The wonderful Warwick Marsh, my father and Dads4Kids co-founder, has written previously about the Marsh family’s 1990-91 adventure of a lifetime:

My wife (Alison) and I love Australia and travelling. We also love music, as does our whole family. In 1990, we put those three ‘loves’ together and for a year travelled around Australia, playing music together as a family.

It all started in 1987 when we travelled as a family through the centre of Australia to Darwin and then east to Cairns. I threw my guitar in our hired campervan, almost as an afterthought. Everywhere we went on that three-week trip, it seemed that people wanted to hear our music. Aboriginal communities, churches, schools, overnight truck stops — it was quite extraordinary.

So, in 1990, we set off in a Toyota Coaster bus and a 7-metre caravan for the family adventure of a lifetime. We had prepared extensively with our vehicles and had even purchased some robust musical equipment, as outback roads are not only hard on cars, but everything else as well. Our homework paid off, and the year travelling with my family was the greatest year of my life.

I was 9 years old in 1990, and I also have many wonderful memories from that time. One night, our Coaster bus and caravan were heading up a gentle hill on the Nullarbor Plain when all of a sudden the hard-working diesel engine lost power. Dad managed to manoeuvre off the road and awkwardly park. We were stranded, perched on the edge of the world’s longest national highway, in the middle of nowhere.

Dad opened the engine bay cover and worked out it was an issue with the fuel supply. There was a part, some kind of valve, missing from the fuel line. When you’re travelling in remote parts of Australia, it’s helpful to have some mechanical nous. My Dad is certainly a man of many talents.

The stress levels were high. This was long before mobile phones, and even if they were a thing, there’s scant mobile reception on the Nullarbor Plain. Dad and Mum made the best of it. Thankfully, we had food and water in the caravan, and Dad had a plan. After a rough night’s sleep with road trains roaring by less than a metre from the caravan, we soldiered on.

Dad was able to cycle back down the road (thankfully, we’d broken down not too far from one of the few fuel stops on the Nullarbor) and call Toyota in Perth on a Telstra payphone. They were able to identify the issue, organise shipping, and a few days later, in the dead of night, a grand Greyhound bus delivered the much-needed part.

I remember briefly waking up from the bus’s lights – we were overjoyed, to say the least. Dad must have given that bus driver a big hug, and to this day, I have deep respect and appreciation for truck and bus drivers. They’re mostly men, and they’re often away from their loved ones, driving long distances day and night, delivering precious cargo.

The next day, we were back on the road. Dad and Mum were visibly relieved. As a father myself today, I now understand the immense pressure they were under. How long would our family have been stranded? Were we going to have enough water and food? Would our caravan or bus be side-swiped by a road train?

Their fears were real, but the way I saw it as a naïve 9-year-old, we were on an adventure! During the day, Mum kept on top of our distance education, and at night, my brothers and I oversaw lighting and tending to our campfire. The word Nullarbor means no trees, so finding fuel for our fire was a mission in itself.

More than 30 years later, I still vividly remember gazing up at the glorious, starlit sky during those nights on the Nullarbor. Adventure had indeed struck!

Dad wrote in 2016:

Life is made up of millions of small decisions. One decision leads to another and another and another. How we make those decisions becomes critical to how much we enjoy life or endure life. Our families are affected by our decisions.

I couldn’t agree with him more. I’m so thankful Dad and Mum decided, against all odds, to embark on that adventure of a lifetime in 1990. Their example inspires me, and I hope it inspires you too.

The good news is you don’t need to break down on the Nullarbor Plain to enjoy an adventure or admire the heavens sitting by a campfire. If you’re near the South Coast of New South Wales, plan to join us at the upcoming Dads4Kids Fun Camp at Coolendel, 7-8 November 2025. Watch the video below to find out more and be inspired to get away with your kids:

The 2025 Dads4Kids Fun Camp will be held from 7 – 8 November at the beautiful Coolendel Campground, located on the Shoalhaven River, around three hours south of Sydney. We arrive from 4 p.m. Friday afternoon, set up camp, meet fellow campers, have dinner and hopefully sit and chat around a campfire (pending conditions) toasting marshmallows with our kids.

Saturday morning, after breakfast, we have some fun games and activities together. We wrap up the camp officially after lunchtime (around 1-2 pm) on Saturday, but some campers stay a second night and return home on Sunday. There is no age limit for dads and their kids (grandads are welcome too); however, dads and grandads are responsible for their own children, so it is important that you feel comfortable with the age of the children in your care.

If you can, we’d love for you to join us! Please click here or contact organiser Craig Shipway on 0418 241 457 or via email: cashipway@yahoo.com.au for more information.

Lovework

Don’t wait for adventure to strike. If you can, plan your own adventure with your kids today! You won’t regret it.

Yours for adventure,
Nathaniel Marsh

P.S. If you’re encouraged by the work of Dads4Kids and would like to support our vision of helping Aussie dads be the best they can be for their children, please consider making a tax-deductible donation here.

P.P.S. If you’re a dad or granddad near the South Coast of NSW, please consider joining us at the Dads4Kids Fun Camp at Coolendel, 7-8 November 2025. Click here to find out more and register, which helps us with planning for the event. Warwick and I would love to see you there!