The adventure i always wanted
She wanted a home. He wanted an adventure. Over twelve years on the road — three daughters, one caravan, from Cairns to Hobart — she got both. This is Elaine and Henry's true story, in her own words.
Paperback · $39.95 · posted Australia-wide
A mother's final gift
Elaine wrote this in her 70s, for her daughters. After she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, our family published it so her story would live on. Elaine has since passed away — sharing her book now is how we keep it travelling.
New Release
A true Australian story — out now.
She wanted a home. He wanted an adventure. Over twelve years on the road, she got both.
The Adventure I Always Wanted is the true story of Elaine and Henry Hales — a couple who met at a dance hall in post-war Australia and went on to raise three daughters in a caravan, following Henry’s work as a boilermaker from tropical Cairns to the southern tip of Hobart. Set against the backdrop of 1960s and 70s Australia, it’s a warm, vivid, often funny account of an ordinary family living a most extraordinary life.
Elaine wrote it in her 70s, recalling the years alongside Henry — and it was published as a final gift to her, so her story would live on for her family and for readers who love a true Australian tale. It’s a book about resilience, love, and taking every day as it comes.
A story of a wartime childhood and a long journey to Australia, a dance-hall romance, sidecar racing, life on the road before “vanlife” had a name, and a family that stuck together through it all.
Paperback · ISBN 978-0-646-70971-0
From the author
This book is everything to me. It's the start of my life, my husband's life, creating our family, and taking every day as it came. I hope it brings joy to anyone who reads it.
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