Have you ever thought there’s got to be an easier way to fund the travelling lifestyle?
I asked myself that as we towed the van through the outback, and it led to what started off as a simple idea:
My Inspiration
What is my inspiration i hear you say ?
Nomadic Worker is a new app I’ve created that connects nearby potential employees to nearby employers. Likewise, it allows employers to view the profiles of travellers as they get closer to their place of business.
This is a “New Concept and a New App” developed by a long-term traveller (Larry) for fellow travellers.
It’s not your usual job posting app where you need to scroll through hours of pages to find the job for you. Nomadic Worker brings the job to you as you drive. Alternatively, if you are an employer it allows you to get in contact with skilled travellers passing through your area.
Check out this brief intro video with the concept :
The app is new. As a result there is a 2-month free subscription for both employees and employers, so you have nothing to lose by testing it out.
it’s also only less than a coffee per month after that period
I won’t go deep into the tech here. If you’re curious and want to read more or want to try it:
We always wondered what it would be like to do some Caretaker Work Around Australia. After finishing our 3 month farm sit from Aussie House Sitters, we discovered what might be the perfect caretaker position. We’re talking a tropical beach in the Whitsundays (Queensland). More on that later.
Not a bad office
Sue At Our Beach Resort
Caretaker Work Around Australia
When we first thought about working as caretakers, caravan parks, showgrounds as well as cattle stations came to mind. Larry had already worked on a cattle station in Western Australia for a few months (as a bore runner as well as other bits and bobs). At that time, caretaking caravan parks and showgrounds didn’t appeal.
Larry the Bore Runner
Larry On a Bore Run
While looking at one of the many job sites on our own blog post “ 40 how to find work while travelling tips”, we looked at sites specific to travellers. Moreover Caretaker Work Around Australia
Caretaker and Farm Jobs Both Paid and Unpaid – Facebook Page
Caretaker & Helpers for Rural & Remote areas of Australia – Facebook Page
Gray Nomad Caretakers Australia – Facebook Page
Resort Work
There are many resorts in the Whitsundays, Queensland. Such as Hayman Island (where we worked on and off for numerous years). Now, before you think “you can’t work on an island” as you have a caravan or other set up. We worked on Hayman and stored our van at a caravan park. Returning to it on the weekends. You could always store it somewhere for a few months while you work on one of the islands.
Sue Working On Hayman island
Hayman Staff Get together
On a couple of occasions we have seen adverts for caretakers needed on empty islands resorts. These are resorts that have been closed for years after cyclones etc. They sometimes need long term caretakers to keep an eye on the place and do odd jobs. You would need to like your own company as it would basically be a deserted island. Now how different would that be for some Caretaker Work Around Australia.
Our Caretaking Location
Alternative to working on a island resort, we chose a beach resort on the mainland. This small beach resort specifically advertised for caretaker work for travellers. It was a great way to learn and ease into a caretaker roll. For Larry, this was meant to be more of a lifestyle job than money orientated. But, when you work where you live it can be hard to switch off work mode.
Kookaburra Watching Larry Work
Time for a relax
Larry’s Roll As A Caretaker
Well, where do I begin.. Larry wasn’t given a job description as such but the previous caretaker did give Larry a bit of a handover. One of the main things was the water. The resort runs on tank water so it was important to make sure water cleaning and transfer etc. was understood before he left.
Water tanks and pumps
Working on the dam
The resort has had a few people looking after it over the years. With that in mind, it’s sometimes interesting as to what fixes have been done previously. Simple things like finding valves and connections that should be easy to find, aren’t. A bit of bush mechanics or Macgyver it! is often the go to when your remote or semi remote.
Bush Mechanics
A few job Larry did as caretaker:
Gardening: Mowing, whippersnipper, ride on mower work, chainsawing branches, clearing leaves off the beach, cutting firewood, clearing weeds, planting shrubs, digging up invasive plants, fixing the irrigation system, maintaining gardens around the resort, blowing and raking leaves. Laying new lawn, putting in new sprinkler systems.
Tuning TV’s and fixing projector screen issues
Fixing and installing lights under the resort pathway
Cleaning air-conditioners
Fixing fly screen doors
Fixing a swinging door coming off its hinges
Fixing a ice machine
Replacing shower heads
Fixing leaking taps
Cleaning beer lines
Beer testing 😉
Cleaning out walk in fridges
Replacing and maintaining boat moorings
Regularly straightening the boat ramp
Fixing a fountain. This included the pump, cement work and painting
Lifting and moving the resorts laundry, striping beds.
Emptying the resorts bins
Finding and fixing water leaks
Finding and helping fix sewage pipe issues
Clearing blocked toilets and sinks
Removing and installing new pipes
Installing ultraviolet light water filters to water tank
Working with generators for the resort water and staff area
Designing, organising, ordering and putting up signage for the resort
Organising, ordering and picking up parts needed for the resort
Making shelving, tidying and organising sheds and work areas
Securing the resort for a cyclone
Fixing TV antennas
Water blasting pathways and buildings.
Some admin and computer work and dealing with guests
Fixing the deck
Painting
Cleaning paths
Fixing moorings
Installing hot water
Wiper snipping
Changing path lights
Cleaning solar panels
Fixing the fountain
Laying irrigation pipes
Larry also designed and built BBQ wooden surrounds for each unit. Living where you work often means lots of times work comes home with you.
Building BBQ surrounds
Installing BBQ s
BBQ ready
As we’ve lived and worked in the Whitsundays on and off for years we are used to cyclone activity. This time though we parked undercover at the resort and we secured the accommodation.
Getting cyclone ready
Boat ramp after the cyclone
Fixing boat ramp
Parking undercover due to cyclone
Other Resort Jobs
There wasn’t just Caretaker Work at this resort when we first got there. Other jobs include handyman, housekeeping and bar work. A few backpackers/travellers have been hired for theses jobs. We have met some lovely travellers from many different countries.
Fellow Travellers & Backpacker
You Meet Lovely Travellers
Relaxing With Fellow Staff
While working on Hayman Island Resort, job’s varied from water sports to dish washer, gardener to butler. These are the resorts people often say “you’re so lucky to work/live here”. I have seen backpackers just turned up at a resort and asked if there was any jobs going. They were basically given the job on the spot. Just because a place is beautiful, doesn’t mean you can’t get a job there. Remote and semi remote areas are usually crying out for staff.
Other Jobs While Travelling
Obviously there’s not only Caretaker Work Around Australia for us travellers. You’ll find heaps of work all over Australia, in so many occupations and areas. As well as the jobs previously mentioned, Larry workd on a broadacre farm at harvest time in NSW. While working on that farm, a relative of the farmer asked Larry to come and work on his property. That job was grading roads on a sheep station.
