A recently divorced woman overcame her fear of driving to get her P plates at the age of 43 and then embarked on a journey across Australia.
Mina Waterhuis was bored with life South Australiafinancially stressed by the cost of living and was in the process of divorcing her husband when she bought a used Ford Transit for $19,000.
When she was a teenager, Mina had amaxophobia – better known as a fear of driving – and never got her driver’s license, despite always wanting to own a combination van.
Later in life she became a sailor and eventually learned how to pilot a boat before getting behind the wheel of a car.
But since gaining the independence that driving brings, she’s ventured to countless picturesque destinations – and even swam with turtles.
Mina Waterhouse overcame her fear of driving to get her P plates at the age of 43, then embarked on a journey of the van life across Australia. She loves the freedom and flexibility that life on the road offers
After learning to drive and buying a Ford Transit for $19,000, she went to the Whitsundays to work as a sailor. Now she is back in South Australia during the off-season cruising season
“I feel like I’m picking up my life again from when I was younger and rediscovering the things I enjoyed back then,” Mina passes by ‘Aussie Van Girl’ on TikTok, FEMAIL told.
‘Only the world is sometimes frightening and intimidating, but also full of promise. I love setting off in my van and not knowing where the day will lead. And I can follow any path I choose.”
Her van life started 12 months ago with a work contract at Whitehaven Beach in Queensland.
‘When it was time to leave for Airlie Beach I still couldn’t drive a manual transmission. Luckily my dad had some free time and rode with me,” she said.
The van itself still has no kitchen, shower or running water, but she wants to expand and insulate the interior.
Currently she has a bed, storage space, small refrigerator, fan and sunroof. It’s not much, but it’s all she needs.
She uses the necessary facilities at work, wherever she gets food, or at campsites. But she has no internet and no hotspots on her phone, which can be a challenge at times.
“I feel like I’m returning to my life when I was younger and rediscovering the things I enjoyed back then,” Mina told FEMAIL
The van still has no kitchen, shower or running water, but she wants to expand and insulate the interior. Currently she has a bed, storage space, small refrigerator, fan and sunroof
Mina has no children, but is looking forward to spontaneous adventures.
‘I don’t follow plans, I never have. “I like to pick up and go to new places whenever I want, and that’s just the freedom that life offers,” she said.
“You have so many options and opportunities to explore. I hope to visit as many national parks as possible.’
Although the journey can be lonely, Mina is content in her own company and never stays in one place for too long.
The freedom has also given her a stress-free, rent-free lifestyle – and her only worry is where she will park at night.
Mina has no children, but is looking forward to spontaneous adventures. ‘I don’t follow plans, I never have. “I like to pick up and go to new places whenever I want, and that’s just the freedom that life offers,” she said
‘I loved my life in Queensland. I worked eleven hours a day on a boat, taking tourists to Whitehaven and taking walks to the Hill Inlet lookout. “I’ve had great dinners, walked everywhere and gotten so fit,” she said.
‘I swam with turtles, met all kinds of people, added extensions to my van, put a fan in it and an awning on the side.’
But she has encountered a number of challenges along the way, including driving into a ‘dead zone’ with no reception.
Mina also traveled to and worked in the mines and along the coast, doing seasonal work as a sailor and living in her van.
She is currently exploring South Australia, followed by the Fleurieu, the Murraylands, then west to Yorke Peninsula, Innes National Park and Eyre Peninsula.
And she plans to continue living in a van until the next adventure comes along – wherever that may be.