At a glance…
- MasterChef Australia winner and columnist for The Weekly, Julie Goodwin, is going on a road trip and taking The Weekly with her!
- Julie and her husband Mick are recreating her grandfather’s caravan trip from Victoria to South Australia in the caravan he built 70 years ago.
- She’s documenting the caravan’s maiden voyage on her socials and here at The Weekly.
MasterChef Australia winner and The Australian Women’s Weekly columnist Julie Goodwin is hitting the open road – and she’s taking The Weekly along for the ride.
Julie and her husband, Mick, are retracing her grandfather’s journey from Victoria to South Australia in the very caravan he built more than 70 years ago.
As the lovingly restored caravan embarks on its maiden voyage, Julie will be sharing every memorable stop, story and surprise on her social channels and right here at The Weekly.
Read on for her story!
And we’re off!
We’ve been planning this trip for a while, ever since we realised that this beautiful little caravan was celebrating its 70th birthday this year.
My grandfather, Roy White, built the van in 1956. It was his third caravan; the first one he built was for him and my Nan to take on their honeymoon – before they even had a car! They had to borrow a car for their first trip.
This van was built after work and on weekends. He and Nan used to leave the after-dinner cleanup to mum and her brother, and they would go outside and work on the caravan. It took only six weeks to build; it blows my mind that 70 years on it doesn’t have a loose cupboard door, not a rattle or a squeak. It is a beautifully crafted thing, and Mick and I are very proud to have had it passed down to us to take care of and enjoy.
My grandfather died just a few years after he built this van; it was his dream to travel all over Australia with his family. He didn’t get to do all the travel he wanted to, but we have made sure that we are doing as much as we can in his memory. He and Nan travel with us in our hearts always, but especially during this trip, our recreation of this caravan’s maiden voyage all those years ago.
On to Mildura!
We made it across the Murray River to Victoria and stayed in Mildura for two nights. It’s always nice to stop down for a bit of extra time and have a proper look at the town.
Mildura is a citrus growing region, a bit like home on the Central Coast. There are some really beautiful murals on the buildings around town.
Instead of cooking one night, we had a lovely dinner at Botanica before snuggling up into our little van. It’s getting pretty chilly at night. But we manage to stay cosy with a good feather quilt and robust woollen bedsocks!
Last night we took in a beautiful sunset over the Murray River, right where we were camping. It’s incredible that, even though the water is constantly moving, it is slow and gentle enough that the water is like a mirror.
These are always my favourite times on a road trip – those moments where we are still, and nature is just doing her thing all around us; the birds, wheeling and calling, the water, the clouds and sun painting the sky.
What a beautiful country we live in.
Reaching Adelaide
We pulled up in West Beach, Adelaide, in a caravan park right on the ocean. We only had two nights here, so we decided to spend one of our days exploring Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills. Traditionally called Bukartilla, Hahndorf was settled by 39 Lutheran families who were fleeing Prussian persecution. Full of handmade sweets, candles, fashion, and crafts, it also has dozens of options to eat traditional German fare. We stopped in the pub and had schnitzel, pretzels, and bockwurst, and later in the German cake shop for strudel and bee sting pastries and strong coffee.
Mick is very keen that I point out that the main street parking is three hours, which is generous and welcoming and encourages you to linger in the town browsing the small businesses rather than rushing away for fear of a parking fine.
Just a minute up the road is the Beerenberg Family Farm, with an astonishing array of beautiful produce, from their jams and chutneys to dressings and olive oil, all produced right there. It’s a food lovers’ paradise, and I had to rein myself in as we only have limited space in the caravan!
On our second day in West Beach, we stopped in Glenelg, an historic beachside suburb just ten kilometres from Adelaide. Among the slides that Mum and Dad have given me of the van’s very first holiday is a beautiful picture of Mum and Nan sitting on the sea wall.
They seem unaware that they are being photographed. Pictures like this are rare and precious, and it is lovely to be standing in that same place seventy years later.
Follow Julie’s journey on her Instagram page and check back in here for more updates.
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