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Our On The Move community is a constant source of inspiration and encouragement and we love seeing and hearing all about your own exciting journeys.
After so many of you travelled to last year’s retreat in Gympie we didn’t think it was possible but almost 100 On The Move owners rolled into the stunning campgrounds at Kyogle in the Northern Rivers area.
The retreat, held at the end of June, was a chance for us to reconnect with familiar faces as well as welcome new ones. Caravanning is not just about the van; it’s about the lifestyle, making memories, and building friendships.
And that’s exactly what we did!
On The Move ambassador, Creek to Coast presenter and fishing expert Scotty Hillier spent an afternoon fishing with attendees and their kids down by the Tweed River at Chinderah.
It was a successful trip for kids and adults alike, catching plenty of bream.
“I mean, it’s all about the kids isn’t it? Weekends like this, it’s not all about catching fish – if they do, it’s a bonus,” he said.
“We’re all just relaxing, someone’s standing there with a rod in their hand, just relaxing, enjoying the afternoon. And there’s been a couple of fish caught.
“The kids’ smiles are from ear to ear – and with the kids, they don’t have to be big fish. We’re here on the riverbank catching small, little bream, but they’re having a ball. It’s just the relaxing nature of fishing. And also, if you’re lucky enough to get one that’s big enough you can take it home for dinner.”
The Bentley children – Elliott, nine, and seven-year-old twins Tracey and Megan – had a particularly successful afternoon, celebrating their catches and enjoying spending time with Scotty.
Although she declared her sister the “better fisher”, Tracey was pretty lucky and reeled in a couple of good ones.
“Holding the rod still,” was the trick to fishing, she said. But, the secret that didn’t fail her was waiting until the rod mimicked a button press until she started reeling it in.
Their mother Gayle, who brought them to the weekend with their father Russell, said the kids loved hanging out with Scott during the last On The Move retreat and were thrilled to be able to do it again.
“They love fishing and they love Scotty. He’s like their little idol that we’ve seen many times. Elliot first met him when he was just a little boy,” she said.
Gayle said the kids loved spending time at the retreat.
“They met another family that was there last year who had kids of a similar age so they were all playing together and that gave us a chance to have those adult conversations with other people too because the kids just went off and played together,” she said.
But fishing wasn’t the only thing caravanners got up to during the weekend.
Experienced campers and outdoor lovers Kylie and Daniel Paskin, who brought their son with them for the weekend, enjoyed hiking around the lush campgrounds.
Kylie said the Ormeau-based family loved attending the retreat – it was very organised and there were plenty of things to do to keep them entertained.
She said they liked there were different activities to participate in, time to explore the campsite and the region and that there were so many like-minded people around.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, you still have something in common to talk about,” Kylie said.
“There’s always something to talk about – like sharing what you have done to your van to make it better or asking others what ideas they’ve got.”
Queensland couple Jacqui and Robert Woods, who only brought their Traxx Series 4 van in January this year, brought their two gorgeous dogs Georgie and Bella along for the event.
“We’ve loved the retreat,” semi-retired Jacqui said.
“Although we’ve been a bit restricted on what we can do during the day because of the dogs, it hasn’t stopped us from doing anything at all. We visited the nearby towns [Byron Bay, Kyogle, Uki and Nimbin] and went to some dog friendly places but it’s just a bit harder to join some of the group activities. But we’ll take them to dinner tonight with everyone and let them sit with us.”
The Sunshine Coast based couple purchased their van with Georgie and Bella in mind, not wanting to leave them in kennels while they travelled around Australia.
Most recently they’ve finished a 7000km round trip – eight weeks from home on the Sunshine Coast Queensland to South Australia.
“We made the decision that we would take them everywhere and try not to let them limit us too much,” she said.
“It has its challenges, but at the same time, you know, I wouldn’t want to leave them at home.”
She said it was terrific to see that the retreat was pet-friendly and had seen about half a dozen dogs during the weekend.
Keep your eyes peeled for our video of the event coming soon.
The team from On The Move are already planning for next year’s retreat.
Can’t wait to do it all again!
