It was my idea. To take my family of six - myself (Dad), Sheree (Mum), Caitlyn (15yrs), Summer (10yrs), Anais (8yrs) and Boston (3yrs), travelling around Australia to film a TV show we called The Great Australian Doorstep. It has proven to be the adventure of a lifetime.
Sure, I had camped before for a weekend or two – without kids, and I had never towed anything in my life. So after deciding to take my nephew Mitchell (15 yrs) along as well, we headed off, blind and oblivious. 
We left from Melbourne in October and set off for Bordertown on the first day of out 17,000 km journey. I was sick of the “are we there yets,” “how much longer Dad” and the constant games of eye spy before we got to the first town. First stop was the local electrical store to buy portable DVD players! As we learned, these are a real must for anyone taking kids on the road, especially if you are doing enormous driving days like we did.
Our plan was to go straight up through the middle of Australia; Coober Pedy, Ayers Rock, Alice Springs, Katherine, Darwin and then turn left and come back down through Broome, Geraldton and Busselton in W.A. It was out on one of these isolated desert roads heading back down through NT and into WA, that we found Spongebob Squarepants! Someone had gone to a lot of trouble having their mail box set up just like him!
We had a Jayco Basestation caravan and we stayed mostly in holiday parks. Mitchell and Caitlyn had their own tent, which we erected under the awning. Meal time was my job as Sheree cannot cook to save herself. Coleman Australia make the best kitchen camp gear and we were fully stocked, so much so we even had a Camp Oven that makes the best roasts ever! I cooked Christmas Lunch for 9 of us, just as easy as I could have at home and I can honestly say it actually tasted better. There are so many options to cooking, don’t think it has to be BBQ every night. BBQ’s aren’t just for cooking your meat or fish. You can roast your vegies on them, boil pasta or rice and make pancakes!
Wildlife
 For most city raised kids, the local zoo or wildlife park is often the only way to see Australia’s diverse wildlife, but out in the Outback, you get to see them in the wild in all their glory. We saw herds of cattle roaming the outback highways, snakes at many of the roadhouses, and even crocs in the river that ran alongside our caravan in Timber Creek. They soon learned to look and listen, especially to listen to the locals who knew all about everything.
As we headed north, I decided it was time to have a ‘routine’ of sorts. Once we planned it, we didn’t look back. We were on the road for four months and everyone had to pitch in. The routine also included school every day from 3-5pm. They actually did a lot more work in those two hours than what they did in an entire day at school.
There is always something happening and it really is exciting travelling on the road. The flat tyres, the ‘No petrol for 563km signs when your tank only holds enough for 420km, the late night noises of nature at work. Don’t think for a minute that it’s stressful because it just isn’t. If money gets tight, believe it or not, there is a lot of work to be had. We ran into so many families who had tried to save for their big trip but there always seemed to be a reason why the money would get spent. So they just thought too bad, let’s go! They would work as they went. Not once did we meet anyone who couldn’t get a few days work here or a few weeks work there. Especially in the caravan parks themselves, they are always looking for an odd jobs person and cleaners and gardeners.
We have now travelled more than 31,000kms with our children and wouldn’t change it for the world. They absolutely love it and their teacher’s even praise what they have learnt. A lot of people ask me what my favourite places have been and to be honest that’s impossible to answer. Whether it’s the beach huts at Cape Leveque, the sheer beauty of Cape Le Grand, Jabiru, Coober Pedy, Cape York or the simple country town of Bremer Bay, they are all second to none.
As for the kids, they all have different favourites. Caitlyn’s was Broome, as that is where they hit the shops!  Summer’s was Coober Pedy as she loved the underground homes and the fact that there wasnt one plant! Not Anais loved Busselton for the horse riding along the beach and Mitchell’s favourite places were Kununurra and Lake Argyle.
The memories we all share, the lifelong friends we have all made, the breakdowns, the mozzie bites, the no air-conditioning for three weeks in 44 degree heat – everything all rolled into one, made these the most exciting, most memorable and down right amazing holidays we have ever had.
So don’t just sit there and dream about it ... get out there and do it! Your kids will love you for it.
- Watch The Great Australian Doorstep Series 2 on the How To Channel (118) Foxtel & Austar,
Tips
- Make the kids run around somewhere safe when you stop to refuel. Get them out of the car as often as you can.
- Make the kids fill out a journal every day.
- Give the kids jobs and make sure they do them
- Take a football – the kids will spend endless hours playing with it and local kids will join in as well
|
