Escaping STRESS!!!

JB no bagging, it's more common than you think. First make sure that your wife and kids are ok with the idea. I mean REALLY ok, not just yes sir ok.
Do a search on this forum. There's a lot of advice on this topic, working and travelling etc.
Good luck.

johnnyboy, i wish when our kids were at your age we had have done , exactly what you are thinking, now too late they are all grown up, and not really wanting to hang out with mum and dad.check out this website might help abit. think you have to be set up pretty well, and that is a big cost..but hey i it were me and i could do i would be OFF!!!
www.goingtheredoingthat.com

Hello Johnny boy

Here in the Pilbara if you get out of bed in the morning you can have a job . Big problem for most people is the cost of accommodation , but you would be OK because of the van .

Because workers are in short supply , once here you could look around for a pleasant job with good people . This includes casual jobs where you could take plenty of time off for enjoying life .

Good caravan park in Port Hedland near a good primary school .

If you email me at porthedland.operations@jayrow.com.au I could mail you some local papers which would give you an idea of job opportunities .

J.B. We did as you are contemplating years ago except that the hids were 2 1/2 and 5 months old so schooling wasn't an issue. Then work wasn't as plentiful as it is now but I was always found work. So long as the rent will pay the morgage, i'd recommend going for it. If your prepared to put your hand at anything, you won't have any problems finding work.
The kids will learn more than they will at school and it will be a great experiance that you will never forget.
Have a great experience
Des

Hi JB,

Once you get remote Pilbara, Kimberley or probably NT or anywhere not in a city you will have no lack of work chances especially if you don't care what you do. The bush is screaming for workers as long as you are fit and can do a few things.
We have looking for a mechanic for ages again for this season.
I feel your largest challenge is the kids and the schooling. If not planing to be in each area for to long it would be very hard on the kids to keep swoping schools so you would have to consider keeping them on distance education. The 4 year old not many worries, the 7 year old and especially older = lots of work. Some parents teach their own no worries, others just can't do it as the parent and kids clash. I was NOT a success at teaching my own kids, if this is the case it will spoil it for all as it will be constant drama. No blame to either the parent or the kid but it can be vary hard to seperate the role of parent from the teacher who must see the school work does get done. Teacher and student may dissagree but if the teacher is also the parent it can rub on to the parent / kid relationship as the kids can't always easily seperate the two in their minds. I found that the younger they are the easier it was to teach them as the work load and expectation of finished work may not be so demanding for younger ones. As they got older the work did have to be finished on time and fully done. I am sure there are remote teachers as members on this site, ask what they feel about the goods and bads of that side of it, they would have a beter idea than me.
Or put up a post and ask how any others who have tried it went and what problems if any they had.
Just a thought for you, may work fine for your family. Hard to know till you try it.
I'd look into and think about that side though, cheers, Anne

When our kids were 9, 8, & 6 we upped stakes from Alice Springs working our way around in our F100 (auto) and 32-ft, tri-axel van, plus our cat and goldfish; and picking up a thorny devil and a domestic duck along the way! First it was to Darwin, then across the top (all gravel roads back then) & down the west coast of WA. Bitumen started around Pt Hedland. It was then over the Nullarbor and back to Berri SA before getting a job back at the cannery to replenish our dwindling funds. This took about six months. Unsuccessfully, we applied for a few Caravan Park Management jobs along the way, which were filled by locals. However, we had just settled the kids into 'proper' school in Berri when we had to up and leave for the Gold Coast due to family illness.
In regards to schooling, prior to leaving I contacted the SA Dept. of Education in Adelaide, explaining our plans and found that they were all for it, supplying all the necessary 'tools' including special trip journals... our kids being the first to trial these as another step in educating travelling kids. With each 'set' of lessons came a set of instructions for the 'parent-teacher' which made it a breeze. There was plenty of time to complete each set which was then posted with our forwarding address, for collection of results, corrections etc. and a new set of work, further along the track. Top marks were always achieved with praise and encouragement from head office. If we got behind in schoolwork, we'd just camp near rivers or old gravel pits (anywhere we could fit the van) for a few days to catch up; no play till schoolwork was done. We even free-camped on the Eighty-mile Beach (WA) for a week, but that was long before any caravan park was there. During travel time or around the campfire, we would have spelling and maths tests and at night, they would catch up on reading or draw a pictures of that day/weeks special event with a little story, to be included in that set of school work. I would like to add, that if I could do it, anybody can, as my only form of schooling was through correspondence and to year/grade 5 only!
There are heaps out there doing it, so go for it! One of our daughters told her husband that that trip was the high-light of her life! So you're doing your kids a favour! Don't know if this helps any, but that's my 2 cents worth anyhow.