a coffee, have some breakfast, enjoy the harbour. Your holiday starts a little earlier, and you've saved a few dollars along the way. Private transfers are still available, of course. I've also been rebuilding the booking system to handle Western Sydney Airport, so there's been plenty happening when I'm not behind the wheel. Have a look at the Build a Bus advert for all the details, and thanks again to everyone supporting Dan With a Van. Next on the list? Tax returns! Then I'll be contacting everyone who's already booked a cruise transfer to see if they'd like to switch to the Build a Bus. They certainly don't have to, but I reckon they deserve to know they've got the option. And somewhere in amongst all that, we'll see if we can teach Jacob which buzzer to listen for!

11/10/2026

A Forklift, a Cannon and a Smurf walk into a bar!

Well, I've seen some strange things over the years, but a forklift parked at the beach is a new one! While wandering around the Blue Mile in Wollongong with Yvette and the kids, we came across a forklift just sitting there, enjoying the ocean views. No building site, no pallets, no obvious reason for it to be there. Perhaps the driver decided it was too nice a day to be working and took it for a spin down to the beach! Jakey was having his own adventure on the old cannons nearby. We tried convincing him to climb right out to the end for a ride, but his courage only stretched so far. Probably a sensible decision, although I'm not sure he appreciated our encouragement! The afternoon also involved a visit to Cold Rock, where Jacob managed to get so much blue ice cream around his face that he looked like he'd eaten a Smurf! And I finally got my favourite fish tacos from Katsu Tabi. A double helping, because why not?& ;

Meanwhile, Jean Claude and I have been keeping the wheels turning with plenty of airport adventures. One lucky group was heading off on a fishing trip, and Saturday brought a lovely group heading to a wedding reception. The bride looked absolutely beautiful! It's always nice being part of those special occasions, even if our job is just making sure everyone arrives safely and with a smile. There's also been a fair bit happening behind the scenes, getting things ready for some exciting developments down the track. More on those when the time is right!

Anyway, a big thank you to everyone who's travelled with Jean Claude and me recently. Whether you're off on a holiday, celebrating something special or just need a lift somewhere, it's always a pleasure being part of the journey. And before I go, can anyone explain why there's a forklift parked at the beach in Wollongong? Because I'm still scratching my head over that one!

