To live the dream...and to keep on dreaming...

[pelbo]

So you have lived the dream .... what do you do next?

We spent 10 years travelling this magnificent country in a caravan. We lived the dream.

But we needed a new one. So we decided to grow up and settle down. We had sold our home in Townsville to fulfil the dream to help fund our ten years of travel. We had decided that we had no desire to live back in the tropics after 40 years of heat and humidity! We had spent most of those ten years travelling bush camping.

So two years ago we took off in our van with the aim to buy a home in a small town somewhere north of Sydney and no further north than Brisbane. Day 1 and 2 was very disappointing looking at houses. We had a day off house hunting so we drove to a little town that we had been past several times in our travels, but we had never turned off the highway to go and visit.

We had no intention of buying property there. We got to the town and fell in love with it immediately. Went for a drive around and found a house for sale just out of town on top of a small hill with marvellous views over the rolling farmland out the front and great views up to the top of the mountains at the rear. Phoned the real estate company and he came out and showed us the house, we made an offer, it was accepted and we bought it.

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Backyard view to hanging rock.JPG

Best decision we ever made. Sold our big van and 4WD and bought a smaller van and Mazda CX-5. We were going to build a spare guest room but it would have cost us $25,000 for a room we never used ourselves. So we decided to buy a 'guest room' with wheels that we could use. Only cost us $11,000 and we can provide a self contained 'guest room'. The little van was ten years old and needed work, but structurally it was sound. The interior was old fashioned and very tired. Stripped it out and painted it white, new curtains and seat covers and we had a new van!

We use the van for weekends away, mainly visiting fairs and events in towns within a few hundred kilometres. Last trip was to Port Macquarie "Tastings on the Hastings" then to Grafton for the 'Jacaranda Festival." Then a week camped on the beach south east of Grafton at Illaroo.

We love living in a small town (Population just 300). The people are friendly. They care about each other. We are back into community and that was something we did miss on our ten years of our travels. The Post Office doesn't deliver mail, so we have to pick it up. But that also means we don't get junk mail and they will hold all our mail until we get back from trips. So we are still living the dream...just a different dream now!

So don't be afraid to sell your home to finance a trip to live your dream. We bought back into the market for less than half the price we sold our home 12 years ago. And we get 4 seasons a year instead of the tropical wet and dry....and heat and humidity. We love autumn and winter. Here is a winter scene just a few k from our home. (We have a log fire 24/7 to keep us warm in winter). We can collect firewood from the State Forest for just $9 a tonne. The usual male prostate problems means I have to get up several times during the night to pee but the benefit is I can also throw another log into the slow combustion wood heater!

Winter.jpg

[pelbo]

Here are a few before and after shots of our little van.

I forgot to mention I also installed a 12v battery and a 12v sytem for lights (all LED) plus a 12v pump for the sink to replace the old hand pump.
Portable fold out solar keeps it all going.

Kitchen.JPG

Kitchen 2.JPG

Dining.JPG

[pelbo]

Dining 2.JPG

Bed.JPG

[brett&kat]

Very nice pelbo. Great little reno of the van, and nice views from the house.....cant complain about that We are hoping to do the same thing as you re. finding somewhere else to settle down. Currently travelling, hopefully for another 5 years, then settle down once our 2 girls are ready for high school. Currently in Kununurra for work, girls off to school next week and our job is till October at the moment. We'll see what happens after that.

[Dot]

Very nice Paul happy at last hey

[BernieQ2]

Mate your living most people's dreams
May I ask the name of your little community?
We moved to Degilbo for much the same reasons.
Hope your dreams are long lasting.
Bernie

[pelbo]

Nundle - 65K south east of Tamworth. 630 metres up the western side of the Great Dividing Range.

[BernieQ2]

I used to live there mainly through the 60s
May have spoke to you on another forum a few years back?
Bernie.

[pelbo]

Yes - I think so....

[pelbo]

I love the way locals give directions to somebody's house....

You won't get "Number 45 Fossickers Way"

I was going to a meeting to join the Westpac Helicopter Support Group.

"The house opposite Mary and Bill's place"

Where''s that?

"Next to Brian and Beryl's place"..........

.....right....