A young couple are gearing up for the biggest adventure of their lives, taking on a year-long lap of Australia in a caravan. And the best part? It’s not costing them a cent.
As keen adventurers, Grace Herdman and Matt Millward, both 26-year-old teachers from Brisbane, had always dreamt of travelling the country, stopping at epic camping spots along the way.
And until now, it felt unachievable.
“With the cost of living at the moment, it just felt like something that we probably never would have been able to do, or it was something that would be way later on in our lives”, the couple, originally from New Zeland told Yahoo News Australia this week.
In just three weeks’ time, Grace and Matt will embark on a 365-day road trip around Australia, valued at more than $250,000, thanks to Big4 Holiday Parks.
They’re the lucky winners of “The BIG Aussie Review” — a nationwide competition attracting hundreds of applications from across the country.
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They will be swapping their ‘humble tent’ for a luxurious caravan, staying in parks across the country.
(Grace Herdman and Matt Millward)
They’ll be ditching their “humble tent” and have won a “luxury” Crusader caravan, attached to a “fully kitted-out Ford Ranger”, which will take them to some of Australia’s most iconic spots.
“We love camping, and we just love being outdoors. So this opportunity is pretty special,” they said.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We just couldn’t let it go”.
Cost of living making travel harder for Aussies
The 26-year-olds will join the growing number of adventurers ditching their day job for life on the road. It’s something they’d really hoped to do but never thought it was possible.
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Recent research from Big4 shows 47 per cent of Australians rank travel above other discretionary spending, yet 83 per cent say they are willing to make trade-offs to afford a trip.
The cost of travel and everyday living has deterred many Aussies from taking the plunge.
“We know cost is a very real barrier right now,” Sean Jenner, CEO of BIG4 Holiday Parks, said.
The couple, both 26, love the great outdoors and regularly travel along the east coast of Australia.
(Grace Herdman and Matt Millward)Travelling couple set on seeing Aussie wildlife
Having moved to Australia from New Zealand almost three years ago, Grace and Matt have already explored much of what the east coast has to offer, utilising their school holidays.
But they’re excited to see “Australia for what it is”, red dirt and all.
The Great Barrier Reef, “beautiful” Western Australian beaches and Tasmania’s national parks are high on their list of places to visit.
“But towns that are off the beaten track, that aren’t so popular, are what we’re really excited about,” they said.
The couple will be staying at Big 4 holiday parks for the entire year. Pictured: Big 4 Rainow Beach.
(Big 4 Holiday Parks)
“To be honest, before we moved [to Australia] I was petrified about the snakes and spiders,” Grace admitted.
“But since being here and seeing them out in their natural environment, I think we both just find all of the wildlife so amazing.”
Seeing crocodiles up close in the wild is high on their list too.
“But obviously we’ll keep a very, very large distance from those ones,” Matt added.
What’s included in the travel prize?
The couple will leave from the Gold Coast on July 6 before making their way around the country.
The epic win is valued at over $250,000 and includes a Ford Ranger ($75k), a Crusader caravan ($76k) and 365 nights’ accommodation across BIG4 Holiday Parks nationwide. The couple will stay for roughly three to five nights at each place.
They will also have fuel covered, a weekly food allowance, and $18,000 worth of gear and content creation equipment.
Aussies are encouraged to follow Grace and Matt’s journey at ‘The Big Aussie Review’.
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