One of the good things about travellers is they often have their own accommodation. whether that’s a caravans or tents. Having your own accommodation is a huge bonus when looking for work in remote or semi remote areas. Remote can be out bush as well as out at sea. Of course lots of places also have on-site staff accommodation.
Home On NSW Broardacre Farm
Home At Whitsundays Beach Resort
Home On NSW Sheep Station
Home On WA Cattle Station
The Benefits Of Caretaking
In the 16 months of caretaking at Montes Reef Resort in the Whitsundays we enjoyed living by the beach as it was a change from the red dirt and dust of the outback. Don’t get me wrong, we love that as well! Here we had the beautiful ocean every day, as well as stunning sunsets. We’ve often said to each other “people pay a fortune to holiday here for a short time and we get to live it every day”. Learning new skills is also a major benefit as it puts you in good stead for future caretaking rolls.
Depending on where you are, the job, local areas as well as the locals themselves can make for priceless memories.
Larry’s Sister Visiting
Sue’s Mum Visiting
Rainbow at Montes Reef Resort
Montes Reef Resort Sunset
So, whether you want to work in the outback doing a job you have never done before, or you would like to work and live at the beach or a tropical island, apply or just ask and give it a shot. Caretaker Work Around Australia is something new to us but we would 100% do it again.
And we are !!
More Posts For Work While Travelling
As we have been full time caravanning since 2016 some of these working while traveling posts are quite old. But hopefully are still helpfull.
At Nomadic Worker, we are committed to protecting the privacy of our users. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and share information when you use our mobile application, Nomadic Worker, as well as your choices about the collection and use of your information.
Collection of Information
We collect the following information when you use Nomadic Worker:
Personal information: We collect your name, phone number, and email address when you create an account with us.
Location information: We collect your location data in order to provide you with the services offered by Nomadic Worker, such as finding nearby job opportunities.
Sensitive details are stored by using multi layer encryption
Use of Information
We use the information we collect to provide, maintain, and improve Nomadic Worker and its services, as well as to communicate with you.
This includes:
Providing and maintaining the app:
We use the information we collect to provide and maintain Nomadic Worker and its features.
Communicating with you:
We may use your personal information to send you updates and notifications about Nomadic Worker or to respond to your inquiries.
Sharing of Information:
We may share your information in the following circumstances:
With users signed in as employers: If you are logged in as an employee, we share your personal information and location data with users who have registered with the app as an Employer and who’s details also have the same job categories as you and are at a maximum of up to 4000km from you. This is done for the purpose of allowing the employer to make contact with you as a potential employee.
With third party service providers: We may share your information with third party service providers who perform services on our behalf, such as hosting and maintenance, analytics, and payment processing.
In connection with legal proceedings: We may disclose your information if we are required to do so by law or in response to legal proceedings, such as a subpoena or court order.
Your Choices
You have the following choices regarding the collection and use of your information:
Opting out of location data collection: You can change the settings on your device to prevent the collection of location data. Please note that this will affect the functionality of Nomadic Worker and defeat the purpose of the app. Deleting your account: You can delete your Nomadic Worker account at any time through the top menu button on the Settings screen in the app, or through the contact information provided below.
Data Retention
We will retain your information for as long as your Nomadic Worker account is active or as needed to provide you with the services offered by Nomadic Worker. We will also retain and use your information as necessary to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.
Deletion of your data
You have the ability within the app to delete your entire account and data. To do so you can follow these steps. 1. Login to the app 2. Go to the “Settings Screen” 3. Click the menu button on the top right corner of the screen 4. Choose ” Delete account” and agree to the prompt.
Your entire account along with the data will be deleted from the database. You will be logged out and won’t be able to log back in unless you make another account.
You also have the ability to delete certain data rather than the entire account by simply removing any values from the text fields in the Settings Screen and then clicking save at the bottom of the screen.
Alternatively, you can contact the developer using the email link found at the bottom of this policy
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will post any changes on this page and encourage you to review the Privacy Policy regularly for updates.
Disclaimer
This App is a tool. Its purpose is to align an employer with a potential employee who is within the area of the employer. The developer of this Nomadic Worker app will always have the best interest and safety of all parties in mind. However, it is still the responsibility of the users to take their own precautions when turning up to a property to meet someone they have come in contact with by use of this app.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about our privacy practices, please contact us at developer@fulltimecaravanning.com.au.
Larry had been looking at finding farm work again for a while. Earlier on in the year he applied for a job on a robotics farm. As some of you know he loves his tech and gadgets, this would have been right up his alley. Certainly the farm would have been an added bonus.
WA Cattle Station
Unfortunately he didn’t get that job. Although he hadworked as a bore runner on a cattle station in WA, other applicants had more broadacre farming knowledge. As a result, it got Larry thinking about getting experience on a broadacre farm.
Finding Farm Work
Larry wrote a post on Facebook, advertising himself for farm work. He mentioned he wanted to work on a broadacre farm and listed his skills. Within a few hours Larry received a message from a farmer in NSW. After a phone call the job was his.
Broadacre Farm NSW
Looking at getting in to farm work yourself? Here are a few farming Facebook pages you might find helpful. You can also read through our “40 How To Find Work While Traveling“ post if you don’t have Facebook.
Australia Farm Jobs
Farm Work Australia
Australian Rural and Remote Jobs
AG Workforce
Jobs for Families Travelling Australia Group
Where We Camped
From Queensland, we headed to the Riverina area of New South Wales for Larry’s new job. Basing ourselves at Weethalle Showgrounds. At only $10pn for power and water it was a bargain.
Weethalle Showground Camp
However, once the Weethalle music muster came to the showground, we moved to the farm. Mark and his wife Chonny gave us a lovely spot to park with fields in front and silos behind us.
Our Camp Spot On The Farm
Not Quite A Robotics Farm, But..
Power and water was available to us on the farm. Water was from a rainwater tank which was gravity fed. Larry wanted to make it so the water would fill our tanks automatically, when low. No turning it on and off again. Subsequently Larry had a cunning plan.
Automating Filling Water Tank
Firstly, he added WIFI connected level sensors to all our main tanks and the dedicated rain water tank. This allows the caravan to know the state of each tank level on the van. He then connected the water hose from the farms water tank to our dedicated rainwater tank. This has it’s own dedicated pump.
Automating Rainwater Tank
Larry then automated the pump to turn on and off based on what the water level sensors read. When the main tanks are low the rainwater tank automatically opens a valve, and pumps water over to the main tanks. Once full this will automatically shut off and go back to monitoring mode. Anyone want to hire this talented geek 😀
What Was Larry Job?
Larry had been hired to help out during the NSW grain sowing season which started in mid April. The work included seeding, spraying as well as a bit of mechanical and preventative maintenance. Learning how to use new machinery always makes Larry a happy chappy. For instance, towing an air seeder and fertiliser spreader behind a articulated tractor.
