A New Aspect of Travelling!

Black River, Tasmania

In the last fortnight we had our first real travelling experience. Up until this point, we have been practising only one half of the whole caravan life thing....
Let me explain!

There seems to me to be two major adjustments to this nomad lifestyle of travelling Australia with kids. The first is the 'practical' adjustment and the second is the 'transient' adjustment.
So far, we have only really been getting better at the practical aspect of it: The nuts and bolts of how to live like this; what it looks like; how to stay organised; when are the stressful times going to occur; how much food do you take with you; and is that drawer a good place for the spoons etc.
I think we are pretty much experts on this now. We have been blessed with a good, long practice run to life. A gentle and slow introduction to it....

But, this week, for the first time, we discovered the transient aspect of travelling.
By this I mean the 'We are only here once, for a limited time, so make the most of it and move on' type stuff. The sense of non-permanence, of a simultaneous first and last visit.
Due to our rather unique situation of lingering in Tassie for so long, we hadn't yet come to a place that we were not expecting to be in again at some point. But this week that changed. We will not have time to revisit the far north west coast of Tasmania. So we spent a full 7 days loving it up. It was the first and last time either of us had been there. It was spectacular and beautiful and rugged and windy and serene and fantastic, and at times, tough.

I am not naturally gifted at skipping showers. That was probably the worst part of it for me. We made do with hot water and face washers, but IT IS JUST NOT THE SAME!!!! The children got the luxury treatment of a hot bath in our 'bathtub' (literally a blue flexi-plastic tub). Lucky them! Running hot water is a gift people! :)

At any rate, we had a blast at both Black River (just outside of Stanley) and Arthur River (West Coast).    We enjoyed lots of fire pot fires and marshmallows.  We saw some very friendly Blue Fairy Wrens.  Lachlan and Emma got stuck in some super soft sand, which surpassed the top of their gumboots, and tried to steal them.
 I very almost stepped on a black snake, whilst holding Michael in my arms too! Duncan said that he had never seen me run so fast. I believe it! He was kind enough not to mention that he had never heard me scream so loud either, but I know I broke some glass somewhere in the world at that moment! I am no Crocodile Dundee.... yet....

If you ever go to Arthur River, be sure to stop in at the Ranger's Station. The most lovely and friendly ranger (Hazel) works there. She showed the children all of her animals and shells, rocks and bones etc. She was dumbfounded by how much the children knew about all the subjects she brought up. She was so nice, that we went there every day to say hello.

The highlight of this trip was the day we spent on the Tarkine Arthur River Drive. A round circuit loop of some iconic rainforests, lookouts and landmarks in the area. It took us (with 5 kids in tow) 8 hours of driving, walking, looking and eating to get through it all. It was so worth it though!! Our itinerary for the day was:

• Dismal Swamp Reserve - Duncan, Emma and myself all had a turn on the Treetop Slide! Great fun!
• Sumac Lookout - waterfall/river to see from a distance
• Julius River Forest Reserve - A lovely picnic area and rainforest walk. So pretty!
• Lake Chisholm Forest Walk - Very serene lake, set amongst more lush green rainforest
• Milkshake Hills Forest Walk - Also a very pretty rainforest!
• Trowutta Arch - This was the highlight! A cave which has opened up to become a rock arch over a lake. Huge. Pretty. Calm. Worth the 30 min return walk!

If you want more info on the arch, click here.

We collapsed into bed that night, but it was a day I will remember for a long time!!

And so.....

Although it was only a week long, we had our first transient adventure. I loved it. For the first time since we left in June, we got a taste of what the full nomad life is like. It is certainly going to be an adventure! We only have 4 weeks left of housesitting and when that comes to an end, it will be a mere 11 weeks until we set sail on the Spirit of Tasmania.

Bring it on! It is going to be good.

Sara

What do you need to pack? (Clothing)

Space in a caravan is a premium! So we have had to whittle down all our 'needs' in life, and clothing was no different!

We have seven people on board, but I think the principle of it will apply to anyone doing this sort of thing. We have found that having a full week's worth of clothing is what we needed. It is impossible to go much longer than that without doing any laundry. It would become unmanageable!! But having more than a week's worth means that we rarely wear it all, and so it was wasted space.

