MTB in Tasmania

It’s one year since we arrived in Tasmania for a MTB holiday in Delvy, and we haven’t left. Have you ever gone to a place for a holiday and ended up staying there? Not just for an extended stay, but permanently? That’s exactly what we’ve done. After living the nomadic lifestyle (living the dream some like to call it) for six years on boats and in our motorhome, being in the one spot for more than a couple of weeks felt a bit strange for a while. But, having survived a southern winter, we have bought a house and have settled into regular jobs. Who would have thought!

Our two month MTB holiday in Tasmania saw us exploring new trails and revisiting familiar places.
Here we are on the shore of Macquarie Harbour, Strahan, same campsite as 2008.
Somethings just don't change.

MTB road trip around NSW

In March last year we went on a Delvy adventure from Brisbane to NSW to see family and friends, and to enjoy as many MTB trails as we could find along the way. Taking the inland route to try and escape the heat, we got more than we bargained for.

The hot, dry, summer landscape of the Upper Hunter

Yacht delivery on the East Coast of Australia

Tropical North Queensland MTB fun

Relaxing back on the farm, we’re enjoying the peace and quiet after a full dance card Delvy trip to the Atherton Tablelands to ride the region’s mountain bike (MTB) trails. A bonus was catching up with friends and exploring new places along the way.

An MTB Delvy adventure to Tropical North Queensland

Summer sail to Tasmania

The boat is still and silent. The sailing adventure is over. At times over the last week this was the moment I looked toward. Now that it’s here, I question why. The sea has a conflicting magnetism: when you’re on water you look to be on land; and when you’re on land you once again wish for the solitude of sea life.

Passing Isle du Golfe, on the way to Port Davey and the South West Wilderness.

Delvy reunion

After six months of being locked in Fortress Queensland, we were looking forward to a reunion with Delvy, and with my mum. It was convenient that they were both in the same place. 

A return to NSW at last. Thanks Mum for looking after our second home.

Bass Strait crossing

I often have to pinch myself. My life has many extraordinary moments. It takes awhile to come back down to earth and I ask myself, “Did that really happen?”

No sight of land for 36 hours

Whitsundays to Sunshine Coast by rail

With our motorhome stuck in NSW, I thought I would try a different kind of adventure on a different type of transport, just for a change. After working 12-hour days for 31 days straight in Bowen, I was looking forward to a long sit down. Gazing out the big windows of the Spirit of Queensland as it trundled down the east coast tracks sounded like an ideal way to wind down. It turned out I got a lot longer sit down than anticipated.

Hot and sunny in the Whitsundays - time to head south for the summer

Winter Cruising on the Clarence River

Bushfire smoke encased the air as we turned off the Pacific Highway towards Maclean in our motorhome, and crossed the single lane timber and wrought iron bridge that spans South Arm of the Clarence River. “We’re going to sail this river one day”, my husband announced as we followed this enormous waterway alongside Woodford Island. Fast forward 18 months and on a clear morning last July we arrived at the Clarence River entrance in a 43-foot sailing yacht, named Jobey-Doh. You know the saying, “There are those who make things happen….”

McFarlane Bridge, crossing the South Arm near Maclean. 
Summer 2019

McFarlane Bridge from the Clarence River
July 2021

On water lockdown

A post-apocalyptic silence looms over the bay; a distant siren adds weight to the scenario. Well, that’s a slight exaggeration but there is a noticeable difference of activity for a weekend day. A COVID-19 lockdown has finally caught up with us, but instead of being in the thick of it we are floating around on the peripheral, literally.

A glass out, until the wind changes.

How much can one do in 6 months?

Someone wise once said, “Minutes are worth more than money. Spend them wisely." ¹ I think I can safely say I have done that over the last six months. With a combination of land and sea adventures it really has been Carpe Diem at its best.

A quick north Queensland road trip

After three months at sea, it was time for a road trip and another Delvy adventure. It was a relief to be on terra firma for a break: it didn’t take long at all to find our land legs. Travelling in the motorhome is very easy compared to the challenges of a large sailing vessel so we were happy to take a long drive north over a short space of time for a change of scenery and to catch up with friends.

