CLASSICS STORY #015
Kailey, Kesh and
Their Bus Home.
In the heart of the Northern Rivers, Kesh and Kailey have embarked on a remarkable journey, converting an old school bus into their cosy home on a tranquil property inland from one of our favourite coastal towns. Choosing a path less travelled, they aspire to cultivate a life that intertwines family, creativity, and a pace uniquely their own. Join us as we unravel the story of these local trailblazers, shaping their dreams amidst in a dreamy pocket of our coastal hinterland.
Thanks so much for having us in your sweet bus home guys. It’s been so nice. Was there a vision in mind for converting an old school bus into your home? If so, did you nail the brief?
We loved having you come to visit! Yeah, it’s funny looking back through my old diaries and the number of different sketches of tiny home/bus home ideas we’ve come up with over the years. We’ve been dreaming about this home for 3+ years before we actually started! But for this current build, we went back and forth with about 3 designs before we settled on this layout. We had a pretty clear idea of what we wanted the bus to look like and we’re proud to say we feel like we achieved that.
How long have you been working on it for and are you done with the major parts?
We jumped straight in and purchased a bus not long after finding out we were pregnant. With the current rental crisis, we just knew we needed a permanent and reliable home for our growing family. An enormous amount of hours have gone into building our home. Lots of late nights, wet and muddy conditions during the 2022 floods and an extra push to finish before our son arrived. It wasn’t easy, but it was so worth it. We had the build at a comfortable living state at 6 months in, just in time for the birth of our son. We then continued to chip away at the build gradually. And we have only just recently 100% completed our bus renovation - 2 years in!
What’s your favourite part about living out here, far enough from the daily noise?
Ooo yeah, the peace and quiet is definitely the best part about living out here! I just love that the soundtrack of our home is cicadas and bird songs. It’s so soothing. It’s also very lovely to sit back on the deck and just simply watch the wildlife. We’re big nature lovers and are definitely our happiest when we’re spending time outside. Whether that be gardening, playing under the hose, motorbike riding or jumping on the trampoline. It’s all possible for us here.
What would a typical Sunday look like for you guys?
A typical Sunday for us is family time. It’s our favourite day of the week! It usually starts with a walk together at our local beach, then out for breakfast and pastries, back home for our son’s midday nap, then usually a swim either in the ocean or a fresh water creek, and then home to spend time in our garden together before dinner. Usually, we’ll sneak a Bunnings trip in there too haha!
You’re not too far from the town here, yet it feels remote. It’s truly the dream escape, would you consider leasing it out for holidaymakers?
Yeah, we’re only 8 minutes to our nearest town, which just so happens to be the most magical beach! We really have the best of both worlds here. However, we are only renting this amazing slice of heaven property, which means we’re unable to lease our bus home until we buy our own land. Something we definitely see ourselves doing in the future.
Omi is such a gem, so calm and independent for a one-year-old. How has it been sharing close quarters with the little man around?
He’s amazing, right? He blows us away with his independence, intelligence and beautiful nature. The sweetest little boy. We’ve found it to be a lot easier raising our toddler in a tiny home since building our big gated deck. It doubles as a living area for him to play safely as he pleases. This was a big game-changer. We also share our bedroom with him which so far has worked great. We have a foldable cot that slots in next to our bed perfectly. I can imagine soon we will need to expand and build another bedroom attachment. But for now, we love living in close quarters, we believe it brings us closer together and to nature.
One more from us, what’s next for you guys?
We have some big goals for 2024! Both Kesh and will be launching our own businesses, we’re feeling super excited to be honouring our passions and creating what we love. We also have a couple of International holidays planned as a family. And we’d also really love to purchase an old caravan to renovate!