Project Departure

23/05/2026

The happiness this little van is able to give me just cannot be expressed in words ❤️🚐

HOME SWEET HOME
The best one I’ve ever had 🥹

03/04/2026

Floating between two worlds ✨
Ears beneath the water, all I could hear was the gentle flow of the spring and the hundreds of flying foxes moving through the trees…

In that moment, everything felt still, wild, and deeply connected. Just me, the water, and nature breathing all around me 🤍

26/03/2026

📍Driving through Lake MacDonnell is a dream, but seeing it from above is a whole different world. ✨ Did you know the pinkish effect is actually more vibrant from the air? A drone captures the sunlight hitting the salt crystals and algae at the perfect angle, making those pinks pop against the deep blue.
But nature doesn’t always show off like this, the lake changes color depending on the season and water levels, so catching it in its pink era is all about timing!

Why is it pink? 🧪
The vibrant “bubblegum” hue is caused by a salt-loving green algae called Dunaliella salina and a bacteria called Halobacteria. They produce carotenoid red pigments (similar to what makes carrots orange) to protect themselves from the intense Australian sun.

Best Time to Visit 🗓️
For the most vivid colors, aim for late autumn or early spring (May or September). The lake needs some water to stay pink; if it’s too hot in mid-summer, it can dry into a white salt pan. A sunny day right after a bit of rain is the “goldilocks” zone for photographers!

The Drone Advantage 📸
From the ground, the water can sometimes look a bit murky or pale. A drone allows you to look straight down through the water column, which minimizes surface glare and maximizes the “saturation” of the algae’s pigment.

Was it that pink when I actually saw it?
(little secret I won’t reveal 😅)

19/03/2026

🇮🇹 Per l’italiano potete tradurre direttamente dalla pagina web..

I finally sat down and added up every single dollar I spent. 😁💵

Not to prove how cheap van life can be…
but to show what it actually looks like when you choose freedom, experiences, and doing things your way.

I didn’t live on instant noodles.
I didn’t say no to things I had dreamed about for years.
And I definitely didn’t cut corners when it came to my van because out there, that’s your home and your safety.

This is the real cost of a solo road trip around Australia, the numbers, the decisions behind them, and everything I learned along the way.

I spent 461 days road tripping Australia solo. Here’s exactly how much it cost, what I learned, and how I made it work without sacrificing experiences.