You may find that you need more, in which case, simply adjust the lists below to suit your needs.

So, if you are thinking of doing a trip, the following lists are what we brought along, and should give you a good idea of what you may need. 

Babies:

A full week's supply of the following (ie - 7 of each);

• Singlets
• Body suits
• Jump suits
• Socks (and a few additional pairs of full length stockings)
• Trousers / shorts
• T-shirts

PLUS, a few of these items;

• 2-3 Baby sleeping bags
• 2 pairs of PJs
• Bathers
• Face washer and a small towel
• 2 pairs of shoes (if walking)
• 3-4 jumpers, including one rain coat
• A set of waterproof overalls
• A sun hat
• A beanie
• Slippers
• Mittens
• Nappies
• Sunglasses *optional

Preschoolers:

A full week's supply of the following (ie - 7 of each);

• Singlets
• Socks
• Underwear
• T-shirts

PLUS, a few of these items;

• Trousers/shorts
• Dresses/skirts (*girls)
• 2 pairs of PJs
• Bathers
• Face washer and a small towel
• 3 pairs of shoes - Gumboots, walking boots, strap-on thongs, sandals or crocs
• 3-4 jumpers, including one rain coat
• A set of waterproof overalls
• A sun hat
• A beanie
• Gloves
• Slippers *optional
• Nappies, if applicable
• Sunglasses

Children (5-10 years roughly):

A full week's supply of the following (ie - 7 of each);

• Singlets
• Socks
• Underwear
• T-shirts

PLUS, a few of these items;

• Trousers/shorts
• Dresses/skirts (*girls)
• 2 pairs of PJs
• Bathers
• Face washer and a small towel
• 3 pairs of shoes -Walking boots, gumboots, strap-on thongs/crocs/sandals
• 3-4 jumpers, including one rain coat
• A set of waterproof overalls *optional
• A sun hat
• A beanie
• Gloves
• Slippers *optional
• Sunglasses

Teenagers/ Adults:

A full week's supply of the following:

• Socks
• Underwear
• T-shirts

PLUS, several of the following;

• Bras (*women)
• Trousers/shorts
• Skirts/dresses (*women)
• 2 pairs of PJs
• Bathers
• A face washer and a towel
• 4 pairs of shoes -Walking boots, runners or casual shoes, dress shoes (women), thongs/ crocs/ sandals
• 4 jumpers, including one rain coat/insulated jacket
• A sun hat
• A beanie
• Gloves
• Slippers *optional
• Sunglasses
• Dressing gown *optional

Other items:

• Job-specific clothing, for those who need it to work and travel (ie - fisherman)
• Wet-suits
• Life-jackets
• Clothes for pets (ie - dog jumpers)

*This list is an example only. Your individual needs will depend on the requirements of the local climate and season you are in.

"A Full Month Complete..."

We did it.

We got through a full month of travelling! 

It was a rather FULL month too.... We had sickness, laughter, adventures, boredom, full memory cards, bacon and eggs, beaches, rain, washed up bones, wet clothes, sore legs, strong winds, chocolate, family dinners, platypuses and pushy-shovey elbows.

We've had people scaling a quarry face. 

We have had quiet waiting by the lakeside to capture that elusive Platypus.

We have tripped over, climbed over and jumped on so many rocks.

We have eaten cheese and crackers, had beach picnics and rainforest picnics and park picnics, and then had to walk them off!

We have hauled giant, inflatable tubes up a 100m slope, just to scream our way to the bottom in them seconds later.

We had fun.

It wasn't always fun and games, of course. It is still real life. We had disarray, we had niggles and bumps with each other. We had "Are we there yets?", and we had clutter.

It is time for a bit of a reprieve for the next four weeks. We are house sitting, toilet training and teaching our baby to sleep through the night. Given the wild weather that Tassie has faced this week, I am mighty grateful for a house to have been in the whole time! We don't plan to stay in the caravan in August. This is a month for us to just slow down and do the above. But it is also the first time we have had to stop, look back on the things that have passed and see how we are doing. After all, a lot has happened to us in a year! We have had our fifth baby, prepared our house for sale, sold our house, bought a new caravan, quit a job, sold most of our possessions, stored the rest, and finally, walked away from the life we knew into a new and unfamiliar path. Phew....

