Flying around the globe chasing a demanding sporting career is gruelling at the best of times, but factor in a toddler and family time, and life is a whirlwind. But while Australian cricketer Travis Head and wife Jessica were at home in Adelaide in between hectic world tours, they found time to throw open the doors of their stunning home for a special SALIFE fashion shoot.

Words Zoe Rice | Fashion editor Emma Riemersma | Photographer Weronika Mamot

Sitting at the dining table in their beautiful Mitcham home, Australian cricketer Travis Head and wife Jessica speak to SALIFE ahead of a special fashion photoshoot on site.

Being around this dining table, they tell me, is one of the places they most love to be – especially when sharing a meal with their one-and-a-half-year-old daughter Milla.

Family dinners at home might seem an average night for most people, but for the Head family, it’s a rare treat to be in their own space, just the three of them. Cricket draws them away from home a lot.

Take for example last year when Travis was in Adelaide for no more than eight weeks in the 52-week calendar – two of those were for his wedding to Jess in April, another two after a four-and-a-half-month stint in England and Europe, and four spent recuperating at home after he broke his hand playing in South Africa.

 

Away from the cricket field, becoming parents to 18-month-old Milla has certainly changed things for Travis and Jess, with the couple loving spending lazy afternoons in playgrounds.

“Before Milla came along, we’d probably eat up a couple of hours watching Netflix or being on our phones, but that time is so precious now,” Jess says.

So, to swap hotel coffee tables and Uber Eats for their own dining space and a meal cooked in their kitchen is a luxury for the trio.

Both Jess and Travis are foodies and love cooking in their own space just for the three of them.

But as Jess explains, when it’s time to tour, their clan gets larger. Jess and Milla will often join Travis overseas and when they do, they’ll have family come along for the ride. “It definitely takes a village and we have a beautiful family network, and we honestly couldn’t do it without them,” Jess says.

“You get to be in England with your parents, and Milla has her grandparents, and we all get to make family memories.

“Milla is the first grandchild, so she gets spoilt. Everyone wants to chip in. My mum has three grandchildren now, but Travis’s side, she’s still the only one.”

Travis and Jess say Milla is the life of the party with an outgoing personality that everyone warms to instantly.

 

“She’s so funny, she’s learning how everything works. She’s so social and I think the travel has played a big part in her personality and her character,” Jess says.

Travis says his daughter has changed the way he thinks about the highs and lows of cricket and life.

“A lot of guys talk about that perspective change and it’s true,” Travis says. “I care a lot about what I do, but I relax more when I’m at home now. And I think I play better when the girls are on tour with me because my mind is off things back at home and I’m not missing them.”

Travis says Jess is the more fun parent out of the two of them – the one to generally say “yes”.

“Jess is so open and relaxed and Milla giggles the whole time, so I think that sums it up,” the doting father says.

 

But Jess has equal praise for Travis, saying that becoming a father has amplified his caring nature.

“Milla has definitely enhanced his caring and loving personality and character,” she says. “He’s always been very caring and generous and kind, but having Milla has definitely heightened those features in Trav.”

 

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This article first appeared in the April 2024 issue of SALIFE magazine.