Category Archives: Bus Life

Blog, Bus Adventures, Bus Conversion, Bus Life

Bronte the bus in travel mode. That’s Percy the Prado on our 3.5 tonne tandem car trailer.

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Bronte the bus in travel mode. That's Percy the Prado on our 3.5 tonne tandem car trailer. Percy carries a few extra things on his roof rack, like an extension ladder (for bus roof access), beach gear and a 2.5 seater kayak. We also carry four bikes on the trailer. Our whole circus convoy is exactly 19 metres long (the maximum legal length for motorhomes) and approximately 16.5 tonnes fully loaded (well within our 19.5 tonne GVM rating). Bronte is a little slower than your average vehicle when taking off from the lights, but she builds up speed eventually and cruises comfortably on the open road at 100km/h (with the exception of hills,which Bronte prefers to chug up at a much more gentle pace). When we stay in caravan parks, we usually stop somewhere nearby to unload the car and uncouple the trailer before entering the park. It's a bit easier to manoeuvre the bus into caravan sites without the trailer. And we can then hook the trailer up behind Percy the Prado to get them parked on site too. We've fine-tuned the whole procedure over time and it really doesn't take us long. Also we tend to stay in one place for an extended period of time, so may only do this once a fortnight or so.At the moment, we've been stopped for a couple of months due to COVID-19 and are currently renting a remote property in outback Queensland.#buslife #busconversion #nomads #ontheroad #skoolie #skoolieconversion #buslifeadventure

Bronte the bus in travel mode. That’s Percy the Prado on our 3.5 tonne tandem car trailer. Percy carries a few extra things on his roof rack, like an extension ladder (for bus roof access), beach gear and a 2.5 seater kayak. We also carry four bikes on the trailer. Our whole circus convoy is exactly 19 metres long (the maximum legal length for motorhomes) and approximately 16.5 tonnes fully loaded (well within our 19.5 tonne GVM rating). Bronte is a little slower than your average vehicle when taking off from the lights, but she builds up speed eventually and cruises comfortably on the open road at 100km/h (with the exception of hills,which Bronte prefers to chug up at a much more gentle pace). When we stay in caravan parks, we usually stop somewhere nearby to unload the car and uncouple the trailer before entering the park. It’s a bit easier to manoeuvre the bus into caravan sites without the trailer. And we can then hook the trailer up behind Percy the Prado to get them parked on site too. We’ve fine-tuned the whole procedure over time and it really doesn’t take us long. Also we tend to stay in one place for an extended period of time, so may only do this once a fortnight or so.

At the moment, we’ve been stopped for a couple of months due to COVID-19 and are currently renting a remote property in outback Queensland.

#buslife #busconversion #nomads #ontheroad #skoolie #skoolieconversion #buslifeadventure

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Blog, Bus Life, Outback Iso, Photography

Sunset magic on a perfectly still afternoon down at the river.

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Sunset magic on a perfectly still afternoon down at the river. #outback #buslife #outbackqueensland #abcmyphoto #sunset #reflections

Sunset magic on a perfectly still afternoon down at the river.
#outback #buslife #outbackqueensland #abcmyphoto #sunset #reflections

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Blog, Bus Life, Outback Iso

A campfire and some star gazing tonight, to celebrate the end of the working week…

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A campfire and some star gazing tonight, to celebrate the end of the working week for @littleearthstories.#buslife #outbackqueensland #campfire #outback #ThisIsQueensland #SeeAustralia

A campfire and some star gazing tonight, to celebrate the end of the working week for Sam.


#buslife #outbackqueensland #campfire #outback #ThisIsQueensland #SeeAustralia

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Blog, Bus Adventures, Bus Life

Free camping in a rest area in western NSW a few months ago…

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Free camping in a rest area in western NSW a few months ago. Looking forward to hitting the road again in the coming months.#buslife #skoolieconversion #ontheroad #busconversion #nomadlife

Free camping in a rest area in western NSW a few months ago. Looking forward to hitting the road again in the coming months.

