The first crazy week

We have finally arrived. Or it is... We have finally left!?

Either way, we are a week into this adventure on the 'mainland'.

It has been 7 days of fantastic and 1 day of terrible homesickness.

Here are some quick highlights so far:

- The Asian stall holders at the Queen Vic markets were so impressed we had 5 children that they gave them a free koala toy each. Hahaha

- Seeing Dunc's cousin Bron, husband Nath and kiddies. They very kindly welcomed us at 6am on a Sunday morning!! You guys are terrific!

- Watching the children's eyes light up at the sheer size of Melbourne!

- Successfully getting on the city tram with 5 children, and still having all 5 when we got off! ;)

- 99c cent petrol, libraries with a Wii in them, and bottle shops in the supermarket, all gave me a shock.

- Watching the children's swimming skills make a comeback at the pool and spa here in Toora.

- Being a family and finding some groove and rhythm that suits us now.

We still haven't seen any koalas, despite lots of signs. But we did see an Echidna crossing the street and Dunc accidently ran over a snake. Eeww.

Week one was overall very pleasant. The boat trip was smooth and fun. We have enjoyed exploring Melbourne; the Aquarium and the markets. 

The Mornington Peninsula felt like home. I love the sense of community over here. 

I love the services that are available and the sheer size of it all.

I love that our kids are excited beyond a reasonable level whenever we stop at a new playground.

I love that we have so much more to do and see!

We are very fortunate to be doing this. Even at those times when children won't settle at night. Even when it is hot and sticky, or wet and cold. Even when the lack of a lounge room is a huge big deal and we all seem to have elbows that are  magnetically drawn to other people's rib cages.

I'm liking this life. I hope you will enjoy coming with us!

God bless,

The Little Gnomads

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