Living small: motorhome versus yacht

You might have noticed that adventures in Delvy have currently been replaced with adventures on a big red yacht.  We’ve swapped one isolating lifestyle for another; a green landscape for blue. Living in a small space on land and water has similarities, but there are plenty of differences. Knowing how to sail is one of them!

Having spent a few years roaming the vast land of Australia in our Toyota Coaster motorhome, life on the water kept beckoning, so we have found ourselves a floating home once again. This sailing vessel is a little different to our previous yacht, Lady Katherine. We are now the proud owners of a 71-foot Pacific Proa. What’s that you ask? More on that later, but in the meantime let’s compare life on the road with life on the water.

Destination versus Journey

Travelling along National Highway 1 at 110 kilometres per hour is a bit of a novelty, but seeing as this trip was about getting to the destination as quickly as possible, then speed was essential and Delvy not the vehicle to do it in.

It’s two thousand kilometres from Airlie Beach to Church Point where we had to pick up a yacht, which amounts to about 24 hours of driving time. With two drivers swapping in and out and a pre packed picnic bag, plus overnight stops in the Sunshine Coast and Lake Macquarie, the mission was accomplished in two and a half days.

This was far quicker than we have ever done the Australian east coast road before, but we had an appropriate vehicle to do it in.  In contrast, it would take Delvy a week to travel that distance.

Which would I prefer, fast tracking or taking the slow lane? 

Road trip fun - always something to look at even in the boring bits.

Isolation continues

As COVID-19 restrictions begin to ease it hasn’t really changed much for us in rural Queensland. We’ve been here 6 weeks now and are happy living on the ‘farm’, still keeping busy with odd jobs like mowing, weeding, and shack maintenance, but enjoying the tranquillity and solitude of the Lethebrook district.

Our pot of gold iso spot. 

Little boat adventure

We’ve had a few bike rides along the river near where we are staying in isolation, and witnessed enthusiastic locals’ fishing from its banks or in a tinnie. Always keen to get on the water, we set off to explore the mighty O’Connell River and its mangrove tributaries, but unlike the locals, without fishing gear.

Private boat 'ramp' on the O'Connell River

How to live simply in a motorhome

You’ve heard the saying that less is more. I believe that the less complicated life is and the less stuff you have, the more content you are. Living in a motorhome is a simple life: we have all we need, and we can go where we like, and whenever we like. Well, not at the moment but we’ll pretend all is well in the world. ☺️

How do we do this, you ask?

Taking a break in Beechmont

6 ways to stay sane while living in a motorhome

“You’re living the dream!”, we are quite often told. Well, yes, we are, but it takes a while to work things out so it doesn’t become a nightmare.

Let’s face it, living in a motorhome is not for everyone. It’s all well and good to go travelling for a set period of time: you usually have a wish list of the sights you want to see and things you want to do in the allocated period, and then return home to your respective corners at the end of it.

But, if you live in an 7 x 2 metre space fulltime, as we do in Delvy, then there are a few strategies to put in place to remain sane and to continue to enjoy the experience.

Delvy gives us the freedom to enjoy the great outdoors in comfort.

Coronavirus lockdown

We are camping on a floodplain, the Goorganga Plains wetlands, but it’s nearing the end of the wet season in the dry tropical region of the Whitsundays. Conway Range is at the northern edge and the Clarke Range to the south west, with not a hill in between. Long stalks of sugarcane ruffle in the wind, creating a Mexican wave; a random waft of burning off drifts past. A rooster crows, a tractor drones in the distance, the tin roof crackles as it’s heated by the sun.

One thing that is noticeable about living in isolation in a rural area: it’s quiet. No traffic noise, no sounds of music or other people’s voices; just nature’s tune. So very peaceful.

The advantages of getting up early, spectacular sunrises

Life off the road

Living on the road with no fixed address, what does one do when the government announces a ‘stay at home’ mandate? We can stay in Delvy – we have been for over 12 months now – but Delvy wouldn’t be welcome to keep travelling around rural and coastal towns of Australia throughout this coronavirus pandemic. And neither would we want to intrude or possibly burden small communities as we all endeavour to practice social distancing to help stop the spread.

Heading south on the Bruce Highway between Bowen and Proserpine