How do I feel about having sold our home?

What has it been like, being away from my friends?

What worked well in the caravan and what could we make easier?

What are our priorities in life now? Have they changed since we had a more conventional life?

What is important to us as a family?

How do we honour God in our lives, whilst we travel and miss our home church, and the consistency that brought?

How do we make sure that this change is as smooth as possible for our children?

In reflection, there were two major things that I thought would be one way, and turned out the other....

Firstly, I thought we'd get sick of each other and need frequent breaks. I especially thought that sleeping so 'close' to each other would drive me mad. But it doesn't. It is actually quite calming being close to our sleeping children (The baby settling issues, I grant you, are a trial.). It is also very nice having us all together. Breaks end up coming up in small and frequent ways anyways.

The other unexpected is that I underestimated how much I'd feel the absence from my friends, family and church family. Maybe it's just part and parcel with being a woman? But there have been a few days these last few weeks where the heaviness was palpable. I MISSED people. You probably! I can only account for it as being the result of missing lots of people at once. We left lots of families we love all at once and it became a snowball effect.

So, if you are reading this, it is most likely that you were loved and missed! Hope it was mutual, or this is totally awkward right now!? ;) hahaha

Anyways, we are constantly just so amazed by what God is doing in our lives. We are thankful for this opportunity, grateful for His perfect timing in all things, and eagerly awaiting the unknown adventures ahead over the next 2 years.

God bless!

Sara & Duncan, and the Little Gnomads xx

How Do You Afford To Travel Australia?

This is our most frequent question!

There are several sources of income that people can use in order to afford to travel Australia. I am fairly sure that MOST people could make a trip around OZ, if they really did want to do it.

However, the amount you need to fund a trip depends A GREAT DEAL on how long you are travelling, what job/skills you have, whether you plan to stay at caravan parks or free camps, and whether you plan on visiting paid attractions/eating out a lot.

For us, the length of our trip (2 years) means that our 'per week' amount is actually lower than those on a shorter trip.

How so? 

We are in no hurry and can afford to spread out one of the main sources of expenditure; fuel. Fuel is the single biggest cost, next is food and third is accommodation (unless you want to stay in parks the whole time, in which case, this is probably reversed.).
We have dietary limitations in our family and so we rarely eat out. This saves on food bills and we also try to use meal plans to reduce wastage.
We are fairly self-sufficient and also plan to use free or low cost camping grounds as much as we can, so our accommodation costs are also low.
Another consideration are all the on-going costs whilst you are gone. Mortgages, loans, storage costs, insurance costs and bills will all drive up the weekly budget you will require.

Here is a list of most of the common areas that require you to spend money:

1. Petrol
2. Food
3. Accommodation
4. Mortgage and all associated house costs (rates etc)
5. Storage costs
6. Car and caravan insurance (plus contents and/or house costs, if you have those)
7. Ongoing bills; Mobile phones, life insurances, sponsor children etc
8. As a Christian family, we also have a tithe amount we give each week
9. Spending money
10. Paid attractions/excursions
11. Emergencies
12. Medical needs (pills, creams, prescriptions)
13. Car and caravan servicing
14. Set up costs for travelling (purchasing sleeping bags, gas bottles, a caravan etc)

All these things are highly variable, but you can work out how much these things are for your family per month, and then you will get a good basis for a weekly budget.

Now that we know the top sources of expenditure, here are the top sources of income:

Savings: 
How much you need will depend on your answers to the above questions. Most people say that they need about $1000 a week to travel comfortably. We use a budget that is less than this, as we are taking things slowly and we do not have many overheads (no mortgage or loans etc). It is a good idea to have $10,000+ in reserve, for emergencies, such as car repairs. If you are doing a short trip, you could use this option alone by calculating how many weeks x $1000 you need and then saving up until you have enough.