Broadacre FarmSilos Work
Lupins, Barley, Wheat and Canola are the main produce grown on the farm. Sowing went for roughly 6 weeks with the remaining months doing maintenance and general farm jobs.
Larry Checking Out The Seeding
Sometimes Finding Farm Work Is About Who You Know
Do you ever get that feeling that somethings are just meant to be? Well, I reckon this farm job was meant to be. Here’s a few coincidences. Firstly, Mark, the owner, knows a couple of people we had worked with on remote Hayman Island. One was their nanny from the UK and the other was at school with Mark (Big country, small world).
Sue Working On Remote Hayman Island
Secondly, the name of the farm is “Brigadoon”. Coincidentally, this is the name of a old black and white movie with a Scottish theme. I had made reference to it, the week before Larry got the job. Not the twilight zone but definitely happy coincidences.
Big Country Small World Hayman Island Staff
But wait there’s more..
Near the end of the sowing season, Chonny’s sister and her family visited. They have a large sheep station in Bourke NSW. Larry was asked if he would like to work for them once he had finished on the farm. Unlike the broadacre farm, this job was grading the roads and fence lines on a 200,000 acre sheep station.
Mustering Sheep
Larry hadn’t done grading before but was very keen to give it a go. As a result, when the broadacre farm job finished, we headed to the sheep station. Finding farm work is a lot easier when you base yourself in a small town or in the outback.
Grading The Station
Seeing The Local Areas
Getting to know some of our rural outback towns is one of the great things about working while travelling. I was lucky enough to have Chonny, pop over for a chat now and again. Chonny and their son, gave us a few great recommendations of places to visit. For example, Junee Licorice and Chocolate factory. Amazing chocolate! Also Witton Malt Housewhich we went to for Larry’s 50th. During our stay we got to visit many of the recommended Riverina sights
Witton Malt House Golf
On To The Sheep Station
We are now on the sheep station. This station is bigger than the broadacre farm yet smaller than the WA station Larry worked on. A bit like the three bears, this one is just right. Larry is loving his job. I’m loving the views where we are parked on the station. Stunning sunsets, roos, emus, birds and apart from the house we’re parked next to, not another house in sight.
Sunset Over The Station
To Conclude
For those wondering, I am hoping to get Larry to write about his experience finding farm work. Also more details of what he did. Likewise the sheep station.
Also, to answer a questions I get asked, I’m not working at the moment due to health reasons. I’m lucky we love and live a simple life.
Who could pass on the opportunity to work on the Great Barrier Reef ? We couldn’t! Working as you travel can be in unique places.
Most people have heard of Hamilton and Daydream Islands. We headed to the most Northern island in the Whitsunday’s, Hayman Island. Hayman is a luxury 5 star, private island resort. Closed since Cyclone Debbie in 2017. As a result It has millions being spent on renovations and is due for opening around July 2019.
Helping Hayman After Cyclone Debbie
When You Get The Call Back To Paradise
While caravanning and working around Australia, Larry was getting calls from our old work place, Hayman, asking for information on work related issues. Also asking if he wanted to come back in a more senior management role. As we were leaving theWA cattle station we were on, we had a few discussions about it. I wasn’t that keen.
Larry as a Bore Runner
Hayman Island
Don’t
get me wrong, Hayman is one of the most stunning places in the world
to holiday.
Around 400 staff live permanently in a small staff village with a diner, corner store and bar. Like any work place though it can have it’s challenges. You live with the same people you work with 24/7, have 3 meals a day with them and feed of each others energy.
Unfortunately negative Nancy’s can be like a virus. When last there this was common place. Along with finding out I had a painful and exhausting autoimmune disorder, I was more than ready to leave when we did.
Since leaving, Cyclone Debbie had hit, with devastating effect. Consequently the resort had closed and most staff had been stood down, till who knew when ? Larry has a lot of knowledge about the engineering side of the island and they were keen for him to come back and help out.
Subsequently, Emails were going backward and forth on the new workings of the resort, the staffing and what we were willing to come back for.
Staff Store
Staff Village
Working
on Hayman For The 2nd Time – 3rd For Larry
I was
happier going back as things had changed. Also knowing I could go
back part time and have light duties was great. Our accommodation was
not going to be in the staff village this time either but a town
house looking over the coral sea and Langford island. Having our own
kitchen was a blessing.
Firstly we headed back to our old home atGunna Go Caravan park in Myrtlevale (not far from Airlie Beach). Previously, we had stayed here a for a few months when we first bought the van and before we hit the road. It was so great to see the owners Joy and Shane as well as Amber and Zack. They were still sorting the place out after Cyclone Debbie but we asked if we could come home for a while. We chose a place to park and set the caravan down for a good earned rest (More on Gunna Go)
Gunna-Go Caravan Park in the Whitsundays
Gunna-Go Caravan Park
Gunna-Go Caravan Park Family owned and run
Coming home to the van on weekends, well, it was like coming home 🙂 Certainly, working and living in paradise is great but I love our little home on wheels so much more. Working as you travel can involve boats, planes and automobiles. During our time, we sailed across the coral sea over 60 times, to get to the mainland and back.
Larry’s first job on the island way back in 2011 ( a couple of months after we met I might add) was as a mechanic. He left the island to be with me before we both went back together.
My first job was in the laundry then in housekeeping, reception and as a gardener. Larry got promoted to utilities manager. We worked on Hayman for four years, to save enough money to buy our caravan and travel full time as we do now.
Returning back this time, I joined the gardening department again and Larry was promoted yet again, this time to Engineering manager.
Larry working after hours
All shirted up in his work vehicle
Working in the gardening department involved hand watering the hundreds of newly planted trees and shrubs amongst other random things like asset auditing. Larry’s job was more organisational and computer based than his previous jobs.
As usual he has his finger in every pie, managing to get a Cert 3 qualification in water and waste water operations during our time there. That might help with future work around the track.
The
obvious one is that it’s a fantastic place to save.
Location,
location, location, Surrounded by the Great Barrier Reef and
stunning scenery.
Island
hopping to places like Langford and Hamilton islands
Whale
watching at your door
Fishing
from the beach or a tinny
Stunning
sunsets
Only
a 45 minute boat ride to Airlie Beach
You
meet some awesome people
Island hopping on days off
Staff get together’s
Night on the mainland with work mates
Guest pool is so quiet till July
New year on island with less then 25 staff
On Whitsunday Island with Hayman Island behind us
Where to next?
Unbelievably we stayed on Hayman for 16 months instead of 12. Larry has been and still is, adding upgrades and tech to the van. Look out for his posts on these in the future as well as somevideos on our You Tube channel.
Water filter added and holder designed/made
New LED Automated Lights
Soldering circuit boards for automation
The
road is calling and so is Hayman, wanting Larry to go back for a
couple of weeks to do a hand over. Either way we will be hitched up
soon and discovering new places again.
