Elaine Schnelle, 67, shares her story about solo travel around Australia…
The doctor looked at me with a grimace.
“The cyst has grown,” he said.
My heart sank and instantly a very clear thought came into my head: I haven’t done my trip around Australia.
Later, I sat on my couch at home. It’s a sign, Elaine, I told myself. The universe is telling you to stop putting it off.
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I’m a psychic medium and believe in following your intuition. For 10 years, I’d lived in Townsville watching the grey nomads make their annual pilgrimage up to us. Every time I saw them, I felt a pang of envy for what they were doing.
After my divorce, I’d moved to Townsville from Angels Beach, NSW, in 2008 to be closer to my daughter and grandchildren. My whole life I’d dreamt of doing a trip around Australia but, at 61, I couldn’t imagine doing it on my own. My ex-husband had done all the long-distance driving when we were married. I was terrified of breaking down along the Nullarbor with no phone reception.
But after an eye inspection revealed a cyst on my brain, and now the most recent scan showed it had grown, I realised I was running out of time.
I rang my friend Grace and asked her what she thought.
“Do it!” she cried.
“The Nullarbor terrifies me,” I admitted.
“Why don’t you put your car on the train for that stretch of the journey?” she suggested.
“You’re right,” I said.
After that, my mindset shifted from I wish I could do that to I’m doing it!
Over the next 12 months, I researched and planned my trip and also totally changed my diet. When I went for another brain scan, the doctor said the cyst had stabilised.
“That last scan gave me a fright,” I admitted to him. “I’m now planning a driving trip around Australia on my own. What do you think?”
He smiled at me.
“It’s exactly what I would do,” he said.
I decided I wanted to drive the car I already had, a two-door Pajero, and stay at hostels and campsites rather than buy a campervan. Finally, in January 2018, I was ready.
I said my goodbyes the day before.
“Don’t let your fears spoil your trip, Mum,” my daughter Sammy said.
“That’s good advice,” I replied.
The next day, as I was about to leave, I found a feather in my bathroom. I knew it was a sign that angels were watching over me.
Pulling out of my driveway, I looked in the rear-view mirror and watched my home get smaller behind me.
“This is it,” I said, filled with nerves and excitement. “Will I come back the same person?”
I drove 130km that first day and made it to Charters Towers. After that, I got up early and drove for four hours every day while the roads were still quiet.
At Sapphire, I decided to go on an underground mine tour. I’d been claustrophobic ever since my mum had a panic attack in a cave in the Blue Mountains when I was five.
At the entrance to the mine, there were three kangaroos. One looked me in the eye and leapt forward. I took it as a sign that I needed to take a leap too.
As we went down the mine, I was sweating with nerves, but I thought of my daughter’s words. I didn’t want my fears to spoil my trip. Afterwards, as we came back into the light, I felt ecstatic.
Over the following months, I faced many more fears. I learned to snorkel and swam with whale sharks in Ningaloo Reef. I flew on tiny aeroplanes over beautiful landscapes.
My physical journey became an internal journey. Travelling solo, I learnt who I was and what made me happy. Every time I achieved something, I loved myself a bit more.
For a long time, I’d been a people pleaser, caring for others and losing sight of who I was and what I wanted.
At the Boab Prison Tree near Derby, WA, a woman approached me and asked if I was travelling on my own. I said yes proudly.
“I wish I could do that,” she said. “My husband and I were supposed to travel together when we retired, but he just passed away.” She started crying.
“There are thousands of us travelling solo,” I told her. “We all watch out for each other. You could totally do it.”
I realised then that I should write a book to help other women feel brave enough to pursue their life goals.
After seven months on the road, I arrived home a totally different person. I felt stronger, more willing to speak up and try new things.
During the COVID lockdowns, I wrote my book Around Australia and self-published it. Now I sell it online through Amazon and Booktopia, as well as at my stall at Cotters Market in Townsville.
Recently, two 80-year-old women bought my book.
“You’ve inspired us,” one said. “We’re going to go travelling together and be like Thelma and Louise.”
The book is a practical guide on how to prepare and where to go — and even includes tips on how to park your car at a certain angle to do a roadside pee. But it’s also about the transformative power of self-discovery.
I hope it inspires other women to get out of their comfort zones and follow their dreams.
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