While on our Peace and Love Tour of 2018 we have had the great fortune of witnessing up close a phenomenon that has only developed in the 21st Century. The Grey Nomad. They are a strange creature to watch, they follow one of several paths around Australia but they all migrate north in the winter following the heat and sun. When it gets too warm up north they head south again over summer.

They normally travel in a large structure towed by a vehicle that has gigantic wing mirrors so they can see behind and count how many vehicles they are holding up. Their structures are usually white, containing everything a normal house has but smaller or in a foldable form. They spend most of their time at caravan parks, which due to the increasing demand because of the increasing GN numbers have inflated their prices. This sort of defeats the purpose of following the warm weather as the cost of park, fuel etc means it would be cheaper to just stay home and turn the heater on.

During our journey we have seen some strange but common rituals performed by the GN's. A normal day starts around dawn. They will emerge from their large house-sized tin cans, and do a few last minute things (most of the serious packing up is done the night before). They will potter around and disconnect their power, water and lastly drainage pipe and then the piece de resistance - the hook up! They then drive off, usually by around 0800h, before it gets too warm. They travel at a steady 80-90 kph, unless they are in the left lane while next to an overtaking lane in which case they can do around 105 kph. They will stop at most road stops or roadhouses, parking at awkward angles, blocking traffic and taking forever to fill their vehicles.
From around 1100h onwards they will book into their nighttime spot. Caravan parks are their favourite as they have power, water, hot showers and other GN's, but if the GN is on a budget or the distance is a bit too far they will free camp at a road side stop. Amazingly they will still stop by lunch time, even in the middle of nowhere with no shade. They set up, stabilizes down, awing out and chairs out, and with any luck they can spend a good 5 or 6 hours watching traffic passing on the highway before dark. They are now safe in the knowledge that they have the best spot on that 1 square acre of bitumen.

The night before they depart a location the GN is not resting up like most people would think, preparing for a long trip the next day. Oh no, they have so much work to do once dusk starts to come. Everything that will not be need while sleeping is packed away before dark; stabilizers, awnings, chairs, tables. Anything outside is packed away if at all possible. On one occasion, a before dark hook up was even observed. Do not be alarmed if you hear noises that sound like you are in a tyre repair shop, this is only the GN raising their stabilisers. A fascinating adaptation of this species whereby they no longer use the conventional crank handle to raise their support legs but instead carry a battery operated drill to serve this purpose.

Other rituals of the Grey Nomads include “Sunday - Sheet Day” (a very popular one in Darwin) and sitting next to their tin can watching others go past. At some caravan parks live singers near the pool cause them to gather in large flocks. The GN’s also like floating around in swimming pools on pool noodles in small groups. Be warned that they will become irritable if small children attempting to play in the pool splash water on them and wet their hair.

Onwards they go, sometimes spending days, weeks or even months on the same patch of grass in their tin can on wheels. What a lifestyle! We have even encountered some Grey Nomads who have sold and got rid of all their possessions and now just travel indefinitely, following Route 1 around and around the country endlessly.