It’s been a few years since we have seen family and friends between the Sunny and Gold Coast so we will head slowly down south. Yes this is against the grain and might be cold but no hordes of people but we have installed a diesel heater.
Diesel Heater Installed Ready for Free camping
Check Out More Of Our “Working As You Travel” Post:
When we first hit the road it was a long term goal of mine to find work on a Cattle Station. I’ve seen several programs on TV about the outback. Along with hearing several stories of people working on large outback properties.
As this was something I haven’t done yet we were keen to give it a try during our travels. In my head WA was going to be the destination where I’d start looking for cattle station work.
There was no real theory behind choosing WA. Other than when I think remote outback, it’s either up the centre of Australia or in WA.
This of course is not true as there are many remote stations all over Australia. However in my head at the time, that was the focus.
Mustering Sheep
Finding Station work
As we made our way from South Australia across the NullarborI started to scan local websites for Agricultural jobs and or Cattle station jobs.
I applied for one I found on Gumtree and also a couple more found on The job shop website. Shortly after applying I got a call from the Minderoo group.
They are one of the largest land holders in Australia and own several stations and other properties around Australia.
The position I applied for was for a “Water Technician”.
I wasn’t too sure what was involved when signing up as a station bore runner.
I was excited about the opportunity to give something new a go. Not only was it another occasion offocusing on a goal and achieving it but it was a chance to learn new skills.
Each Cattle station have their own way of looking after water supply to the cattle.
Some still use windmills, some use bore pumps and turkeys nests. Others such as the station we were on use diesel powered generators to operate bore pumps and fill tanks.
The boreman’s job is to drive around the massive cattle station and keep the water supplies up to the Cattle.
To achieve this the boreman’s responsibility is to:
Repair any leaks that prevent the supply of water to the cattle.
They also report on what is happening out on the property
Repair fences if broken
Remove dead animals from drinking areas
Report back on anything that is not usual out in the field to the management.
Living on a cattle station
All stations operate differently due to the size and what stock they have. For us the station we worked on was 880,000 acres and only had three permanent employees, myself the manager and his wife.
The closest place to us was a roadhouse 10km away. Apart from that you had to travel 130km to the nearest town for supplies.
Coming from one direction it was 30km from the start of the property to the 7km driveway into the station.
At almost 900,000 acres it’s a fairly small station compared to some which far exceed 1 million acres. For us however it was huge when you’re used to 20 – 60 acre properties.
Stations often offer free accommodation, food, WIFI and water as part of the employment package. The accommodation we were offered was a 3 bedroom house.
It had AC and all the amenities but was shared accommodation with any contractors or other staff that often come and go.
We chose to stay in our caravan permanently so we had some personal space and separation from living and working in the same spot.
They also had a few donga’s for excess contractors and a original build homestead, but that was currently decommissioned.
As it was a cattle station with over 10,000 head of cattle the freezer was always full of fresh meat. This provided what seemed like endless amount of mince and fresh cut steaks.
The station also had pigs, chickens, horses, goats, sheep and several goanna’s that wandered past you when least expecting it.
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The people
I take my hat off to people in the country ( although not for long as the sun is blazing hot around here ). Out of all the people that came and left again from Jakaroo’s or Jillaroo’s to the management they all had the ability to do a multitude of tasks.
It was common to see one person be able to jump on a dozer then a grader, then round up cattle in a chopper, build a shed, trench a ditch, fix a water leak and weld up something mechanical all in one or two days.
I once seen the managers wife cook bacon and eggs in the morning, shift hay around on the telehandler, muster up 1000 cows and be elbow deep up the rear of a cow all in one day and she didn’t think twice about it.
When I used to often see people who choose not to do a small task because they say ” that’s not my job” it’s refreshing to see the attitudes and friendliness of the country folk.
I admire what they do and has given me a new appreciation towards what these people do all day every day.
Some highlights (or not so highlighted) of our months on a station
During my rounds I once had to spend 20 minutes digging the older landcruiser out of being bogged.
Sometimes you also have to get inventive when the bolts snap from the front suspension. Strapping the front suspension so the diff wouldn’t fall out, I was able to travel slowly to a reception area then call for help.
Some times you’d come across dead animals near tanks and troughs which could cause bacteria issues if left. Often you’d have to remove dead roo’s, ferrel cats, dead calves and even a 600kg cow.
Green swarms of birds would often put on a show for me when tanks overflowed.
The solo, all day trip around the station would often give you too much time to think. I ended up entertaining myself by talking to the cows, attracting emu’s or making friends with “Stick lizard” ( this was my version of Tom Hanks “Wilson”
Stick lizard
The sunsets and Sunrises, the nightly stars and the tranquility were all fantastic
Due to driving the same dirt roads almost every day the bore runner gets to keep a eye on what’s happening out in the field. It’s the bore runners job to report back to management anything that seems odd or not normal.
Between that , water leaks, dead animals and broken fences the bore runner keeps busy each trip.
For me unfortunately it got a little repetitive after fixing everything up. My brain requires problem solving and stimulation to stay awake (working on a factory production line wouldn’t be my thing).
As a result i’m not certain I could sustain being just a bore runner for much more than a few months at a time. However, when not doing the bore run i’d help out at the homestead which involves a large variety of jobs to do though.
You could expect to do all and any sort of jobs when working around the homestead. Examples of what I used to do are :
Dig trenches with a bobcat
Lay poly pipelines
Repair water leaks
Service station vehicles
Move cattle
Travel long distances to refuel graders and dozers or pick up bikes from other stations
Diagnose water leaks around the place and repair
Install and setup additional bores
Earthworks
Fabrication jobs like build ladders, modify yard equipment, fix and build stuff
Along with plenty of other random jobs like assisting in mustering it’s never boring on the in between days. The bore runner job itself is not particularly hard.
But… when you have 6 months off work to go travelling and then do a physical job in the heat it gets pretty draining on the body until you get used to it. I think every muscle in my body ached for the first two months. Even muscles I didn’t think I had.
The Lifestyle on a cattle station
If you’re like us and don’t mind the peace and tranquility of nature then a cattle station is a good place to be. The people we came across are hard working and friendly with good work ethics.
In many aspects things are simpler than the city life and it just makes for a good environment, providing you don’t mind a bit of hard work.
Would I suggest others give it a go ? Bloody oath.
The country community do it pretty tough. They rarely have a chance to have days off and often find themselves shorthanded.
Any extra hands I’d suspect are always welcome. It’s not always a paying job. Sometimes farmers look for helping hands in return for food and accommodation. Even still that’s worth doing purely to assist these hard working people and let them have some form of work/life balance.
–
Since writing this – Another traveling couple had a read and felt they could give station work a go. Frannie, Crispy and not forgetting Bella the dog (AKA – Not Grey Nomads) Wrote about there experience finding work on a station. Have a read of there post here.
