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“We’ve owned our van for seven years. It’s a 2018 model and we love it,” Lesley Ann Sharp said, sitting alongside her husband Mike at the 2025 On The Move Retreat.
“We travel everywhere in it.”
Everywhere is no exaggeration. The Sharps live full time on the road, calling their OTM van home since July 2018.
“Wherever we park our van, that’s our home,” Mike said.
So what made them leave behind the traditional bricks-and-mortar life?
“We were talking to some people one time who lived full time on the road,” Lesley Ann said. “We’ve always loved travelling and camping, and after that chat we said, ‘That’s it. That’s what we’re doing.’”
With the kids grown and living independently, they sold the house, downsized dramatically and hit the road.
“We took everything we thought we needed and then chucked three-quarters of that out because we didn’t need it,” she said.
True to their volunteer spirit, Lesley Ann and Mike use their travels to give back.
“We do a lot of farm sits,” she said. “We go onto farms and give people a break to look after their domestic animals for them.”
It’s a way of life that offers adventure, community connection and purpose. “There are still lots of places we haven’t got to, but we’re getting there, slowly but surely.”
Ask them about their favourite spots and they light up.
“Far North Queensland, we really enjoyed the back roads there,” Mike said. “We’ve spent a lot of time in New South Wales, Victoria, down on the Murray River. We love the Murray River area.”
One place remains elusive, though.
“We want to get back to South Australia,” Lesley Ann said. “But every time we try to plan it, something happens. We say the name and it jinxes the trip!”
Still, they’re not in a rush to find the one perfect place.
“We like a lot of places, but we haven’t found the place we have to go back to. We just love seeing different places and meeting different people.”
Mike uses a wheelchair and scooter, so when it came to buying a caravan, accessibility wasn’t a luxury – it was essential.
“The van was specially built for us,” he said. “They widened the door, made the ramps, and put in an extra-large bathroom.”
The bathroom alone is a game-changer.
“It’s got an extra two and a half feet on the van to fit the bathroom in. Big enough for me to have my shower chair in there and plenty of room around.”
That attention to detail has made life on the road not just possible, but joyful.
This year’s On The Move Owners Retreat was the Sharps’ fourth or fifth. “We’ve lost count,” Mike said.
They keep coming back for the same reason: “It’s just a good social outing. We love it. You meet new people who are like-minded and catch up with friends you haven’t seen in ages,” Lesley Ann said.
They even wave at other OTM vans on the road – though it’s not always perfectly timed.
“The worst bit is when you give them a big wave and then realise you don’t have your caravan on. They probably think we’re crazy,” Mike said.
