It was our first time driving The Nullarbor and it was, as expected, long straight roads with not much to look at. Lots of road trains and other cars heading west, but not many headed in our direction. We stopped in two overnight free camps which were just off the road. We were able to drive in a bit to get away from the noise of the road and enjoy a good nights rest. The Bunda cliffs were really the only highlight and Paddy managed to get the drone up to capture their beauty.
Once we had gone through the border checkpoint in SA we pulled up stumps in the town of Ceduna. Not too much happening there but it was good to have facilities and to connect to power.
The following day we drove to Port Augusta, where we stayed at Spear Creek Park, a working sheep station about 25 kms out of town. We stretched the legs on a walk around part of this lovely property and at sunset met up with other campers on a hill near our campsite for a chat, a view of the sun going down and the night sky. We spent the last part of this evening sitting with a German couple who were about to hit The Nullarbor and WA, giving them some tips on where to go. Meeting so many people from all parts of the world has been such a highlight of our travels. This connection certainly adds so much value to your life.
From Port Augusta we drove to the gorgeous town of Clare. We stayed here one night to meet up with our new friends, Alanna, Phil, Marina and Matt. We met them in El Questro, WA and have stayed in contact. Unfortunately Phil couldn’t join us for dinner as he was busy with harvest but we had the best catch up with Marina, Matt and Alanna at the Seven Hill Hotel (amazing food!). It was so good to reconnect with our friends and we will definitely be back to see them (& to visit all the wineries in the area!).
The following morning we were fortunate to meet up with Matt and Marina’s daughter, Elyssa, at Seven Hill Winery. She works there and kindly offered to show us around. What an experience to see where/how the wines are made. This winery is the oldest one in the Clare Valley Region and the buildings and grounds did not disappoint. We were there early morning before the cellar door opened so missed tasting the wine, which means we will definitely be back!
From Clare we drove through the Adelaide Hills (we accidentally took the winding hilly roads probably not suited to towing a caravan) and arrived back where our holiday started 11 months earlier – in Nairne at the home of our friends Carole and Craig. It was so good to see them both and we had a great weekend catching up with them, their family and some of their friends.
We took off early Monday morning (8th December) to start our final trek home towards Melbourne. The plan was to stay somewhere along the way but we were both so keen to see the boys that we decided by mid morning that we would drive all the way through to Melbourne. We stopped just out of Ararat for Paddy to have a quick sleep and to do a little bit of work. We did this to avoid arriving back during peak hour.
We got back to Tom and Sarah’s at Beaconsfield around 9.00 p.m. and gave them a lovely surprise. Josh joined us a short time later and it was so good to give them all a big hug. We FaceTimed Lach and Em and surprised them that way.
It was so good to be in a house, in a big bed, with space to move around – all things a caravan is not!! It has felt so good to be surrounded by our boys, Sarah and Em. As I reflect, this year with illness and other personal issues, it has been tough without them. They loved that we wanted to travel but they also love us being home. It took a bit to settle back in and I don’t think we will truly feel settled until we have a place of our own.
And on that note…..we are on to our next adventure in January 2026 – to our new home in Surf Beach Phillip Island. We have bought a shack on a lovely block of land, only doors away from an incredible surf beach. Our short term plans are to get in there and start enjoying it and our long term plans will be to rebuild. One thing we have learnt from travelling is to live in the moment and not plan too far ahead.
We still have our van and plan to enjoy plenty of adventures in it for years to come. Maybe not another 18 month adventure like we have just done, but definitely a few months away in it each year to explore more of our wonderful country. One thing we do know is if we don’t have to do another Melbourne winter we won’t!!
I would like to thank Paddy, my gorgeous husband who has made this trip so special for us both. What a bloody amazing human being he is. I have loved every minute of having him as my travel buddy. I could not think of a better person to share my life with and all it’s up and downs xxx
Paddy & Jen Adventures 
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