Getting it all together

Every now and then I come across someone and go, “Man, I wish I could be like that!” Today I had one such experience.

We pulled up at a place on the Victoria River. There were a couple of grey nomads, and a custom built utopia on wheels. Nine years ago this couple had a comfortable professional existence. They both had jobs in the IT industry, and with two professional incomes, no kids, could live more than comfortably on the money coming in. Then they thought, there had to be more to life than this – earning money to make others rich, and us rich but never able to enjoy it. So they downsized their house, got out of debt and bought a truck which they proceeded to turn into their mobile future. In the next four years they did a lap of the country.

After having done it once, they then decided to do it properly. So onto Mark II. This was the one we saw. In 1970 it was built by the army and did very little. Then it was sold to a fire brigade somewhere and did very little more, and had some loving retired firefighters to polish and love it. Apparently it did a lot of work watering gardens. When they bought it it must have been around 35 years old, and had 30000km on the clock. Out came the petrol engine, and in went a diesel that was somewhat younger, but had done around 80000km, but was better suited to a non-military budget. Then came the process of converting the six-wheel-drive, high clearance chassis to a custom built home on wheels.

When we saw it, they were sitting in their reclining armchairs with ottomans, the back of the truck opened out like a living room flowing onto a deck. Around their ears was a library of books. On his side was photographic equipment, a computer, oscilloscope, books on programming and other items for keeping a gadget freak happy. I was drooling too much to note what was on her side, although the library continued, I know. Between them mounted in the bulkhead was a flat screen TV. All of the fitout was not unlike a boat, with polished pine and checkerplate. All done themselves, with the benefit of doing it a second time.

Looking down the length of the truck was a corridor, ending in an access hatch to the cabin. One one side was the kitchen, the other I presume the bathroom, and a side access door. The bedroom was over the cabin. All around were windows, with optional flyscreens.

They had a little suzuki as a runabout, and a motorbike. I’m not sure how it was carried, but apparently the suzuki was driven in convoy rather than being towed. They average 137km per week and live on $15000 per year coming out of savings. His photography earns him pocket money only, with  luck a front cover of a national magazine earns $200, so won’t get rich that way.

Once they had friends with long service leave and did a lap in 3 months, not unlike us. Never again he said, all too quick. We left to resume our hectic pace. I leave you with the view they were enjoying.