After six years living full-time on the road, Paul and Deb Osborne have seen the grey nomad lifestyle change quite a bit, and not always for the better … but there’s still no place they’d rather be!
The couple says it was the Covid pandemic which really turned everything on its head … and also presented them with their biggest challenge as they sought to cross through NT and into WA with travel restrictions in full swing.
While their endless adventure began in 2019, the pair had travelled widely before then and, up until 2000, did so in tents.
“In early 2000 we updated to an off-road soft-floor camper,” said Paul. “And in later years we went to a forward-fold offroad camper, then to a hybrid, and then to our current offroad van … an Austrack Gibb 16C towed by a Hilux Rogue.”
Paul and Deb currently travel in an off-road van and love the off-grid camps.
The pair prefer to spend most of their time off grid. “We will stay at a caravan park when there is no other option, but begrudge spending on services that are not required,” he said. “The caravan park industry could do a review of this issue … there are options.”
Paul says the lifestyle would simply not be viable for full-timers if they had to totally rely on van park stays.
“We prefer free camps and donation to campsites as our money is channelled into small town businesses,” he said. “We are yet to hear a small-town resident complain about the nomad dollars coming into their town.”
Paul and Deb say they’ve generally been warmly welcomed.
“These towns love the chit chat from nomads about all their travels,” said Paul. “It also gives locals the chance to sell their home-made products like jams and tea towels.”
Besides a significant spike in the number of travellers, Paul says the other big change they’ve noticed is in some towns in northern Australia.
“Personal security is becoming a priority,” he said. “We generally do not stop at or near these communities … we have worked in some of them and have first-hand experience.”
The pair both still volunteer sometimes, and work occasionally, as they travel … and have no plans to stop doing what they’re doing.
“The network of good friends that we have made in our travels is wonderful and we stay in contact with many of them years later, especially country people,” said Paul. “Our lifestyle is great … and very rewarding!”
Are you a Grey Nomad member yet? Click here to find out about the discounts, competitions and other benefits on offer.
We’ve been on the road for 15 years.
We’ve noticed a huge increase in newbies.
Quite a few so called “free camps” in small towns are closing down due to non-donators.
Many small towns don’t rely on tourists for their existence, they have their own strong resident rural economy to support them.
I respectfully disagree 86GTS. We too are well travelled through all areas of Oz. While some areas have strong farming communities etc, they too face their ups and downs depending on seasonal conditions. It’s actually the tourist trade/grey nomads/newbies that are keeping some of these small towns financially viable, particularly in hospitality.. cafes, pubs etc. I speak to these people regularly in our travels and a large percentage of their trade is from us travellers. And I love to support them like this.
I enjoyed my ‘Nomad’ days untill health issues put a stop to them. I travelled I all types of vehicles, Motorcycles , even trains and Buses. I travelled, lived and worked all over. I loved that life but today I see more people being forced to live on the road , camping in cars at roadside stops because they can’t afford housing I doubt that their ‘enjoying’ the ‘freedom’ of life on the road. The crime rates in what were once popular tourist destinations has sored because of poverty and homelessness. I’m greatfull for my experiences on the road in younger days but I wouldn’t try to repeat it today.
For us we’ve noticed the increase in numbers also but particukarly the number of people living permanently in tents/ vans etc who have not chosen this way of life. We’ve seen families go to work and school from tents as they have no other choice. It’s a great life if you have a choice but if you don’t I can’t begin to imagine how difficult it must be.
Looking forward to exploring our beautiful country and about personal security what towns should be avoided
This is a sensitive topic Charlie. I think once you hit the road & talk to your fellow travellers, you will get a feel & ‘gist’ of what towns you need to be extra wary of. Crime can happen anywhere of course. Some towns get a lot of media attention because of their spiralling crime rates, eg Alice Springs, Moree, Townsville etc. There was a recent nasty incident at Halls Creek, WA involving a caravanner. Most of the crime problems tend to occur ‘in town’, however, that’s not to say these towns should be avoided. Several Alice Springs caravan parks now have massive security fencing. We stayed there for a week last year without any problems. But it pays to have good ‘situational awareness’, be aware of your surroundings and use common sense precautions like locking your vehicle at all times and hiding the keys etc. Even at petrol stations while re-fuelling! It will all become clearer once you hit the road to explore our beautiful country. Hope this helps mate..
Totally agree after travelling mostly off grid for the past 5yrs…