–
Added: 2021 Larry has been working on a sheep station and Broadacer farm in NSW. We’ll write about our time in locations in the months to come.
Unless you are lucky enough to not need to work while you’re traveling or you run a business from the road. You will need to find a job along the way.
There is no doubt that finance is the biggest reason people hold off on their dream. Before we make that final decision to pack in our jobs and sell almost everything we own, we question. How will I find work traveling? Where will I find a job? What will I do for work?
Photo: Selling our stuff to downsize to a caravan
Research! if your anything like me you will be googling non stop. Reading and asking questions. Facebook Groups are a great place to find information. Ask questions to people in the same position as you, how they found work. You maybe a family or couple, others will be in your position.
Whatever your job is, you will usually have multiply skills from that one occupation. Don’t limit yourself to what you think you can do. Be open to new challenges and what ever life opens up to you. Stepping outside our comfort zone can bring some of the best experiences. Check out our three month’s on a cattle station here 🙂
Photo: Larry being a mechanic
Photo: Larry as a Bore Runner
Think Outside The Box
Example 1: I worked as an Assistant Nurse in age care. As well as the obvious skills, I clean, make beds, deal with people from all walks of life and served food. Making me a good candidate for a housekeeper. As we know tourism is a major industry in Australia.
I did in fact go from nursing to a hotel Laundry, housekeeping and receptionist. Then on to being a gardener, all on the five star resort of Hayman Island.
Making morning tea on a cattle station is also new to me. Feeding hungry Jakaroos and Jillaroos at mustering time.
Photo: Sue working as a gardener on Hayman island
Photo: Sue’s office as a gardener
Photo: Teaching myself to bake
Example 2: Larry, from working as a mechanic became the utilities manager on the island. Dealing with a reverse osmosis plant for the islands water, the sewage and overlooking the power, in the form of large generators.
For years, Sue has been asking me to make a post or two about some of the projects I tinker with while we’re on the road. To keep myself busy, I like doing geeky stuff but I’ve learned not to talk about it too much in real life, because I usually spot that glazed-over look in people’s eyes the moment I start getting excited about my latest smart caravan feature.
That’s probably one of the reasons it’s taken me so long to actually write about any of it. So for this post, I’ve decided to keep things simple. I’ll mention the main concepts in plain English for the less technically inclined, and then include separate “tech section”. If you’re keen to dive into the nerdy bits, feel free to read those parts but if you’d rather stick to the more user-friendly overview, you can stop when you get to that section without missing the story.
When you’re on the road full-time, there are days between bakery visits and checking out your 200th waterfall where you feel the urge to do something, anything. Some folks might read a book, others might do victory laps around the caravan park trying to lose last night’s 5 o’clock beer belly.
For me, it’s all about challenging myself to learn something new and making something happen in the real world based on a random thought I had.
When we first got our Jayco Starcraft, the factory had clearly put Limited thought into how the light switches were laid out. The bench top light switch was above the sink and the sink light switch was above the bench top. The awning light and outer light were also back to front. Every single time, I’d flick the wrong switch.
So I had this thought: “How can I change this setup to make it more user-friendly and maybe even press just one button when I go to bed to turn off all the lights?”
Well… that thought kicked off years of geekiness. It started with adding Wi-Fi light switches (which were cutting-edge at the time) and quickly spiralled into all sorts of things: water tank level monitoring, automatic water transfers, turning the AC or heater on from anywhere in the world, voice-activated lights—in fact, voice-activated everything, right through to monitoring the pee level in the composting toilet.
And not to forget… I ended up self-teaching myself computer programming so I could take things even further bringing my own personalised ideas into the digital age and making them work in real life.
DIY toilet pee sensor
Our Latest Light Control Hub
As time went on and my knowledge expanded (with no nearby bakery to distract me), the whole Wi-Fi light switch project that had been working great for years was no longer enough to satisfy my nerdy needs. So, I levelled up again.
Our Jayco came with a standard Drifter panel that shows battery voltage and water tank levels. But let’s be honest, it’s dull, grey, boring, and doesn’t show the things I want it to show. So I started thinking: “I want my own LCD wall panel that shows what I care about, in colour, on demand. How do I make that happen?”
Fast forward a bit, and now we’ve got a 10.3-inch Waveshare LCD display mounted to the wall, replacing the physical switches for the outside lights. I should also mention at this point that in order to mount the display, I also had to design and print a 3D bracket using my creality 3d printer, but anyway, This touchscreen display gives us complete control and visibility into almost every aspect of our caravan, including:
caravan central hub
– Lights Control: One screen to control all lights. Turn one light on, turn ’em all off, or hit special buttons like “BBQ Light” which turns on the awning light and boosts the brightness so we can see what we’re cooking. Tap it again, and it dims back down to avoid attracting half the bug population of Queensland.
– Water Tab: Shows water levels for the main tanks and the rainwater catchment tank. It also lets me turn pumps on or off but the whole system is automated. If the rainwater tank is full and there’s space in the main tanks, it’ll pump water over automatically and shut off when done. Too easy.
– Wind & Tide Data: Pulls in live data from the internet and shows graphs for our local wind and tide conditions, super handy considering we’re about 40 metres from the ocean right now.
Wind information
– Heating Tab: Controls the AC and the diesel heater under the bed. I chucked sensors on the heater so I can control it remotely. As you do.
– Inverters Tab: Lets us turn the inverters on and off without lifting the seats and playing caravan yoga.
– Temperatures Tab: Shows inside and outside temps (which also trigger the heater or AC automatically), as well as graphs for the fridge and freezer, plus a few other sensors.
– Security Tab: Shows whether Sue or I are home. If neither of us are, the WITI caravan alarm arms itself automatically.
Security camera
– Sensors Tab: Displays general sensor data like how much current we’re drawing on 240V, the battery voltage in the ute, and the current state of the composting toilet pee sensor (yep, that’s a thing I also made). It also displays a counter for the cans that Tipsy Tina records.
– Solar Tab: Displays real-time wattage, current draw, solar input, and house battery voltage.
Solar battery information
– Starlink Tab: Pulls live Starlink status data so I can keep an eye on our internet uptime.
– Media Tab: Just a simple control for adjusting the volume of our voice assistant (Polly).
– For Larry’s Use: A handy screen for rebooting the panel or other behind-the-scenes tweaks.
Overall, the panel shows everything I need and in glorious colour. Of course, I’m always adding to it, because I constantly think of new things to monitor or automate.
🍻 Project Spotlight: “Tipsy Tina” the Talking Bin
Let me walk you through my latest “because I can” project. (Mildly techie talk ahead, but nothing too scary.) We were sitting out on the porch, overlooking the ocean, watching dolphins cruise by. After a couple of drinks, Sue says: > “It’d be good to count how many cans and bottles go into the bin—so when we go to the recyclers, we know we’re not getting short-changed.” Well… that was the spark I needed to go down another rabbit hole. 😄 So I went out, grabbed a few parts, and started wiring it all together with the goal of programming it to do exactly what I wanted with a twist, of course.
