Bio:
Meet Natalie, Steve and their three boys Xavier 5, Wentworth 4, Makenzie 2
Natalie Miller and Steve Hill were both born and bred on the beach suburbs of Sydney. They have been feeling the pinch of one of the worlds most expensive cities since the two have grown to five and instead of accept it they have decided to take a chance.
Upon having Children the most reoccuring comment Natalie remembers was to enjoy your kids they grow up too fast. They both vowed that their children would not be in full time care until school as Natalie and Steve wanted to enjoy as much time with their boys as possible between juggling their buisnesses. After a few lives being lost around them they have come to realise that life is never long enough and yes your kids to grow up too fast.. The choice was either having the chance to live our kids childhood with them or to spend less time together so we can have more. The decision was easy for them; to go without things in exchange they are taking the three kids on an adventure of their lives.
Natalie and Steve will be packing up all their possessions into one box per person and hitting the road of Australia in a Kombi Campervan.
Ava is the name of our van (Natalie needed another girl) and she is taking them on the family adventure.
Natalie and Steve are looking for the people of Australia to help and guide us on our adventure. If you have any suggestions, ideas on places you think should not be missed. Walks, beaches, cafe, coffee, parks Please let them know. Follow their adventure and help us find our way around OZ www.familyinavan.com
We look forward to hearing from you
Nat and Steve
Hi Guys,
About to hit the Great Ocean Road here in Victoria. Got the granddaughter(9 years) and myself all excited and keyed up to hit the road!
Doing it in a Calypso Campervan. Haven’t done something like this for years.
Hope to write up some great stuff on the website.
I’m doing it for 2 weeks, would love to do it for 12 months but committed to this small bit of Nomading!
Best of luck on your travels, keep safe and have a ball!
Cheers,
Marylyn(SuperNan/Nannie CanDo)
Hi Marylyn,
you sound like one cool granny and you have one lucky granddaughter.We will be doing the great ocean road ourselves later in the your so we would love to hear where and what you can recommend to us after your trip… stay in touch
Hows the trip? dont forget to pass on any great places we should visist? we update our blog each Friday so stay intouch. Cant wait ti hear what you guys got upto
Nat
So looking forward to following your journey as you travel Australia! Love how you are travelling in your Kombi Van – it looks so cool
Also love her name “Ava” – I was the same….with five boys I needed another girls name – our bus is called “Rose”!!
Cheers
Lisa
Thanks for checking us out
Oh I love your story, we’re in the middle of our exit strategy too, to hit the road! We also learnt the hard way through loss that “things” don’t matter and time with your loved ones is important. Our kiddos will be 9, 7 & 5 next year and we’re really looking forward to hitting the road with them to be more present in their lives. We’re business owners too and it’s such a drag sometimes and as much as we try not to let it take over our lives, we know sometimes the pressure does affect the kids too.
I’ll be following your stories and can’t wait to read your adventures and hope to join you on the road one day VERY soon
Hi, I’m a 51yr old single mum travelling Oz with my 15yr old daughter (Jess) in a 1979 Ford Transit camper we call ‘Jack’.
We’ve just finished our 3rd year on the road with Jess attending Distance Education along the way.
This is the second time I’ve hit the road with kids, the first time was with 3 of them, when Jess was a new born baby, I also had a 5yr old, and a 12yr old (all daughters) and a husband in tow. We converted a 40ft Leyland Coach into a motorhome while I was pregnant with Jess and hit the road as soon as she was born.
If I’d known what I know now about travelling with kids when I had my first, I’d have done it earlier. I found it was the easiest way to raise a baby, totally stress free, always being at home, never having to pack a nappy bag, the list goes on and on.
Plus being a young healthy couple we never had any trouble finding work, mainly in the tourism industry managing caravan parks and retreats, we also did our fair share of fruit picking and enjoyed taking the kids into the orchards while we picked. Jess loved to play/sleep in her playpen under the fruit trees.
This life is the best possible life any parent could offer their children and I admire all parents who take the plunge and actually do it. Too many people are caught up in the consumerism merry-go-round that they think is ‘life’ and never get to experience what true living is all about.
Looking forward to meeting you on the road some day.
Debi
Hello from California! My wife and I have been aching for a family adventure to have with our kids. (ages 7,9,17) and we are curious as to how you have supported yourselves during the trip?
What kind of previous knowledge/ experience you had of “gypsy” living?
What were the worst problems that you ran into during the process and how would you have prepped for them?
Thank you again for the Info, Good luck! and Enjoy the ride!