"The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon,
If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty.”
Hey guys! Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your everyday life at the moment?
Hey lovelies, we are Jess and Jed from the Wild Road Wanderers. Our souls found each other over 9 years ago at the Snowy mountains, we've travelled many wild roads together since and just recently got engaged on K'gari. Currently raising our darling son Banjo, two dogs, Morri and Camel. At the moment our weekends are spent renovating our 1950s Queenslander and going on little expeditions when we can.
You travelled Australia for most of your life in your 20’s, what would you say is the most exciting thing about living life on the road, and what is the most challenging?
Living on the road on and off in our 20s gave us a deeper appreciation for the simple beauty, pleasantness, and serenity that nature can provide for a human. The excitement of waking up and watching the sunrise over a new horizon every day with a cuppa in hand made our souls feel alive and free.
We grew so much in those years, in ourselves and as a couple.
The most challenging would be - we find it hard to find good dog friendly camp sites sometimes, more so on the East coast of Australia.
Where is home for you now?
We recently brought our first home in a quiet gumtree filled community at Lake Cooroibah on the Sunshine Coast. We absolutely adore it here. Banjo loves waking up to the sounds of Kookaburras and walking down to the lake to watch the sunrise most mornings.
It's really nice to slow down and enjoying simple pleasures like watching the garden grow.
Life is a little different for you guys now you have a little one, how have you adapted to the new chapter of life?
Parenthood is a beautifully wild roller coaster.
Every day we are learning and always supporting each other through all the sky highs and tougher days.
There is nothing quite like watching the little soul you created with your lover, grow and blossom into the person they are becoming ~ it's truly the best feeling in the world.
We definitely drink more coffee now, haha!
Do you have any big trips planned?
We dream of finishing our renovations, renting our house out and hitting the road sometime next year. We would love to explore Tropical North Queensland, Cape York and then head west on the Savannah Way.
Who knows where it might take us!
On the road the possibilities are endless.
What are some tips for people camping with kids?
- Plan ahead - research where you want to camp, check the weather and wind. Hit the road at their regular sleep time or if it's a long trip, drive into the night.
- We love to precook a meal the day before we set off for an adventure, it makes the first afternoon camping a little bit easier.
- Packing a tub for the kids to have a sunset bath in, is a beautiful way to wind down the day after a full day of exploring.
- There is no need to pack toys, instead encourage play in nature, always lots to show them and discover for their busy minds. We do love to bring a few drawing things and a book for quiet time.
- Solar fairy lights, a lantern and glow sticks will keep your toddler amused, while providing nice ambience. Uno for the older kids is a must!
Tell us a little bit about your new defender set up?
The defender is a beauty!
We were devastated we had to sell our old Landcruiser 'Blue', as we were unable to put a baby seat in. When we sold her it was like closing the last page in that chapter of our lives and then opening a new one.
Jed knew the next family adventure mobile he wanted and after a great deal of searching, he finally found one.
He built a canopy on the tray with doggy doors, storage and pull out draws at the back. We treated ourselves to a Oz tent which is an incredible family tent, the setup is easy and super quick, so handy for when one of us is chasing our toddler around. We still have a lot to add to it before our big trip next year.
So stay tuned.
Can you give some advice for anyone wanting to take a leap of faith, pack up their home and travel Australia?
"And then there is the most dangerous risk of all -- the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later". ~ Randy Komisar
One of our favourite quotes to keep us inspired.
You truly don't need much to hit the road, we get work along the way and save as we wander. That is all a part of the great experience.
Find a reliable home on wheels, take every day as it comes and don’t just seek out the places everyone else goes to, take the roads less travelled on – that’s when you discover the unique magic.
There is no time then right now…get out there and you’ll never look back.
This might be a hard one…. But what has been your favourite picnic location so far, and what are your go-to picnic necessitates?
We've had so many incredible picnic locations around Australia.
Tasmania has an abundance of dreamy locations.
Honeymoon Bay was one of our favourites, we ate fresh oysters and drank champagne while overlooking the Hazards, a granite mountain range in Freycinet National Park.
By far our favourite picnic necessitates are our Wandering Folk rugs and cooler. They have come along with us on every adventure, containing a lifetime of wild stories.
I think our new Golden rug is our favourite yet.