Tipsy Tina
Tina's speakers
🎤 The Outcome: Meet *Tipsy Tina*
We now have a bin called **Tipsy Tina**. Here’s what she does:
1. Every time we put a can or bottle in the bin and push the big red button, she: – Increments a counter – Sends that count to Home Assistant via MQTT
2. Then, she sends a request to ChatGPT for a quirky trivia question and answer (while she’s sober, of course).
3. That response comes back as text, which is converted to speech using Piper TTS, then sent to the bin via HTTP for playback.
4. During a button press: Tina asks a trivia question she then waits a minute and provides the answer and flashes the button until she’s given the answer
But wait—it gets better.
I wrote her logic in Python so the drunker the bin gets, the funnier her responses become. Based on how many people are drinking (set in the config), Tina’s “state” changes throughout the day:
– **Sober:** Friendly and informative – **Tipsy:** A bit cheeky – **Drunk:** Slurred, occasionally dramatic – **Legless:** Totally unhinged, starts rambling about how her ex-boyfriend left her, but how he was “built like a red kangaroo” 🦘
recycling cans
🤷 Why Did I Do This?
Main Reason: Because I can.
Is it cost-effective? Nope, Not really.
But is it worth it for the laughs and the bragging rights of having a bin that talks back? “Absolutely.”
🧠 Final Thoughts
These projects keep my brain active, and in a lot of cases, they actually make life easier. The LCD wall panel alone has been a game-changer for both Sue and me. And other projects, like Tipsy Tina just keep things interesting and fun.
So whether it’s for convenience, entertainment, or just to see if I “can” pull it off, I reckon it’s all worth it.
Future geeky posts may include some details about my other smart projects such as : 1. When sue gets up in the morning and triggers the auto sensing toilet light it automatically turns on the Tv, Sets the tv volume to her (almost dog like) sensitive hearing level and changes it to the news channel
Caravan toilet light sensor
2. When the composting toilet’s pee bottle gets full, it flashes the toilet lights three times, sends a notification to both our phones and displays a warning message on the LCD display of a man sitting on a flooded toilet. 3. When the sun goes down and the light levels get to a certain state, three lights turn on and get auto dimmed to the comfortable “movie night” mode or when its night time and the van detects our presence after being away it turns on the outside lights automatically 4. How and why i made my own “cloud” using an old one tera byte laptop to do away with the ever popular “running out of space” message from Google or One Drive etc 😄
that and more may come in later posts …. maybe 😄
—Larry
⚙️ Techie Corner – For the Curious Minds
For those who want to know a bit more about how all this works behind the scenes, here’s the techie section. Feel free to flick me a message if you want me to elaborate on any part of it, maybe you’re in the same boat and love this kind of stuff, but no one around you wants to hear about it? Well then, drop me a line, we’ll chat MQTT over a virtual cuppa.
Sue’s been awesome at nodding and pretending to care when I start rambling about MQTT brokers or “if-then-else” statements, but I genuinely enjoy sharing and helping others who want to learn or geek out a bit.
🧠 The Heart of the Process
At the centre of all this is Home Assistant, it’s my go-to platform for tying everything together. It’s a community-driven, open-source automation system that runs on a Raspberry Pi.
Raspberry Pi
A Raspberry Pi (RPI) is basically a mini Linux-based computer without a screen. It costs around 100 bucks and can quietly run multiple programs in the background without chewing up power or space. I’ve currently got 3 RPIs doing their thing: – One runs Home Assistant (the central hub) – One powers the Waveshare display – And one runs the voice assistant (for voice control and sassy feedback) an alexa alternative
Voice assistant
📡 How It All Talks: MQTT
Home Assistant listens to sensor data using MQTT, which is a lightweight protocol for sending data wirelessly. It’s like texting, but for devices.
Take my sink light for example: – When it’s off, it sends an MQTT payload over the network saying “OFF” via a topic of something like “/homeassitant/sink_light/” – Home Assistant subscribes to that topic and starts listening for events happening on that topic. When it receives a message it updates the dashboard accordingly. – When I tap the light on the LCD screen (or use a manual switch), it sends a new MQTT message with a payload of “ON.” – The light switch controller receives that, and boom, the light turns on.
Now, because that MQTT signal is just data, you can build automations around it. Here’s a silly, but totally possible example:
> “When the sink light gets turned on between 6am and 8am, turn on the coffee machine “and” trigger Alexa to play the morning news.”
That, in a nutshell, is how Home Assistant works. It starts simple, just wanting a light to turn on and before you know it, you’re automating your entire van (or house… or resort) and wondering how you ever lived without it.
🧠 DIY Tech: From Wemos to Weird (and Wonderful)
Wemos D1 mini - A programmable microcontroller board powered by usb or 3.3v or 5volts
These days, there are heaps of off-the-shelf smart home products. And that’s great, but for me, a lot of them either don’t do what I want, or they’re overpriced for what they offer.
That’s what led me down the rabbit hole of microcontrollers and learning to code. I started out with Wemos D1 Minis, which are cheap little ESP8266 Wi-Fi boards you can solder and program yourself. You tell it:
> “If XYZ happens, send power down the red wire. If ABC happens, use the green wire.”
Then you just connect those wires to whatever you want to control—like my water tank sensors, for example.
Since those Wemos days, I’ve also used ESP32 modules and Pi Zero 2s. But when I want something that just works without solder fumes and late-night bug chasing, I lean towards Shelly devices. They’re:
– Affordable – 12V-friendly – Packed with features (like voltage monitoring, switching, and sensor inputs) – And best of all, they integrate seamlessly with Home Assistant
🧰 Tech Breakdown: How *Tipsy Tina* Actually Works
Here’s What I Bought:
– 1x BIG RED “end of the world” push button (that lights up, obviously) – 1x Amplifier board + speakers – 1x Charger board – 1x ESP32 DevKitC3-S2 module – 1x 18650 lithium battery – A few other bits and bobs from the magical junk drawer
These parts make up the guts of Tina’s hardware. But I also made use of one of my existing Raspberry Pis (the one running my voice satellite) to do the heavy lifting, because the ESP32 doesn’t have enough storage or processing grunt to handle things like TTS generation.
So here’s what actually happens behind the scenes:
1. The ESP32 in the bin detects the button press 2. It sends an MQTT message to the Pi (running an MQTT broker) 3. My custom Python script picks up that message 4. It sends a request to ChatGPT asking for a trivia Q&A 5. The Pi receives the text response, runs it through Piper TTS to generate an MP3 6. That MP3 gets sent to a local web server 7. The ESP32 fetches the MP3 via HTTP and plays it back instantly
All of this happens in the background, so the button press feels responsive and smooth. Press once and You get a question. Whilst that’s playing it converts an answer to mp3 so its ready to instantly play in a minutes time, whilst its playing the answer it pulls down the next trivia question and answer pair so it’s all primed for the next button push. All this while Tina gets progressively more sloshed depending on how many cans you’ve logged. 🍻
The point is, if you can imagine it, and you’re willing to tinker a bit, you can build just about anything.
