Ten days on the road with an Aussie family caravanning full-time
Stacee and Rory quit their jobs, sold their business and packed up their lives with their three kids. They share a glimpse into their extraordinary new life on the road.
Ever wondered what life travelling in a caravan full-time is like? Just ask the Bell family.
In February, Stacee and Rory Bell, both 37, quit their jobs, sold their trucking company near Albury in NSW, and took off with kids Louis, 7, Saige, 4, and two year-old Maisie for the trip of a lifetime.
The family-of-five has covered plenty of ground since, forgoing luxuries like constant phone reception, internet access and a washing machine for a life on the road.
While most Aussie kids spend five days sitting in a classroom, the Bell children are homeschooled around their adventures, and activities like fishing and playing outside take priority over screentime.
While their home on wheels is smaller than the average four walls, the Bells’ adventures make the van “much harder” to keep clean, with Ms Bell also playing navigator and travel agent when it comes to where they’ll sleep, eat and fill up the fuel tank or pantry.
But the ins and outs are all worth it for them.
“It’s been just over six months, there’s no end date at the moment, which is exciting, a bit daunting, but we absolutely love it,” Ms Bell said.
“We’ll just keep going until we get sick of it or find a place that feels like home … every day for us is an adventure.”
As they travelled from Queensland’s Cape York down to Cairns, Ms Bell gave a peek inside what 10 days of life in their caravan is like.
DAY ONE
We’ve woken up in Punsand Bay and it’s pack-up day.
We’ve all slept in of course, it’s been a huge few days up here at “The Tip”, Cape York. There is a feeling among the family that we are just not wanting to leave. It’s been a rite of passage to make it up here. And now what?
Maybe we are just sad this part of our trip is done, or maybe it’s a feeling of achievement and what comes next.
We’ve lost Louis in the park again, he has gone to say goodbye to his friends. The resilience the kids have saying goodbye all the time makes us proud parents.
On to those mundane tasks that all travellers have to do: wait in line to get fuel and water, visit the dump point and, of course, spend more money of feeding the tribe – $60 later and I’ve literally only bought bread, milk and fruit.
We are heading off-grid for another week, making our way south towards Cooktown.
We sigh in relief when we reach the Jardine Ferry. Its working today – it wasn’t yesterday.
A very quick 30-second ride and it’s straight on to the gravel pit near Fruit Bat Falls to drop the van off. We have to unhitch it here to get back in to the Falls.
I open the door to the van cautiously, praying nothing has broken, and it hasn’t. So happy with how our van is handling the corrugated roads.
Fruit Bat Falls is one of the prettiest places in Australia and a beautiful spot to swim. We spend too long here, again not wanting to leave.
We have a big day of driving tomorrow, full of more red dirt and corrugations, so it’s early to bed for us all, ready for an early start.
DAY TWO
It’s quiet when we wake, that’s the best part of being off-grid – the sounds of birds and the gentle breeze.
Rory gets the coffee machine going, a morning ritual for us, and yes, we bought our machine along with us. This saves us money and makes us feel at home in our van. Those creature comforts.
We try to get our act together. This morning we know we are tackling lots of corrugations about five hours’ worth.
It’s a hard drive for Rory, always navigating the safest and easiest route on the road. We’ll dodge potholes, dust holes, a snake and what we call steeples (little mountains of corrugations).
Let’s get this done. We drive on out and wave to the other few caravans who have made the stop at the gravel pit.
These guys are tackling the Old Telegraph Track today, along with so many keen 4WDers. They have the right gear, winches, snorkels and an eagerness to take on the renowned track
We’re eager to get to Bramwell – I want to check that all is ok inside the van. I know I checked every latch twice, but this road is known for microwaves falling out, or the shower door.
They say from one week to the next the roads can change in The Cape, and they’re right. The worst part of the trip up is an easy run now as there has been some road grading done.
We pull into Bramwell – the kids want an ice cream. It’s mid-morning but ok, maybe it will keep them quiet for another few hours of driving.
We are aiming for a free camp called The Bend at Coen. Apparently, it has a tree swing and one of the very few croc-free swimming holes up here. We are vigilant on this and do our research.
Two more hours, a nap for Maisie, more snacks for the other two and we pull in to The Bend. It is busy, but we manage to find a spot with a view of the river.
We get on to our jobs. It’s minimal set-up as its only an overnighter, but the van’s legs go down.
We head down for a quick dip – Louis shows off on the tree swing.
Saige and Maisie play until they can’t see any more outside with their imaginative games.
Dinner time and it’s a family movie while I scroll back and forth from Google Maps to Wiki Camps trying to figure out the next few days’ stays.
DAY THREE
We wake up and start with the pack-up, again.
