Steve and Monique travelled in a self-contained rig ... and their tinny came too!
Monique and Steve Kidner have learned a big lesson in the last 12 months travelling around Australia … a year is nowhere near long enough!
The couple took time off work to hit the road and, as this particular adventure nears its end, they have certainly been left hungry for more.
“We now totally understand how people can spend years on the road,” said Monique. “We have only seen the tip of this great big beautiful iceberg!”
Over the years, the pair have taken extensive shorter trips on the east coast but were determined to do the Big Lap while they were both fit and well.
“Let’s face it we’re not getting any younger,” said Monique. “So, while it was hard to leave family behind, selling up our home and packing our lives into a shipping container in order to travel, has been a dream come true.”
The Kidners travel in a 16’ Rhino self-contained van with washing machine, microwave, gas heating and aircon which they tow with an Isuzu D-Max Extra Cab. They also bring a roof top tinny as they both love their fishing.
Given their plans to travel to remote areas, Steve and Monique were very careful when it came to packing up.
“Space and weight are very important and we don’t like clutter about but we planned to go to isolated places, so we also needed to take camping equipment,” said Monique. “You just have to be ingenious and find multiple uses for some items so, for example, the sleeping bags doubled as our quilts in cold weather so we didn’t have to cart a doona with us.”
Although Covid threw a bit of a spanner in the trip planning works, Monique and Steve still got pretty much everywhere they wanted to … except Tassie.
“We spent two to three months in each of North Queensland, the NT, South Australia and WA … and six weeks in Victoria,” said Monique. “To be honest, we haven’t visited a place we didn’t like, everywhere has something … you just need to get off the beaten track and look.”
But it was their fellow travellers that have made the biggest impression.
“Nomads everywhere strike up conversations and were only too willing to share their experiences and knowledge about places we were heading to,” said Monique. “We have met some fabulous people along the way.”
The couple looked to free camp whenever they could due to the feeling of freedom and space it offered but this wasn’t always possible.
“The van is our current home so we are very safety and security conscious and don’t like leaving it unattended in remote areas for extended periods while we are off all day or overnight,” said Monique. “We first search for free RV parks, showgrounds or sporting fields and, if they aren’t available, we look for van parks where there are big spaces, quiet and basic amenities.”
As this particular journey draws to an end, the Kinders certainly have no regrets and struggle to think of any negatives.
“We are blessed that we have not had a major incident along the way,” said Monique. “Yes, we had the occasional flat tyre, a leaky hot water system, iffy cupboard latches and car aircon issues, but they all ended up being easy and inexpensive fixes … and it also helps to have a very handy husband!”
The longest we have spent travelling around Oz is 10 months and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.
We have spent 8 years and it’s not enough.
We have been living in MH for almost 2 years, although not always on road, and would agreed with Steve and Monique’s spending 2 to 3 months in each state to get time to experience as much as possible. We’re from Qld and were fortunate to spend 6 months in NT and SA last year and this year we finally got to WA and loving it! Hoping to visit Vic and NSW before returning to Qld by end of year (Covid permitting!)