—
Anyway, if you made it this far, yay, thanks for reading! (Unless you nodded off somewhere around the MQTT part, in which case… fair enough.)
Natures Head Composting Toilet We swapped our caravan Thetford cassette toilet to a Natures Head Toilet. After eight years of living full time in our Jayco Starcraft 21.66-3 we decided it was time to make the change. It’s now been installed for over 12 weeks.
Compare the Natures Head & Thetford cassette
Why Change the toilet?
Not needing to empty the toilet as often was a big draw card for us as we were emptying our cassette about every three days for the last eight years. Opposed to the composting toilet which was meant to be around four to six weeks. Living and working on the road as apposed to being on holiday or doing a lap, means we might stop for long periods in remote locations. For example Larry worked and we lived on a remote WA cattle station. To get from our van to the front gate took around 20 minutes while the nearest town was a day trip in itself. Also, we do a lot of Farm siting with Aussie House Sitters. That can mean we’re again, far from a dump point.
The cost of fuel these days also means we would rather not drive to empty a toilet ever three days when we can empty the compost part of the toilet in to a couple of biodegradable bags and put it in the bin (think of it as a large disposable baby’s nappy that you throw in the bin). The urine part can be tipped in the bush/garden/toilet etc.
Also, after 8 years of full time use, the inside of the cassette toilet wasn’t looking so white anymore.
Most composting toilets have the same things in common. They separate solids from urine, no chemicals needed, no water needed, no smell, no dump point needed. The Natures Head Toilet Seemed to have the largest capacity of 80 uses in the solid compartment. Now that’s a solid effort 😉 A little about a couple of other choices. The OGO & CUDDY….
OGO composting toilet has a couple of versions – both have a nice clean profile. The OGO Origin is a 12V system with an automatic agitator for the solids. You can use it around 35 times before it needs emptying. It also has a fan for moisture control, removable solids bin and a liquid level urine sensor. This is for those wanting a long term everyday toilet. Alternatively, the OGO Nomad is a smaller unit, no electric needed and is a layered system. Sawdust or Coir, then poo, then throw on some more sawdust etc. This apparently can only be used for about 5-8 times before it needs emptying. Enviropro seem to be the distributor of both the Natures Head Toilet and the OGO. More on Enviropro website
CUDDY is a lovely looking toilets, even their website says it super cute. It also has a removable solids bin, has a 12V fan but can be hard wired, pee full indicator, and a front crank handle. This can last around 2-3 weeks before needing to be emptied. See full information on CUDDY website
A couple of others are the Ecolet. This is a shiny, porcelain looking toilet and the Trelino Evo which comes in three sizes. Read more
Removing The Thetford Cassette Toilet
We prepared in advance, for the taking out the old and bringing in the new. As well as ordering the Natures Head Toilet and larger door to replace the small cassette door, Larry looked at what vent cover we wanted. He decided to make our own, with his 3D printer. Yes you read that right. When ever we stop for a length of time, for work etc. Larry gets something (usually techy) this time it’s a 3D printer. More on that later.
Removing our Thetford Caravan Toilet
Natures Head Toilet and new caravan hatch door
Removing the old toilet looked easy enough but it was a bit of a pain in the arse. Firstly, we took out and emptied the old cassette (bye bye cassette toilet we wont miss you!) Larry then started to remove countless screws in places we couldn’t see. He then went inside and started to unscrewing the cassette toilet from the inside of the caravan wall. The small wooden panel at the back of the toilet was also screwed to the side wall/hole shelf area next to the toilet. He then headed back out to remove more hidden screws.
Removing the Thetford caravan toilet
Removing theThetford caravan toilet wires and water
After the many screws were removed and Larry had prised the toilet from the small amount of glue on the floor Larry took it outside where I could compare it’s size next to the new Natures Head Toilet. Taking the old toilet hatch door off wasn’t as easy as we thought either. It took a some prising off with a screw driver and a pry bar as it was glued down firmly. As we were replacing the door for a bigger one it didn’t mater if it broke.
Out with the old in with the new
Removing small caravan hatch door
Removing small caravan hatch door
Wires & Water
While removing the cassette toilet, Larry cut the wires we didn’t need anymore and closed off the water pipe. Not needing water for our new Natures Head Toilet, the water pipe was cut under the van and closed of with a plug and hose clip. The 12v wires that were used to operate the Thetford flush button and solenoid were re purposed to become the power supply for the Natures head fan on the side of the toilet. Larry shortened the wires and placed a 5 amp fuse in the circuit, then joined those wires to the male plug required for the power to the fan using some electrical connectors to join them both. He then placed the wires in some split electrical tubing to keep things tidy.
Cutting off water
Larry cutting old wires & wiring in the new 12v fan
Comparing Toilet Sizes
Surprisingly, to me, the new toilet looked bigger and chunkier, it is in fact shorter. I guess I hadn’t thought about the back of the toilet, just the part you sit on. Also, not that you can probably see but the new toilet seems to be a little wider and a little higher. As I’m short, I might need a stool to have a stool, if you know what I mean 😀
Back of Natures Head Toilet and Thetford toilet
Larry doing a Toilet test 😀
New Large Toilet Hatch
Why did we choose to cut a hole in our van and put in a large hatch/door for our toilet ? With the Natures Head Toilet you have to take out the toilet. You do remove the urine tank first (I’ll talk about that later) and you can take off the top seat part of the toilet. Just leaving the bottom poo part to take out, but I didn’t want that. Personally, I’d rather not have anything slightly crappy to clean up on my flood. Again my personal choice!
New large hatch door
We don't want to do this!
Our friends, Frannie and Crispy over at Not Grey Nomads had one installed in there new caravan build, the builder had also installed a large door/hatch to take the Natures Head Toilet out easily. We loved the idea! Our en-suite is at the back of our van, meaning, we would have to carry the whole toilet out past the bed, kitchen and lounge, not something I would want to do or have the strength personally to do.
Cutting A Hole In The Van
Larry emailed the Jayco dealership we bought our van from, asking if there were any wires etc. in the wall we were cutting out. They replied saying there was nothing to be concerned about. With that, Larry drew around the new hatch door, measuring it up to cut the large hole.
Measuring the new hatch before cutting
First, Larry drilled round holes with a hole saw in each corner. This showed us exactly what the wall consisted of. Next, with a jigsaw, he slowly cut down the lines he had drawn for the new hatch. Lastly the door was put in place to see if it was the right fit. Apart from sanding a little bit, it was a perfect fit.
