On Christmas Day, while most families were unwrapping presents, Kevin Sullivan and the Sulli-Vans were packing up their caravan and heading for the highway.

The Gerringong-based family band’s summer tour took them from Phillip Island to Port Macquarie and Tamworth, where they performed more than a dozen shows at the Country Music Festival.

“We got back at the end of January and our kids are back in school – we’re just juggling school and music,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan performs alongside his children – KJ (16), Cha Cha (14) and Jet (10) – while his wife Belinda, a former detective and Telstra Businesswoman of the Year, manages life on the road.

“Now she’s the road manager of Kevin Sullivan and the Sully-Vans,” Kevin laughed. “Probably her best job … probably not her best-paying job.”

Between gigs, Belinda ensures the family fully experiences wherever they land – from penguins on Phillip Island to museums, and national parks. 

“No matter where we are, we make sure we go and see it,” Kevin said.

The family uses time on the road to balance the “fun” with the firmer realities of life.

They have swum with whale sharks and explored ancient Indigenous rock art, but they also pull the caravan into nursing homes to perform for the elderly or play on struggling farms.

These impromptu sessions are about a philosophy of service. 

“My wife’s favorite movie is Pay It Forward,” he explained. “It’s about giving back just because you have something good to share. 

“We aren't here for a long time, and Belinda – who is the love of my life – really drives that mission to help people for no other reason than it’s the right thing to do.”

While speaking with The Bugle, Sullivan learned his song I’m Barred Again – co-written with Indigenous singer-songwriter Stuart Noel Nuggett and his son KJ – had returned to No.1 on the country charts for the fifth time.

“I’m just chasing my dream,” he said. “I don’t know how far it will get, but to hear today that my song is number one again … I’m just trying to enjoy the journey.”

KJ Sullivan

His journey to the top hasn’t been easy.

Last May, his sister Anne Sullivan was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and moved into the family’s Gerringong home, where she sadly passed away in September.

“We didn’t work for about six months,” Sullivan said. “We couldn’t tour. We couldn’t do music. It was just a very sad time for us.”

Anne, who had lived in Kiama and worked in digital television, was one of Sullivan’s strongest supporters – and it was her encouragement that eventually sent him back on the road.

“She always said, ‘Kev, just let it go. The bad energy – let it go’,” he said.

The family has embraced a daily ritual Anne loved.

“We live here in Gerringong and can see the ocean, but we never fully appreciated it until Anne passed. She used to get in the ocean every single day, so now we do too – no matter how cold.”

Sullivan is now an ambassador for Motor Neurone Disease NSW, ACT and the Northern Territory, with the cause displayed on the family’s touring vehicle.

Before becoming a full-time musician eight years ago, Sullivan spent nearly three decades in the NSW Police Force, working as a forensic crime scene officer, bomb technician and inspector. 

He ran the bomb squad for the Sydney Olympics and was stationed across regional NSW and Sydney.

“As a forensic crime scene policeman, you need something else,” he said. “Music helped me deal with things.”

Sullivan later developed PTSD from his policing work and now speaks openly about mental health during his shows.

“I talk about it because it matters,” he said. “People come up afterwards and say thank you for saying it out loud.”

Music has always been part of his life. His father, who still lives in Kiama and turns 96 this year, was a Dixieland jazz pianist.

Sullivan describes himself as an Australian singer-songwriter, blending country with jazz and brass, while placing storytelling at the centre of his work.

“I tell stories about places, people and things that resonate with me,” he said.

Much of that storytelling has been shaped by time spent touring the Northern Territory, where the family has lived, recorded, and performed in remote communities.

Their collaboration with Stuart Joel Nuggett grew into a close creative partnership after meeting through Indigenous leaders.

"I've played overseas and recorded in Nashville, but I love being Australian," Sullivan said.

"I love telling our stories. Stuart taught us about Indigenous language and culture, but also how we’ve all come from different places around the world to be here. We’re all Australian – that’s his message and mine, too."

The success of I’m Barred Again comes as Sullivan prepares to release a new album in July, along with music videos – including what he describes as a unifying song.

“I’m a living, breathing example that it’s never too late to chase your dream,” he said.

Cha Cha Sullivan

It is a dream that has become a shared family legacy. For Sullivan, the true reward isn't found on a music chart, but in the rearview mirror of the caravan.

"Just being on the road with my family, standing on stage and seeing the next generation of singers coming through in my own children – it’s special," he said.

In an era dominated by the digital glow of social media, the Sulli-Vans are choosing a different frequency: one of cold morning ocean swims in Gerringong, dusty highway miles, and the raw connection of a song shared with a stranger. 

It is a long way from the bomb squad, but for Kevin Sullivan, the journey is exactly where he’s supposed to be.