Hello 2026

We’ve eased into 2026 the same way we like to ease into most things these days. Parked up, settled for a while, letting the rush thin out before we move again. Christmas and New Year have become our pause time. A chance to reset, look back, and quietly think about what’s next before the roads fill and the weather turns.

Last year was our first full calender year on the road, but with a few prior commitments to satisfy before we were truly free. A trip to Hawaii (June), and to the Rugby Lions in Adelaide (July) put us in parts of Australia at the wrong season.

We have been travelling for about nine months all up. There was a stretch back in Brisbane for appointments and life admin, but once we hit the road again, we really felt like we were living the way we’d talked about for so long. Slow mornings. Fewer deadlines. Days shaped by weather, road conditions, and how we felt rather than calendars.

Reflections on 2025

We started the year in Millicent, SA at this caravan park, a great place to base yourself to wait out the busy Christmas/New year period. It was here we did many day trips, Mt Gambier, Southend, Beachport and other small towns in the area.

Cathy snorkelled in a sinkhole, one of those experiences that sounds slightly mad until you’re floating there, surrounded by stillness and impossibly clear water.

After January, we headed to Victor harbour, hung around there for a few weeks, then headed to Melbourne for a few weeks.

Then the idea came to go to Mildura to catch up with some friends who happened to be there, This was the beginning of March, wow it got hot, so what do you do, head south to the coast. Eagle point was our target. We went from being cooked in the heat to nearly needing a heater in the space of a week.

Then we started heading up to Sydney going around the coast heading through Gippsland a part of the country we hadn’t given enough thought to before, and one we already know we’ll return to.

Not everything was postcard perfect. There was the morning we woke up in Bredbo to find icicles outside the van, no heater inside, and a very clear lesson about preparation. That problem got fixed later, but at the time it was one of those laugh-or-complain moments that travel seems to serve up from time to time.

We stayed with friends in Sydney, then up to Brisbane to collect a few bits a pieces, get the caravan serviced, put in a gas heater, then back to Sydney to drop off the car & caravan, then Shadow then to catch our flights to Hawaii.

After we got back and had a rest it was onto Adelaide. I know what you are thinking, Adelaide in July, are you mad? This was another of those prior commitments we made before hitting the road.

Afterwards we tackled parts of the Oodnadatta Track. It was at this time the caravan suffered some damage, mostly cabinetry and plumbing. We had the constant wheel alignment issues that we finally got fixed in Alice Springs.

Read about how to keep an eye on your Wheel Alignment the easy way

At this time, a change in plans meant we had to head back to Brisbane. We crossed the Plenty Highway, stayed in Winton and then drove to Charlotte Plains Borehead Camping for the hot bores.

After finishing with Brisbane, we headed to Adelaide, which is much nicer in summer, then on to the Eyre Peninsular and finally rolled into Western Australia for the first time in December.

WA had always felt like a “one day” destination, something we talked about and never quite reached. Then suddenly there we were, tyres dusty, dog settled in the van, looking west and wondering why the heck it took us so long to get here.

Along the way, it was often the smaller, unexpected moments that stayed with us most. We spent time in Coober Pedy, sleeping underground and appreciating just how clever people can be when the landscape demands it.

Then there were days that felt quietly special, like feeding the dolphins at Rainbow Beach, standing on the shore early in the morning and sharing the space with locals.

Not everything went smoothly. It never does. But 2025 taught us that setbacks don’t cancel the journey. They just change the shape of it.

Looking ahead to this year

For now, the plan is to stay in WA. We’ll head north as winter sets in, follow the warmth, and then spend a few months in the NT before drifting south again as summer creeps closer.

The Horizontal Falls is on the list, after being cancelled last year, hopefully we make it this time.

After that it is on to doing the iconic Gibb River road, then into the NT.

What happens after that is still up in the air.

We will find a place to stay over the next summer holidays like we did this year and last year. We just don’t know where yet. WA again or shall we head east for something completely different? Add your suggestions in the comments.

One thing we’ve learned is not to lock ourselves into plans too tightly. Flexibility has become one of our most valuable travel tools.

In Closing

As one year rolls into the next, we’re reminded that this life isn’t about ticking boxes or covering ground quickly. It’s about finding a rhythm that works and sticking with it. Here’s to another year of quiet mornings, dusty roads, and figuring it out as we go.
Wishing our fellow travellers a calm and safe start to 2026.