Working As You Go:
You can stop and work along the way. How easily you can get work will depend on your field and skills. My husband is an electrician and so this is not a problem for him. There are also websites dedicated to advertising work for travellers or for farm stay help:

Traveling Job Sites

jobaroo.com

thejobshop.com.au

greynomads.com.au

thegreynomads.com.au

workaboutaustralia.com.au

taw.com.au

Government Assistance:
Depending on your income and assets, you may be able to claim an income payment if you are travelling with children.
Common payments are:

• Family Tax Benefit A
• Family Tax Benefit B
• Parenting Payment (partnered or single)

Create Things To Sell:

You can also make things and sell them. Craft markets, Etsy pages, or eBay. There are lots of creative ways to use your talents to earn extra money. All you need are the supplies and the time!

We plan to use a combination of all four types of income, though it is our long term goal to be self-sufficient and to not rely on assistance from the Government.

We hope that this information is helpful to you!

Sara

On. Our. Way!

We have finally started our journey!

So, we have had a whole week in the caravan. There have been great moments, stressful moments, tearful moments, freezing cold moments and really relaxing moments. Also add yummy moments (campfire roasted marshmallows!). Basically, all the good stuff real life has to offer.

This week, I learned all about the 'laundromat scene'. This week, I learnt what the true definition of 'cramped' was. This week, I saw OTHER people walking on my balcony! Well, what was my balcony, my view, my home. That was hard. This week we got to have bbqs, walks and a farewell from church. The children made charcoal pencils from burnt sticks. They turned rocks into their own bush currency. They made boats out of bark and leaves and floated them down the river. They climbed over logs, got splinters and attracted mud. All the good stuff. :)

So? What's it like to have no house? Where do we store clothes etc? What do we have in the way of power?

Well, it feels strange to not have a house. I do miss the bath! But mostly, I feel free. My husband now doesn't have to work to pay for one. That gives us so much more time together! We feel very blessed by that! Life in the caravan takes longer to accomplish tasks than it did in a house. When we free camp, we have to boil water if we want it hot, for example. I now put on the kettle on the gas plate each time I start cooking, so we have washing up water etc. After a week, it is second nature and I don't notice that it is an extra task.

Where do we put clothes. Duncan and I have a cupboard next to our bed. It has a middle shelf and he has about 5 pack cell bags with his clothes in them on the bottom half, I have mine in my bags on the top half. The children have a wardrobe in which we have put a four draw stacker tub inside. They have one tub each for all their clothes. I think it fits roughly a week and a half's worth of clothing in it. Michael has 3 pack cells for his clothes and they live at the bottom of the second wardrobe, which also houses all our hanging items, like jackets etc.

Power comes in one of several ways. We have a gas cylinder, a battery, a solar panel and a generator. The stove and grill run off gas (with one electric hot plate). The air conditioner and the Thermomix need 240v power, so we use the generator to run those when free camping, or when at a powered site, we are plugged into 240v power on tap.

The hardest thing about this trip?

Being gracious to the flood of thoughtless comments. 

I'm not sure what to say to them......

I'll butt in on myself and say that the majority of people are thrilled for us and think it is a wonderful thing to be doing. The best thing to be doing with our children. But sometimes, when I'm least expecting it, I'll get a comment that comes from left of field. And they wound! 

We are not brave, or crazy, or about to get divorced. We are not super parents, and we do not sit in the caravan all day, whilst kids jump from the top bunk and throw popcorn and mud and scream.

It is not like that! Though, that would be funny for about a millisecond. Hahaha

Yes, there are challenges. Yes, we have bumps with each other. Yes, we are in close quarters. No, that doesn't mean we have constant chaos.

So, all in all. Life is taking a turn for the better. We are a family. We are learning what it means to take it slow for awhile. We are enjoying our children. We are enjoying each other's company. We are enjoying God's creation.

What more could you want?

Sara

The Long Short Wait

What are we up to right now?

Our house is 'sold'.

I say it like that because until things are done and dusted, they can still go wrong, right?

Lots of people are in a bit of confusion as to our 'situation' right now. That is understandable, when most information is from vague Facebook statuses.

So, I'm writing a more thorough entry on our state of affairs, and our future plans.

We are 12 days away from the 'confirmation of finance' clause needing to be fulfilled. In simple terms, the buyers have 12 days left to get the bank to unconditionally promise to lend them the money to buy our house. Once we get to that step I will rest a little bit easier, knowing we are just 30 days away from leaving our house for good. But things will not be 100% done. There are still 30 days after that before settlement, where we give up the keys, and leave.

