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When you’ve owned five caravans, you know exactly what you’re looking for. For Estelle and Phil Austin, their latest upgrade, the Adventure 6.3 Black Edition, isn’t just a new van. It’s a whole new level of freedom.
They purchased the Black Edition in October 2024, wanting to downsize from a larger van with bunkbeds.
“This is our fifth caravan,” she said. “We’ve been caravanning for a long time, from here to Western Australia. Yeah, we’ve done a fair bit.”
In fact, their caravan journey is woven into their family history.
“We travelled to Western Australia, and that’s where our daughter was born,” she said. “Then we went up to Bundaberg, that’s where our son was born.”
So why the van life? For Estelle and Phil, it’s simple: “We like travelling. We love travelling”.
“We like the beaches, we like the bush, we like everything really. So we needed something that was going to get us off-road,” Phil said.
Their Black Edition has already proven itself, especially when it comes to off-grid getaways.
“It’s really high, you can take it anywhere,” Phil said. “You’ve got your two batteries, 800-watt solar and 300 litres of water you can cart. It’s just got so much more stuff.”
“Everything’s roomy,” Estelle said. “Good size shower and ensuite and everything. Yeah.”
The couple has taken it to Moogerah Dam and other quiet spots for weekend getaways, with bigger trips on the horizon.
“We’ve been doing mostly weekend trips at the moment because we’re still working,” Phil said. “We just can’t give work up. But we want to go up to the Top End for a couple of months, just get away, see what it does and do a bit more travelling.”
This year’s On The Move Owners Retreat, held at Northern Rivers in New South Wales, was Estelle and Phil’s first and it definitely didn’t disappoint.
“Yeah, this is the first Owners Retreat we’ve been to because this is the first OTM caravan we’ve got,” Phil said.
“We came just to check it out and see what it was all about, see what everyone was talking about online.”
Estelle said they’d both had a great time. “Everyone’s been nice. The staff have been really friendly and chatty. And meeting lots of different people, yeah, it’s nice,” she said.
They’ve made the most of their time off, visiting nearby Tweed Heads and Mount Warning.
As much as they love family, the couple were both looking forward to some well-earned relaxation.
“Just getting a bit of relaxation in,” Phil said. “Not having to look after the grandchildren and not having to worry about going to work.”
“You just sit back and everything just goes away, you know?” Estelle said. “It’s a good spot. You haven’t got everyone on top of you. You’ve got your distance, you’ve got your privacy and stuff still. It’s quite nice.”
And of course, there was bingo.
“Never played in my life,” Phil said. “That’s the first time I’ve ever played it and I won a fridge slide, so I was happy! Don’t know what I’m going to do with it, but I’ll find something.”
