The beginning Link to heading

The Ozventure began on October 8. Armed with a second-hand campervan purchased the same week, a Starlink, a few groceries and kitchen wares, and whatever clothes I possessed, I left Sydney and started south.

I was never one to think things through too much. If something sounds even vaguely appealing, I’m more of a “force yourself to start, then figure it out as you go along” kind of guy. And what could be more appealing than work and travel all around the amazing country-continent of Australia?

The main goal is clear: to see about as much of Straya as I find interesting, in however long it takes, while keeping up the hybrid best of both worlds - full-time job, part-time wanderlust.

The work bit Link to heading

Work-wise, I am grateful to the management of my company Concentrix (Catalyst) for being understanding of my need for personal adventure, and playing along with the experiment. I would never jeopardise my job, and even more importantly the work I do for our customers. I will cut the trip short the second I feel that I’m under-delivering.

At my first stop in Jervis Bay I stayed at the Bream Beach Holiday Park. Pete, the guy who runs it, has been around Oz more than once, and gave me some encouragement about Starlink. Apparently it works flawlessly even in the remotest areas of the bush. The experience has indeed been great so far. All bases covered to keep pumping out great software engineering solutions by trade.

The travel companion Link to heading

I bought a 2004 Nissan Elgrand with quite low mileage. It is exactly what I was looking for: spacious enough that I am reasonably comfortable, compact enough that I can take it anywhere.

It needed a little work on the electricals. Luckily Pete was able to recommend another family-run shop, All RV Spares & Repairs down in Ulladulla, where Mick helped me sort it all out. Fiddling around alongside him took me back to my uni days as an Electrical Engineering student, and now I have a good handle on my power.

The only other downside is that it is quite thirsty, but pulling all this weight 💪 is not an easy task.

I was thinking about what to name it. I lived in Tokyo for a year and it is a Japanese car, so maybe something related to Japan? In Uladulla I stayed at Burrill Pines, a sweet little retreat maintained by a bush-friendly association. There I saw my first echidna in the wild. Shorten it up and you have “train station” in Japanese, which is vaguely on theme so I am keeping it: my baby is now Eki.

The new routines Link to heading

It’s my first time in an ambulant home, but it’s working out fantastically so far. I manage to do my daily workouts in the morning (thank you Dad Hours), sometimes accompanied by furry friends. I end up putting more hours into work because there’s no commute or distractions during the day, as I’m staying in quiet towns and parks.

And getting all the fun too. You don’t hear much about the Southeast coast of Australia, but it hides beautiful places. I’ve been going to beaches after work during the week (they’re so close!) and doing lots of hiking on weekends. The shore around Jervis is especially stunning.

After Jervis and Ulladulla I went to Pebbly Beach and through Batemans Bay, on the way down to Narooma and the Gulaga National Park.

I then continued on down to Merimbula, where I stayed put for a few days because I enjoyed the little town so much. I even saw a pelican flying, and no they don’t extend their neck mid-air, it’s quite an amusing sight.

Today I crossed into Victoria and the little town of Mallacoota. Hoping to explore the Croajingolong National Park a bit before I head back north (I have to break up the trip until next year - re:Invent and Christmas in Sydney calling!).

The initial impressions Link to heading

While van life is a lifestyle that will not suit everybody, it has been a nice validation that I’m still as adaptable as ever and don’t need much of anything. The realisation that not even discomfort can deter you can itself, paradoxically or not, be unsuspectingly comforting. The upside of the trade-off is the amount of brilliant memories I’m collecting, pictures of which are too many to share.

That’s where I stand now. I’ll keep you all posted on where the adventure and my mind take me next.