GOING WITH THE WIND

“We are just taking it as it comes and going with the wind …”

Rosie Sayers, an artist, has chosen to live the great Australian dream of road tripping around Australia.

I first met Rosie early this year, 2019. She has a natural openness and warmth and I felt an immediate connection to her. Our discussions led to our mutual love for road trips, I talked about a recent road trip I had taken to the south coast of Western Australia and she remarked on her dream to travel Australia. The next time our paths crossed Rosie announced excitedly that I had inspired her to take the plunge into travel. She had resigned from her job and, with her partner Dylan, was working on getting their bus ready to begin their dream.

I have loved following their travels and especially how it is inspiring Rosie’s creative art practice. The vivid colours of Far North Queensland are now a central theme in her incredible collages and I can not wait to see the influence the stunning landscape of the Northern Territory will make.

Read about what inspired Rosie and Dylan to travel Australia, how they created their incredible home in a bus and how they have learned to live day to day.

Explore Rosie’s art at www.rosiesayersdesign.com

What has inspired you and your partner to take this time to travel Australia?

We have both explored other countries, but we found there was still a lot of our own country we hadn’t seen. We are so blessed to be born in this beautiful country and felt it was extremely important to learn more about it and see what else it has to offer.

You have created an amazing home with your van, how long did it take to create this space and were you both involved in the process?

We are very happy with our little home. Dylan is a builder by trade, and had every intention to build the interior himself.

Unfortunately he was working in construction almost seven days a week, and had no time or energy to finish off what he had started. Therefore we decided to get someone else to fit it out for us.

Together we decorated it, and luckily for me Dylan appreciates the colour pink.

What are the places you are most excited to visit and do you plan to spend extended time in particular places?

We are both most excited to explore the Northern Territory. We have not been there and it’s so different to anywhere we have explored previously. It also holds such a vital part of Australian culture and history, which we are intrigued to learn more about.

We planned on spending a lot of time on the Sunshine Coast as we have a lot of friends living there and there is plenty of surf for Dylan.  We ended up spending over a month there and stayed for the arrival of our friends baby which was really special.  Other than that we are just taking it as it comes and going with the wind. If we fall in love with a place we extend our visit day by day. 

Rosie, you have an incredible creative art practice, tell us about it. Do you plan to work on this while you are traveling?

 Oh thank you so much. Yes, I have been working on the road, creating commissions and my own originals. I have found so much inspiration in the ever changing landscapes of Australia. The textures, colours, flora and fauna have impacted my work significantly.

Also setting up a studio in a new surrounding each day has been exciting.

Collaging in the Daintree Rainforest was particularly special. Listening to the sound of the tropical birds and having visits from butterflies (even Ulysses!), goannas, snakes and a cassowary.

And your partner, Dylan, what are his passions? 

Dylan has a huge passion for surfing. Along the NSW and south Queensland coasts he was surfing almost three times a day. We are currently in tropical North Queensland where there is no surf, so he is itching to get over to the west where the waves are. pumping. 

Your journey has just begun, what is your dream outcome from your travels?

I really did not know what I was expecting as an outcome from this trip. However, the change in pace of life has really allowed me to reset and revert back inward. The lack of hustle and bustle that comes with Melbourne city life, combined with no deadlines or places we must be has completely shifted my energy. I have never felt so calm in my life.

It has allowed me to find the time to meditate, create, exercise, prepare nourishing meals, and connect with incredible people. I never expected this trip to be as spirituality enriching as it has been.

Also I have already found a whole new appreciation for this county. Not that I didn’t prior to this trip, but I now feel an even deeper connection to this land and can’t recommend it highly enough to anyone interested in doing a similar trip.

How are you managing to practice self-care on your journey, do you have a daily routine or go to practice?

It took a while to adjust from my busy Melbourne routine to this pace of life, but I think I have finally got a handle on it. Especially my morning ritual.

We try to wake up each morning to catch the sunrise. Followed by meditation, some exercise then breakfast. I find this small morning ritual seems to give me more hours in the day.

I happen to know you are traveling with some nunchi sprays in your van, how do you bring nunchi into your day? 

Yes! They have become one of my must haves on this trip. I have my Wanderlust travel mist sitting on the front dash and constantly spray myself and Dylan as we are driving along. My Just Chill spray sits beside our bed and helps with sleep, and meditation. I’ve found them so beneficial, and an instant mood lifter.