Car - 2016 Nissan Patrol Y62. V8 Petrol.
Caravan - 2015 Jayco Expanda Outback full van (21.64) with a queen bed, double bed and double bunk)
Current time on the road - 6 months to date, left in July 2018.
Planned time on the road - 12 months.
What lead us to travel Australia - We had always wanted to travel Australia. Its the new Aussie dream right? Its something that we had always spoken about as a family. We never really thought it was achievable until we hit retirement age or at least when the kids left home. We both worked hard, Allison working in a government role and myself being self employed for 14 years. We were paying off our mortgage as well as having a couple of investment properties. Working day in day out we were setting ourselves up for the future. We weren't really living for the now. What if we didn't make retirement, what if we got sick and couldn't travel. This is where the name “Livan For Now” was born. We decided to live for now, rather than live for the future. We sold our investment properties, sold most of our household items, donated a lot to charity, and disposed a lot of built up items we had accumulated over the years. This was such a cleansing process in itself and we felt a huge relief even before leaving on our journey.
We have seen first hand the possibilities of what holding off on a dream can do. Ally’s parents both wanted to travel this Country. Its all they ever spoke about when Ally was growing up. Unfortunately Ally’s mother passed away of cancer at the age of 49 and her father later surcome to cancer at the age of 66. Both had the dream to travel this country but unfortunately they were taken too young to achieve this. We travel this Country in honor of them and their memories......
Our first impression of the outback - As a family of beach and ocean lovers we had no real expectations of the outback. It was never something we discussed when planning our trip. To be honest it didn’t really appeal to us. Living in a country that is comprised of 70% outback we knew that we would eventually have to venture into what was for us, the unknown. I guess you could say we were a little nieve.
Beginning our journey North along the coastline we were spoilt with white sands and beautiful beaches. The green rolling hills and the tropical oasis that is North Queensland.The exploration of the east coast had come to an end and it was time for us to venture west, inland, “The Outback”........
We had travelled west from Cairns along the Savannah Way exploring and camping at several small townships along the way. Although we had slowly slipped away from the green rolling hills of the Athetton Tablelands into the dry arid scenery along the Savannah, we didn't really feel we were entering the outback...
There was one day on the road that changed this for us. We had stayed a few nights at Karumba in the Gulf of Carpentaria. We packed up and left this town to continue our journey west and into the red centre. We decided to take a “short cut” along the Savannah Way that would half the time of our original journey to a fee camp at Leichardt Falls. It was along this “short cut” that we finally started to appreciate and understand what the “outback” really was..... “Welcome to the Outback, Sealby’s”.
Our first unsealed road.... The thick red dirt sandblasting our caravan as we traverse the corrugated section of the Savannah Way. Rocks spitting from the tyres, kite hawks circling above and not a soul to be seen. Ally and I looked at each, we had driven this unsealed, hot and humid road for hours without another human in sight. The red talcum like dust had eventually covered our entire set up from top to bottom. It had embedded itself into every nook and cranny it could get itself into.
The strange thing about what was happening on this road was that we actually loved it. How was it that a beach loving family could admire such a dry, baron dust bowl that is “The Outback”. Its hard to explain, the dust gets into your veins and you become one with it. The ever changing landscape, the complete isolation. There's nothing but you and the land.We had crossed the Queensland border and entered the Northern Territory.We have explored the heart of the outback. and the Red Centre exemplifies the outback.
There is something very spiritual about this part of the country. Its hard to explain. The day we arrived at Uluru and saw the rock for the first time had brought a tear to my eyes. I'm not sure why., there is a magical connection you make with this place. The energy you feel when you place your hands on her cannot be explained. In my opinion, its the beating heart of the outback and of our country.
Could it be that we had fallen in love with the outback? The answer- YES.........Our biggest travel tip for the outback- if we had some tips for travelling the outback it would be to just go with it. Don’t fight it. Let the red dirt enter your pores, enter your veins and become one with it. Its inevitable that you will travel the outback while exploring this country of ours, so have an open mind and be willing to step outside of your comfort zone. There's so much to do and see out there so stop making excuses and live for now..............
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