I Started Traveling Around Australia In A Campervan With My Cat Willow, And My Whole Life Changed

Over 8 years ago, I left my old life behind in Hobart, Tasmania to travel around Australia with my cat, Willow, in our self-built campervan. Since then we have visited every state and covered countless kilometers on our tale of adventure, but it wasn’t until I met Steph in Perth in 2016 that I could begin to call my life complete.

In 2015, I gave up a promising career in IT and sold my house and all my belongings to embark on the trip of a lifetime. I was depressed and could see my mental health declining, so I knew I had to make a change, and what I came up with was to put my life into a campervan and travel for a while.

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Over 8 years ago, I left my old life behind in Hobart, Tasmania to travel around Australia with my cat, Willow

It was months and months of research and organizing before I was ready to hit the road. I like to call it the world’s most well-planned mid-life crisis. The only problem was that I had made a promise to look after Willow. It felt crazy but I knew I had to take her with me. I have no regrets about making that choice as I look back on our remarkable journey together and our friendship. It was beautiful to see Willow thrive on the road, seeing her roll around in the desert sand, seeing her enjoying the experience as much as I did. Willow kept me going.

It took months of research and organizing before we were ready to hit the road

I wasn’t sure what I was looking for when we headed out on the road until I met Steph in 2016

That was over 8 years ago, and although we have rented for short periods, we have mostly been out exploring the wilds of Australia. We have seen the Great Barrier Reef, the tropical savannahs of northern Australia, the wildflowers of Western Australia, and many a forest in between.

I wasn’t sure what I was looking for when we headed out on the road all those years ago but things started to make sense when I met Steph in 2016, although at first, Willow wasn’t so sure. Steph was on a working holiday visa from the UK and although our paths were undetermined, I invited her to travel with Willow and me for a couple of months.

I invited her to travel with Willow and me for a couple of months

All three of us returned to Hobart, and I guess people were expecting us to settle down, but we had bigger plans

The rest is history with us soon falling in love. However, our futures together remained undecided until a moonlit evening at Rainbow Beach, Queensland 3 years later when I popped the question. Not ones to do things the conventional way, we were married on our stand-up paddle board amongst the water lilies on a Brisbane reservoir. My heart stops when I think that if I hadn’t taken Willow, I wouldn’t have kept traveling, which means I would have never met Steph.

We returned to Hobart, and I guess people were expecting us to settle down, but we had bigger plans. I found work at a local cat shelter which happened to be the same shelter Willow was adopted from all those years ago. I was helping out with their marketing and fundraising activities which involved a fair bit of my IT knowledge. It was sort of an “aha” moment when I realized a career didn’t have to be what I thought it was. I realized I could use those skills to help animal welfare organizations across the country.

For a while, I was working at a local cat shelter which happened to be the same shelter Willow was adopted from years ago

Now the three of us are inseparable and have left Hobart on a new adventure around Australia in our tiny home on wheels

Now the three of us are inseparable and have left Hobart on a new adventure around Australia in our tiny home on wheels. Like anything, living in a such a small space together requires a lot of trust and communication, and that goes for Willow too. We have to be in tune with how Willow’s feeling to make sure all her needs are met. Inside our campervan, Willow has a vented litter box, access to her food and water, and of course a stockpile of cat treats at the ready. Willow has a choice of nap spots to choose from throughout the day, but at night she can be found snuggling up on either my or Steph’s legs.

Inside our campervan, Willow has a vented litter box, access to her food and water, and of course a stockpile of cat treats at the ready

Willow has a choice of nap spots to choose from throughout the day, but at night she can be found snuggling up on either my or Steph’s legs

As an introvert myself, Willow has helped me connect to the world around me. I have made lifelong friends that I would never have met if it wasn’t for her. We have met up with lots of traveling cats along our journey and those friendships with their humans have developed because we have that common ground. Willow and I are very similar in that we need lots of time to ourselves to recharge, but she also shows me the importance of connecting with others.

Often, we meet up with people who will want to come and say hi to Willow at our campervan. It’s a joy to watch her crawl out from underneath her blankets, jump down onto the floor and introduce herself to her new friends. Willow has shown me that there is a lot of good in the world, a lot of kindness. But to find it you have to look for it, you have to go outside your comfort zone. She’s taught me that. But all that adventure, outback sunsets, and dust mean nothing for one thing. She taught me I could love again – and most of all be loved. So, when Stephanie entered our lives my heart was ready for her and the rest is history, so to speak.

Willow’s living situation is unusual, but that doesn’t stop her from doing all the usual cat things

My heart stops when I think that if I hadn’t taken Willow, I wouldn’t have kept traveling, which means I would have never met Steph

Willow’s living situation is unusual, but that doesn’t stop her from doing all the usual cat things like stealing our seats when we get up or scratching everywhere but her scratching post. When I tried to count how far we’ve been I lost count at 100,000km. But over 8 years, that’s not actually that far. We like to go slow and really enjoy our time together. Over a week, we rarely travel more than 350km.

Cats have this innate ability to teach us how to live in the moment. I think that’s their greatest gift to us. I’m not really sure what the meaning of life is but I’m pretty sure it has something to do with spending more time with our pets.

When I tried to count how far we’d been, I lost count at 100,000km

For me, Willow is that once-in-a-lifetime cat

For me, Willow is that once-in-a-lifetime cat. From the depths of depression to building this new life on the road exploring Australia, to finding the love of my life and helping other cats, she’s been with me every step of the way and I’m so grateful for everything she’s given me. Right now, the three of us are currently exploring outback South Australia on our way through to Exmouth, Western Australia. We don’t really know what the future holds for us, but I know that the three of us will be together.

We don’t really know what the future holds for us, but I know that the three of us will be together

If you would like to find out more about us, visit our website where I share Willow’s adventures

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