Do you know anyone travelling Australia with a bun in the oven? Jade and Michael were not going to let a little thing like ‘pregnancy’ stop their plans of lapping Oz. We love their story, as they are also travelling with Jade’s teenage brother – an experience that they will all cherish for a lifetime! Say hello to Wellings in the Wild… Real stories | Real Families!
We are Wellings in the Wild. Michael, Jade, kids – Tyler (4) and Alexandria (3), and Jade’s brother James (13).
Michael and I (Jade), met in high school. We’ve always had a love for camping, exploring and doing things outdoors.
For the next decade or more after school finished, we each had very busy and demanding careers. When we had our first child, Tyler, we knew that what we really wanted was to slow down and spend more time with family. To us, being rich is about having lots of time to give to your loved ones.
Traditionally, people seem to work more hours and more demanding jobs, with the idea that one day they will have lots of money and therefore time to do what they like. We didn’t want to wait that long. So instead, we worked out how much money we really needed to live off, and then only worked what we needed to so that we could fund that – each working a part time, 3 day per week job, leaving us both with more time to spend with each other and the kids. We learnt to want for less. To spend more money on family holidays and the big things that make us happy, and less money on smashed avocado and fetta (as the Barefoot Investor says).
We had talked often about travelling Australia one day. It was always a “one day” idea. Until, one day, I was visiting my father on the West Coast, and went for a drive with my little brother James, from Port Hedland to Karratha. The road and the scenery was so different from anything I’d seen in Queensland. I felt so free driving along that road, and I wanted more. When we got to Karratha, I immediately sent Michael a text and said “we should do this. Let’s travel Australia next year”. And that was it. Decision made. This fits with our love for travel/camping and adventure, and it will allow us much more family time and some magical memories.
A few twists and turns have happened since that day we decided to go. We offered to take my brother, James with us. James is 13 and is doing his schooling via distance education. This works well for us, as Michael was working as a teachers aide (and is studying to be a high school teacher), so it’s a great experience for him also.
Also, we fell pregnant. So we are expecting our third child in July, which will most likely be born in Port Hedland, near my father, before we continue on our journey.
For me, being pregnant isn’t ideal while doing this trip, I feel like I won’t have the same energy to do some walks and climbs, but I’m really excited to have a good 6 months straight with this baby being able to enjoy the whole family without anyone having to “go to” kindy/school/work.
We are travelling in a 21 foot (second hand) New Age Big Red Caravan with triple bunks, and towing with a 2011 Toyota Landcruiser Altitude, that we have done a few upgrades to. We are funding our lap with my usual work, which is all online and phone based, and we expect that life on the road will cost us approximately the same as what it costs us at home. We have rented our house out to replace Michael’s income.
I am writing this, while watching my two kids playing with Duplo on the concrete slab at a Caravan Park in Iluka, and listening to my brother doing his Science lesson inside, with Michael watching over. Soon when Science is finished, we are off to Yamba to explore. It’s still very early in our trip, but i’m confident that we have made the best decision of our lives, and cannot wait to see what the next year brings.
You can follow Jade, Michael & the kids over on Facebook & Instagram – or check our their website...
