Welcome to our Big Lap journey.

For us, the Big Lap isn’t a holiday—it’s a slow, meaningful adventure. It’s long roads and crosswinds, tight servo entries, free camps under wide skies, off-grid living, and the occasional farm stay. From time to time, we’ll also book a caravan park cabin or an Airbnb to reset and mix things up.

Yes, there will be caravan parks—and that one bloke standing nearby with folded arms, judging our reversing like it’s an Olympic event.

And while we’re travelling full-time, we’re never far from home. When important moments call, we can and will fly back to Perth from wherever we are across Australia. And we can always plan to return to Perth should we decide that it is something we would prefer to do. We will just fit it in.

This is life on the road—real, flexible, and taken one day at a time.

Having an abundance mindset shapes how we travel. It helps us do things thoughtfully, make this journey memorable, and continue enriching our marriage along the way. As we go, we’re growing in confidence, competence, and strength—finding joy in simple daily rhythms and the freedom to explore Australia at our own pace.

Working as a Team

We’ve chosen to do this journey together—literally and practically. Driving between camps, stopping for groceries or coffee, finding a good meal, navigating into camp, positioning the caravan, unhitching, setting up, and settling in—it’s all a shared effort.

Once we’re parked, we slow down and enjoy the place we’re in: walking, fishing, exploring local sights, and discovering regional cuisine.

When it’s time to move on, we shift smoothly into our well-practised routine—packing down, hitching up, completing safety checks, and leaving each campsite clean and tidy for the next travellers. Good systems bring peace, and we’re committed to mastering them.

This journey is more than just getting by on the road. It’s a way of life—chosen intentionally. We’re not just travelling; we’re living on our own terms and taking responsibility for the story we’re writing.

Rowena and I are genuinely excited to share the driving of our 200 Series Land Cruiser while towing the Jawa Retreat Escape Bunk, because it immediately does five important things:

1. Cuts fatigue in half – tired drivers make dumb decisions. There's no romance in that.

2. Builds real confidence – not theory, not vibes, but competence in each other and what we are developing.

3. Creates partnership – this becomes our lap, not “Chris driving while Rowena spectates.”

4. Makes our marriage special - while Rowena is a high introvert and Chris is a high extrovert, we thrive on the idea of creating something special.

5. We become a better team, where the Australian pioneering spirit and the Maori warrior spirit join forces to develop our Big Lap Trip mindset.

Action speaks louder than words - We have had to invest time, energy and money for the following:

1. Formal towing & 4WD courses → learn the rules before breaking them.

2. Practical reps in the wild → quiet roads first, then wind, hills, reversing, night runs.

3. Risk mitigation mindset → slower speeds, better planning, ego parked at the gate.

Wisdom says, "Train before battle, walk before you run, measure twice before you cut it."

Here’s how we are going to train ourselves.

• We will start with an empty 200 Series Land Cruiser + no Jawa Caravan, then car + van on quiet highways, then tight manoeuvres.

• Practice reversing every chance we get—muscle memory beats confidence speeches.

• We will make windy days a teacher, not an enemy.

• We will use simple rules: If it feels rushed, it is. Pull over. Breathe. Pray. Proceed.