So all up, we are still living in our house for the next 6 weeks roughly... (not the caravan AT ALL. We will have plenty of time to get sick of the caravan later) ... providing there are no delays, which there always seems to be in these transactions.

We will probably have a rush to get things out, packed and given away/sold when the confirmation comes in, but right now we are just sort of cruising along and getting through as much food in the pantry as we can.

Where are we going after that?

Things changed.

When we originally came to the point of knowing we wanted to buy a caravan and travel around OZ, we planned to leave in Feb 2014. Without going into too much information, we have to stick around in Tassie until Jan 2015 for a family wedding.

Why stay in Tassie for 6 extra months?

Well, lots of things go into a change of plans. In my heart, I desperately wanted to GET OUT OF TASSIE for winter. It is cold. But!

By the time we could book a sailing over to Victoria, it would be a mere 5 months before we'd have to be back in the state. Also, it is insanely expensive to sail with 7 people, requiring 2 cabins and a vehicle and van fee both ways, to leave... come back.... leave again. All for 5 months rushed travelling? It wasn't worth the expense.

Secondly, we get to see some wonderful things, that we would miss otherwise, because we are staying around a bit longer.

1. My sister in law from overseas
2. My friend who is due with twins in a few months
3. Another friend, due to have a bub later in the year
4. My Oma who is 93 in October
5. We can housesit for family to help them and give us a base OUT of the caravan over the months of waiting.
6. Christmas with said sister in law and other family!
7. We get a solid 6 months to travel our state and REALLY see it all well. It is possible we will not be returning to Tassie to live, and so it is a real bonus that we get time to see it while we can!
8. I can combine my 30th birthday and a farewell party before we leave.

So, when do you 'leave' then?

We leave our house and are 'free' to roam around Tassie at the end of June. If you would like us around for something in particular, just let us know and we can try to fit it into our direction and plans.

We leave Tassie (and it is likely to be a permanent leave) on the 31st January 2015. After our further 18 months of travel on the mainland, we will need to arrange for the transfer of our 'stuff' in storage. If, by some leading, we feel confident that we need to return to Tassie again to live, we will come back. Or we will settle down on the mainland and will return to move our things and say a final farewell. But that is years away, so nothing is even remotely certain in that regard. ;)

So we are still kind of in Limbo Land. Still waiting, though the end is in sight for the trappings of a house!

We are very excited that in roughly 6 weeks, we will be able to be together full time and start our exploring of this great state.

We want to get into lots of bushwalks as a family and just plain rest when we want to do that!

We are happy and content right now, and also tired, but the end is in sight, so it is not so bad. :)

For those who pray, please keep us in mind. Specifically that the selling process will run smoothly to completion. That the finance will come through without a hiccup and that the settlement will happen on time and without interruptions. If the contract should fall through, then we are back to having the house on the market! Not at all what we want, so please be praying for things to run along as planned.

Also, wisdom and time to plan and pack the caravan. It will be a little bit of a juggling act to work out when and how to get it all organised, with 5 undertow and a husband still working.

Thanks all! I hope that answers all your questions, but if it doesn't, just ask!

Sara and Dunc

Away In A Wilderness

Our house is officially 'on the market'. This will surely mean a person or two will be coming through our home soon. I will write a post sometime on selling your house with kids, but for now, I will talk about our practise runs.

We started out with a few overnighters. The set up/pack up was intense in such a short time, but it helped to get us familiar with those processes.

The common theme so far is to pick nights where it is pouring with rain or there are gale force winds. We got up to about 6 nights in the van where we had yet to experience a calm, dry night. I was beginning to think that caravans attracted rain or something.

But just last week we switched to going away for four nights at a time. The first night was calm and still! Imagine my surprise! Everything left outside was still dry when we woke up! Joy of joys!

I am now slightly hopeful that I won't spend the entire two years of travelling with wet shoes! I should be so lucky...

Four nights away is a much better indication of the flow of our soon-to-be normal life.

 So many questions answered; How much washing? How long does boiling all your hot water for a day take up? How do you keep clean without a ready shower? (Mostly I cheated and went home, as we were staying only 10 minutes from home). 

Is it hard to cook in the kitchen? Will kids in a van go mental in 5 minutes flat? 