05/10/2026

Two weeks away, a Grand Final, a few whales and a serious moth delivery problem!
Well, it's been two weeks since my last update, and you might have noticed things went a bit quiet last week. I decided to take a week off, get away with the family, enjoy a breather and recharge the batteries ahead of the run into Christmas. Sometimes you've just got to switch off for a few days, and I certainly enjoyed it. But the holiday is over, the batteries are recharged, and now we're back into it! Last night was Grand Final night, and what a game! The Newcastle Knights must have been thinking, "I feel like chicken tonight!" And they very nearly got it! No offence to you Roosters supporters, but I just love an underdog story. Mind you, if the Roosters had been playing Melbourne Storm, Brisbane Broncos or Manly, I probably would have been cheering for them instead. But we're Australians. We love an underdog. It's practically compulsory! I wasn't particularly happy about how Newcastle got there, though. I love watching Nathan Cleary play, and that horrific compound fracture of his ankle was a terrible way for the Panthers' season to end. Still, at least we've got the internationals coming up, so there's a little more footy to enjoy before we turn our attention to summer. And there's plenty to look forward to! Beaches, swimming, concerts and, of course, plenty of trips to Accor Stadium. Bring it on! Speaking of Accor Stadium, the Wallabies are taking on the All Blacks there in the Bledisloe Cup on the 17th. I'm thinking about putting together a Build a Bus for the game. Anyone interested? Let me know, and we'll see if we can get enough people together!
It's also been a busy couple of weeks on the work front, apart from my little holiday. I was straight back into it this morning with two airport trips and some lovely passengers. It's always nice getting back behind the wheel and catching up with people after a break. While I was off enjoying myself, my trusty partner Rahul was keeping things moving and looking after quite a few trips for me. A big thanks to Rahul for holding the fort and making sure everything kept ticking along while I had my feet up! Behind the scenes, I've also been putting plenty of work into getting our new cruise transfer service ready. We're getting very close now, and it won't be long before I can finally take the cover off and do the big reveal! Although, as these things tend to go, a few adjustments to the booking system have turned into a little more work than expected. You know what happens when you pull on a loose thread! Before you know it, you've unravelled half the jumper! I'm making sure everything is ready to handle the demand before we launch, rather than rushing things and discovering the problems later. We're nearly there, though, so keep an eye out. There'll be more news on that very soon! Speaking of things getting out of hand, can someone PLEASE have a word with the DoorDash driver who's supposed to be delivering dinner to the mountain pygmy possums? I'm pretty sure he's got the delivery address wrong! Instead of delivering all those lovely bogong moths to the hungry little possums up in the mountains, he seems to have redirected the entire order to Wollongong. And apparently, the front of Jean Claude is the designated collection point! Honestly, the number of moths I've had to clean off the front of the van lately is ridiculous. A couple of trips and the whole front looks like a moth graveyard. I'm beginning to think there's a sign on the front of Jean Claude that only bogong moths can read. Meanwhile, somewhere up in the mountains, there's a very disappointed little pygmy possum sitting there wondering where on earth its dinner has gone!
One of the great things about having a week off is finally getting the opportunity to explore places practically on your doorstep that you never seem to find time to visit. It's funny how we can live somewhere surrounded by incredible scenery and still have a list of local places we've been meaning to check out for years. I finally made it out to Cathedral Rocks, also known as the Boneyard. It's one of those places that's been on my list for ages, so it was great to finally tick it off and grab a few photos while I was there. I also headed up to the Illawarra Fly, and I've got to say, the views from up there really are spectacular. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, although at around $30 a ticket, I couldn't help thinking about the dozen or so lookouts scattered around the Illawarra that offer equally spectacular views without costing a cent! Still, I'm glad I went. It's definitely worth checking out, and I've included a few photos from the top so you can see what I mean. I also managed to get up to Bald Hill for a look along Lawrence Hargrave Drive, but unfortunately, the weather had other ideas. Between the rain, wind and cloud, you could barely see the coastline. It wasn't even worth taking a photo! Not exactly the spectacular coastal panorama I'd been hoping for. You win some, you lose some! At least I've got an excuse to head back there another day. Another highlight was finding myself down at the Kiama Growers Market on Thursday, where a few whales decided to put on a show just offshore. Not a bad bit of entertainment while you're wandering around the markets! I managed to get some video of them, which I'll share separately in the comments so it doesn't take over this post. Keep an eye out for that one!
And while we're talking about highlights, I also managed to stop in at the legendary Hong Ha on Botany Road in Mascot and treat myself to one of their famous chicken rolls. Now, if you've ever worked in international logistics around Sydney Airport, there's a fair chance you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about! Back in my days working with Toll and Patrick International Freight, Hong Ha rolls were practically an institution. Just about everyone in the industry knew about them, and finding an excuse to head over and grab one was always a good idea. It had been a long time between rolls, so this was a proper trip down memory lane. And I'm very pleased to report that they're still worth the visit! I'm definitely going to have to introduce a few more friends to the place next time we're up that way. While I was in Mascot, I also spotted a sign at the Tennyson Hotel, just across the road from Hong Ha, proudly announcing, "POOL TABLE ALL DAY EVERY DAY." Now, this got me thinking. Are there pool tables out there that are only pool tables at certain times of the day? Do they turn into dining tables after 6 pm? Do they have other jobs? Perhaps they're working part time as ironing boards? Or is there some secret nightlife of pool tables that the rest of us know absolutely nothing about? And if a pool table finishes its shift at 5 pm, does it clock off and become a coffee table for the evening? These are the important questions that keep me awake at night! Anyway, the break was fantastic, and it was great to spend some quality time with the family, explore a few local treasures and revisit a couple of old favourites. But it's also good to be back behind the wheel, catching up with passengers and getting ready for what looks like a very busy run into Christmas. A big thanks again to Rahul for keeping things running while I was away, and to all my lovely passengers for your continued support. There's plenty happening behind the scenes, and I'm really looking forward to sharing more about the new cruise transfer service once we've got everything ready to go. In the meantime, enjoy a few photos from my adventures over the past fortnight, and don't forget to check the comments for the whale video! And if you happen to know where all these bogong moths are supposed to be going, please have a word with their delivery driver. Those poor pygmy possums must be starving!

