The family that lives in a tiny house on the water in Western Australia

It was a visit to see friends living and sailing around the Pacific Islands that sparked a deep desire in Billie Woods to live on a boat.  

The 34-year-old physiotherapist, who is originally from New Zealand, set about making her dream a reality not long after moving over to Western Australia’s Albany six years ago. When then-boyfriend, now-husband Cam Warburton bought himself a fishing boat, Billie decided it was time to get a boat of her own. 

“So, he bought this boat and I thought, ‘I can do that. I’m going to buy my own boat,’” she says. “It was a very spur of the moment decision but I found this boat in Sydney, and I jumped on a plane, flew over, had a look at it, liked it, bought it. And his words to me were, ‘I don’t think I could live on a boat.’ And I said, ‘Oh, well, I’m doing it!’” 

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Although Billie comes from a family of sailors, her own sailing experience was minimal. That didn’t stop her and 32-year-old schoolteacher Cam, along with another friend, hand-steering the boat all the way back to Albany. By the time they got home, Cam was sold on the idea of boat life. 

Billie moved into the stationary Swanson 42 first and lived there alone for several months before Cam moved on-board. Except for small voyages, the 1977 boat stayed mostly in the marina for four years while the duo saved money and worked on restoring it and preparing for a big trip. They replaced the decking and plumbing, re-did the bathroom, installed hot water, re-wired the electronics and put in autopilot, among other improvements. Billie says they were lucky that the boat already had a “really nice wooden interior” and sturdy hull. 

Billie and Cam finally set sail for their trip in January this year with nine-month-old baby Lakey in tow. In the year that they’ve been officially at sea, they haven’t left the idyllic waters of Australia’s West Coast – which is fine by them.

“We’ve decided to just take it nice and slow and work our way up the coast … rather than exhausting ourselves,” says Billie. 

The couple’s days are filled by sailing across crystal-clear blue waters, playing with their daughter, surfing and spear-fishing. They live mostly off the fish they catch, as well as fresh vegetables stored in the fridge and dried goods stored under the bed, which they cook on the two-burner gas stove or in the gas oven. Once in a while they splash out on a pub meal in a town they’re passing. Including food and diesel, their expenses don’t exceed their $1000 monthly household budget. 

When asked to name the most challenging aspect of life on a boat with a toddler, Billie says it can be difficult being away from friends and family. She points out, however, that they’ve been lucky to meet people along the way on boats, or to travel alongside friends who are sailing. Billie also highlights how grateful they are that Cam has been able to stop work and spend so much time with her and Lakey this past year. 

And the best bit?

“It’s that freedom,” she says. “And I just love the ocean. I surf and have always lived by the ocean. Just that freedom to move around and to go places where not many people can get to as well – finding those beautiful remote places.” 

Billie and Cam are planning to keep sailing for the first half of 2020, before Cam returns to work temporarily to top up funds for their next trip, which will see them explore more of Western Australian’s south coast before heading east to Tasmania. The long-term goal is to move to New Zealand and regularly visit where it all began – the Pacific Islands. 

Billie says that the most profound lesson from life on a boat is what it’s shown her about how simple life can be.  

“I think it’s taught me a lot about being aware of our consumerism and sustainable living,” she says. “We live in this tiny space and we’ve got everything we need … But when we live in big spaces we tend to fill those spaces with material objects that we don’t really need … We’ve got food, we’ve got our shelter, we’re free to travel. I mean, we’re not super wealthy — we don’t have a lot of money — but I think we’re hugely wealthy in the experience that we have.”