All the essentials. Except one.

The biggest mental hurdle we face is sleeping configurations. This wouldn't be so complex if we didn't have a baby. I mean, it sleeps 8, we have 7 people. It is just that babies need to settle at night and then STAY ASLEEP. They also nap during the day and need a place to sleep which is relatively undisturbed.

Our c'van has a set of bunks, a double bed, a queen bed and a dining table which makes a small double bed (kid sized double).

We have tried it all. It's like playing musical beds.

I think I have it sorted now. But we shall see.....

- Us on the Queen. Michael on the double in his porta cot. The girls on the table double. The boys on the bunks.

Who knew bed allocation could be so perplexing!?

I am so glad we had decided to do trial runs. It is the little issues that need ironing out. We now have a good idea of how to organise the clothes and where they go, and how much space per child we have for their clothes. We have a fairly good amount of space for our pantry items; The fridge can be cram-packed; and we need to bring more teatowels.

We are home for a few days now, before we get out of the way of a house that's for sale once again. It sure is nice to still have a hot shower/bath waiting for you! And don't get me started on how much I love our dishwasher! :)

For now, we are living in limbo land. A hard place of not being home full time and not having left yet.

But the adventures are still happening. 

We are still seeing those glimpses of a life without timeframes and dead lines. A life where the open road will take us where our whims dictate. 

Until then, I will enjoy my few days of hot water on demand and power points that don't need a generator. Then I'll enjoy the few lazier days of a life meeting interesting new people wherever we camp. Getting treated to surprise pancakes by folks I'd known only a week. And finding pleasure in collecting sticks and dandelions with my children. And then having to wash up. Ha ha.

Sara

Napping outside. A skill our Bub is getting better at!

Surprise pancakes!! How nice!!

Our Life in Boxes

My friend suggested I write a post entitled, "My Life in Boxes".
She had just seen our garage, which is steadily becoming more and more full with our life.... a life in boxes. So here it is!

The funny thing about packing up your life is that you realise how much stuff you've collected over the years. Stuff you need, stuff you don't really need and stuff that means something to you, even though it's useless on a practical level. (Rocks your children painted? Keeping those for sure!)

In a good way, packing up a life has meant a more than healthy dose of de-cluttering occurred. All those 'don't really need' things just had to go. But on a bad day, packing up our lives has left me feeling a bit raw and vunerable; stripped away; bare. Those days are the exception, thankfully. Mostly, it has been freeing to have less. Mostly. 

The saying that less is more is becoming rather practical right now. What I mean is, now that we have less to occupy ourselves with, I've realised that having too much stuff actually prevents you from using any of it fully. We are having to keep busy with the few things we have left for the children to do. But that has meant we are thoroughly using it all! Craft supplies are finally getting used up. We have exhausted our playdoh and I'm nearly out of bread flour. :) Things are being fully used, and for that I'm very glad.

We have almost reached the point where we can't pack anymore until we are about to head off. We are kind of at base level now; Using what we need to get through the days before we go. There will be another hectic period of packing and giving away once our house sells. But for now, I'm just enjoying the things we have left.

My life is in boxes.....

and yet......

our 'out of the box' adventure is getting closer by the day.

Don't you just love life's little quirks?

Sara

*image curtesy of livingwikii.com*

The First Night (with Children)

There are several things that stick in my mind after our first night in the caravan with the children.

First was the weather. There were strong hail and thunderstorm warnings for areas about 50kms from us. We didn't get those, but it sure rained heavily! This meant that we were

The Rig (a-jig-jig)

Our caravan has arrived!! We were one hugely excited family, that's for sure!

My husband did a super job of reversing it into our driveway, even with people waiting to be let through to add to the pressure. :)

Since we are a family of seven, we had limited choices for

Honey, let's shrink the house.

We decided one day we would like to do something crazy. Leave the state, sell our house, have an extended holiday, see Australia, spend time with our children, love each other by being around each other more, and just plain having more fun.

One day, it was a pipe dream. One day, it was fantasy. But soon, soon it will be real. We will be living a life with all the above in it. Dreams coming true and all that.

But it won't all be rosy. Five children in a caravan is going to bring some funny and not-so-funny challenges.