Amy and Jarrad
“I want to travel around Australia,” I (Amy) told my husband Jarrad. He looked at me dubiously and stated incredulously, “Let me get this straight. You want to live in a campervan, with four kids? Are you nuts?”
I dropped the subject, and mentioned it periodically every few months. To my astonishment a few years later, Jarrad changed his response. “Yeah, that’d be pretty cool, wouldn’t it?”
We can now be usually found in the Australian outback, staying well off the beaten track. Amy homeschools the kids, and works as a pharmacist to support their travels. She designs and manages the website and does the writing. Jarrad’s an electrician, and the family photographer.
We’d spent most of our lives living in Melbourne, Australia. Our views on Australia are altering and expanding as we travel. We realise that our attitudes were very city-centric.
Peter
Eleven year old Peter loves to read, cook, play lego, and ride his bike.
His favourite books at the moment include Septimus Heape, Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, Peter Pan, Robin Hood, and King Arthur.
He blogs at Adventurous Childhood.
Susan
Ten year old Susan enjoys reading, cooking, singing, play music, riding her bike, sewing, and pottery. She uses mud or clay anywhere we go to sculpt.
Her favourite books include the Anne of Green Gables series, The Little Princess, Enid Blyton’s stories, Chronicles of Narnia, Wanderings of Odysseus, and the My Story Series.
Susan blogs at Life And Views.
Lucy
Lucy is a bubbly, bouncy 6 year old who loves the world, and everyone in it. She’s the happiest little lady, who’s only real desire is to be near her siblings and parents. She loves it when Susan reads to her, and doing art and craft with her older sister. She’ll happily spend hours playing lego with Peter, or matchbox cars with Edmund.She is working very hard at learning how to read. We are making considerable progress, and we are very proud of how hard she is trying lately.
Edmund
Edmund is a happy-go-lucky 4 year old.
Cuddly, and affectionate, and enjoy anything that he can do with his older siblings. Like Lucy, he particularly enjoy being read to, singing nursery rhymes, and riding on bikes. He loves his matchbox cars, too.
The campervan
Our campervan was custom-built by Paramount campervans in 2009. Jarrad had worked out the particular technical features he wished to have to achieve a sturdy, off-road RV. Amy designed the layout to allow maximum flexibility and space to accomodate a family of six. It is a 22′ campervan that has a seperate room at the rear for the kids. The kids have two bunks in their room, so Peter and Susan have a top bunk each while Edmund and Lucy sleep on the bottom bunks. Amy and Jarrad have their bed against the front of the campervan, and it is raised to allow for a washing machine and cupboards underneath. The ensuite comes with a toilet and shower. The kitchen and dining area making up the remainder of the campervan.
We have 3 non-potable water tanks of 95L each, and one potable water tank with a filter that is also 95L. There are five solar panels, and 500 amp/hour of batteries. We have three aerials permanently installed on the campervan for the satellite phone, mobile phones, and UHF radio. We chose to remove the TV, as we don’t use it.
This is towed with a 2003 diesel Toyota Landcruiser with an after-market turbo.
Latest posts by Amy and Jarrad (see all)
- While in Sydney - January 24, 2013
- Festivals Around the World - January 23, 2013
- Off to Sydney - January 18, 2013
