Our life on the road began on a quiet morning in May with coffee on the patio. Little did we know where our journey would take us with living in our motorhome, nor the challenges we would have to face and over come over the next few years.
How Our New Life On The Road Started
My wife Lisa was looking at motor homes on EBay (dreaming of touring Australia in a motor home) when she casually asked me what I thought a converted bus was worth that’s auction was ending in a couple of hours.
Taking a quick look and as I wandered off to do some reading I replied “$20,000 at the most unless I had it checked by a mechanic”.
Fast forward a couple of hours I was checking my emails when I heard Lisa yelling from the lounge room “I’ve won it, I’ve won it”.
Half worried that Lisa had done something crazy and impulsive as she does every now and again, I went to the lounge room and with some trepidation said “you have won what”?
SHE WON THE MOTORHOME!
“The bus, the bus, I have won the bus” Lisa replied with the grin of a Cheshire cat.
Going instantly from trepidation to concern “I asked what bus”?
“The bus on EBay” Lisa replied with an even bigger grin.
“How much did you pay and where is it”? I asked.
“$18,000 and I don’t know where it is” Lisa replied with one of those smiles that said I’m sure you will work out all the details.
In shock I went back to my computer to start organising our life on the road. It turned out that the bus was in Batemans Bay New South Wales, a distance of 1,200 kilometres from the Sunshine coast where we live. The bus is a 1970 Bedford Comair that had been professionally converted to a motor home some years earlier. A bus of this size means that the driver has to have a truck licence to drive it. The list of things to organise began to grow:
• How I get the bus home
• Who can I find to drive it for me
• Transport to Batemans Bay to pick up the bus
• Mechanical inspection of the bus and any certificates needed
• A permit to transport the bus as it is unregistered
• Insurance
• A tool kit for any unexpected problems
• Payment for the bus
Almost two weeks later I was on a flight to Canberra with Geoff a friend who has a truck licence and a motor home also. The entire organisation for the roadworthy certificate had been taken care of by the person that I was buying the motor home off, which I was grateful for and my brother in law was meeting us at Canberra airport to drive us the two hours to Batemans Bay.
In the next post I will continue with what we discovered on arrival at the bus and my first taste of life on the road as we travelled back to Queensland.
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Want to read about how we got our new motorhome from New South Wales to Queensland? Check out the next installment – Trying to Get on The Road.
Cheers until next time,
David Wood
New Life On The Road
Well David. What an inspiration you are to me. I can relate to your relationship with your wife, I think that is where the saying “opposites attract” we both want something that the other has.
Any way I look forward to following your trip and only hope that Margaret River is on your list of destinations.
Benji
The Margaret River Guide
Hi Benji,
I so agree with you opposites do attract. Margaret River is definitely on my list. I have only heard good things about the area,with everyone saying how beautiful it is.
Its easy when your partner makes the decisions for you 🙂 What a cool way to see Australia…in a bus! Looking forward to your next installment.
Hi Jody,
It is the differences in our relationship that makes it work so well. Lisa’s impulsivness is great in that it gets me out of my comfort zone and creats reality from our dreams. I tend to be more planing and detail orientated. So we usually ballance each other out quiet well.
We are all excited about living our life on the road with the kids making a list of all the places that they want to visit. There are many more installments to come. I hope you enjoy the read.
Cheers,
David Wood
New Life On The Road
Hi David,
Quite frequently some of the greatest adventures in life begin as the result of someone’s impulsiveness. That certainly appears to be the case here. 🙂
All my best to you, Lisa and the children as you begin on what will likely be an amazing trek. And every morning as you hit the road, just hum a few bars of Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again”.
I’ll definitely be following your new blog.
Safe travelling,
Don
Hi Don,
Many of our adventures have started this way. Lisa and I tend to leverage off each others strengths, so it usually works out well.
We are going through the repair and renovation phase of our adventure at the moment and are looking forward to the start of the real fun in the near future.
