“We want a reliable, tough, go anywhere vehicle that can take the two of us securely and comfortably into the nether regions of our beautiful planet”.
But who would have thought this seemingly simple request would take nearly 5 years of some seriously complex research, planning, design and construction to bring this ambitious dream to reality.
The first big decision was relatively easy; An Isuzu NPS 300 cab and chassis, preferred by the Australian Rural Fire Service for it’s ability to go off road and for it’s commonly available parts and easy maintenance.
The whole truck had to be able to fit into an over-height shipping container for transporting internationally whilst the accommodation box on the back needed to expand up to give head height without compromising the insulation, dust and weather proofing or adding excessive weight.
Massive amounts of functionality needed to be accommodated inside and out and a sophisticated networked control system was installed, driven from an electronic dashboard on the iPad and two manual switch panels in the cabin and living quarters.
As our intention is to travel through diverse foreign lands, we needed to consider:
- The best fuel types and connections for driving, cooking and heating,
- Water carrying capacity and ability to purify it,
- Tools, spare parts and gear needed to carry out more than basic repairs and maintenance
- Recovery gear to get ourselves out of potentially serious off-road predicaments.
We wanted a vehicle that was safe and gave security in the face of possible armed ambush, providing alternate ways to escape or disable the truck if the situation was really dire.
For us, it is important to experience a local community’s culture and way of life wherever we happen to pull up for the night; we look for an authentic glimpse of its heart and soul. And that’s the reason for the vibrant, indigenous, eye catching graphics on the outside. We figure that everybody else in the world is just as curious about Australians as we are of them and if anything is going to start a conversation, albeit in sign language, our especially loud artwork will!
You are all welcome to visit our website at http://www.theaussiebushman.com and enjoy all the stories and photos of our travels so far in Australia. And if you’d like to follow our adventures around the world please subscribe to receive all the future posts telling of our crazy antics.
Built by SLR Motorhomes
