Celeb Couple Jordie Hansen and Sam Frost’s Aussie Adventure!
When it comes to road-tripping in a caravan, Western Australia offers some of the most stunning Aussie landscapes to explore. And with an off-road camper built to handle tough terrain, there’s almost nowhere you can’t go!
This was certainly the case for travel-loving celebrity couple Jordie Hansen and Sam Frost. Recently back from their once-in-a-lifetime adventure exploring the Kimberley region of Western Australia, they shared all their adventures on the Noosa to Broome road trip. And their trusty van was our award-winning hybrid camper, the Sirocco Grande.
Unexpected Off Road Detours
Former Australian Survivor contestant Jordie opted to take on the first leg of the Broome road trip alone to meet a tight schedule. He kicked things off by picking up the brand new 2024 model of the JAWA Sirocco Grande on the Sunshine Coast and drove over 4,500km in just 4 days to meet his partner Sam and their toddler Ted in Broome.
But the start of the trip wasn’t without its challenges. Jordie took an unexpected detour when the road he had been travelling on just outside Mount Isa was promptly closed following an accident involving two trucks. Fortunately, the owner of a nearby property gave him access to a side track to get around it – although the track was a little different to the highway driving Jordie was accustomed to!
“I had to go through this really gnarly, off-road set up and down this gully and pop out through his property on the other side of the crash,” Jordie explains in a YouTube video detailing the 10,000km round trip. “But there were other vans that were bigger than me that couldn’t fit through. It’s really difficult when you’re towing in a situation like that because your car is going down and your van is still trying to go up. But with this camper, we just popped on over and away we went. I heard later that the road was shut for another two days! So, thanks JAWA!”
Making Family Memories
Reunited on the other side of the country with the JAWA camper set up at the Broome Caravan Park, the Hansen-Frost family spent their first evening taking in the sunset on the soft, white sand of Cable Beach.
“It was beautiful and so much fun,” Jordie says. “We got to see the sunset, we got to see the camels, and we got to see the staircase to heaven – that’s once in a lifetime!”
Making the most of their few days in Broome before hitting the Gibb River Road, Jordie, Sam and Ted took a flight on an Air Kimberley light aircraft to see some of the northern parts of Broome. They also visited the Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm and enjoyed a day of whale watching aboard a boat.
For the next month, the couple travelled with their young son through the stunning but remote Kimberley region – parts of which were marked with corrugated roads and tough terrain.
“I love travelling through the country and learning the history,” Sam says. “It’s pretty fascinating. It opens your mind up a lot to what this country has been through.”
Amongst the highlights of their trip was a visit to Bandilngan (Windjana Gorge) National Park, Dimalurru (Tunnel Creek) National Park and a brief stay at Mount Wilderness Lodge. You can check out one of their river crossings here on Instagram jordie.hansen.
Van Life Made Easy with JAWA
“We didn’t plan all parts of the trip,” Sam explains. “The best thing about an adventure is the spontaneity. We had everything we needed in the van and no matter where we decided to stop, Ted could sleep in the van with the air con running – no power required, thanks to the solar panels.”
“When you need to put a toddler to sleep and it’s 40 degrees out on the Gibbs River Road, your life becomes very difficult,” laughs Jordie. “Luckily, we were able to rip the air con on in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the day when it’s about as hot as it can get, and he went to sleep straight away.”
“In terms of living, the JAWA camper has been brilliant for us, even with a 1-year-old. Caravans have to be easy to tow, but you also have to be able to live in them easily, and not just for a weekend trip. You want to be able to live in it, and that’s where the JAWA Sirocco Grande really comes into its element! Even with an energetic toddler, we had plenty of room.”
You can see more of Jordie, Sam and Ted’s Noosa to Broome road trip adventures on their YouTube channel, and Instagram.
