I’d always loved the thought of owning my own caravan. Not just a modern-day one, an old vintage van.

At times, I’d sit on Pinterest and start pinning these amazing renovated vans, then immediately start researching on Gumtree for one. It was only a dream, but one I’d had for some time.

In the end it was a spontaneous decision - with the kids growing up so quickly I just thought, life's too short.

Watch: Things mums never hear. Post continues below.

My father owned a pop top camper van when I was young. I can still remember its smell, the rainbow door curtain and playing shops in its large brown annexe. Although we only went on a few camping trips in it, I still reminisce about those times. Exploring, freedom; the simple things. I wanted to give that to my kids.

I run my own business as a photographer in between mum life, and have always had a passion for creating and DIY projects. My two children, Isaac (12) and Cheyenne (10) are loud, crazy and adventurous. Taking after their mother I think!

It wasn’t until February of 2018 that I decided to take the plunge and I found the perfect vintage caravan when I opened up my Gumtree search Australia-wide. There sat a 1975 Millard Caravan on the outskirts of Victoria. It was a musty old mission brown - a definite blast from the past with its lino tiles, dark laminate wood grain cabinetry, brown vinyl dining setting, brown laminate walls and funky lime green curtains. It was reasonably priced, had registration and looked pretty good in the photos. It was listed for $3,800, but after some clever negotiation, we agreed on $3,000. And just like that, Millie the caravan joined our family.

The Process.

From all my research and pinning on Pinterest, I could already see her potential with minimal fuss; something I could flip with a splash of paint, new linen and curtains. Once the van was in my hands, we took it out on the road for a few nights in its original state to get an idea of what worked and what didn't. The functional layout was a winner, but the van needed a new fridge, a microwave, outside cooking options, block-out blinds, and there was some pre-existing water damage to contend with.

During the renovation, I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. The first step was to fix all the leaks, and then came jobs like cleaning up the chassis, removal of the water damaged panel, removing and resealing the j-rails, and cleaning up the windows. It was challenging and laborious and definitely not the most fun part of the renovation.