FLASHPACKERS TRAVEL

It is nearly 8 months to the day from when we left our home in Woodend for a life on the road.

Initially pet sitting, then into a gorgeous rental in Daylesford for four months.  In hindsight, the time we spent in our cottage was a true blessing.  It reconnected us with each other and with the things we love, bush walking, bird watching, eating pizza, drinking champagne and relaxing in the huge spa bath with a candle or two.

We have moved from a 25 sq home and planned for seven months of house-sits with a box of kitchen supplies and a couple of suitcases, then we moved into a 7sq cottage, which was cosy and perfect.  It had a lounge, a bedroom, a kitchen/dining and a bathroom.

It is so incredible, and freeing, to realise that this is all the space that you need.  It was perfect.

During our time in our little cottage we decided that we were shifting our travel plans to a life on the road for 12 months and this involved the purchase of a caravan.  Greg actually came up with the idea.  I mean, we had talked about getting a van, but not for another 4 – 5 years at least!  As soon as he said it, it just made sense.  It felt like being lost in a forest and then suddenly we were walking on the path to a beautiful open field.

Don’t get us wrong, purchasing a van scared the fuck out of us, but also reignited the love we have of travel, of sharing life together and for seeing more of this beautiful country that we live in.  

And so began the search for the ‘right’ van.  We had some specific ‘must-haves’……

1. It had to be Australian built
2. The bed had to be North/South facing and super comfortable
3. It had to have a shower/toilet AND a washing machine!
4. There was no compromise on a fully functional kitchen, and
5. It had to be off road and able to be off grid.

And so the search for the right van began.  I worked a nightshift with a colleague who put me onto a family that have travelled around Australia for the past 4 years and they mentioned purchasing a ‘Sunseeker’, so we looked into it and it ticked all our requests.

The wait for our van was agonising!

We had no way of going to the factory as our travel was hampered by COVID-19 restrictions, so we made our purchase sight unseen.  It was scary as fuck.

Two weeks after we picked up our van, the factory was shut down for the six week enforced lockdown to Melbourne, after Victoria was declared a State of Disaster.  We were SO lucky.

We were so excited picking the van up from the factory, it really was like picking up a new puppy.  We are so happy with the fit out and the floor plan is so comfortable and easy.

We had no idea how we were going to move into the tiny space of “sqm”, but it was actually easy.

It has only been one week, but we feel so at home. 

Oh, and the name of our van is;

Morrie.

Can you guess why we called him that?

A big clue, Greg being a drummer and very musical, came up with his name! 

I think it is perfect.

So everyone, meet Morrie!

It is hard to believe it is nearly September of 2020.  Despite the hardship so many have been through, this year has also gone incredibly fast.

We have faced challenges and also were able to still create our own joy and happy moments, but we have made a further decision to our travel plans.  We have decided to defer our travels until February, 2021.

Honestly it just feels right and we feel blessed to still be able to work and enjoy getting to know Morrie a little better!

See ya, until next time,

The Flashpackerstravel 🙂