“My first experience in the Northern Territory was about 14 years ago, on a holiday in one of those Wicked Vans,” says Nik van Zanen, reminiscing on his time before becoming a nurse in the region. Hailing from the South Coast of NSW, Nik tells me that back then he wanted to get as far away as he could — without leaving Australia. “The road was always leading north. The country was epic, the dry heat glorious and the wildlife everywhere. It was like living one of my favourite docu-series, Bush Tucker Man with Les Hiddins.” This trip in his early days gave Nik a great snapshot of the NT, albeit a quick one. He says it left him “with a niggle” — he knew he had to get back there for a longer stint at some point.
After some brief stints in different careers in his 20s, namely horticulture and marine biology, Nik landed on nursing. He says many people told him it was a strange choice,