The kids know we have a few overnighters ahead, so they are pretty good with not getting everything out.
We have taped, bubble-wrapped, tightened screws, all in the hope there is no damage to our caravan. It is our home on wheels, so some said we were crazy taking it to The Tip, but we knew we had picked a great manufacturer in Vibe and that it is 100 per cent Australian owned and made.
We head off out of Coen and stop at the general store to try to pick up a copy of the local paper. We are hoping to see if they feature Louis, he won the whip-cracking event at the Weipa Rodeo.
We buckle up and spot the odd town dog wandering, and the iconic bulls that roam free in the town.
It’s bumpy. Maisie is asleep. The dust holes have started. At one point it is four abreast on this corrugated dirt road. Two north, two south. We travel in the spoon drain a lot.
It’s not far now to Hann River. We stayed here on the way up, I say to the kids: “Do we want to stop here?”
They are a big yes, they know there is a playground and animals to pat.
We have a play, pat Dexter the calf and have some lunch. It’s time to hit the road again.
We have a few choices for the overnight stop, I decide on the Pennsiula Hotel at Laura. It’s been mentioned a few times to us so we thought we’d give it a go. There is power and water. My first thought is, “Yes, I can wash some clothes”, and I’m sure Rory is thinking, “Yes, I can hose down the van”.
We pull into a shady spot and instantly spy another family.
Without even opening the van door, the kids are off playing. We go and introduce ourselves and bond with the other family, who are also travelling full-time.
On the way back to the van we get the common question: “Did you guys take your set up that all the way to the Tip?”
When we say yes, they’re surprised, as we have a big van, a 24-foot triple bunk, towed by a Ram 2500 and with a Quintrex 350 boat on top.
Back to the van, I go in and do the doom call: “Rory, the microwave’s moved!”
He inspects, gets the drill and fixes it promptly. Lucky we are pretty handy at fixing things these days.
Everything else looks fine, only one day left of dirt and back roads. We are heading to Elim Beach tomorrow, via the Endeavour Battle Camp Rd.
I get the kids and we go for a walk, and we find the local lady from the general store surrounded by hundreds of galahs.
We head back to sit on the grassed area behind the pub and watch a worker call in some blue-winged kookaburras.
We can’t be bothered cooking, so it’s the pub for tea. Rory and I order the barramundi and it is delicious.
We collect the toys Saige has left at a neighbouring van on the way back, then it’s a shower
for all of us and early to bed, ready to do it all again tomorrow.
DAY FOUR
It’s another late start, maybe this is our awake time now. Caravan kids do sleep later they say, you can keep the van dark for a long time.
We roll on out of Laura. To our left is bitumen and the “easy” route, the right is back through Old Laura and along the Normanby River with a few water crossings and dirt.
We decide to turn right, and are bee-lining for Elim Beach Camping.
As we arrive we are greeted by Ivan, he shows us a few different spots we can pull our van into. We can see green grass and pick that! The grass feels so good, we will do a couple nights here.
After lunch we decide on a beach walk, its low tide so the best time to avoid the crocs. They kids spot hermit crabs and we sink into some sand.
The kids are muddy, we’ve had fun but the tide is coming in fast, so we hightail it back to the caravan.
It’s very warm here, we all want a swim but we settle for a cold drink on the grass in the shade with a game of Connect 4 and soccer.
The tide has come in fully and there was a whisper that dolphins can be spotted, so we walk to the shoreline. Louis and Rory put their fishing rods in, to no avail.
We spot the dolphins! Fleeting but many in the distance.
It’s homemade pizza night and once again the day is done.
Tomorrow we will venture to the coloured sandhills. This place is pretty magical.
DAY FIVE
I wake to the smell of rain. Rory says: “Good morning and welcome back to the east coast.” We laugh, it’s always raining along it.
Another slow morning, our life now. We have an omelette for breaky. We are getting low on food, I need to do a big shop soon.
We get ready for the morning and wait for the tide to go out. There is the odd shower as
I start the massive clean-up of the inside of the van. There are red fingerprints on every door handle. I’m not even sure we will ever be rid of the red dirt, but I give it a good crack.
Then it’s time for us to head down the beach and check out the rainbow sandhills that make Elim Beach famous.
We drive along the beach a short way, stopping to ask for directions along the way, find the discreet entry and head up the sand canyon.
It is so beautiful – colours of white, red, orange and black sand. It’s a fair hike to get to the top, we make it, hand over foot at one stage.
Once we get to the top, we have a fantastic view of the ocean and Cape Bedford.
The way down is a massive sandhill.
The kids start running and it’s turmoil, they all fall at different times and there is sand everywhere. We are laughing though.
