Celts in the Australian Outback

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“Méabh and Danny, two doctors, Méabh from Ireland, and Danny from Scotland; traded their hospital scrubs for a van life adventure across Australia. Their journey is a testament to the power of spontaneity, a love for exploration, and the pursuit of a better work-life balance. Leaving behind the pressures of the NHS, they embraced the open road, seeking new experiences and discovering the beauty and culture of Australia.”

Background

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Hello! We actually both moved to Australia individually almost 3 years ago and didn’t know each other prior. Danny moved initially to Australia from Glasgow with a pal and Méabh moved out from Ireland on her own. We had both just finished two years of working in hospitals in England- Danny in Newcastle & Méabh in Liverpool, then we actually met when Méabh became Danny’s new housemate.

What events lead to the decision to leave home and move to Australia? Whose idea, was it?

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We’re both NHS refugees who have ended up in Australia in the hope of a better work life balance! We both applied to work in a hospital in a wee surf town in Northern New South Wales.

For those interested in also making the big move, can you shed some light on how long it took for this plan to come to fruition? And some of the major/ or unexpected obstacles you faced.

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We were lucky because we work in healthcare to come on a sponsored visa, but all in all it took maybe 9/ 10 months for all of that to be arranged, from job applications to arriving in Australia. It’s maybe easier to come on a whim on a working holiday visa, but to fulfil this requirement Irish people have to do farm work.

The MAJOR obstacle was covid! We both ended up having special letters from the government to allow us to actually travel and enter Australia! When Danny came out, there were maybe only 2 people in economy class on his flight.

Where did you settle in Australia when you first arrived, and why did you choose that location? Did you always plan to travel in a van, or was that a later decision?

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We lived in Byron Bay the first year and a half and this is because we had jobs there. We both had never heard of Byron before moving (which most Aussies would be shocked by) and didn’t realise it’s probably one of the most beautiful coastal towns in Australia with amazing surf!

Méabh had a van in Ireland and did a trip down the west coast of Ireland before moving to Australia. We were debating whether we continue to live in Byron Bay or travel and see the country, so we decided a van was the best option.

Is your van yours or a rental? How did you customise it for full-time living?

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The van is ours :)- it’s the only piece of real estate we own! We bought it converted as we’re both useless with DIY (unfortunately). As Méabh had a van in Ireland, we had some things we knew we wanted and didn’t- for example it was an absolute must to be able to stand up to live full time. Secondly we wanted a full time bed, not one we needed to make up each day. (Plus it now has the most incredible mattress we don’t want to stay anywhere else!)

 Do you have an itinerary for this trip or is it a matter of winging it?

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We’ve been travelling roughly around the Australian coastline. You don’t realise how big Australia is until you try to drive it…

The plan was always to do a lap of Australia and end up back in Byron, but we’ve recently made other plans..

Regarding finances, for those wanting to make the big change, how do you support yourselves on the road?

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We’re both doctors and we have to stop every so often to work. We both only work publicly and often public hospitals are short staffed. We try to plan work in advance and tend to stop for a month or so. It really helped having absolutely no ties anywhere, meaning we could move out things into the van, not pay rent or a mortgage and we could just get up and go.

What are some of your favourite places you've visited in Australia, and what made them so special?

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A place called Alice Springs in the Northern Territory really stole our hearts, which is probably something people don’t say often as the town has a pretty bad reputation in the media.

It’s the first place in Australia we really saw any culture. It was incredible to hear multiple different Aboriginal languages spoken and the artwork there is incredible. We worked there too and that was partly one of the reasons we loved it so much. It’s definitely somewhere we’d go back to. There were incredible hikes nearby, unbelievable swimming holes and there was always some wee festival happening. 

Tasmania was also really special. It had the most incredible places to hike, but also the most beautiful beaches. The camping was incredible as the majority of campsites were free!

Van life seems incredibly freeing, but what are some of the less glamorous aspects you've encountered?

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There absolutely is! The most stressful thing is 100% when we don’t plan where we’re going to sleep some nights. Driving around late at night, looking for a spot that looks safe to sleep and you’re not going to be woken by a ranger is not the one (other people who live in vans can definitely relate!).  There’s been a few roadside stops, 24 hour gym car parks but we have managed a few beach stays to make it worthwhile.

The other thing people don’t think about living in a van, is it takes ages to get your ‘vanlife chores’ done- eg laundry, emptying the toilet, filling up with water etc.

What are some of the essential items you've found indispensable for van life?

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A wee dustpan and brush.

How long have you been exploring Australia, and how much longer do you expect to be traveling?

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We moved out of our rental accommodation in March 2023 and everything we owned went into the van (literally everything). We plan until at least February 2025 as we do need to settle down to do some further medical exams (despite being doctors already for 6 years since leaving university!)

Where do you see yourselves heading after you've explored Australia?

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We have things we talk about often and there’s so many places we want to travel. We really are truly lucky that our jobs are flexible and there’s a lot of places around Australia/ New Zealand we can work. We’ve had ideas maybe in a year or two we’ll part time live in Indonesia to surf, then part time Darwin, but we’ve also dreams of going to work in the Solomon Islands too and even New Zealand.

We’ve nothing set in stone because we’re absolute last minute annies, but we’re relaxed enough that I’m sure it’ll unfold itself.

What advice would you give to someone considering a similar trip?

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Obviously, everyone who’s lived in a van and travel will say it but… DO IT. In hindsight we maybe jumped in too quickly buying a van- we didn’t have a clue about simple things like where to do laundry or how to empty our grey water. But we wouldn’t change it. It’s definitely taught us to slow down a lot.

To continue following our explorer Méabh and Danny’s journey or simply want to reach out and say Hi, you can connect with Méabh and Danny on the following accounts:

Instagram: @celtsontheroad

Email: celtsontheroad@gmail.com

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