British Expat Interview With Hana White

Living and working in Australia may seem like just a dream to many, but Hana White from Bristol, UK has made a success of it. With a brilliant tour company that she co-owns with her fiancé, she has a life that involves four-wheel-driving, chilling on the beach and showing off the island that she has made her home. Here’s a British Expat Interview with Hana White, telling us why she’s not willing to let go of her life on Fraser Island any time soon…

The Big Move

I first came to Australia in 2004, just travelling, and fell in love with it. I then went home to England, got some cash together and decided to come back in 2008. I lived in Sydney for a couple of years, when a friend came over to see me and said, “What are you doing? You’ve got the same life you had in Bristol, but in Sydney. I thought you came over to Australia for some adventure?” So I jacked my job in, packed my car up and headed for the coast. I stopped in Noosa and met a guy who worked for a Fraser Island company. I went out on a tour to Fraser and… didn’t want to leave! I started volunteering at a hostel and four-and-a-half years later I still live here!

I love the simple life and going out collecting wood; it’s very man versus wild – you have to be resourceful. Growing up in a city environment and a rat race, I fell in love with the community. It’s very much like, if you’ve got plenty, share. The man with lots of oranges on his trees will hand them out and the next week we’ll share our fish. I also love the challenge of living in an eco house; we’re on solar power and we pump up the water from the bore inside the island. I love the four-wheel driving and the fact that there are no roads! It’s a rural way of living, but it’s paradise.

Drop Bear Adventures

So many people come to Fraser Island all the time and I love helping them connect with it and leave their troubles behind. As soon as you get on that barge, you settle into island life. Beer o’clock tends to be around 11.30am! I’m inspired by sharing it with other people, so Mark – my fiancé whom I met on the island – and I set up Drop Bear Adventures. Fraser is very easy to be a tour guide, and it’s such a beautiful place, you can turn up at Lake McKenzie and go, “Here you go, guys. Here’s a crystal clear water lake, go and have a swim.” It’s also about sharing the aboriginal culture, the history, the spirituality, getting them to appreciate the fragile eco-system, how special and unique the lake is. They’re never going to see anything like this in the world – Fraser’s got over half of the world’s fresh dune lakes on one island, it’s the only place where rain forest grows on sand.

But we wanted to step away from those buzz words and get people to connect with island life and feel like part of the family. A big thing for us is that people come off the tour and go, “I feel like I’ve just been camping with my mates.” We’re not just a tour company that drives around, drops them off and then the tour guide has a snooze in the car! We are just as enthusiastic as those seeing it for the first time.

Family

I was lucky enough to not have to go through all the visa stuff. My mum came over here when she was sixteen and met a beautiful Aussie man! So I have my Australian passport. When you move abroad, and so far away, you’re on the other side of the world and it’s SO expensive to fly home, you really have to make sure you’re making the right choice. I miss my family, but every day I feel happy, and I love what I do, and that’s what it’s about. You can hold yourself back from your family, because it’s really just about looking after yourself and knowing that you’re going to have a family at some point, and I want mine to grow up in this environment.

It’s still a challenge, but I brought my family out here a couple of years ago, and as soon as they saw where I was – I dropped my mum off at the airport and she grabbed me by the shoulders and said “As long as that island is there, I do not want to see you home.” I’ve gone from 50 pairs of shoes for every outfit, false nails and hair extensions to haven’t done my nails in about two years, don’t wear shoes and three items in my make up bag! Here, it’s more about going out and surfing and doing stuff with your time, and that’s so good for the soul.

If Hana has inspired you to see Fraser Island, find out how her and her team can take you on the tour of a lifetime by visiting the Drop Bear Adventures website.