Ten Years, Ten Thousand Stories: Celebrating a Decade on the Road
Ten years ago this month, we left Perth with a caravan behind us and absolutely no idea what we were starting. We thought we were heading off on an adventure. We didn’t realise we were heading off on a long term lifestyle.
A decade later, here we are — about to swap the open road for a permanent front door in Foster, Victoria — and it feels like the right moment to look back at what ten years of full-time travel actually added up to.
The Numbers That Still Surprise Us
Nine Nullarbor crossings. Every state and territory in the country, some of them more times than we can count. Cape York, right up to the tip of the northern most point of Mainland Australia. Cockle Creek, the southern most point of Tasmania, and to the southern most accessible point by car on mainland Australia, the Telegraph Saddle Car Park in Wilsons Promontory National Park, Victoria.
The Places That Got Under Our Skin
Some trips you do once and tick off. Others pull you back. We found ourselves returning again and again to volunteer at the Women’s Museum of Australia (formerly the National Pioneer Women’s Hall of Fame) in the Old Alice Springs Gaol — there was something about being part of that story, not just passing through it, that kept calling us back.
Caretakers at a caravan park in Smithton, Tasmania. A place where we found a community and thought maybe, one day, we will call it home.
We swapped the caravan for other roofs more than once, too — farm and house sits that let us live somewhere properly for a while instead of just visiting. A chicken and egg farm in South Australia, Dexter cattle, cats and a beautiful Kelpie in the Porongorups, Western Australia, Alpaca’s, sheep and yet more chickens in different parts of Victoria, and numerous pets to shower love on in comfortable homes. We always felt/feel very privileged with the trust shown to us by the homeowners.
And wherever we could, we found our way to the footy — proud Fremantle Dockers supporters, a long way from home, cheering just as loudly – MCG Melbourne, Adelaide Oval, Marvel Stadium, Manuka Oval Canberra, and the Blundstone Arena Hobart.
The Companions Along the Way
We can’t tell this story without a nod to Winston, our Yorkshire Terrier, who travelled with us for a few years before we made the hard but right call to find him a quieter life once the road became too much for him. He’s loved, and he’s missed, and he’s part of this decade too.
Over ten years on the road, the people we met became as much a part of the journey as the places themselves. There were the caravan park regulars who became firm friends over a shared cuppa and a campfire, the fellow grey nomads who swapped track notes and towing tips like currency, and the locals in tiny towns who welcomed two travellers and a dog like old friends the moment we rolled in. We shared farm sits with owners who trusted us with their animals and their homes, worked alongside fellow volunteers who became mates, and crossed paths with characters at festivals and markets who gave us stories we’re still telling years later. Some faces we only saw once, over one memorable night under the stars. Others we crossed paths with again and again, in different states, different years, like the road kept finding ways to bring us back together. Ten years in, we’ve come to think the best souvenirs were never the ones you could pack in a caravan.
Why Foster, Why Now
Two things nudged this decision along. The car and the caravan aren’t as young as they used to be — and neither are we. Ten years of corrugated roads and long hauls take their toll on machinery and knees alike, and there comes a point where you’d rather make that call on your own terms than have it made for you.
But if we’re honest, it wasn’t the car or our knees that really decided it. It was the people. Foster has welcomed us with a warmth we didn’t expect and couldn’t have planned for — friends who’ve made us feel like we belong before we’ve even properly unpacked. That sense of community, of being genuinely wanted somewhere, is what turned “maybe we’ll settle down eventually” into “this is the place.”
It feels fitting that this anniversary lands right as we’re settling in Foster. Ten years of finding new places is about to be followed by the adventure of putting down roots in one — Jude getting involved at the Op Shop and the Museum, Ray finally getting his Men’s Shed fix, and figuring out what it means to stay somewhere on purpose after a decade of always moving on.
Settling in Foster isn’t the end of our exploring — it’s just a change of pace. The big laps and long hauls might be behind us, but there’s still plenty of places we haven’t properly gotten to know, day trips waiting to happen, and new corners to discover without ever needing to pack up the awning. We’re simply trading the horizon for a home base, and exploring life from right here instead. Stay tuned……….
Smiffs Travel Oz 