Before we put the hatch door permanently in place, silicone was added to the hatch door surround to make sure it was a water tight and a moisture free door. We had previously pre-bought some countersunk screws as the new hatch doesn’t come with screws, Larry then drilled all the holes and fitted the screws to secure the hatch in place.
Once the new door was in place, Larry cut a hole in it for the new vent he had 3D printed. Also for the outlet, included for the exhaust pipe. We chose to put the exhaust pipe on the left hand side of the toilet (looking at the toilet front on) and have the door opening out to the left. This is because we have a slide out next to the door and we didn’t want it to be opening out towards the slide out, just in case.
Making a hole for the vent
Larry's 3D printed vent
I was initially worried about cutting a hole in the van, again. Similarly, we had cut a hole in the van, all be it a lot smaller, when we installed our starlink router connection permanently. Much like the starlink hole, there was nothing to worry about. The door looks great!
Installing The Natures Head Toilet
Now that the new hatch was fitted, the exhaust pipe was cut to size. Larry changed the exhaust fan from the left of the toilet to the right side, that way, the pipe wouldn’t be so jammed in. The 12V fan was wired, Larry just had to screw the brackets that would keep the toilet in place to the floor. Once we added the Coir – peat brick, we put the new toilet in place. Attaching the brackets, exhaust pipe and fan.
Cutting wires for Natures Head Toilet caravan composting
Swapping the fan to the other side
Floor brackets
The Coir-peat brick
The Coir-peat brick that came with the Natures Head Toilet needed soaking in 2.5lts of water and then you break it up in to the large poo part of the toilet. We don’t have much in the way of containers in our van so we used our bin. It did the job and in around 20 minutes we transferred the Coir-peat to the toilet. The new toilet was ready to go.
Half the Coir-peat brick starting to loosen
Coir-peat brick ready to put in the Natures Head Toilet
How Have We Found Our Natures Head Toilet?
As you may have read the Natures Head has a flap that you open when having a poo and the front has a section that your pee goes in to. Men also sit down to pee so it goes in the right hole and doesn’t mix with the composting part. Larry was not to keen at first, it’s taking him a while to get used to.
It took us 8 weeks before we needed to empty the poo/composting part for the first time. This was with the two of us still living in the van full time but using other bathrooms now and again. I’d like to add here that just because it can last 8 weeks doesn’t mean you should leave it that long (why? Keep reading)
During that 8 weeks we emptied the urine section anywhere between 3 to 9 days. The difference in times is due to us being out and about more, being at home more and filling it up quicker after a few drinks. I read that if you put some vinegar in the urine container it helps stop the urine smell. I add vinegar each time I empty and wash it out and have had no smell.
Urine overflow – in the 8 weeks we both have had the unfortunate problem of thinking there was room for one more pee and realising afterwards, nope, Houston we have a problem. It’s not a major problem as the urine tank sits inside a container connected to the toilet. Some urine goes into that. However, I put down a couple of rags just in case and I’m glad I did. I mentioned to Larry about making another water level sensor for it, to warn us, in case we do it again.
Toilet cleaner & compost simulator
The spray that comes with the Natures Head Toilet gets used before and after using the toilet. It’s meant to help things slide off and down and not stick. This is mostly correct, mostly! The spray says it can also be used for breaking down of the poo/compost so I do spray it inside now and again. We have now bought a 5 litre container of the spray as it is used multiple times daily. We have already gone through the first bottle.
Emptying The Natures Head Toilet
Firstly we took out the urine part of the toilet and unscrewed the toilet from the floor (this can be done outside if you have a hatch). Larry was outside and disconnected the fan and the exhaust pipe, before sliding the new toilet out. If you don’t have a door to slide the whole toilet out (as most people don’t) you can slide the top part of the Natures Head Toilet off and leave it in your bathroom. Personally I would rather not have it on my floor or shower as some people do, but that’s just me.
Larry had already emptied the compost in to a bag before I got outside to have a look. That might sound gross to some but I was curious.
Time to open the new hatch & take out the Natures Head Toilet
Larry disconnecting the vent
Larry taking out the toilet
I’m going to be real here and if you’ve read this far I’m sure you can handle it. The inside of the toilet came away pretty clean actually. There was however some toilet paper stuck to the metal agitator but nothing a gloved hand an paper towel couldn’t fix. Now the bit I wasn’t expecting… Fly eggs! We had lots of those tiny annoying fruit/drain flies so we assume they came from them.
Our old cassette toilet also had them at times but were obviously washed out when we emptied it. As these eggs were stuck in the cracks it took a while to wash them and brush them out. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a lord of the flies situation going on, but it’s not great. After we were happy that we had got rid of them we put the Natures Head Toilet back together and popped it back in through the new hatch door. So simple and we love it!
We love that our Natures Head Toilet simply slides out
To help stop flies this time I have been spraying the toilet when ever I see those pesky things. I’m not sure if the spray will kill the good bacteria in the compost but we just want to get ride of the fly problem and start off fresh. To help stop the problem, Larry has added a fine mesh to the exhaust outlet.
Questions Not Covered
1. Is it worth the money? 100% yes. For us and our lifestyle it is. The Natures Head Toilet cost $1,715 2. Is the constant fan sound noisy? No, not at all, even when in the bathroom you barely hear it. 3. What toilet paper do we use & do we put it in the toilet? We use normal toilet paper. Natures Head says you can use any however single sheet paper is obviously better for breaking down. Also, toilet paper with just urine can be put in a bag/bin etc and disposed of rather than filling up the toilet to much. 4. How much power dose the fan use? 1.7 amps in 24hrs 5. Dose it smell? No, we haven’t smelt any aroma. Unlike the cassette toilet, urine and poo are separated which helps with the odour control. 6. Where do you buy the Coir-peat brick from? Bunnings sell it but we got ours from Big W. You can also buy it of Natures Head website. 7. What bags are used for disposing of solids? You can buy compostable bags from many places including their website. 8. I’ve not got a 3D printer, where do I buy a vent cover? Again, their website sells them.
Welcome to FTC Web Creations! We’re Larry and Sue, a dynamic website building duo. Our journey started with our love for Full Time Caravanning. We wanted to document our travels to help others which lead us to building our own website. That has since progressed to building or updating websites for others we have met along the way .
About Us
We’re not seasoned professionals, but our experience with creating and maintaining websites has taught us a lot. We’re still learning and growing, but we’re dedicated to delivering quality, user-friendly websites at a cheap rate.
Our Projects
Montes Reef Resort: A beautiful resort website highlighting stunning beachfront views and amenities.
We bring a personal touch to each project, ensuring your website reflects your unique vision.
Our Approach
Our Approach We believe in a collaborative process. From the initial consultation to final delivery, we work closely with you to ensure your website meets your needs and exceeds your expectations.
Contact Us
Get in Touch Have a project in mind? We’d love to chat!
