My wife Pam and I embarked on our first road trip 48 years ago and have not looked back.
And like most travellers right now, it is very hard wanting to be on the move, while we are grounded during COVID-19. Our very first camping trip was in 1972 – just Pam and I in an old Land Rover.
Over the years, we progressed to travelling around in a rooftop camper, then caravans and now motorhomes, so it is fair to say our current road trips are vastly different to those early camping days!
Our current motorhome is fully self-contained with a shower and toilet and solar panels on the roof, which allows us to camp without having to worry about power.
There is also a espresso coffee machine, microwave and a TV – it’s a great set-up. We have journeyed around Australia once; however most of our time on the road is spent travelling through the inland regions and exploring each state.
When we did that trip along the coast of Australia for nine months, our daughter, Emma, was five years old. A couple of years later, we sold our house in Ballarat, Victoria to move to Montville, Queensland, so Emma did her schoolwork on the road with Distance Education Centre Victoria (now Virtual School Victoria).
While we have travelled extensively throughout Australia since, the Sunshine Coast is home.
We purchased our house at Halcyon Parks in Caloundra in 2007 and lived there for seven years. When Halcyon Landing commenced building at Bli Bli, we decided the opportunity to move into a new home and achieve some capital gains at the same time made sense, so we moved to Halcyon Landing in 2013.
Living at Halcyon, we enjoy the friendship and camaraderie of the other homeowners. With our caravanning lifestyle, the ability to lock up and travel, knowing our home is secure, is also important.
Having a motorhome means the freedom to travel without having a set itinerary and the ability to meet new people and make new friends wherever we go. Some of our favourite camping spots are in Western Australia, such as Broome, Ningaloo Reef and Lucky Bay at Cape Le Grand National Park.
At Ningaloo Reef you can camp just back from the beach – it is just a lovely, relaxing place. South Australia has some of our favourite Australian destinations: the Flinders Ranges and the Eyre and Yorke peninsulas are all standout places to visit.
In Queensland, our top caravanning locations are Lawn Hill Gorge, Port Douglas, Cape Tribulation, Longreach and, closer to home, the Scenic Rim.
We love to visit places for nature and relaxation, so we’re very lucky that Queensland is open for Queenslanders and we can travel within the state.
When it is safe to travel again, Pam and I are looking forward to travelling across to Perth to visit family.
