Growing up surrounded by red dust, ancient trees and endless plains on a Northern Territory cattle station, the Sullivan siblings had enough space to create their own universe.
In between school and farm work at Cave Creek Station, the three sisters and two brothers called themselves Mugwumps, inspired by the Harry Potter books.
"We had a social hierarchy, we used to create civilisations and you'd have the captain's house and the chief female's house," Margo Sullivan told AAP, with a laugh.
"Because we were the three older girls, female Mugwumps were superior to the males.
"It probably fits quite well to where we are now - we're all very independent, we had a good education and parents that have supported us."
The Sullivans, who variously went on to pursue farming, medicine, flying and accounting, are one of many remote Australian families who had a unique education because of their geographic isolation.
Rural and remote families have no choice but to teach their children at home, through School of the Air distance education, or at boarding schools in their teenage years.
Ms Sullivan credits the Isolated Children’s Parents Association, a national body representing families in the bush, for her high-quality education, particularly access to a boarding school in Alice Springs.
"I noticed when I was at uni, students that had to change from school to school or didn't get to go to a good school struggled a lot in tertiary education because they lacked the basics," she said.
"Going to school where you're physically with other students and you're socialising ... is a massive part of growing up to be a well-rounded individual."
The association is holding its annual national conference in Darwin this week to urge governments to deliver this kind of equitable education to all Australian children, regardless of where they live.
Members called for increases to boarding school allowances, solutions for teacher shortages, improvements to remote telecommunications, and changes to working visas to boost the supply of nannies and governesses.
President Alana Moller said an enduring issue was securing government support to pay the governesses or parents who oversee distance education from home.
"If it's the mother, for example, that is taking her away from being able to go and help dad out in the paddock," Ms Moller said.
"If it's not mum, it has to be a governess, and that's at the cost of the family.
"It's one of our biggest issues - nobody else in the country has to do that except distance education families."
Remote families are also under increasing financial strain as living costs rise because travel and accommodation to take children to far-off boarding schools can exceed $1000, she said.
Ms Moller said state and federal governments must better recognise the needs of rural and remote families, who should not be disadvantaged for living in the bush.
"During COVID everybody learned how hard it is to be at home trying to work and trying to teach children,'' she said.
"These families have been doing it for generations."
