When Roger and Julie Buttenshaw put their Halcyon Landing home up for sale, they were delighted to sell it in two days.
Even though their new home at B by Halcyon won’t be ready until early next year, they are using the time and the capital gains they made to head off on an eight-month road trip.
“We will be travelling to Cairns to see the children and grandchildren,” Roger said.
“Spending some time at Sorrento on the Gold Coast with Julie’s mum, visiting friends in country New South Wales and taking a trip down to McLaren Vale in South Australia.
“Our address for a while will be ‘no fixed abode’ as we will be doing a bit of couch surfing.’’
The Buttenshaws had originally planned to take the trip in their new Horizon Banksia Fiat Ducato motorhome but had to make alternate arrangements when they were told that it would not be ready until November, hence the need for couch surfing.
Roger (biology teacher for 41 years) and Julie (medical receptionist) retired six years ago and bought their first motorhome.
“One of the first things we did after retiring was to buy an existing home at Halcyon Landing,’’ Roger said.
“We realised living at Halcyon made it so easy to lock the house – know that it was safe and secure – and hit the road. We were travelling for about six months of the year, every year. We did 125,000 kilometres in that motorhome.”
Roger said that the current booming real estate market meant that making the move to a new architect-design house at B by Halcyon was financially easy.
“The block we have chosen points north, and this time we get to have input into the customisation of the new house, and we have chosen a design with a more open plan and bigger patio.
“The fact that we don’t pay entry or exit fees, or stamp duty, makes this move economically viable for us.’’
Both Roger and Julie agree that so far, the highlight of their past travels has been a five-month journey around Australia in 2016 and 2017.
“The best part was seeing The Kimberley in Western Australia. The red dirt there is amazing as was the drive down the west coast,” he said.
“During the trip we caught up with seven other groups from Halcyon Landing at Streaky Bay, on the coastline of Western Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. That was pretty special too.”
