Meet Anna, Chris, Ella and Jack Keddie.
Create a free account to read this article
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The new caretakers at the Estuary Hideaway Holiday Park only recently moved to Mandurah, after spending Christmas quarantined in Broome in their caravan. Having sold their Sunshine Coast home two years ago in favour of life on the road, the couple and their two children decided Mandurah was the place to settle.
Read more:
"We nearly owned our home. I suppose you kind of get this thing that you kind of make it in life if you have a house and car. It wasn't really though, we thought, let's just go. Do it while you're young," Ms Keddie said.
"We originally lived in Gympie [Queensland], it was a small town so it was quite new to people that a younger family was going to sell their house and travel Australia. For us it's been great. Our kids have seen so much and learnt so much on the road."
The couple and their children have been travelling around Australia in their caravan for the past two years, having left their jobs as a teachers aide and tyre fitter.
They never thought they would settle in WA, in fact they hadn't even been able to visit the state before making the move west.
"We've picked up caravan work as we've been travelling. When we saw this job we thought, 'oh, it's a beautiful location', you know, we're going to have a house in the park. So yeah, it was a good opportunity.
"We never thought when we started traveling that we would pick up this whole new career working in caravan parks, but there's so much work across Australia," Ms Keddie said.
Their children, Ella and Jack, have transitioned into the Mandurah lifestyle already, taking advantage of the excellent fishing and crabbing.
"I see my son pass of an afternoon. He just says 'hi', but he's passing with his crab pot or fishing rod. Then we don't see him till around dinner time," Ms Keddie laughed.
As a new local, Ms Keddie is already loving what Mandurah has to offer.
"I think it's one of the most beautiful places we've been," she said.
"We've been here [Mandurah] for two weeks and we thought, 'this is where we're staying, that's it'," Mr Keddie laughed.
As the parks new caretakers, the family has already made improvements, with more plans on the way.
"We're just trying to improve everything, there's so many things we want to do and change. I miss having gardens so I want to get stuck into the gardens once it gets a bit quieter. We've just done a whole heap of work on the pool, so the pool is now actually nice and blue.
Even the kids are giving their parents a helping hand around the park.
"Ella gets on the buggy with me, helps me do the checkouts. They help scrub the pool," Mr Keddie laughed.
After four weeks living and working at the Estuary Hideaway Holiday Park in Bouvard, the couple are confident they've made the right decision.
"It's rewarding to know that you've made someone's holiday pleasurable."
