It has been a month of living life nomadically, of travelling along what we like to call the road less written. In keeping with that motto, it has turned into one that is completely different to how we had initially planned.
We were meant to be in Wellington right now. Nathan trying to find and work on a van for us to live in whilst Tiff worked at a Locum job in a hospital. We didn’t think we would still be in Western Australia living a nomadic lifestyle out of our little Suzuki swift, Taylor.
That’s what happens when you make plans during a Pandemic!
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So we aren’t where we had planned to be
But honestly, we are starting to think that being ‘stuck’ in Western Australia isn’t much of a bad thing after all. We are so very fortunate to have friends and family who are helping to house us. We have been enjoying winter down south, living with Nathan’s family and getting to spend a lot of time with our nephews of both the human and Labrador variety.
We are relishing taking life one day at a time. We have been going gently through the days, exploring the bush and beaches of Busselton and Manjimup, cooking for our family and enjoying spending quality time with them, too.
After the stress and hustle and bustle of working during COVID and then getting nearly the entire way through the process of moving to New Zealand short of actually getting on the plane, we were both exhausted. Burnt out, frayed ends, done with everything. We so needed this to put ourselves back together and soothe our nerves.
Tiff has landed a short 2 week job at a hospital in Northam. A small town just outside of Perth in what is known as the wheatbelt, the farming area of Western Australia. Not only does this give us a little extra money so we can spend some time travelling around Western Australia, but it also provides us with accommodation for the 2 weeks Tiff is working there!
Whilst it has been great staying with family for the past month, we have felt a little bad about it, so this works out perfectly. We have ended up living in a brand new house for the 2 weeks! Aside from having no hot water the first night, and then losing power just before bed, it’s been great. The upside of these few hiccups is the second night we got put up in a very fancy BnB style hotel with stunning views overlooking the valley.
Yup, locum work sure knows how to provide on the accommodation front!
Neither of us have ever been to Northam, a small but cute town, home to some great attractions.
The main one being the Avon Descent, a race down the Swan River starting in Northam and going for 2 days. A big event that we have never actually gotten to see live, it just so happened that the first weekend of our time in Northam was the day of the race! We hauled ourselves out of bed early to watch as the boats started on their white water adventure.
A very exciting atmosphere surrounded all those watching. We are glad we got to be in Northam for it.
This was also the anniversary of the opening of Bilya Koort Boodja Centre for Nyoongar culture and environmental knowledge, which meant there were celebrations going on here too.
We were so privileged to be taught basket weaving and spent the whole morning weaving with our teacher. There were even cupcakes and a mural they were working on where everyone who visited that day could add their handprint to a very long canvas. So if you end up visiting, which we highly recommend, our hand prints will be up there for you to see!
We loved going through the exhibit that shared an abundance of Indigenous knowledge and also told the true history of the town. A truly well set up museum and centre, it was so educational. We especially loved the yarning circle they had created, showing recordings of many people discussing different aspects of their lives around a fire. Truly beautifully done and a real highlight of our Northam experience.
Northam is a great base for exploring
The nearby towns of York and Toodyay and the surrounding farmland, provides some amazing views of the flowering canola fields this time of year. We are having a marvellous time driving around enjoying the views and exploring an area that was so close to Perth and our home that we can’t believe we have never ventured this way before.
This is a great way to ease ourselves into this new lifestyle that we have chosen. Tiff is loving working in a new environment at Northam and really relishing getting to spend a little time helping patients and working under much less stress and politics as a locum radiographer. Coming in and helping in an environment that was really grateful to have her there was wonderful as it’s easy to miss this feeling at a full-time job.
Whilst Tiff is working, Nathan has been staying at home and planning where we will go next! We decided that we’ve had enough of the cold weather down south, so we’re heading up north to Shark Bay and beyond! Exploring areas of Western Australia we have long wanted to see but never had the chance to do so.
And yes, we plan on doing it all with Taylor, our little Suzuki, packed to the roof and as reliable as ever!
We’ve no doubt that she will get us all over Western Australia. This wasn’t the road we thought we would be on right now, but it is definitely the one we needed to start off on! Here’s to some sun in our future. We’ll be sure to share it with you all. Until then, keep carving your own path. It might not end up looking how you planned but, regardless, it will be beautiful.
Keen for more inspo?
Be sure to check out:
- Top 10 Things to do in Busselton & Surrounds
- Margaret River Caves Guide
- 5 Must Visit Auckland Beaches
