There is so much in our country, our backyard that we haven’t explored yet. We have lived here all our lives and really all we ever dream to do is leave it.

It’s weird that so many of us are like this. We long for adventure, for travel, to experience the new. So much so that we don’t give a second thought to all the new things that are so close we could reach out and run our fingers over them.

Close though is rather a long stretch in outback Australia, particularly Western Australia. You can drive for hours here and still not reach the next big town or city. Something this road has shown us is the ability to take in our own backyard. To explore the miles of red sandy desert and take in the raw natural beauty that is outback Australia.

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Neither of us have ever travelled further north than Exmouth. We had heard so many good things about Broome and the Kimberley but just never made it up there.

Instead, we had succumbed to the pull of international travel for most of our precious holiday weeks when we worked full time. We jam packed these trips too. So much so that we would miss out on things we had planned in a day simple because there literally were not enough hours in the day to do them in.

After our last trip like this, we realised our travelling approach needed to change. Hence the ‘quit our jobs and travel slower’ approach. However, we still set our sights on crossing sea’s, first the plan was the UK, the pandemic came and changed that plan to New Zealand to keep us a little closer to home, but of course you all know that also changed to keep us right where we are in good old W.A.

We now had no choice but to really discover our home state

We jumped in trusty little Tay Tay (Tiff’s little Suzuki Swift) with the back packed to the roof and hit the dusty red road. We hit some definite bumps on the way, with part of the car falling off on a dirt road between Manjimup and Katanning. Thankfully, we had a paper clip on hand to hold the part together until we got to the mechanics.

We also had a rather unfortunate and ill timed problem with the air conditioning. On the road between Port Hedland and Broome, the air conditioning decided to cut out. It was HOT. Windows down, hot air blasting in our faces and so much sweat. Lucky there is a petrol station about halfway to Broome where we stopped to fill the coolant in Taylor with water and we were all good after that.

Needles to say, though, we didn’t want to test our luck by taking Taylor any further than Broome. She would not have made it on the roads into the Kimberly!

We hired a 4WD camper

A converted Toyota Hilux with a camping annex placed onto the tray, and in the case of the first one we got, I really do mean ‘placed’. We hadn’t even gotten out of Broome, yet alone onto a proper 4WD track when a slight bump sent the camping part of the Ute into the air! Luckily, the people behind us followed us to the pearl farm and let us know that our camper had separated from the tray of the Ute.

Thank goodness for kind travellers or who knows what would have happened on a proper 4WD track out in the middle of the Kimberly.

One phone call and panic attack later, we were left waiting for a very confused owner to come and get their ute and give us a new one! Things with the camper were ok after that aside from the fact that the latch on the fridge broke when we drove into Purnululu National Park, meaning we had to wedge it shut every time we drove anywhere.

And of course we couldn’t have a hire car without getting at least one flat tyre! This happened in the middle of the Gibb River Road on a scorching hot day. We do, however, have experience with changing hire car tyres, so this actually went quite smoothly, especially as this time we had a jack. All in all, the camper faired alright and a lot better than poor Taylor would have!

The camper provided us with an amazing experience of having all our possessions and a place to sleep all in one spot

It was the perfect way for us to confirm that we definitely wanted to be living in a van to travel around once we got to New Zealand. Pulling up into a campsite in the Kimberly at night and watching the stars as we cooked on the gas burner outside was the highlight of that little ute.

It sold us on the idea of van life and connecting back with nature. The idea of having an entire country as your backyard was the best thing about it all. Not to mention how absolutely breath-taking the Kimberly is.

We witnessed the most amazing sunrises and sunsets, swam in crystal clear watering holes and even swam with some fresh water crocodiles.

Getting to travel like this and experience our home state in all its glory was wonderful

We learnt so much about ourselves along this little road as well. We spent a lot of quality time in nature and on some amazing tours. We spent our money wisely and picked tours that would bring us more of an understanding of the land we were walking on.

In Rubibi or Broome we went on a mangrove tour with Narlijia Experiences Broome, and leant so much about the plants, animals and People of the Yawuru Country. When we were in Gutharraguda or Shark Bay, we had an evening under the stars yarning with Wula Gura Nyinda by a campfire, eating freshly caught fish learning about the Country we were sitting on.

We gained so much knowledge from these two tours and a much deeper and more respectful understanding of the Indigenous land we lived on. Getting to know our home in this way was such a privilege and a real eye opener into our place in it as well. Especially spending nights together under the stars taking it all in.

We couldn’t have planned a better way to start our road to travel more consciously and eco friendly than this trip to Rubibi and back

Something we would recommend to everyone is to get out and explore your own backyard, to really learn about the land you are on and not to take it for granted. We seek a lot by travelling away from our homes when really the best place to start is right where you are.

Of course we aren’t saying not to explore further either, we definitely are! Just don’t forget the beauty in your own place, too. The many things there are to do in your own place, where you have more of a connection and investment in understanding its land and people. When you venture further afield that your home, take these same lessons with you. The impact we have as we travel isn’t always small or even good.

It’s easy to be lazy about the environment in other place. We need to realise though, that to travel is a privilege and being a guest in someone else’s country is even more of a reason to look after it and respect the people and land that we are on.

Taking the road less written isn’t just about travelling to places people don’t often go, it’s also about travelling in a way that isn’t often thought about or done. It’s being aware of where you are and really learning ways of travelling consciously and respectfully. Hopefully, our journey can inspire you to be conscious of the impact your travel has too and turn the road less travelled into a slightly more frequented path.

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