21/09/2026

Spring is definitely in the air. I know this because Jean Claude left home this morning with a perfectly clean windscreen and arrived at the airport looking like we’d driven through a bug apocalypse. Have a look at the photos. I’m not exaggerating! The front of the car is absolutely covered, so apparently I know what I’m doing this afternoon. Bucket, hose and a bit of quality time cleaning up the evidence.

It’s been another busy week with plenty of runs up and back for cruises and airport transfers, and lots of familiar faces along the way. Saturday saw me parked up at Tempe for about six hours between jobs, laptop out and getting some work done in my mobile office before bringing some lovely customers home. I made the mistake of wearing long pants too. It was a pretty warm day, so there were plenty of trips to the servo for cold drinks, plus a pie for lunch at Harry’s Cafe de Wheels. One of the things I never take for granted is how many customers have become genuine friends over the years. One family came home from Hawaii with a Hawaiian coffee mug for me to go with my Hawaiian shirts. I was genuinely surprised and touched that they’d thought of me while they were away enjoying their holiday. Such a simple thing, but such a lovely thing to do. I really am blessed to have people like this in my life. They clearly know me far too well too. It’s little things like that which make this job pretty special. I really do enjoy the conversations, the laughs and the time I get to spend with the people who travel with me.

I’ve also been putting a lot of hours into the new cruise project behind the scenes. I’m not quite there yet. In fact, some days the closer I get, the further away it seems. I run a test, spot something, change it, run another test and then think, “Doh, I need to do that bit differently too.” Then around we go again. There’s a lot more programming involved than I probably imagined when I started, but I know it’ll be worthwhile when everything finally clicks into place. So that’s life at Dan With a Van this week. Great people, Hawaiian coffee mugs, plenty happening behind the scenes and approximately half the insect population of NSW currently stuck to Jean Claude. Life’s pretty good.

14/09/2026

What happened to summer?

I promised everyone it was coming, and for a minute there I thought I was right. Then boom, the cold came back and here I am in the long pants again wondering what happened. Jean Claude and I have still been running up and down the coast, off to airports and cruise terminals, sending some very lucky people on their holidays. Solomon Islands for work, Bali, Hawaii, the Goldie for the theme parks. Meanwhile, I’m loading the bags and thinking I wouldn’t mind accidentally getting on board with any of them. Sunday morning did give me a pretty good consolation prize though. I was waiting near Cooks River as the sun came up over the airport and it was absolutely spectacular. Sometimes the early starts have their perks.

Saturday brought one of my favourite trips of the week. I picked up a group from Primbee and Windang and took them down to Berry for a wedding. On the way home from the first leg I even spotted an echidna waddling along the side of the road looking like he was trying to hitchhike. Sorry mate, no booking, no ride. When I went back to pick the group up after the wedding, the old tunes came out, the party light went on and suddenly Jean Claude had turned into a rolling singalong. If I’d known what sort of crew I had on board, I would’ve had the karaoke plugged in and ready to go! So there’s your reminder. If you want karaoke for your trip, just tell me beforehand and I’ll have it ready. We’ve got two microphones at the moment, with plans for a third, because apparently two people murdering a song at once just isn’t enough. Seriously though, I love it when my riders have a go at the karaoke. As I like to say, for about 1% of the population, singing and making music is about sounding good for everyone else. For the other 99% of us, we sing and make music because it makes us feel good. And I want my people, wherever they’re heading, to feel good.

