Adrian Iodice travels Australia to teach beekeeping and take family on trip of a lifetime after bushfires

As a beekeeper he specialises in use of the Kenya Top Bar Hive, so he is often on the road teaching people about the hive at clubs, schools, or community groups around the country.

Although he loves his profession and getting to share his skills, he is often away from home for long periods of time and has scarified crucial time with his family to spread awareness about natural beekeeping, which focuses on respecting bees and minimal disruption to their hives.

"I do a lot of travelling in Spring and Summer to teach my beekeeping courses and it puts a lot of pressure on the family because I am quite work orientated and I get really busy," he said.

He and wife Stefani Iodice had always wanted to travel the country with their children just as they had done so 17 years ago before the couple married.

They also really wanted to return back to Coral Bay in Western Australia where Mr Iodice proposed.

The family had planned to take the entire family around Australia in February 2020, but the Black Summer bushfires halted their plans.

The family's property was damaged by the fires. Their home was partially burnt, they lost fencing, their solar system, sheds, cattle yards, four hives, as well as Mr Iodice's workshop and tools.

It took a year before the family could move back to their Brogo home and the fires put a pause on Mr Iodice's small business where he and his small team build and ship hives all over the country.

He was unable to work for 10 months, but used the time to rebuild his workshop and replaced tools thanks to a small business grant.

In February 2021, after the bushfires and uncertainty around the pandemic, the time finally felt right to take the trip they had always dreamt of.

"I figured that I would like to spread the word of natural beekeeping as much as possible of course, so we took the opportunity to do the trip, teach, and spread the word while also having a beautiful time away with the family," said Mr Iodice.

"I'm really fortune to have a job that I love doing and I'm able to take the family along and see the country doing it, it's been a Godsend really".

They bought a vehicle and a caravan and set off with the three kids and dog, Bowie, in the back.

They wanted to head straight to Western Australia but ended up going up the NSW East Coast as border closures encroached on their plans.

Mr Iodice taught workshops in Maitland and Orange, but after the dramatic floods across NSW in March 2021, the family decided to head to South Australia and then onto the Northern Territory.

Travelling the country during unpredictable state-wide lockdowns was never easy though, occasionally workshops had to be cancelled and the family had to carefully consider their next stop depending on border openings and closings.

Despite the spontaneity required on the road during a pandemic, the one thing that remained constant was buying and tasting local honey wherever they went.

"I've been seeing bees and talking about bees wherever I can, and tasting the honey's of the country. We buy honey wherever we go and it's been really interesting having the diversity and tasting the different honey".

Around four months ago, the family were finally able to cross the border into WA.

They have been staying in caravan parks, sheep or cattle stations, and sometimes go bush.

The chance to go back to the place where the couple's journey began as spouses, with their three children in tow, was really special to them both.

"Taking the kids back to Coral Bay was so beautiful. It was really nostalgic. Stef and I went for a few walks on the beach at night and talked about how great it was to have the kids there with us".

Mr Iodice said the trip came at a perfect time considering what they had been through with the fires and felt it an ideal time to escape COVID lockdowns in NSW.

He said the trip had really brought the family together again and had strengthen his relationships with his wife and children.