It Starts Here – Generation NDY

IT STARTS HERE.

There is nothing like pulling out of the driveway with the camper trailer attached. Almost instantly, a sense of freedom rolls over you. For the first little while your mind is still racing. Did we pack everything? What have we forgotten?

Then somewhere down the road you realise...It doesn't really matter. We're here. We're on our way. And if there's anything missing, we'll figure it out.

This trip feels particularly special.

We're taking our family on a road trip through the heart of Australia. Canberra is our starting point. Darwin is our turnaround destination. Everything in between is the reason we're going.

It's been on our family's "one day" list for a long time.

My husband travelled around Australia with his parents, brother and grandparents when he was seven years old. Ever since then he's wanted to give our kids that same feeling of freedom, adventure and possibility. Forty years later, here we are.

Not quite the full lap of Australia... but a pretty special chunk of it.

We've spent years camping along the coast every summer, but this feels different. This is a real adventure. One I know our family will remember for a very long time. And hopefully, one day, they'll do something similar with their own families.

The first couple of days were all about making kilometres. We rolled into camp after dark on the first night, put the camper up, grabbed a few hours' sleep, then packed everything away before sunrise to get back on the road.

But tonight feels different. Tonight I'm writing this from Lake Hart. It somehow feels like the perfect place for the real beginning. Maybe it's the name.

Maybe it's because this was the first evening we weren't rushing to get somewhere else. The first evening with red dirt beneath our feet. Or maybe Lake Hart simply reminded us why we'd come in the first place.

Just as the sun began to disappear, a spectacular rainbow appeared over the campsite. Not just any rainbow. One of the brightest, boldest rainbows we've ever seen.

It was one of those moments that didn't need words. It almost felt like nature was welcoming us to the adventure. Or maybe it was the universe quietly saying, "You've finally made it."

Then, as darkness fell, the stars took over. The kind of sky that reminds you how wonderfully small you are.

It's only day two. Already, I can't believe we kept putting this trip off.

Sitting here tonight, I realised something. Maybe this is what Generation NDY has always been about.

Not waiting for the perfect time.

Just deciding to go.

Sarah.