#buslife #skoolieconversion #ontheroad #busconversion #nomadlife

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Blog, Bus Life, Outback Iso

A basket overflowing with fresh flowers, love and gratitude for Sam on Mother’s Day…

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A basket overflowing with fresh flowers, love and gratitude for @littleearthstories on #MothersDay. Thank you for everything that you do for our family. xxxxThe boys and I handpicked these beautiful roses and other flowers from the homestead gardens this morning. Happy Mother's Day everyone!#buslife #tinyhouse #flowers

A basket overflowing with fresh flowers, love and gratitude for Sam on #MothersDay. Thank you for everything that you do for our family. xxxx

The boys and I handpicked these beautiful roses and other flowers from the homestead gardens this morning. Happy Mother’s Day everyone!

#buslife #tinyhouse #flowers

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Blog, Bus Adventures, Bus Life, Outback Iso

Last night’s bush television.

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Last night's bush television. A crackling fire, red dirt on our boots, shooting stars, a full moon rising and dingoes howling in the far distance. This is how I imagined #buslife to be.#OutbackQueensland #SeeAustralia #ThisIsQueensland #campfire

Last night’s bush television. A crackling fire, red dirt on our boots, shooting stars, a full moon rising and dingoes howling in the far distance. This is how I imagined #buslife to be.

#OutbackQueensland #SeeAustralia #ThisIsQueensland #campfire

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Blog, Bus Life, Outback Iso, Photography

Sunrise in the outback. What a magical way to start the day!

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Sunrise in the outback. What a magical way to start the day! I captured this last week on my early morning ride around the property. I have also posted another version of this sunrise tree pic at @keiranlusk.#OutbackQueensland #outback #seeaustralia #buslife #trees

Sunrise in the outback. What a magical way to start the day! I captured this last week on my early morning ride around the property. I have also posted another version of this sunrise tree pic at my photography Instagram account.


#OutbackQueensland #outback #seeaustralia #buslife #trees

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Blog, Bus Adventures, Bus Life

Sunrise over our camp, down by the Barwon River at Mungindi.

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Sunrise over our camp, down by the Barwon River at #Mungindi. We spent a week free-camping here in this peaceful spot on the Queensland side of the river. Most of the town and shops are located on the New South Wales side of the river. It was a week spent mainly indoors, to escape the heat and rather abundant flies. We home schooled, played Lego and occasionally ventured out for a bike ride to town.This image was captured a few months ago #beforecovid19. Currently we are hunkered down and caretaking a remote homestead near Charleville in western Queensland. And I'm finally catching up and sorting through photos from our last six months of bus travels! Stay tuned for more. ~ Keiran.#buslife #offgrid #nomad #homeiswhereyouparkit #ontheroad #buslifeadventure

Sunrise over our camp, down by the Barwon River at #Mungindi. We spent a week free-camping here in this peaceful spot on the Queensland side of the river. Most of the town and shops are located on the New South Wales side of the river. It was a week spent mainly indoors, to escape the heat and rather abundant flies. We home schooled, played Lego and occasionally ventured out for a bike ride to town.

This image was captured a few months ago #beforecovid19. Currently we are hunkered down and caretaking a remote homestead near Charleville in western Queensland. And I’m finally catching up and sorting through photos from our last six months of bus travels! Stay tuned for more. ~ Keiran.

#buslife #offgrid #nomad #homeiswhereyouparkit #ontheroad #buslifeadventure

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Blog, Bus Adventures, Bus Life

An early morning family walk at Thallon in Outback Queensland.

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An early morning family walk at Thallon in #OutbackQueensland. We stayed overnight here a couple of months back, to view the spectacular painted silos. There's a good sized free camp area near the silos.This image was captured #beforecovid19. Currently we are hunkered down and caretaking a remote homestead near Charleville in western Queensland. And I'm finally catching up and sorting through photos from our last six months of bus travels! Stay tuned for more. ~ Keiran.#paintedsilos #thallon #buslife

An early morning family walk at Thallon in #OutbackQueensland. We stayed overnight here a couple of months back, to view the spectacular painted silos. There’s a good sized free camp area near the silos.

This image was captured #beforecovid19. Currently we are hunkered down and caretaking a remote homestead near Charleville in western Queensland. And I’m finally catching up and sorting through photos from our last six months of bus travels! Stay tuned for more. ~ Keiran.

