The Great Caravan Caper: Two Rookies Hit the Road

Our setup at the Warrick Showgrounds.

Well, folks, the journey has officially begun!

I’m Tash, freshly minted at 47 years young, and my husband—who, at 51, still insists he’s in his prime—is an exercise physiologist. After bidding farewell to my small outback newspaper gig last year, I decided it was time to pause, take a deep breath, and rethink my career goals.

We sold our house on the Sunshine Coast, gave city life in Melbourne a red-hot crack for six months (turns out, hustle and bustle isn’t our thing), then made our way to Port Macquarie, NSW. Lovely place, sure, but we still felt like outsiders at a backyard BBQ where no one offers you a sausage.

Then my husband had a lightbulb moment: “Let’s buy a caravan and travel the country while looking for job opportunities!”

And just like that, our fate was sealed. We became full-time nomads, owners of a second-hand caravan and a whole lot of blind enthusiasm. We quickly realised we knew nothing about mobile homes, a fact that became glaringly obvious after several electrical meltdowns. Thankfully, our mate Dan in Woombye worked his magic, upgrading our van so we wouldn’t end up living in the dark like 18th-century settlers.

Lesson One: Reversing a Caravan is an Art Form

Our first overnight stop was Rathdowney Showgrounds, where we gave the local caravan community a free comedy show. Picture two clueless rookies attempting to reverse a caravan onto a concrete slab, with much hand-waving, yelling, and general chaos. Enter Old Dave, the groundskeeper, who informed us (with the weariness of a man who has seen this debacle unfold a thousand times) that parking on concrete is a big no-no. Oops.

Stopped in at the Sovereign Hotel in Warrick, where we got the goss on the best sites to see in the area.

Lesson Two: Pub Chats Are the Best Travel Guides

Next up, Warwick Showgrounds. This was a much smoother experience (minimal public humiliation), and we discovered the best way to learn about a town is to park ourselves at the local pub. The Sovereign Hotel did not disappoint. Over a few cold ones, we got the lowdown on all the must-see spots, which led us to the spectacular Queen Mary Falls. It was lush, it was breathtaking, and most importantly, it was flowing—because no one wants to travel hours just to see a sad trickle of water.

The Queen Mary Falls were spectacular!

Lesson Three: Size Really Does Matter (When It Comes to Towns)

From Warwick, we rolled into Toobeah, a town so tiny that ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ isn’t just a saying—it’s a legitimate warning. With no more than 40 residents, we were lucky enough to meet Mick Offerdahl, the pub owner, a true-blue larrikin with enough yarns to fill a book. Mick generously took us on a buggy tour of the local waterways, proving that even the smallest places can have the biggest personalities.

So, here we are, just a few stops in and already collecting stories like grey nomads collect fridge magnets. Stay tuned for more misadventures as we continue our quest to explore Australia one showground (and pub) at a time!

Make Toobeah great again!

Private tour with Mick - owner of the Toobeah Hotel!