“My young fella reckons I’ll die”: Travel Guides Stack and Mel on their reality TV return
The fan-favourite twins are saddling up for a new kind of adventure with their kids.
When Travel Guides first premiered in 2017, viewers instantly fell in love with Stacey “Stack” and Mel Wilburn’s no-nonsense and whip-crackingly funny reviews of the world’s most exotic holiday hotspots.
But, three years on from their last episode on the show, the identical twins, 35, are back in the saddle competing as rodeo champions – and their kids are getting involved too!
“I won at the Mount Isa rodeo and Stack came second, which was pretty amazing because it’s the biggest rodeo in the Southern Hemisphere,” Mel shares with Woman’s Day.
“I’ve come second two years in a row, and no one remembers second place,” Stack interjects. “I’m still hustling for that blue ribbon!”
LEARNING THE ROPES
Since packing their passports away in 2023, the single mums have returned to their country roots, becoming breakaway roping champions at rodeos across Australia.
But when it comes to training, the identical twins couldn’t be more different.
“I like to go in the arena and when I nod my head, my mind is completely blank,” Stack says, revealing she puts in the hard yards, practising her roping skills at least five days a week.
“I want everything to come back to muscle memory.”
For Mel, who’s busy juggling work, contract mustering and being a dedicated single mum to four-year-old Savannah, the rodeo arena is her escape.
“As long as my horses are fit, I tend to go rodeo to rodeo and it works well for me,” Mel says.
The twins’ love of roping and riding is now being passed down to the next generation, and Stack proudly shares her two sons Royce, 16, and 12-year-old Wyatt recently picked up some wins at a rodeo in Nebo, Queensland.
“Wyatt won the junior team roping and both my boys placed in the steer riding.”
Reflecting on their time on Travel Guides, Stack and Mel say their trips to New Zealand, Hawaii, Brazil and Italy were all highlights.
NEXT ADVENTURE
“We love the natural things, like New Zealand where the mountains are beautiful and the water’s crystal clear,” says Mel.
“You go to Iguazu Falls [in Brazil] and the waterfall was just… you lose words on how beautiful that is.”
The pair are also grateful for the bonds they have formed with other Travel Guides stars.
“We still keep in contact with Kevin and Janetta,” Stack and Mel reveal.
“You get close to one another when you’re with them for three months of the year for seven years.”
As for their next adventure, the girls would love to visit Canada and Yellowstone National Park in the US.
They’re also not ruling out returning to television.
“I’d love to do Survivor on my own,” Stack laughs. “But my young fella reckons I’ll die.”