#paintedsilos #thallon #buslife

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Blog, Bus Life, Outback Iso

Campfire time down at the river yesterday.

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Campfire time down at the river yesterday. We are so fortunate to be where we are right now. We are caretaking a beautiful and remote property in #OutbackQueensland. Each afternoon we take a bike ride or long walk around the property and down along the river. Last night we stayed until dark and then nearly stepped on a snake on our way home. Thankfully it was just a carpet python (and not the other sort found in these parts - the lovely old mulga snake). - @keiranlusk.

Campfire time down at the river yesterday. We are so fortunate to be where we are right now. We are caretaking a beautiful and remote property in Outback Queensland. Each afternoon we take a bike ride or long walk around the property and down along the river. Last night we stayed until dark and then nearly stepped on a snake on our way home. Thankfully it was just a carpet python (and not the other sort found in these parts – the lovely old mulga snake). – Keiran.

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Blog, Bus Adventures, Bus Life, Home Schooling

Tending the fire. One of our favourite pastimes of life on the road!

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Tending the fire. One of our favourite pastimes of life on the road! Before hunkering down at our current location, we spent a few weeks free-camping by the weir at #Mitchell. This friendly little town is a wonderful place to stay. The locals recognise the value in welcoming travellers and we were sure to spend our dollars in many of the town's businesses. I even bought a new akubra at the local outfitters! Be sure to stop by Mitchell when the current travel restrictions are eased. - @keiranlusk.#busconversion #buslife #bus #tinyhouse #skoolie #skoolieconversion #schoolbusconversion #offgrid #nomad #wanderlust #homeiswhereyouparkit #ontheroad #buslifeaustralia #buslifeadventure #outbackqueensland #outback

Tending the fire. One of our favourite pastimes of life on the road! Before hunkering down at our current location, we spent a few weeks free-camping by the weir at #Mitchell. This friendly little town is a wonderful place to stay. The locals recognise the value in welcoming travellers and we were sure to spend our dollars in many of the town’s businesses. I even bought a new akubra at the local outfitters! Be sure to stop by Mitchell when the current travel restrictions are eased. – Keiran.

#busconversion #buslife #bus #tinyhouse #skoolie #skoolieconversion #schoolbusconversion #offgrid #nomad #wanderlust #homeiswhereyouparkit #ontheroad #buslifeaustralia #buslifeadventure #outbackqueensland #outback

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Blog, Bus Life, Home Schooling, Outback Iso, Photography

Sunset down by the river tonight.

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Sunset down by the river tonight. Each afternoon we take a bike ride along the river and around the property. I could get used to this outback life! - Keiran.

Sunset down by the river tonight. Each afternoon we take a bike ride along the river and around the property. I could get used to this outback life! – Keiran.

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Blog, Bus Adventures, Bus Life, Outback Iso

Home, for now. This is mulga country, Bidjara country, just beyond Charleville…

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Home, for now. This is mulga country, Bidjara country, just beyond Charleville, in south-west Queensland. It’s been a long while since I lived somewhere with a red dirt driveway. In recent times, we had been slowly plodding along through outback Queensland in Bronte the bus, free-camping by quiet rivers in small country towns. We were planning to head towards the Northern Territory (and ultimately Western Australia) when the COVID-19 health crisis began to escalate in Australia. With the sudden closure of campgrounds, national parks, free camping reserves and many caravan parks, we had to make some quick decisions. Like thousands of full-time travellers across Australia, we had no actual ‘home’ to return to. We either found a caravan park that was still open for ‘essential travellers’, some land to park the bus on or we rented a house somewhere close by. With the prospect of being locked down for six months or longer, we decided that the best option was to find a rental property. We were so very fortunate to find the perfect homestead for rent nearby.

The property is just beautiful, with extensive gardens surrounding the house, a river nearby and lots of space for everyone to breathe. It’s remote but we’ve always enjoyed solitude (it reminds me somehow of our lighthouse days). We are living in the bus at the front gate to the house. There’s no furniture in the house, but Sam has an office in the house to continue her remote working arrangements and the boys have a dedicated Lego room (which everyone is pretty happy about). I have been kept busy with some physical work around the property like mowing lawns, tending to gardens, checking pumps and tanks, fixing irrigation and getting the veggie garden started. We are truly grateful for the opportunity to stop here for a while and acknowledge how privileged we are at this moment to still have an income, somewhere to live and our health.