At the beach as we walk back to the car, its low tide so we spot an amazing purple-coloured crab, many hermit crabs, and some mudskippers.
It starts to rain and we are now drenched. “More washing” is my first thought, but we are all still smiling.
We head back to the caravan for a late lunch. Louis wants to check out the beach again before the tide comes in. We head down again and find more of the same things.
Maisie and Saige spend some time playing with other travellers’ dogs. They love dogs a lot and are always so keen to pat any that let them.
We have a go at packing up, awning in and we fix some of the breakages from the corrugations.
It’s another early night in, we all have sore legs! We still haven’t decided where we will head camp for the night tomorrow but will go to Cooktown to explore.
DAY SIX
After yesterday’s massive day climbing and running down the sand dunes, we are off to another slow start.
It’s Father’s Day, so the kids are excited to give Rory some presents and homemade cards. We pack up and head off to the next destination, The Lions Den Hotel via Cooktown.
With a short visit to Cooktown and a grocery top-up, we make it to the hotel. There are a few places to camp around here, and we decide on a farmstay right next door to the pub.
With sheep and a few lambs, the kids were excited.
We chill out in the van for the arvo and kids watch the lambs out the window.
We get organised, grab the paint pens and head over to the pub for tea.
The Lions Den is a famous Aussie pub where you can add your name on their wall, part of the caravanning pilgrimage to Cape York. This is our final step in this journey.
To the bar we go and give our donation, the kids find a spot on the wall and mark their names. We are officially on the wall, tick.
The meals were huge and filling. We took our leftovers and walked back to the van in the dark, ready for tomorrow’s adventure.
DAY SEVEN
Another moving day, these are hard and there has been a few this past week. Packing up, breaky, tidying up, it’s chaos usually.
Rory finally gets time to air up all the tyres, and we get on the road, waving goodbye to The Lions Den.
Cape York, you are done. ️
I checked a Fuel Spy app, something we do a lot to find the best prices. We try to save as best we can, where we can, and this is one way to.
It’s a three-hour drive today. Louis catches up on some schoolwork using his device, we use apps like Reading Eggs and Mathletics.
We travel down the Rex Range and it’s starting to spit rain, not good on this windy road.
At the bottom of the mountain, we arrive in Mossman. The kids spot a playground and skate park, so we promise to visit some in the coming days.
Our destination is a little farmstay at Newell Beach. We pull in, find our spot, and set up. It’s an off-grid set-up but has water if you need it.
A beautiful spot between the mountains and the ocean, a view both ways. There is a dam in the middle of the few sites and Louis is already casting his rod before I can even open the caravan door.
By the time we have lunch, we look at the time and the day had flown by.
I have plans to go to Mossman Gorge, and the girls are playing nicely, so Rory says to me that I should go. I jump at the opportunity, alone time is few and far between in vanlife.
I arrive and buy a ticket for the bus ride. It’s late in the afternoon but I am keen to get the hike in and have a moment by the water.
The colours of the rainforest are so vivid, and the sounds of the birds, there are so many. I hardly see anyone on my walk, stopping to take it all in.
I make it back around and go to sit by the river to dip my feet in – it’s cold.
Back to camp and the kids hardly notice I have left.
We have a relax in the chairs watching the view. The farm has cows, and they are friendly, Maisie is pretty happy to hang with them.
We have reception, so that means a few calls each back to family.
As night falls, we have some dinner. Louis is still fishing, he reels in an eel and then his first ever barramundi.
He is so happy, and both go back into the dam.
We shut up shop, and I am excited for tomorrow. We will head into the Daintree Rainforest and up to Cape Tribulation for the day.
DAY EIGHT
I really do wonder where that week has gone. Time elapses at an amazing speed while travelling fulltime.
I can’t remember days, dates or tell you how long ago we were in a place. Not to mention the people, some people say ‘Hi, we met you at ...’ and I’ve got no idea.
We get up and going. We want to get up to Cape Tribulation as fast as we can.
It’s another ferry, and another windy road as we head all the way to Cape Trib.
I’m desperate to see a wild cassowary, I can’t stop looking. We arrive and walk to the beach. It’s choppy but the kids are happy to run on the sand.
We do our usual beachcombing, it’s only recently I learnt this term and our kids do it on every beach.
We find a shell in the shape of a ram’s horn. A quick Google and it’s a ram horn squid’s internal shell, another quick lesson for Louis, as we try to add in the incidental learnings as much as we can.
Seeing the rainforest meet the sea is spectacular.
We then take on the Madja boardwalk before we have some lunch. Then it’s on to the Daintree Icecreamery. We all pick out flavours and they are just so delicious.
A last-ditch effort to see a cassowary – unfortunately not for us today.
