HELLO VAN LIFE
Imagine this. You've got zilch experience in caravanning and camping isn’t really your thing. But, out of the blue, you buy a second-hand caravan (without even giving it a once-over) and shuffle in with your kiddos to tour around Australia. Insane, right? Yep, that's our wild story!
We were six months deep into our full-throttle family travels when the idea of living the van life came about. Cruising through Australia's northwest, we were spending a hefty $300 a night on pretty rudimentary digs, like single-room cabins, with the bare necessities and sometimes not even a thread of linen! We knew our wallets couldn't handle this strain for much longer, so we set off on a mission to find a van.
However, it seemed everyone had the same idea. Caravans were flying off the market faster than toilet rolls during the pandemic onset, and we had to think on our feet. Any second-guessing and we'd lose our shot. And lose we did, a couple of times. But luck finally shone on us. When we finally found the one, we were in Broome with plans to cross into the Northern Territory. The van, however, was in Perth - more than 2000km in the wrong direction. Yet, without batting an eyelid, we found ourselves en route to the capital to scoop up our new abode - a 2013 Coromal Element.
After an intense five-day journey, we finally made it back to Perth. Exhausted, exhilarated and feeling quite jittery, we had never towed before and didn't have the foggiest about hitching or setting up a van. Everything we needed, from dishware to linen and outdoor furniture, was stashed away in our storage unit at home on the opposite side of Australia. And so, off to Kmart, we zoomed. While most families take months to prepare and pack their vans before taking off, we did everything on the go!
But that was the smooth part. Just like the start of our global adventure, our leap into van life wasn't without a few stumbles. The thought of towing through city traffic had us biting our nails, but we somehow pulled it off (even with screaming kids in the backseat) bringing it safely to a caravan park in Coogee and parking it without a hitch. It wasn't until we started tucking the girls into their new bunks that we noticed a growing puddle on the floor. A busted hot water system, what a way to celebrate our first night! After several frustrating calls to overrun repairers and sourcing the replacement ourselves, we finally had hot water back a week later.
Thankfully things picked up after that. Our roving home let us park in some extraordinary places, like Osprey Bay at Exmouth, Betty's Beach in Albany, and Lucky Bay in Esperance. We crossed paths with some pretty amazing folks and it pushed our girls to step out of their bubbles and blossom with confidence. A year after picking up the Coromal, we upgraded to a larger car and van so we could venture more off the beaten path. From the tip of Australia, down the east coast, up the Red Centre, and across Outback Queensland, we took our mobile home everywhere.
Fast forward to now, and we, the rookies, have managed to get a grip on this adventurous life. We've gone from caravan novices to seasoned pros, all thanks to the pandemic. It nudged us into an adventure we never thought we'd take and introduced us to an awe-inspiring way of life. When the globe turned the page on lockdowns, we put our caravanning caper on pause to chase the dreams we'd first sketched out. But don't be taken aback if you spot us back on the road again. There's still a huge expanse of Aussie terrain we're itching to discover!