This is my first post for 2020 (with huge thanks to Sam for keeping the social media going in recent months) and I am hoping to share more photos of our outback life in the coming weeks. Thanks for following along. Hope you are safe and well. – Keiran.

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Blog, Bus Life, Outback Iso

River gums, featuring eight year old boy for size.

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River gums, featuring eight year old boy for size. It feels frivolous to post about our goings on, in the midst of so much crisis, but also wanting to keep a record here of our journey. We are one of the many ‘permanently’ travelling families with no fixed address, who, although abundantly privileged to have a ‘home’ and resources behind us, have, in the last week or so, found ourselves squeezed out of just about everywhere, as closures reach far and wide. We’ve been very lucky (and yes, privileged) to find a beautiful place to stay while we ride out these uncertain times. A place we can not only stay safe but live all our homesteading dreams, albeit with red dirt rather than lush forest.

Apart from ending our travels (for now) and giving us an invitation to belong to a place, isolation hasn’t changed much for us. And as worried as I am, I am also hopeful for the golden opportunity this pause creates, for my family but also for our culture and its operating system. Where will we steer our ship from here? It’s always been up to us. .
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“The dominant order always fails. Every civilisation has failed and this global one is failing grandly, obviously. Our enemy has no answers. That makes me hopeful. Change is possible because it is necessary.” The crushing truth of John Zerzan, exquisitely captured by Tyson Yunkaporta in ‘Sand Talk’, a read for the times. ~ Sam.

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Blog, Bus Life

What crazy, unsettling times.

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What crazy, unsettling times. This weekend, like many others, we’ve had to significantly alter our plans. It’s been disappointing, to say the least, although we feel incredibly grateful to have our health, a job and a mostly self-sufficient home that is ours and is ready to travel in when the time comes.

Last night we walked and rode bikes by the river and I came across an abundance of these fallen leaves. Which, I discovered, are from Eucalyptus websteriana, or heart-leaf mallee. ‘Eu’ is the Greek word for ‘good’ or ‘well’. And so, today, overwhelmed and saddened for humanity, and more than a little anxious at what is to come, I am taking this abundance of hearts at my feet as a blessing, if you will. May our hearts be well. A blessing for the times. Life is going to get crazily different. Do the things you should, but also: tend your hearts. 🧡
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~ Sam.

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Blog, Bus Adventures, Bus Life

Parked under these river gums, out west on the border, with no neighbours…

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Parked under these river gums, out west on the border, with no neighbours save three very insistent but delightful geese, who don’t seem to mind sharing their riverbank with us..
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~ Sam.

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Blog, Bus Life, Bus Life at the Beach

We said our goodbyes to the beach last night.

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We said our goodbyes to the beach last night. Although we’ve been planning it for weeks, it feels the right time to be heading into the outback. We’ve filled every nook of our rolling home with supplies, and as we already learn and work from home, we’re pretty well equipped to weather these uncertain times. I wonder what the world will look like in the months to come? It seems we are in for some major adjustments to this unsustainable economic system of ours. It feels time. Like it might be the shock we need to live on this Earth more gently, to rebuild our systems to support life. So, let’s begin as we mean to go on. Let’s do what we can to help each other out, especially those that are alone, already struggling, and who have no voice. There are lots of great permaculture posts around with tips for doing just this. (I’ll tag some accounts in this post that inspire me. Feel free to recommend others below.) Heed the advice, and stay safe, friends. ~ Sam.


#weareallinthistogether

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Blog, Bus Life, Bus Life at the Beach

Big skies and melaleuca forests swallowed by sand. This is Dunghutti country.

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Big skies and melaleuca forests swallowed by sand. This is Dunghutti country. A place that keeps pulling us back, this time while we do some serious route planning. We had to walk through a thicket of mozzies to get to these ancient dunes, fringed by wetland and shoreline, all texture and curves. The smalls had their minds blown. And then a very harsh exfoliation as the winds picked up.Such a privilege to be living this life. ~ Sam.

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