I am looking forward to sharing more of our adventures with you.
Hi David,
I have no doubt you will all have the most wonderful time while living life on the road,.
It has been 8 years since experiencing a taste of life on the road myself, I so want to return to the freedom and beauty of the open roads and tracks of Australia.
Hi Rita,
Thanks for your comment, It has me wishing we were already on the road.
Do you need any help finding a bus? I know someone who can buy one quick:D
How wonderful! Australia is a beautiful country. We have taken our children (when they were younger) all over Australia and have many stories to tell. I’m sure you will have many fun times together, building strong family relationships as you go. Enjoy
Hi Caroline,
Thank’s for your comments. Lisa and I were discussing over dinner how many places we want to visit and how we want the boys to experience the real Australia. I am sure that we will have many fond memories of the trip.
Australia is a beautiful country, just so many things to see and experience. I’m sure you and your family will have many stories to tell.
David, you have me completely gripped! Can’t wait to read your story as it unfurls. Great stuff!
Hi Lizzy,
Looking forward to bringing you more:)
Well David, you did give instructions not to go above $20,000. Lisa came in under that. I think the best bet is just to put it down to fate, it was meant to happen. This new toy could be the source of many frustrations and challenges, but also many more wonderful adventures and memories!! Life is a journey, I think your journey just got way more interesting! Enjoy it!
Oh this is awesome! looking forward to following your journey. My friends Evelyn and Frank are doing a journey around the country in a Winnebago. they have christened it the ‘glamper’! go well! cheers H
Hi Helen,
Lisa and I are getting more excited about the trip and shareing it with everyone as each day passes. We might run onto your friends someware on the way round. We haven’t come up with a name for ours yet, but I am sure someone will before we leave:)
Good Luck & Best Wishes on your journey around Australia. We recently purchased a 1998 National 36 foot motor home that sleeps 6 and are using it currently for monthly weekend trips with some of our 8 children. In September 2013 we plan on hitting the road (full-time) without the kids, all will have graduated from high school by then, some are already independent and married. We plan on working our way around the continental 48 states and maybe some of Canada, if we live that long. We’ll be 70 & 68 when we start our full-time RVing.
Hello Donald,
Thanks for the great connection. So looking forward to following your journey as you travel around in your 36 Foot Motorhome. It sure is amazing how many people are buying a Motorhome and are wanting to see the country they live in! We couldnt wait until our kids were grown up and left home, we wanted to travel before we got too old!
You will have so much fun.
Cheers
Lisa
read your story in THATS LIFE magazine great story.we did what u are doinf 25years ago but in europe.sold house in nz went to england bought camper van in london and spent 18months traveling around europe.our 4 boys were with us as well oldest was 7 youngesr 6months 2 inbetween.had a fantastic time.pent only i night i a caravan park in tyhe first 4 weeks would love to do nz but have MS.never mind .will try and keep up with your trip .best of luck for the rest of the trip GRAHAM
Hi Graham,
WOW that sounds like it would have been such a blast – travelling in Europe! Jealous (only kidding!) Your children would have had the best education ever.
We would love to visit NewZealand – one day soon.
Cheers
Lisa
David, this was great! I was laughing out loud reading Lisa say, “I won the bus! I won the bus!” That’s not something you hear every day. I found this on your about page and I’m enjoying your and Lisa’s blog! 🙂
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Thanking you so much Mike – will pass your words onto David 🙂
Oh my goodness – what a way to start your adventure – scary!!!!!
It took us ages to find the right vehicle and van before we did our big trip in 2001. We ended up with a Ford EB Falcon wagon for $6K, and a Windsor Windcheater van (1986) for about $11 or was it $12K? We’d actually despaired of finding a family van and had put a deposit on one with just two bunks, with the thought that hubby would add in 2 more for the kids – but then we found OUR van. Oh how we loved our little snail on wheels! It was sad to sell it when we got home, but we got more than we paid for her!
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