Rollers living the life on the road

MEMBERS of Rolling Solo, an Australian group designed to encourage women to discover the freedom of the open road with a community of like-minded individuals rolled into the Mansfield Showgrounds for a return visit with more than 60 solo travellers congregating recently for four nights. Mansfield as a camping destination came about through a local woman, Alison Neely, who hosted the initial gathering at her Barwite property four years ago. Following the success of that stay, it was decided to move to the more central location of the showgrounds which also made the planning easier to manage for the yearly event, said Alison. Judging by the numerous smiling faces and good humour among the visitors, this is truly their “tribe” when they choose to hit the road and catch up at various places throughout Victoria and interstate. Alison travels with her slide-on camper while others have motor homes, camper vans and even tents. The Mansfield event has attracted women from across Victoria including Melbourne while others have travelled from NSW and Queensland. There are members who are permanently on the road with their rigs. Sharon Hayes has converted an old Ansett airline bus into a home away from home which she fondly calls Dorothy. To help finance her travels, Sharon rescues old fabric from landfill and repurpose it into useful items. “I have a sign that says, ‘my broom is broken so I drive a bus’,” she laughs. The beauty of the group is that it is open to any women who want to embark on new journeys, create life-long friendships and revel in the joy of road trips, camping and social outdoor events suitable for older age groups. Age is no barrier according to Alison. Some are in their late 40s through to their 80s but all share the same attitude of adventure and enjoying the outdoors with other women when they come together. The gatherings tend to be outside national parks and in camping grounds so campers can bring their “fur babies” along for the ride. “Some women come for one night and others for four nights,” Alison said. Alison explains that the gatherings are “fairly unstructured” but she provided the group with some options for local activities during their Friday night “happy hour” ranging from four-wheel-drive trips in the mountains, excursions to the maze at Goughs Bay, music at the local hotel, and for the bargain hunters a Saturday garage sale in town. When the Courier caught up with the group, they were enjoying what members described as “a perpetual happy hour” and keen to pose for a photograph. “My motivation for getting involved with Rolling Solo four years ago was to get out and travel on my own, and see more of the country,” Alison said. “We share experiences, recommendations, tips, and hacks. “I encourage women who want to travel on their own to join the group and be welcomed into a non-judgmental environment,” said Alison. Alison reported post-event that all the women had a great time at the camp and loved the proximity to town. "The girls all love a good op shop and many bargains were found," she said. "They also visited the Emporium and loved the garage sale as well. "Great variety of dining options, which all provide excellent meals. "Steve Marshall from High Country Tours took some of the women on a tour to Mt Buller and Craigs Hut on the Saturday and another group on Sunday. "The ladies loved this as it was somewhere they would not have got to on their own. "Many have expressed interest in doing the camp again so we will be back next year." The strong bonds formed are never forgotten with the Rolling Solo group hosting a yearly memorial camp which will happen at Jugiong in NSW during April. Anyone who wants to know more about becoming a member of Rolling Solo can visit their website for details.

Rollers living the life on the road

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