It all kicked off when the invite for a close friend’s wedding came through. Together with his wife, Sarah, and their two kids, Malik and Lyon, they packed up the car and headed out to Dungog in regional NSW—a small country town tucked away in the Hunter Region. It’s a spot known for its lush landscapes, historic streets, outdoor adventures, and slower pace of life.
For Fahd, It was a welcome chance to take a brief hiatus from their hectic life in the city, and slow things down just a notch. “We booked with Wotif to stay at this beautiful little cottage at the top of a hill. As we arrived, there were kangaroos everywhere, including one that had a tiny joey in its pouch.”
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It’s these small moments that really matter to kids, which Fahd reflects that all parents learn, sooner or later. “There's a real humbling moment with children where you take them on a holiday and you go to the nicest restaurant or you take them to the biggest theme park. Then you ask them a few months later what their favourite part of the trip was, and they tell you this really small moment or memory, and you're like, my God,” he laughs.
Having travelled first with older son Malik, and now with Lyon, Fahd’s got family trips nailed—and he’s got tips.
By Ben Madden
“For my boys, they were getting to see wildlife outside of a zoo for the first time in their lives. It was a nice little reminder that in our own backyard, we've got these incredible places. It was an ordinary house in an ordinary place, but for my kids, it was completely magical because kangaroos were just casually jumping around.”
Fahd had brought along his camera to capture the getaway. As it turns out, he barely had a chance to snap any pics. “I've always had this keen interest in photography. And my older son, Malik, asked me that day, ‘Can I borrow the camera, Dad?’ The camera was nearly as big as him, but he put it on. I could see him struggling with it, but he was determined to take some really good photos.”
Getting behind the camera lit a spark for Malik, so when the big day rolled around, he was prepped and ready to take on unofficial photography duties.
And Found The
Magic In Slowing Down
13 November 2025
FEATURE
The wedding started with a Welcome to Country and an Indigenous smoke ceremony, which was all about protection, healing and welcoming. Malik wanted to capture the whole thing. I've got all these incredible photos from him that he took at his height through his eyes that were just the most amazing photos that I still look back on today. And as someone who's always been into photography, it was a really proud moment.
“We have swim gear, floaties, clothes, our own clothes, bags, toys, bikes, scooters. You need to be able to fit what you'd think would go in a small car caravan in the boot of your car. And you need to have patience. It's not how holidays used to be, but like anything good in life, you realise stripping things back to simplicity, where you just spend time together, is where it’s at. You end up looking back at those moments with the fondest memories.”
Reflecting on their time in regional NSW, he’s already looking forward to the next local family getaway. “They say that travelling is good for the soul, and that’s still true when you're travelling with kids. Despite the chaos, it creates the most unforgettable memories that you'll talk about forever.”
If you’re waiting for the sign to book your next trip, now might just be the time to follow Fahd’s lead.
When TV personality, podcast presenter and dad of two Matty Fahd locked in his family’s first trip together, it turned out to be one for the books.
Matty Fahd Swapped The City For The Country
Travelling with a family of four with a five-year-old and a two-year-old isn't for the faint-hearted. If you're on a long drive, you need to make lots of stops for toilet breaks, eating breaks, and just for breaks to get them out of the car because they're starting to go crazy.
“You have to pack as if you're going for three months in Europe—you have to bring basically everything you own and try to squeeze it in the boot of your car.”
