5 Questions for the Outdoor Family – Fealy Family

Nov 13

It’s funny who you meet via Social Media. My next outdoorsy mum is someone I stumbled across thanks to our shared enthusiasm for Instagram and Twitter.

It’s time to meet Jess Fealy, her husband and their 4 kids who in June 2013, decided to pack up their belongings, hit the road and say goodbye to their life in Brisbane.…….

The Fealy family headed off on a ‘road trip’ around Australia - back when there were only 3 kids (!!) - and Jess started up her Blog “Are We There Yet” to chronicle their adventures.

Fealy Family Aussie Roadtrip @adventuremumma.jpeg

They made it twelve weeks into their trip when they were offered an amazing opportunity to become farmers in Far North Queensland.

After some serious soul searching, they dragged themselves off the beach in Cape Leveque, Western Australia and headed back east! This is where they are now living, in a little country town called Mareeba and managing ‘Blue Sky Produce’ a 153-acre Mango, Avocado, Passionfruit and Lime Orchard, with an onsite grading and packing shed. How’s that for a ‘seachange’!

So, here’s my 5 Questions to Jess and her answers….

1. What have been some of your ‘Coolest’ Adventures (Before Kids).

“Matt (hubby) was a travel agent working for Flight Centre (in Brisbane) up until we became farmers just over 12 months ago so we did some fun trips before kids!

Visiting the Grand Canyon in the USA
Snorkelling off the coast of Puerto Vallarta in Mexico and horseriding through the Mexican hills!
Seeing New York! I want to go back and spend a few months there one day!
Swimming in the Bahamas - beautiful even though it was raining!
Getting up close and being able to watch the Orangutangs play in Kota Kinabulu - Borneo.
Staying at the 7-star Empire Hotel in Brunei!
Campervanning through Tasmania - freezing but beautiful!
Riding an elephant in Bangkok with my mum and sisters on a 50th Birthday trip for my mum!
Walking through rice paddies and talking to local villagers in Bali! So beautiful!”
Hot Air Ballooning over the Atherton Tablelands with my Dad for his 50th Birthday! - Although this is NOT officially a ‘before kids’ adventure - the photo above is of me breastfeeding our first bub (4wks old) before leaving him on the ground with hubby so I could go up in the balloon.”

The Grand Canyon – A ‘Before Kids’ Adventure

Fun in Bali

Riding elephants in Bangkok

Living it up in Brunei

Hot Air Ballooning (and a quick breastfeed prior!)

New York vibes

2. What have been some of your standout ‘Special’ Moments you’ve shared with your children.

“We are big on camping and we have had some great trips away with our kids, but our three months off travelling around Australia last year is absolutely at the top of the list! Check this VIDEO out to see some of the highlights. Click HERE to watch the VIDEO.

The kids amazed us with how well they did tackling so many of the quite long and tough walks we did in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. I was so proud of the kids walking all the way around the base of Uluru, managing the ‘Valley of the Winds Walk at Kata Tjuta and tackling the Kings Canyon Rim Walk .

On top of Uluru

Uluru & the Fealy Family

A big walk up and around Kings Canyon

Check these Blogs out for more Pics and Info:

Click HERE for Kings Canyon Fealy Family Adventure

Click HERE for Uluru Fealy Family Adventure

Click HERE for Kata Tjuta Fealy Family Adventure

More recently we had a great time canoeing at Lawn Hill with the kids! Click HERE to Read More about Lawn Hill.

We’ve also had a couple of awesome ‘extended family’ adventures such as a trip to New Zealand for my Grandmother’s 90th Birthday (travelling with 6 kids, 4 and under, 3 sisters, two husbands and a grammy and grunda was a little challenging but we have some great memories from that trip!) and we always enjoy our Easter’s at Emu Park (Capricorn Coast, 45km east of Rockhampton).

Oh and Fiji with the first two of our 4 kids was pretty amazing too!”

3. What TIPS can you offer to families who want to do MORE with their children.

“First and foremost just get out there and do it! Your kids will amaze you with what they are able to manage and you will all enjoy yourselves! Don’t overthink it - just grab a few things, get in the car and go!
You don’t have to have the perfect 4WD or camper or fishing rod! (Check out the above pic of our first family wagon all loaded up for camping!) Half the fun is in the managing without - ‘McGivering’ up solutions to all the things you have forgotten! My kids have had to wear their undies to swim in numerous times, or wear their sister’s pink shirt because I have forgotten to pack the right clothes for everyone!
Persevere! Even if the first couple of trips out with the kids aren’t ‘hallmark’ perfect, keep doing them! You will all get better at days out and trips away the more you do them.
You need to get to the point that ‘what to pack, what to eat, what time to give yourselves to get organized' etc, becomes routine! Also, sometimes the activities that don’t quite work out as planned, make for the best memories and stories to tell anyway! It’s all about ‘the journey and not the destination’!
Take food, water and sunscreen and lots of it everywhere you go! Hungry, thirsty and sunburnt is never a good recipe for a great day out! It also makes the adventure much more affordable!
Keep it simple. Days out with your kids don’t have to be anywhere super touristy or with all the rides, animals to feed, things to do etc. Everybody can have lots of fun just paddling and skipping stones in the local creek! You never know what animals you might see or what secret cave you might find!
Join a club, go with friends or family on an adventure every now and then, to mix things up! Yes - sometimes it can be more chaotic, but also sometimes extra hands to share the workload of caring and entertaining kids can work! There is also the chance for some adult company and friendship there too!”

The first car that was used for the Fealy Family Adventures

Just hanging out in the creek can be fun

Make sure you pack plenty of food, water & sunscreen on all your adventures!

4. What things would you still LIKE to experience with your children (a bucket list)?

Camping Trip to Cape York
Snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef
3 month camping adventure exploring the coastline of Western Australia
To experience snow somewhere!
To climb Mt Bartle Frere and locate a secret favourite spot of my Dad’s on the Russell River. To do this adventure with their Grandparents!
Holiday in the Whitsundays!

5. Where can we find you?

**The Fealy Family on ‘another’ adventure**

Note from Adventure Mumma: As I mentioned before Jess is a bit of a Social Media butterfly so if you’re on the internet you can easily follow her and her Outdoor Family via some exciting platform. I suggest you do ‘cause it will only inspire you to get out more with your kids and enjoy the great outdoors – just like they do on a ‘daily’ basis!

Are you and your family an 'Outdoor Family'? Tell me some of the things you really enjoy doing as a family. Would you like to be featured (or know somebody who should be featured) on this blog?