Doing the ‘lap’ of wide brown land
Mum, Dad and the kids are off on a big Australian adventure
WHAT does 12 months on the road with two kids in tow look like?
It’s a question one Cairns family will soon be able to answer.
Amanda Brownhill, a Catholic Education teacher’s aide and school officer, is setting off on a trip around Australia with her husband Dave Clews and their two children, Lachlan, 9, and Samuel, 8.
“We purchased our first caravan and on the second outing, we had declared to all the grey nomads around us that we too were going to embark on a trip around Australia, affectionately known as ‘The Big Lap’,” Amanda explained.
“This was back in 2015 – fast forward three years, we’re on our second van, our house is packed into a 20-foot shipping container, Gumtree sales are fast and furious, charity bins are full and we are ready to set off on the adventure of a lifetime.”
The mother-of-two said it was the perfect opportunity to use “all of Dave’s long service leave” and spend some quality time with their two boys.
“With approximately 20 short trips under our belt, we have streamlined the packing process and Amanda’s organisational skills have kicked into overdrive to use every nook in the van to its full capacity,” husband Dave Clews said.
Amanda said they will document their travels on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube in the hope of inspiring others to “get out and see this great country of ours”.
“Everyone always asks us: ‘What are you doing for the long weekend?’” she said. “Our answer now is we are having one big ‘long weekend away’.
“We would love people to follow our journey – The Long Weekend Away – where we will share thousands of photos and videos, of packing and camping tips and amazing locations along the way.”
Being an electrician, Dave has installed all the gadgets to make the trek a little easier, including solar, battery systems, 12-volt, fans and USB ports.
The family climbed aboard their trusty Mazda BT50 with a 16-foot Jayco Expanda Outback to set off on their adventure on Saturday.
“What does 12 months on the road look like to us? Homeschooling, red dirt, new friends, campfires, cold showers, happy hours, card games, reading, hiking, bike riding, reviewing bakery pies and doughnuts, the Spirit of Tasmania, Uluru, cattle station visits, sunsets in Broome, the long drive across the Nullarbor Plain, beaches, mountains and everything in between,” Amanda said ahead of their trek. “We will take our time and when it’s time to head home, we’ll make our away across and visit the places we missed out on.
“The boys are especially excited to go to Wet ‘n’ Wild on the Gold Coast, Uluru and the Spirit of Tasmania. We are spending a month in Tasmania.
“We are all really looking forward to seeing the Western Australia coastline, camels in Broome, Cape Levique and would love to spend some time on an outback cattle station.”
The boys’ education will also be based on their road trip.
According to their Facebook page: “As part of our homeschooling adventure, the boys may write and take photos for the page from time to time,” Amanda wrote.
“This will form part of their assessments for English, geography, technology and well, just about every subject really.”
When asked how they would cope with homeschooling, Amanda said they would “because our kids listen and we bribe and if we can’t be stuffed some days we won’t.”
“We will set expectations and I have created a fairly loose plan of school work.
“I’m confident that they will love it, and the only reason they’ll want to go back to school is to see their friends – it’s their main motivator.”
Asked how they are paying for the trip, Amanda was similarly honest.
“Long service leave, annual leave, banked RDOs and savings … We are not rich and we are not poor,,” she said.
WE WILL TAKE OUR TIME AND WHEN IT’S TIME TO HEAD HOME, WE’LL MAKE AWAY ACROSS AND VISIT THE PLACES WE MISSED OUT ON NEXT TIME AMANDA BROWNHILL