Freedom: Why older women are trading daily routine for the grey nomad life

It was early 2020, and some sections of the road were so heavily submerged that they had to get out of the vehicle and wade through the water to test its depth.

"We were not sure whether we wanted to drive through ... it was pretty unnerving," Ms Yates said.

However, the two adventure-seeking women now have a love of the open road, and they don't need a man to hold their hands.

The couple's original plan was to travel from their home in Port Stephens to Winton in outback Queensland, but severe flooding threw a major spanner into the works.

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"We got kind of stuck at Nyngan because we couldn't get to Bourke. and then when we got to Bourke eventually, we couldn't get to Cunnamulla, which is the next town," Ms Yates recalled.

They ended up detouring via Walgett, Brewarrina and Lightning Ridge, before floodwaters receded, allowing them to resume their planned route to Winton via The Matilda Way.

Once they got to Longreach they learned the borders were going to be shut due to COVID. They eventually made it to Winton but had to rush straight back due to the impending border closure.

Ms Yates described the trip as "amazing" but "bloody nerve-wracking".

In addition to treacherous roads, they also had to learn to negotiate the caravan itself. It took Ms Yates some time to become comfortable driving it and the couple faced a daily battle to remember how to open its awning.

Many places lacked phone reception, so they were unable to consult instructional videos on YouTube to refresh their memories. They had to feel their way until they eventually got the knack of it.

Ms Yates, a student of the University of Technology Sydney, is currently doing her PhD on women who travel the country's roads.

While much has been written about grey nomads, very little has been written about women who travel without men. Ms Yates feels it is a story that needs to be told.

She has interviewed 29 women, the majority over the age of 60.

She learnt these women overwhelmingly felt safe while travelling. They liked travelling alone but formed networks and friendships with other women they would meet up with at certain points along the way.

Some who were new to the lifestyle would buy a pair of men's boots and leave them outside for an added sense of security.

And if they blew a tyre in the middle of nowhere and didn't know how to change it? No need to panic. One woman told her the trick was to get a chair and a book and sit by the side of the road. Sooner or later, someone would come along to help.

Being a retired nurse, Ms Yates was also fascinated by the question; 'What did travellers do if they needed medical care while staying in a remote part of the country, especially those with chronic conditions?'

During that first caravaning trip, she spoke to managers of 12 health services located between Nyngan and Winton. They overwhelmingly agreed grey nomads were not placing an extra burden on their services.

The women themselves had no issue accessing medical care while on the road. GPs were able to send prescriptions to the nearest town so they could keep up to date with their medications and none had been forced to present to health services due to chronic conditions.

Overall, the women reported feelings of improved health and wellbeing, and an overwhelming sense of freedom.

"They could go where they wanted when they wanted. They didn't have to answer to anyone.

"They got this great sense of freedom out of doing that after being wives and mothers, or having kids ... all of those obligations that go with, you know, just your regular living in the suburbs stuff."

Ms Yates and her partner have now been on three long trips and several shorter ones, exploring much of Queensland.

They plan to travel even more extensively in the future.

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