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Jul 06, 2023

Off grid living Australia: We were a typical family. Then we quit our jobs to live in a bus we found on Gumtree

Slogging through the 9 to 5 to save for a house deposit, Queensland couple Tyson and Georgina wanted a place to go home to with their new baby Elaura. But then something clicked. “I thought I needed a

Slogging through the 9 to 5 to save for a house deposit, Queensland couple Tyson and Georgina wanted a place to go home to with their new baby Elaura.

But then something clicked.

“I thought I needed a big house to be happy,” Georgina tells 7Life.

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For the Aussie family, this was far from the truth.

Swapping a traditional family home with a small fenced in yard for a minibus, Queenslanders now call the whole of Australia their backyard.

And the best bit?

No rent, no mortgage, no bills, no debt.

When COVID hit, Georgina was sick of feeling so isolated and confined to the four walls of their rental house.

Tyson was working long hard hours, while Georgina was at home alone with their baby, all to achieve the “Australian dream”.

But the then 19-year-old realised this wasn’t her dream at all - and Tyson agreed.

That’s when Georgina fell in love with a rusty old Mitsubishi mini-bus she stumbled across on Gumtree.

“During the peak of COVID in 2020, we came across an ad on Gumtree of a bus charter company trying to stay afloat during COVID-19 so they were selling off some of their Mitsubishi Rosa buses,” she explains.

“It was love at first sight for me, but Tyson is more practical.”

The family travelled from their home in Brisbane to the Gold Coast to look at the bus.

The deal was too good to pass up and ‘Rosa’ was instantly welcomed into the family.

They quickly got to work stripping out the 24 seats and converting it into a home.

While Tyson worked to ensure the bus was mechanically fit, Georgina meticulously planned the layout.

“We had a few things we weren’t going to compromise on, especially me being the princess,” Georgina laughs.

“We wanted our king size bed, air conditioning we could run off grid and as much kitchen space as possible.”

Luckily, alongside Tyson’s mechanical knowledge, Georgina’s parents had built a shipping container home and knew about off the grid living.

After 20 months of transforming the bus into their home ‘Rosa’ was ready - and just in time for Elaura’s fourth birthday.

The family were ready to hit the road.

Fitted with a full kitchen, a toilet and solar panels, the only thing missing was a shower.

“After bouncing ideas off other travellers, there were many of them that had wished for more space over a shower and didn’t have the water supply for a shower every day,” she explains.

“Aquatic centre showers, caravan park showers or set up a shower tent outside, we still don’t regret it.”

Waving goodbye to their jobs and paying rent, they sold the family car and started the motor on their new lives.

Heading up north first, the family landed in Airlie Beach - and never looked back.

To Port Douglas and across to the Northern Territory, up to Darwin and over to Broome then down to Perth, the family saw parts of Australia they never thought they would.

With fuel, groceries and the occasional camp site fee, the cost to keep them on the road was minimal.

Needing to refuel every 400kms, Rosa’s new off the grid makeover was a huge financial success.

Money aside, Georgina says living on the bus has not just made them happier, but the change in Elaura has been huge.

Living the majority of her life in COVID-19 lockdowns, Elaura was once a shy toddler who had minimal social interaction.

Now, Georgina says living on the road has taught her daughter more than any classroom could have ever taught her.

“Elaura came entirely out of her shell, made so many friends, learnt new things every day in the outside classroom,” Georgina beams.

“Every day was different, she adapted, she found new interests.”

From the white beaches of Far North Queensland to the red dirt in the centre of Australia, Tyson and Georgina say Rosa is the best thing that’s happened for their family.

“Living in a bus definitely made us realise less is more and how little you actually need to be happy,” Georgina explains.

“We were just grateful to have so much time together as a family, we hadn’t had that before.”

Picking up odd jobs here and there during their travels, the couple topped up their bank accounts when needed.

However, they never put the stress of earning more money ahead of the things that mattered.

“Before we lived in a bus I thought I needed a big house to be happy,” she adds.

The family have been on the road for over a year and have landed back in Queensland with their family.

With a second baby on the way, Tyson and Georgina have temporarily parked Rosa until the birth in November this year.

But they haven’t given up on the dream Rosa helped them discover.

Now, on a quiet 110acre block of land, the couple are building an off the grid tiny home.

Georgina, Tyson and Elaura have fallen head over heels for the slow paced, debt free life Rosa has gifted them.

But their dream home won’t leave Rosa idling in their driveway forever.

The family of four are sure to hit the road once again.

“My advice to other families thinking of packing up and travelling would be to just do it. You’ll never get back time and you aren’t guaranteed tomorrow,” Georgina says.

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