Then early Sunday morning I picked up some passengers coming home after six weeks travelling around Europe. I dropped them back in Kiama and discovered they’d only lived in their new home for nine days before leaving for Europe. So I’m not sure whether it felt like coming home or arriving at the final stop on a very long holiday. Either way, I reckon Kiama is a pretty nice place to finish the trip. On the way home I spotted something else that made me laugh, a motorcycle with the number plate BORT. I posted it at the time and apparently no one got it, but that is a serious level of commitment to a Simpsons joke. It made me wish I had Em with me. Em and I watched a lot of The Simpsons together when she was a kid, and I reckon she would’ve appreciated BORT immediately.

Behind the scenes I’ve also been working away on some new cruise options. There’s a lot of testing going on through the booking system because I want everything working properly before I put it out there. Running a little business can feel a bit like a duck on the water. Everything looks nice and calm up top, while underneath those legs are going flat out making sure it stays that way. Hopefully next week I’ll be able to tell you that the new cruise options are officially ready. If you already have a cruise booked with me, I’ll be in touch once they launch. And don’t worry, the worst case for you is that things stay exactly as they are now. If you’ve received a quote but haven’t booked yet, there might be something new that interests you too. For now though, hush hush, secret squirrel.

Hope you have a fantastic week. Thanks as always to everyone who jumps aboard Jean Claude and trusts me to get you where you’re going. And to everyone currently lying beside a pool in Bali, Hawaii or somewhere equally warm, I’m not jealous at all. Not even slightly.

07/09/2026

Is that summer I can smell in the air already?

I saw a Facebook post the other day from a Dapto resident who had videoed Christmas beetles. Christmas beetles. In September! What is going on? If they know something we don’t, we could be in for a warm one this summer. I’m suddenly feeling pretty pleased about the dark window tinting on Jean Claude. The air conditioning is great when we’re moving, although I might have to investigate something to help keep things cool while we’re parked up waiting for passengers.

It’s been another busy week getting people where they need to go, with plenty of airport and cruise terminal runs keeping Jean Claude and me on the road. He also had his six monthly inspection and a service this week, and I’m pleased to report he passed his inspection with flying colours. He’s running beautifully at the moment. I’ve also been spending a fair bit of spare time working away quietly on something new for the cruise side of the business. It’s coming along nicely, but I’m keeping a few cards close to my chest for now. The photo this week is pretty much what happens between pickups. Laptop out, office open, and I get some of the boring background business stuff done while I’m waiting. I hate wasting time, and every bit I can get done on the road means a little less work when I get home and a little more time with the family.

Speaking of family, yesterday was Father’s Day, so a very happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. My kids looked after me and I had a great day. Got some pretty cool presents, had pizza for dinner and spent a good chunk of the day doing what I’m quite happy doing at this time of year, watching footy. I also gave Dad a call and had a good catch up with him, which is always important. The footy even sent me back into the archives watching some of those old Parramatta grand finals from the 80s. Dad took us to a few of those games when we were kids, and I found myself staring at the old footage looking for a little bloke somewhere on the hill in a Dapto Canaries jumper. No luck! What a different game rugby league was back then too. Slower, tougher, a bloody heavy leather ball and some tackles that would have half the players suspended until Christmas these days. Great memories though. Funny how you get to this end of the season and suddenly realise there aren’t that many games left. Better enjoy them while we can. And in the meantime, Jean Claude and I will keep doing our thing, getting you to the airport, the cruise terminal and wherever else you need to be. Thanks again to everyone who continues to travel with us.

