Family
(fam-uh-lee) noun. A unique blend of individuals living, laughing, learning and loving their way through life.
There are a few things that are important to us, like hats and a good road trip but something that triumphs both is family. It’s a dream of ours to one day have a little fam of our own and hit the trifecta by combining all three. So, we asked 5 travelling aussie fams what their favourite adventure is, why and where they’re headed next...
Meet: The Syme’s
Made up of: Brad, Danielle and their two little cubs Harper (6) and Charlie (3)
Location: South Australia
Where they love to adventure/travel & why: We love travelling anywhere that will take us... sometimes we even take the caravan to friends houses and camp in their backyard. We just love getting out as much as possible, we find when we are in the van we are just so tight knit and all seem to get along really well. It’s like the van has this calming spell over us all, it’s our happy place.
Where to next?: Our next big trip we are planning on taking a month off and road tripping to Byron Bay. It’s mine and Brad’s 10 year wedding anniversary in October and originally we wanted to head back to Switzerland where we got married but with the restrictions we are just gonna to make the most of an adventure on our own turf. We’ve never been to Byron and it’s always been on the to-do list so I’m pumped to start planning when the borders open up.
Meet: The Poole’s
Made up of: Kiriana, Lachlan and their two little cubs Riley (3) and Alba (1)
Location: Currently in Lake Macquarie
Where they love to adventure/travel & why: Whilst travelling is all about good produce and cooking for me (mumma), Lachlan is our everything man. Between being pilot of Izzie the Kombi, photographer and campfire chef, Dad loves to fish and surf up north. For our little man Riley, nothing is more important than a good run around in the sand dunes chasing seagulls and toasting marshmallows over the fire. Alba out littlest cub was born on the road and so naturally prefers to sleep whilst the big bus is rolling.
Where to next?: We are excited to head north, hopefully discovering warmer weather and good prawns.
Meet: The Walker’s
Made up of: Tarynn, Ben and their two little cubs Charlie (4.5) and Marlow (20 months)
Location: Coogee, Sydney
Where they love to adventure/travel & why: We love getting away to Byron bay for a mini break or heading for a weekend drive to the southern highlands and royal national park. Most weekends over summer you’ll find us at clovelly or bronte beach with the kids. I’m a family photographer so most weekends I’m working in the evening. We try to enjoy the day together before I have to head to a shoot.
Where to next?: We have a couple of trips planned with Riparide this year. The first one at a beautiful cottage in Bundeena. Great for us city folk looking for a bit of family friendly adventure outside the usual predictable hotel stays. I prefer to stay in places that have character and life to them. Little towns with vintage stores and great local eateries, galleries and nature walks or something really remote and away from it all. We hope to see a lot more of our own country this year with a bit of domestic travel planned. My husband is English, so next winter we will head over to the UK and Europe for a few weeks to escape the cold and enjoy their summer. It will be the first time travelling with both kids overseas.
Meet: The Gerritsen’s
Made up of: Bo, Tye and their three cubs Iggy, Archer and Olive.
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Where they love to adventure/travel & why: We love traveling anywhere on the road, mostly to small country and beachside towns. We love the freedom the open road gives us, the fresh air and new scenery.
Where to next?: Next month we are heading to the coral coast in WA for warmer weather and turquoise seas.
Meet: The Hand’s
Made up of: Mike, Dimity and their two little cubs Zaeli and Ochre
Location: Northern Beaches, Sydney
Where they love to adventure/travel & why: The Ocean is our happy place and we are blessed to live near some of the best beaches in Australia . I love the calming effect the ocean has on us all...toes in the sand and salt water on our skin is what makes us happy. There is something deeply spiritual about the ocean and I love the power it has to clear your mind and provide endless inspiration. We love spending our weekends exploring the beach, going long bike rides or bushwalking.
Where to next?: Right now we feel so content and happy exactly where we are. Never taking any day for granted and feeling blessed to live this life together ! Possibly another baby in the future ...time will tell! Our ultimate dream is to go caravanning around Australia whilst the girls are still young. Exploring everything this amazing country has to offer and learning about the traditional owners of this land.
Meet: The Gerard’s
Made up of: Sam, Chris and their two little cubs Sebastian (9) and Emilia (6)
Location: Nelson, New Zealand
Where they love to adventure/travel & why: We love our own backyard. Travel has been a huge part of our childhood’s and something we have instilled into our family life right from the start. My husband and I both have very busy jobs, so getting away from everything and out into nature (even if it’s just at the local beach or forest down the road) helps keep us grounded. The kids also thrive off adventure and exploring new destinations and so we try to get on the road as much as possible. Which was the inspiration behind my Instagram name – Under the wild stars.
Where to next?: We are on the road again in July, heading to Tekapo, Queenstown and Wanaka to mix in a little work, travel and adventure. We love this part of the country, the landscapes, food and the friendly locals – it’s a bit of a second home for us. In the Winter, we like to head up to Cardrona, one of our favourite local mountains to ski, stay at The Sherwood, drink lots of mulled wine and we will be doing a few bike trails with the kids on this trip too. Then my daughter Emilia and I head north to the beautiful wine country of the Hawkes Bay, in New Zealand’s North Island to do a bit of destination and styling work for my business Wild Hearts.
ENTER GIVEAWAY!
