GypsieFamily Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I have finally got around to building my blog about out travel around Australia. I haven't ironed out all the bugs yet, and finished putting everything up. But if people could have a look and enjoy it, too, that would be great :) Amy http://www.livinontheroad.com.au Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Wow! You took the plunge while the rest of us just think about it! :001_smile: What motivated you to take off for over a year? What have been the highlights and the negatives. I'd love to hear! :bigear: P.S. Your blog looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GypsieFamily Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 Hi Cleopatra, Thanks for the encouragement, it's been a steep learning curve to build a website. We had talked about doing it for ages, but it was something we finally realized that we needed to bite the bullet and take the plunge, so to speak, or we would never do it. It's been working well for our family dynamics most of the time (except when dd8 and ds9 have those days that they argue a lot. We also enjoy seeing the next place and learning a little more about something new that we haven't been exposed to before. We move rather slowly, because we don't like days that we drive all day, and it takes us a little bit of time each day to get ready and moving. Highlights would definitely have been central Australia, getting to see Uluru, Kings Canyon, and the Olgas was fantastic. Going skiing was another highlight, particularly for dh and the kids. The negatives are those days that it's wet and we all are stuck inside, or those days that we struggle to get moving and just sit around and think that there's no point doing this if we don't move. In general, we really do enjoy it, and it works well. Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thea Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Totally awesome! My dh would love to do that, however, we are just going to take a 2 month road trip around the country in March. I look forward to following you! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Fun :) Taking them to central QLD from central Vic all on my lonesome was enough fun for a while, but that was ages ago... :) Rosie- with itchy feet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Hi Cleopatra,Thanks for the encouragement, it's been a steep learning curve to build a website. We had talked about doing it for ages, but it was something we finally realized that we needed to bite the bullet and take the plunge, so to speak, or we would never do it. It's been working well for our family dynamics most of the time (except when dd8 and ds9 have those days that they argue a lot. We also enjoy seeing the next place and learning a little more about something new that we haven't been exposed to before. We move rather slowly, because we don't like days that we drive all day, and it takes us a little bit of time each day to get ready and moving. Highlights would definitely have been central Australia, getting to see Uluru, Kings Canyon, and the Olgas was fantastic. Going skiing was another highlight, particularly for dh and the kids. The negatives are those days that it's wet and we all are stuck inside, or those days that we struggle to get moving and just sit around and think that there's no point doing this if we don't move. In general, we really do enjoy it, and it works well. Amy Amy, Thanks for the quick run-down. You're so encouraging to me! We've been thinking of traveling to France and staying anywhere from 3 months to a year; to see your blog gave me inspiration. It probably wouldn't happen for another few years but it's always percolating in the backs of our minds. In spite of the enormous effort it can take to make it work, traveling together builds memories; treasures that stay with you forever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GypsieFamily Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 Thanks ladies, it is nice to know that other people enjoyed it. The hardest thing is getting started because of those niggling doubts. I'd love to goto Europe when we finished australia, but we can't work there so it makes it harder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 We're hoping dh can work towards a job where instead of taking four weeks holiday per year, he can take 8 weeks of half days, so we can travel during that time. We'll have to see what happens. He's not the type that could handle more than an hour or two of fruit picking, so he needs to stick to his day job, lol. :) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Amy, how wonderful! I hope you're not anywhere near all the flooding that's been occurring there.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GypsieFamily Posted February 10, 2011 Author Share Posted February 10, 2011 The hardest thing is taking that plunge and doing it anyway, Cleopatra, so even if you try it for a month and so and see how you go. That sounds like a great idea to do holidays at half-pay, Rosie. Neither of us could handle fruit picking, either, but as I'm a pharmacist and dh is an electrician we just pick up short term work. It makes it easier that we have jobs that we can do that with. We've dodged floods a few times, the main one being when we were up in the high country for winter. We had to leave because of the forecast flooding. It was uncharacteristically wet when we went to Central, so we got to see Uluru with waterfalls. That was pretty special! At the moment, the van is being repaired, so we've jumped on a houseboat on the Murray, which was minor flooding. Thanks for the encouragement, I spent this afternoon adding photos to the blog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 We had to leave because of the forecast flooding. It was uncharacteristically wet when we went to Central, so we got to see Uluru with waterfalls. That was pretty special! WOW! Oh, I swear if I had some money in the bank, dh would come home tonight to find a note on the table saying we'd be back soon. (-ish :lol:) I think I have to stop reading this thread. I bet I can't though :lol: !! Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GypsieFamily Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 I swear if I had some money in the bank, dh would come home tonight to find a note on the table saying we'd be back soon. (-ish :lol:) Rosie Money in the bank would be nice! We have no money because this is the lifestyle choice we are making. It works most of the time, but we do have to stop for a few weeks here and there for work. So far we've stopped in Bendigo, Sea Lake, Hopetoun, Roxvy Downs, and Penola for work. That's five towns in thirteen months! It's part of the reason why his will take us years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I look forward to reading! Taking a year off and travelling around the country seems very common here in Australia. At least, in the two years I've been here I must have met or heard of a dozen families who have done so, are doing it, or have plans to do so in the next year. In 30-something years in South Africa I don't ever remember hearing of a family doing that. I know of one family who are going to combine fly-in-fly-out work with travelling around Australia - he will keep his regular FIFO job, and pay the difference to make it back to his home city, while the family wait out his work period in a nice spot. I like that idea for down the line - I can't see either dh or I doing fruit picking! Nikki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Brilliant! I have bookmarked your site for reference while we ponder about our own Big Trip Around Oz plans. We'd love to meet up with your family if you come to Tassie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Money in the bank would be nice! We have no money because this is the lifestyle choice we are making. It works most of the time, but we do have to stop for a few weeks here and there for work. So far we've stopped in Bendigo, Sea Lake, Hopetoun, Roxvy Downs, and Penola for work. That's five towns in thirteen months! It's part of the reason why his will take us years! You found work in Bendigo! You must be clever! :tongue_smilie: Rosie- recently moved from there ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GypsieFamily Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 The locum company just let me know that bendigo needed a pharmacist for three weeks. I really prefer the smaller towns, but we stayed at the showgrounds there. That ended up being a bit special as a circus camped next to us for 10 days, and we could hear the lions roaring. Our kids played with the circus kids in their circus tent all day. What a great idea Nikki to do FIFO as a way of working around. I always thought it was common, as my parents and our next door neighbors when I was little had done it. They were both in their late 20s. Most of the people we meet are older couples, or young backpackers usually from Europe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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