We head back over on the ferry and travel south. We need fuel again, lots of kilometres lately, and a quick food top-up shop. We nail a $2 strawberry sale, which the girls will be so excited about.
Back to the caravan and it’s a relax and play until dinner time. Louis is back at fishing, keen to snag another barramundi.
We have some dinner and sit down together to watch Chasing Coral. We are visiting the Great Barrier Reef in a few days time, this is a great way to educate us all together on how important our coral reefs are.
We move on tomorrow from this farmstay to a park in Cairns for a week.
DAY NINE
A sea breeze woke us this morning. Time to leave this wonderful farmstay and head into the city.
We have a list, though, of jobs to do before we get there, and we will also drive by Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures, we want to go there.
We head into Port Douglas, we have a parcel at the post office to pick up and then on to washing the caravan.
An hour later, and we are still washing it. We give up as it’s a dollar a minute, this is an expensive exercise but a great start on getting rid of the red dust off the van.
We then head to Hartley’s. The kids are very excited to see some crocodiles. Even though we have been in croc zone for two months, we’ve only spotted a couple in the wild.
We start off on the boat ride where we get to tour around the lagoon and look for crocodiles. Our tour operator is very knowledgeable and the kids are listening and watching intensely. We include experiences like this as apart of our homeschooling.
After the boat trip it’s on to learn about the farming of crocodiles and their uses.
We then tour the rest of the park, ending with watching a croc being fed and demonstrating their strength doing death rolls and jumps from the water.
We are tired but jump in the car – here we come, caravan park!
These places are like a holiday in the midst of our travels. There is so much for the kids to do here, it’s overwhelming but exciting.
We pull in and see we are near two families we met in The Cape, another family are here from our hometown, and a fourth family we also met up in The Cape. The caravanning community is quite small.
Louis reads the park map and by gee, this place is decked out. We will spend the next couple days recouping here by the pool, we still have beds to wash and loads of red dirt-stained clothes to clean.
After dinner, a pair of curlews pass by with their chicks, which Saige loves.
It’s bedtime, bring on tomorrow’s adventure.
DAY 10
The sun beams into the open window and I know it’s going to be a hot one today.
We have a day planned of just staying in the park, cleaning and washing from weeks of being off-grid. I strip all the beds and do a hundred walks back and forth to the laundromat, luckily only a short distance from our site. I think I’m on my sixth load already and it’s not even midmorning. I set my alarm each time, there is an etiquette in van parks to be prompt with your washing, or someone may just take it out of a machine.
In between loads, I start on the windows, walls and floors. Everything in the van needs a sorting and tidy. I plod along.
Rory takes the kids to the entertainment areas of the park while I’m busy. They hit up the splash park, pools, and slides.
Louis sits down at lunch to do some handwriting for school, but the excitement outside is calling him.
We have pockets of homeschooling, but I roll with when he is in the right frame to do direct teaching and go along with lots of incidental learnings along our adventures.
I somewhat get the van in order and its already five o’clock. I have aching feet and feel like I’ve missed a day outside with the kids, but it had to be done, housework doesn’t end even if you don’t have a house. I find the caravan gets dirtier quicker and it’s harder to clean due to water restrictions and the ability to wash.
Tomorrow, I know I will make up for it and utilise the facilities here more.
It’s time for homemade pizzas again, the kids really love these and it’s easy to make for them.
Rory cooks up the last of his crayfish from Thursday Island we bought.
Maisie falls asleep on our bed watching TV not even in her PJs. That swimming took its toll on her, and I turn in early – cleaning exhausts me!
Day 11
The last day of our blog. Time has flown by! But when every day is an adventure for us it really passes by quickly.
Saige wakes first and sneaks in a morning cuddle. Louis wakes, does his morning chores and is out the door ready for the day in a blink.
We have a slow morning around the caravan, a coffee in the sun and some kids from up the road come for a play.
We decide to head into the esplanade and have a look around the main part of Cairns.
The kids enjoy seeing the massive cruise ship docked. We park and walk along towards the playground for a play, then head over to the lagoon and we have a swim. It’s busy but we have some fun.
A quick lunch and we head back to the park for some more swimming and the splash park. We meet friends for dinner at the cafe in the park and then watch the tail end of the in-house outdoor movie.
I sit here and think about how different this life is compared the social norm of life, working, school, daycare. I smile.
We chose this life. We chose to live like nomads, homeschool, have minimal debt and to spend quality time with our children while they are young.
We love this life, our only wish is that we had done it sooner.
Every day is an adventure, and there will be a point in time we have to stop for a while to work, but right now, this is us.
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Originally published as Ten days on the road with an Aussie family caravanning full-time
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