31/08/2026

Big week. Big, big week. And apparently a big week for the local deer population too. Friday morning I was out picking up a group before heading for Sydney when I looked across a paddock and there they were. About 15 deer helping themselves to breakfast. Then seconds later, another paddock on the other side of the road and about another 15! By the time I got further up the road and spotted another 11, my unofficial Friday morning deer count had hit at least 41. I have never seen anything like it. Beautiful animals to look at, but I would hate to be the farmer watching that many mouths eating the grass meant for the cattle.

Jean Claude and I certainly saw plenty of Sydney last week too. Monday started with a full load heading for the cruise terminals, and we had some great groups sharing the journey during the week. I’ve also been quietly tinkering away behind the scenes with a few ideas about how we can make some of these longer trips work even better for everyone. Nothing to announce just yet, but the little grey cells are definitely working. There is always a bit of waiting involved with airport pickups too, and sometimes you find a pretty good spot to do it. A few of these photos are from beside the Cooks River, with Jean Claude parked up under those magnificent old trees, and another is from Tempe Reserve. Not bad places to spend a bit of time while waiting for the next plane to land. Friday meant an early run north, some more quality time hanging around Circular Quay waiting for the return journey, then it was time to point Jean Claude towards home again. Saturday unexpectedly opened up after a booking vanished into thin air, so I took the bonus day and enjoyed a bit of footy. Then Sunday we were back on the road again.

And somehow we have reached the end of winter. Tomorrow spring arrives, and I reckon that is worth smiling about. I love spring. Longer days, a bit of warmth coming back and plenty more places for Jean Claude and me to wander off to. There was even time amongst everything last week to get Jacob to judo, where he is doing really well and making his dad pretty proud. So thanks to everyone who travelled with me last week, especially those who shared the journey with someone new. Here’s to spring, full buses, good company and perhaps slightly fewer deer eating Mr Farmer’s grass.

24/08/2026

Another busy week for Dan With a Van, and apparently everyone has decided it’s time for a holiday! Bali seems to be the destination of the moment, and if they’re not heading to Bali, they’re off on a cruise. So Jean Claude and I have continued our close relationship with the airport, White Bay and Circular Quay. Lots of big groups, lots of luggage, and plenty of excited faces heading off on adventures.

Friday brought a lovely change of pace with a wedding group. I picked everyone up from different spots, got them safely to the wedding, then hung around while the celebrations got underway. Jean Claude had a nice little rest at the Botanic Gardens before we headed across to the brewery near the Entertainment Centre for a few drinks while everyone waited for the bride and groom. The wedding was beautiful, and then I heard the bagpipes start up with Danny Boy in the background. There I was, Dan With a Van, listening to Danny Boy. You couldn’t have planned it better! I really should have grabbed a video.

Sunday night was my last run for the season with the Illawarra Rollerhawks. Unfortunately Manly got the better of them down in Melbourne. Boo Manly! Apparently there were a few ring ins too. As someone who follows the NRL, I’d say that’s par for the course! But what a pleasure it’s been spending time with the Rollerhawks. They’re a great bunch of guys and genuinely inspirational. Then this morning it was back to Circular Quay with two groups sharing a transfer, which brought the cost down for everyone. A nice little win to start another very busy week. Thanks as always to everyone who jumps aboard with me and trusts me to get you where you need to go. See you out there!

19/08/2026

Well, I promised I'd check the dashcam, and the results are in.

We spotted 28 deer on the drive home from Sydney Airport that night, and I managed to find 21 of them on the dashcam footage.

The other seven managed to avoid the camera, but 21 out of 28 isn't bad!

I've highlighted each deer as it appears to make them a little easier to spot. Some are very obvious, while others are much harder to see. If you really want to find every one of them, you might need to pause the video and zoom in in a few places. They are there, I promise!

I've also sped up the footage between sightings so you don't have to sit through the entire drive.

So here it is, 21 deer caught on dashcam in one trip home.
🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌

How many can you actually spot?