‘I’ll see you in a year’: the Australian women over 60 hitting the road solo | Rural Australia

Seven years ago, Robyn Drayton stood out the front of her home in Newcastle, north of Sydney, and felt overwhelmed with a desire to get out.

“Something came over me. I just burst into tears,” Drayton, now 63, says. “I’d done a lot of travelling overseas and had a caravan and knew it was time.

“I told my three boys I’d see them in a year, but then I never came home.”

She was on the road for almost six years, travelling to some of the most remote parts of Australia. Her guide was Australian Bush Pubs, a coffee table book by Craig Lewis and Cathy Savage, which she used as an itinerary and keepsake, marking those she visited off on a list. “Whenever I got to the pub, I had the publican sign the book,” she says.

From Cape York to the south coast of Western Australia, along the Oodnadatta Track and the Gibb River Road, Drayton drove with her beloved 13-year-old Shetland sheepdog, Porto, in the passenger seat. The experience “was over and above my expectations,” she says.

Drayton is one of a growing number of older women adopting nomadic lifestyles on Australia’s roads. Recent research from the University of Technology Sydney found women were challenging traditional views of ageing, travelling solo around the country in search of adventure, personal growth and new beginnings.

PhD candidate Margaret Yates interviewed 29 solo female travellers to explore their motivations and experiences. Most were over 60 and described themselves as retired.

Yates says the women told her they loved the freedom, independence, and autonomy afforded when travelling alone. The interviews revealed women who had subverted societal expectations of how women should live and age, instead showing older women growing in self-confidence.

“They love going to new places, doing new things and meeting new people,” Yates says. “They were in awe of how big, beautiful and diverse the country is. They grew in confidence dealing with any situation and travelling and felt healthier because of a less stressful lifestyle.”

Caravan sales in Australia spiked in 2021 with registrations jumping 4.2%. Some of this may be a matter of practicality, as the housing crisis causes many to opt for a more transient lifestyle out of necessity.