OUTBACK IS BEST
A shock diagnosis convinced me to change my life
I took in the sparse landscape
Emily Robinson, 41, all over Oz!
Sitting at my computer, I tried to nish my work before the baby woke up. It was 2012, and I was working on a new university course.
My husband, Chris, 34, and I had moved to the UK four years earlier, after meeting in Australia.
We’d since welcomed our son, Tom, then 18 months.
Determined to be the best mum possible and also excel as a lecturer in animal behaviour, I barely had a minute to rest. But I wanted to do it all – and do it well.
In March 2012, I found out I was pregnant again, but devastatingly lost the baby soon after.
Despite having surgery to remove the tissue, I felt sick for weeks afterwards.
en my doctor called. “You have a tumour, you have to come to hospital tomorrow for chemo,” he said bluntly.
“What?” I cried. “I’ve had a miscarriage, not cancer.”
“You have gestational trophoblastic disease, a cancerous tumour grew in your womb,” he explained.
Chris’s eyes widened when I told him and he clutched my hand.
“We’ll get through this,” he promised. “I’ll look after Tom. You just get better.”
My heart ached with guilt. Had I caused this cancer by taking on too much?
Shocked, I began chemo the very next day.
It knocked me around for six months and I had to give up work, but the break gave me a new perspective.
I’d been trying so hard to be a superwoman that I’d burnt myself out.
My relationships with my husband and son had been a ected because I was never present with them.
“is hustle and bustle lifestyle isn’t how I’d like to bring up Tom, I just want to focus on you guys,” I told Chris.
For months, we discussed options.
“What about moving back to Australia?” I suggested to Chris.
By then, I’d been declared cancer free and although we’d miss our loved ones in the UK, it felt right.
Chris found a mining job in the tiny outback town of Capella, Qld.
In July 2013 he went there to set us up. ree months later Tom and I joined him.
At our new home, I took in the sparse landscape and empty streets.
“Do you hate it?” Chris asked, worried. “ere’s only 900 people here and the closest shop is 40 minutes away. I know it could get a bit boring.”
“I love it,” I cried. “It feels so free and peaceful.”
For the rst time, I didn’t force myself to do anything other than be with my family and I’d never felt happier. I played with Tom during the day and snuggled up to Chris each night when he came home from work.
A year later, we bought a property with 6.5 acres, where we kept chooks and grew veggies.
I joined the local playgroup and Country Women’s Association, and ran the local scouts group.
Tom started prep, which included about 25 students, but he became shutdown from the busy days, so after
two years we decided to homeschool him.
In 2015 we welcomed our daughter Lottie, then Bella two years later. In time they were homeschooled, too.
As the kids got older, we’d have a blast riding dirt bikes, taking our boat to the dam and going camping.
“Our family has changed so much since I prioritised being more present,”
I re ected to Chris one day.
Maybe I could help other overworked parents to adapt to this new mindset, too? I thought.
So, in 2017, I started an online parenting coaching business.
When Bella was four, she was diagnosed with autism and pathological demand avoidance, which meant she found it impossible to do what we asked her to and had frequent tantrums where she’d hurt herself.
It was challenging, but being present and staying emotionally connected to her completely transformed her behaviour.
I used my experience to help other parents with kids on the spectrum.
Later that year, we felt ready for a change.
“is town’s getting a bit small for us,” Chris admitted.
“Well, if we’re moving, why don’t we travel rst?” I suggested.
I worked remotely and knew the kids would learn loads on the road. “Let’s do it,” Chris smiled. We bought a motorhome, sold our belongings and put the house up for sale.
In November 2021, we began travelling full-time.
e kids loved it.
“Oh Mum, this is so beautiful,” Lottie cried every day.
Chris still works at the mine, ying in from wherever we are, while
I stay with the kids.
Over the past two years, Chris, 47, Tom, 13, Lottie, eight, Bella, six, and I have experienced many amazing adventures.
Visiting Uluru was breathtaking.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Chris said, awestruck as we strolled across the red sand.
e kids loved diving into the waterfalls and creeks in Litch eld National Park, NT.
A highlight for all of us was snorkelling the Ningaloo Reef in WA, swimming with whale sharks and sea lions.
Although travelling can be full on, it’s been great to show the kids that stress is normal and nothing is ever perfect, but we can get through anything together.
It’s also helped me re ect on how far I’ve come from my hectic life in the UK. I’ve never felt happier. Instead of trying to be Superwoman, I now just devote most of my time to my family.
We’re planning to settle in Queensland again next year as Tom wants to go to high school.
But for now, I’m enjoying life on the road, making precious memories and being present with the people I love most.
The kids would learn on the road