It was originally Alan’s dream, to build the best ever all terrain, expedition vehicle that could be shipped around the world, to use as a base to explore the remote nooks and crannies of this earth. Then I, Julie, came into his life, adding another layer of requests, suggestions and creative ideas and helping Alan to even more sharply focus on what the Grand Plan really was.
So what is this Grand Plan exactly?
Build a motor home with every available bell and whistle for international off-road touring.
Make it so it can collapse into a shipping container for times when there is no roll-on roll-off inter-continental freight available.
Temporarily wrap up our lives here in Australia in preparation for 4-6 months of travelling overseas. To be repeated twice a year.
Intended starting point is Santiago in Chille where they are well set up for receiving foreign vehicles without too much drama. We’ve been reliably told…
Learn Spanish! That will be left to me and I’m off to a fine start, I now know fluently how to say 4 words.
Head bush in our Bushman for what we anticipate will be 10 to 12 years of on and off touring. Securely leaving our truck wherever we happen to be in the world and returning home to Aus for a few months in between travel stints.
That’s the Grand Plan and we would love to have our friends join us.
Well perhaps not literally, we only have a queen bed and two seats, but certainly via this blog if you have an interest in following our crazy adventures.
When are you heading off?
Love to be involved by way of your pics and blog. Go for it lovelies
Hi Jenni, Thanks for your subscription, you are now officially considered a stowaway on The Bushman, your spot is the pantry cupboard under the stove! Do you think you’ll fit?
Standby for the latest news from Alan and Julie onboard The Bushman.
Julie Frost
We met at the center of AUS around the 28/8, you guys had problems with the beast. My offer still stands to swap yours for mine ;).
Hope all went well with the truck and your adventure has continued.
Duncan, with the 105 Landcruiser, at home.
Hi Duncan, great to hear from you. Yes managed to fix our problems and have just done 5 days crossing the Simpson and now in Birdsville for the races.
Cheers, Julie
Julie Frost
G’day Julie & Alan
Glad to see you’re still motoring.
We’re now home safe and sound – and, for Fran & I, back at work 🙁
Looking forward to following your exploits.
All the best from Enzo & crew
Hi Alan & Julie, I met you at Birdsville, after the races and everyone left, it’s a much more peaceful place when the crouds are gone. Catering with 2tonne of potatoes is a lot of chips for Race Party Goers.
Alan where can I fine the Spec’s for “Home Sweet Home” I am on NBN Satellite, which is just better than Dial up not as good as main stream NBN, finding site a little slow to load. I will be able to find out what Difflocks are avail for you.
Have lots of fun we did when Deb & I home schooled our girls for 18 months on the road.
Hi Bryce, Great to hear from you, your the chip man that Alan was speaking to for ages. I’ve given Alan your questions and he will get back to you directly by email.
Hi Guys, Good luck with your travels. We have not long shipped our truck, similar to yours, back from Santiago. We had been through Asia, Nth and Central America then to Sth America. You will love South America. We spent about 2 years there, on and off and still didn’t see it all. Yeah learn a bit of Spanish – es moy importante – It will help to get you so much more. I see you haven’t left for O.S. yet. Are you going to the Adventure Travel Film Festival in Bright, Vic. It’s on next month starting 11th Feb (I think). We’ll be there along with the Pinders (I got your info from them). It’s a really intersting weekend, you would enjoy it a lot. Anyway, all the best. John & Elizabeth
Hi John and Elizabeth, so great to hear from you, you sound like you have had a fabulous trip. Are you back for good now? Where are you based in Aus? Would love a catch up with you at some stage and film festival may not be possible for us. Can you contact us directly on julie@habitate.com.au for a chat?
Julie Frost
I don’t want to rain on your grand plans, my suggestion would be to ship your truck to Equador, because since about 2009 Chile doesn,t permit right drive vehicles to enter the country, so shipping to chile you wouldn,t be allowed past the docks.
Thank you John, This kind of information is always welcome. We have an Australian friend who works in the Consulate in Santiago who should be in the know, so we¹ll get an email off to them straight away to find out.
Just found your great build and am looking forward to your adventures. Oneday I hope to do a similar thing in my Landcruiser but for now I will have to settle on Overland trips (spent 3 months travelling from Rwanda to Cape Town – Camping all the way). I want to see more of Africa and also everywhere else, and it is so much better if you can do it on your own time and schedule. Have an awesome time and I have subscribed to read about your exploits and to dream of doing the same.
Welcome aboard Scott, Your african trip sounds great. You¹ll have to be the lead vehicle for us there, we are not likely to do that part of the world for some years yet.
Our previous 4wd vehicle was a (we still have it) 78 Series Landcruiser Troopie, still a great reliable rig which will likely continue to be our Australian camper when the Bushman goes overseas.
Keep in touch and tell us of your adventure stories.
Good to see your plans are still on track Julie and Allan and will be following your adventure. You’ll love it! We are now in our fourth year o’seas and currently in Europe and about to ship into Southern Africa for two seasons of 4/5 months each. Your rig looks fantastic by the way. Ours is also an SLR but not nearly as flash as yours particularly the paint work – looks terrific
Good travels
Miles and Marina
Thanks Miles & Marina, You are definitely the gurus on all of this international touring business. We can¹t wait to join you though. Yes our paint work is flash but it¹s whats ¹inside’ an SLR vehicle that makes all the difference, as you would know! BTW, I can¹t find your email address in the Bushman subscriber list, not sure if you meant to subscribe or not, or if you think you have. Just checking you have completed the email verification process, which often likes to hide in your junk mail.
Happy adventuring to you too,
Alan, nice build! I particularly like how you have kept the overall height as low as you did. The importance of this is often underestimates, be it for shipping (cost calculated by m3), getting under low bridges in rural France, entering Haciendas in South America (low archways into courtyard), and crossing the worlds desserts (centre of gravity, sand dunes, side slope …). But why did you choose to go for right hand drive, with the many counties closing their boarders to RHD; currently Saudi Arabia, Chile and Cost Rica with other Central America countries potentially following suit?
Hope to bump into you somewhere in the great outdoors; maybe South America later this year 😉
Hi Frank, Thanks for your great comment, we always like to hear a bit of in-depth feedback or story telling.
Yes, keeping the overall height was really critical to us (as is the width too), not just for fitting in containers, under bridges etc as you say, but because we didn¹t want to be restricted to having to only travel certain types of off road tracks and roads. We always want to see what¹s at the end of some interesting trail and not have to abort because we don¹t fit! This might not always work out but never the less, it is a good reason to strive for compactness. Re. the Right hand drive. Yeah, we are getting a little worried about this but a RHD vehicle is all you can build in Australia and since we began building the Bushman 5 years ago, long before any of the countries were introducing these new rules, it was not a concern. Ahh, the benefit of hindsight hey?
Happy adventuring.
Hi Julie & Alan;
Really enjoyed our chat today; informative & energising. I’ll keep dropping by here to check on your great quest(s) and to recharge the inspiration cells. May I wish you abiding safety through it all.
Thanks Tony, It was great chatting to you too. If you want to follow the progress of my HUB chair here is the website to register, I think I gave you the wrong one the other day. kickizer.com/hubchair and for more inspiration check out kickstarter.com
Cheers,
Julie
Hi guys
Noticed your vehicle in the St Leonard’s Vic area 2 days ago, looks awesome so well done.
Seen the website advertised on van and am now an avid follower.
Enjoy your travels.
Thanks Fiona, we have just begun a 3 week trip through Victoria though still camped at St Leonard’s Bengalot campground for New Years. Drop in and say hello if you are around, we are pretty easy to spot!