After selling their home and most of their possessions, this couple embraced full-time RV living and discovered a simpler, more rewarding way to explore Australia.
Is full-time travel sustainable? For Mike and Lesley-Anne Sharp, the answer is a pretty resounding yes.
They’ve been living it since 2018.
After 36 years of marriage, raising a family and spending decades working, Mike as a tour coach and truck driver, Lesley-Anne in data entry and then 20 years as a stay-at-home mum - life had started to feel predictable.
“The city hum drum bored us to tears,” Lesley-Ann said.
After moving north and eventually settling in Toowoomba, where they raised their family for 25 years, they found themselves at a crossroads.
“We spent many years doing volunteer and community work and when our kids left home, we felt the need to get out and see this amazing country we live in,” she said.
They first started in the noughties with a camper trailer and then decided they wanted something a little more solid around them. Their van wasn’t off-the-shelf either. With Mike’s long-term hip issues and limited mobility, they needed something that worked for them.
“So we started to look at different caravan makers and finally found one prepared to build a van around Mike. On The Move were great to deal with.”
That van became their home.
The decision to live on the road full time wasn’t something they’d planned, but after meeting a couple while they were camping in Urunga in New South Wales, who had sold up and were doing house and farm sits, got Mike and Lesley-Ann thinking it could be a great lifestyle.
Letting Go Of “Stuff”
The biggest hurdle wasn’t the travel itself; it was everything they owned. Garage sales, donations, giving things away, it all went. They even kept a storage shed for a year and never touched it.
“The hardest part of letting go of our past life was, what to do with all our ‘stuff’. You don’t realise how much ‘stuff’ you own until you don’t need it anymore,” Lesley-Ann said.
“So, we gave it all away.”
And just like that, the life they knew was gone - replaced with something much more exciting.
“There were no hard parts of letting go, we were very excited to be doing it,” she said.
“Our family were great with the idea of us travelling. We have a daughter and son-in-law near Toowoomba who we stay with when in Queensland and family who live in other states, so we catch up with them a couple of times a year.”
There’s No Such Thing as A “Normal Day”
Lesley-Ann said there was no “normal day” for them. Some mornings start early at 7am feeding animals on farm stays.
“We could be up at 7am walking working dogs, feeding sheep, goats, alpacas, snakes, budgies and fish,” she said.
Other days are slower. Exploring towns, doing grocery shopping or maintaining the van.
It all depends on where they are and that’s exactly how they like it.
For some, constant travel can wear thin. For them?
“Travel fatigue, nope, never felt it.”
They’re still as excited about the lifestyle as when they started and keep in contact with their family and friends regularly, via Starlink, planning visits.
“We love moving around and seeing this awesome country.”
So… Is It Actually Sustainable?
For Mike and Lesley-Ann, yes.
How they travel is simple: They do many small farm and home sits and all they ask in return is free power and water.
They also stay in free camps, showgrounds and recreation reserves - avoiding caravan parks where possible, because they find them very overpriced.
They’ve always lived within their means.
“We don’t drink or smoke and consider ourselves very frugal with our money,” Lesley-Ann said.
A Trip That Sums It All Up
One of their standout trips in 2024 took them from Tamworth to the Daintree - inland on the way up, coastal on the way back. It ran for about two months.
Stops included Boomi Artesian Bath, Roma, Emerald, Charters Towers, Undarra, Mareeba (where they stayed a week), Mossman Gorge, Port Douglas, Kuranda, Cairns, Paronella Park, Townsville, Mackay, Gladstone and Biloela. There were plenty of in-between stops too, gravel pits, scout camps, golf clubs and rec grounds.
Highlights?
“Our top highlights had to be the Undara Lava Tubes, Mossman Gorge and Paronella Park,” Lesley-Ann said.
But what made it special wasn’t just the route, it was special because they travelled with their friends.
Mossman Gorge was one of their favourite places to visit © Unsplash
So… Should You Do It?
If you’re waiting for a perfect time, they’d probably say there isn’t one.
“For those wanting to do what we do, just do it,” she said. “The things we’ve gained from this lifestyle are the chance to see so many beautiful sights, sunsets and wonderful old towns, as well as the chance to be free from the chaos and noise of suburbia and city life.
“We have no end point of doing this; our health will be the only thing to stop us from travelling. We don’t have a favourite place yet, there’s so much of Australia for us to see.”
And if there’s one piece of advice they stand by: “Take it slow and enjoy the scenery. Talk to the locals in town and have a cuppa.”
