Bronwyn and James Lindsay have quit their jobs, and their three kids Tom (7), Ed (5) and Bonnie (4) are taking time off school, to chase summer across Australia.

Mum Bronwyn says the plan is to head north as the seasons change (enjoying the dry season in the tropics), before turning around and returning down along the coast, returning late October. “The timeline is broad and the route is broader, we will stay somewhere for as long as we like it and hope for great tips along the way of the best places to stay and visit.”

The family are acting on Mahatma Gandhi’s advice to 'be the change that you wish to see in the world’, and want most of all to create memories. “Time to think, to breathe, to exercise, to savour each other, to play I Spy,” Bronwyn explains. “Break the routine, connect with new people, see new sights, refresh ourselves as a family, find our energy and passion after years of sleepless nights, nappies, bills and work.”

Husband James agrees, and points to turning 40 as the catalyst (and Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” as the guide). Getting to be present with their kids is another driver for the family. “It is important because we know we will never regret going, but we will always regret not going,” says Bronwyn.

But it’s not a decision made lightly, after four years of deliberating and dreaming, the family have spent the last six months organising their trip of a lifetime. They’ve had to sell their house, resign from work and organise home schooling for the three children.

“A domino effect occurs where once you pass each hurdle the next presents, and when that is achieved you focus on the next one,” Bronwyn says it’s important to take things one step at a time. “If you kept looking at the entire scale of decisions required you risk being paralysed into inertia.”

The families main goal is for the youngest of the tribe to become even more inquisitive and interested in the world around them. “We asked ourselves what type of lessons we are teaching our children in todays ‘iWorld’ and we didn’t like some of the answers,” confesses Bronwyn.

“What childhood memories do we hold most dear? Playing computer games or roasting marshmallows? … These answers kept us on track when we wavered.”

“Our hope, is that our kids … find a new appreciation and a calmer way to enjoy each other's and their own company. They are beautiful little souls and we hope that the memories will stay with them forever.”

Written and published by Slow Magazine on 5th May 2016.