Where it Started

Posted on Jan 19, 2021  •  Telese  •  6 minutes

introduction,  blog

How many of us have dreamed of travelling full-time? Definitely me. Maybe not everyone craves to cram their life into a vehicle and live in it while they travel full time, but for me, that’s all I’ve wanted for years now. In fact, I’ve wanted it since I was 17. I remember a high school peer who had the most beautiful Volkswagen Kombi, and wishing I had one that I could throw a mattress in the back of for camping trips.

In 2019 I decided I was finally going to do it. I was going to buy a van and convert it into my own little motorhome. Through lots of research, I realised a small bus would be better suited for me; they had more internal space than the van, with roughly the same external dimensions and they already had windows all the way round, meaning lots of natural light and fresh air. With the first decision made, I needed a plan to pull it off. I had no experience with electrical or plumbing, had never built anything before (unless we’re counting flat pack furniture) and didn’t own many tools beyond a basic screwdriver and spanner.

I realised if I was going to do a DIY conversion, it just made sense to leave my 1 bedroom apartment in Brisbane city and move home to the Wide Bay, where I would live with my mum and have the help of family to make this dream a reality.

I made plans to move home in March 2020. I had secured a job, given my real estate notice and had begun down-sizing all my belongings in preparation for bus-life.

Then, in November 2019, I met Lindsay. I was smitten. I was also adamant that I wasn’t changing my plans for anyone. Little did I know at the time, I would be changing my plans for a global pandemic and end up in Bundaberg, in a nationwide lockdown from March to August with no bus and no idea what next.

Lindsay was with me in Bundy when they announced the lockdown and ended up living with me for the majority of the time I was home. It didn’t take long for me to realise Lindsay was unlike anyone I’d ever met. I was thrilled when he told me he also loved the idea of travelling Australia in a bus. Needless to say, we started making plans for bus-life together.

Lindsay being an electrical engineer and having lots of experience with carpentry was great; the components I was most afraid of for the build, he was most excited by. Perfect.

We moved back to Brisbane together in August 2020, where we faced many more lockdowns and watched the prices of buses and vans increase as many other Aussies either decided to take on van/bus life or were forced into it by the housing market in Australia. We both acknowledge and appreciate how privileged we are to have the finances and ability to pursue this as a dream and not out of necessity. I’m mindful this isn’t the case for everyone, and we’re both very grateful to be in the position we are.

Cut forward to mid 2021, we’re looking at a lot of buses online. We realise that until the bus registration is downgraded to a C-class license, we have no way of test driving it or bringing it home, so Lindsay got his light rigid, heavy vehicle licence.

We ended up deciding on a Mitsubishi Rosa for a few reasons, which I’ll cover in another blog. Despite looking at many online, none seemed to fit the bill. In December 2021, we saw a 2002 Rosa advertised for $27k in Toowoomba, QLD. It had been owned by the church, and was only used for aged care and church transport throughout its life. We’d initially hoped to find something for $22k or less, but as I mentioned, the prices had inflated like everything else during Covid times.

Despite the price, I had a good feeling about this one. It had low KM’s, consistent ownership, had been stored in a shed all its life and had double rear doors(!), so we made the 4 hour round trip to check it out - you can watch the video of this day on our Instagram and TikTok!

At first glance, the bus was perfect. Ian, from the church, was lovely and super helpful with all our questions. Lindsay drove a bus for the first time! It was bucketing down rain and the roads were unfamiliar, but it was so exciting. It felt right. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face the whole time we were on the road.

A few months prior, I’d asked Lindsay what he thought about naming our bus (whichever one we ended up choosing) Wattle (Watt/Wattie for short) after his late father, Dennis Watt. Dennis had always been passionate about vehicles; the Watt family owned a bus company called Watt’s Coaches in Wollongong, Dennis was a race car driver, he lived and traveled on many boats and before his passing, had converted his and his wife’s Ssangyong Stavic into a camper. I didn’t have the opportunity to meet Dennis, but I know I would have adored him. I love the idea of bringing him with us on our travels in some capacity and Lindsay loved the idea to name the bus after him. Wattle was locked in.

I’m not usually one for good omens, but just as Lindsay was driving the bus back to the church, we drove down Wattle Street. I could hardly believe it! I think I knew we’d found our bus.

We discussed the price with Ian, and he kindly accepted our offer of $20’000 + GST ($22’000), which we were both incredibly grateful for. We booked it in for a comprehensive vehicle inspection so we knew, in detail, what was going on inside the bus and could be proactive in replacing anything which may be getting worn down due to age.

While we waited for the date of the inspection, we felt reinspired about bus life. We obsessed over our conversion plans, brought the white board into the dining room to write time planners and draw sketches on, re-evaluated our budget and started sourcing materials like insulation.

On January 17th we received the vehicle inspection report. Everything looked great and we immediately transferred the cost of the bus to the seller. On Tuesday, my little brother generously drove us from the Gold Coast to Toowoomba where we completed the transfer of vehicle registration paperwork and had the bus officially transferred into our names at the department of transport.

We have a bus! We couldn’t believe it. We finally had a bus. Wattle.

We took Wattie on a 2 and a half hour scenic drive home through Esk, Fernvale and Ipswich. With big, dorky smiles we must have said at least 30 times “we have a bus!” the whole ride home.

Once back on the coast, we picked up a couple friends for a whacky cousins bus tour around our small, very residential suburb. We got Wattie washed, ordered some takeaway and sat in the bus at a rest stop eating fries and planning the build.

She drew a lot of attention from the neighbours when we arrived home, and fair enough, the reversing horn isn’t quiet.

Up next, removing & selling the seats.

We have a bus..!