Hi from outback Australia

[sdennislee]

Nice rig. That style is popular in Alaska with the crowd that prefers camping on the tundra and other remote locations.

[PNWGirl]

Hi Rob & WELCOME!!!

Love your rig!!! That is, hands down, the neatest lay-out that I have ever seen! With that kind of clearance, you could go just about anywhere your little heart desires-- way cool!!!

I hope that you like it here and will post often. Especially your travels. What may seem ordinary and every day to you might be extraordinary and unusual to those of us in the US. Love to learn the differences in RV life from country to country!

Sheila

[JohnRR]

That's some great looking planning and workmanship that went into that build

[graynomad]

Thanks guys, I'm pretty active on several threads (mostly electronics) so am happy to contribute here if I see a subject I know about.

Meanwhile my site (www.robgray.com) has quite a lot of info about our travels etc.

The truck is called Wothehellizat because that's what most people say when they first see it. It's been on TV shows and in magazines etc. Interestingly in a show done for HGTV called "World's most extreme homes" (I think) we weren't allowed to use the name because apparently you guys are a bit sensitive and don't like the H word

Some direct links

Travel diaries:
Rob Gray :: graynomad :: issues

Wothahellizat construction diaries:
Rob Gray :: graynomad :: wothahellizat

That style is popular in Alaska

Similar frontier mentality here too I guess, or at least we like to think so. With a country roughly the same size as mainland US and a population maybe = to NY there's a lot of room so thinking "frontier" is pretty easy to do even if it's not strictly the case.

[graynomad]

That's some great looking planning and workmanship that went into that build

Thanks John, like most projects 80% of the work is in the planning. I spent a long time working things out with a CAD program before I picked up a tool.

[Bucksmom]

what an amazing rig. i cant wait to show this to my son. we have an old Unimog that needs a lot of work. This will provide alot of inspiration.

[Ramblin]

Cmon over! Just remember, we go SOUTH in the winter and NORTH in the summer.

[danes-on-tour]

Originally Posted by graynomad

Can you just spend the weekend in Canada then come back? Or are there restrictions about time out of the US as well.

I gather people can spend a year in Aus, and I've also heard of them flying to NZ or Bali for a week so they can come back for another stint. Of course I don't have to do that so haven't looked into it.


I'll knock some up.

Europeans (like ourselves) are allowed only 3 month before being asked to leave, and according to the immigration officers that we have spoken to, you will not be allowed just a quick trip across the border to either Canada or Mexico before returning. Before the 11th of September attacks we could stay for up to 6 month, and at the end of the 6 month just return after hours in any other country.

US immigration laws do not specify a length of time you have to be out of the US for - it is all down to the immigration officer that you meet on the day and they seem to be administering the law according to their mood of the day.

Only 3 days ago we ended up staying next to an Australian couple who bought an RV in the US. Before going they visited the US embassy in Sydney and was granted a 5 year visitors Visa (amazing!!!). They asked for a 1 year Visa but for timing purposes at the time of issue a 5 year Visa was handed over. This was suggested and approved by the handling official. All they had to state was that they was retired and would not work in the US. No prof of income, assets, property ownership, family relations was required or asked for.

You could possible benifit from information on our website Danes on tour .

Go for it!!!!

[MSHappyCampers]

WOW! That's awesome Rob! What an adventure! Have fun & God bless!

[graynomad]

we have an old Unimog that needs a lot of work. This will provide alot of inspiration.

There are many times in a build when you need some inspiration that's for sure, I hope my story will help. I like the Mogs but they are pretty expensive over here, both to buy and to fix.

My truck is an International ACCO, it's what the Army had before the Mogs.

Just remember, we go SOUTH in the winter and NORTH in the summer.

Do you guys do everything backwards? I hear you drive on the right wrong side of the road as well.

it is all down to the immigration officer that you meet on the day

I hate rules probably more than anyone, but I'd rather have a fixed rule than be at the whim of an individual. How can you plan a trip without knowing if you can get back into the country after a few weeks in Canada/Mexico.

OTOH it seems it can work in one's favour, a 5-year visa would be nice

All they had to state was that they was retired and would not work in the US.

Sounds good to me, I can certainly state that with conviction because if I ever work again it will be too soon.

[Rodneykrantz]

Can you flush a toilet for me and tell me which way the water goes I was always told it went clockwise in australia and ccw in the US

[Restless]

Heh Gray

We would love to come to Austalia and do the same thing maybe stay 6 months or so on a very limited budget. Maybe you could give us some pointers on how to do this. This trip is on my bucket list. See the movie Ha. Ha.

Hope your trip works out and welcome to the forum

Restless

[graynomad]

tell me which way the water goes

I'll take notice next time I see a flushing toilet, that could be quite some time though. Is that Coriolis effect on draining water an urban myth? I thought that in a perfect experiment that would be the case but in any normal situation there are too many other variables at play to guarantee CW in one hemisphere and CCW in the other.

Maybe you could give us some pointers on how to do this.

Well our countries and cultures are very similar so I guess much of what you do there will work here. We haven't paid for accommodation in nearly 10 years (except the occasional National Park and they are usually cheap) so you don't have to factor that into your plans much as long as you are happy to free camp. If not then add $30-50 a day I think (just going by what people say, I never use caravan parks).

There are two main park chains you can join, I assume the prices are better if you are a member.

Also the CMCA (Campervan and Motorhome Club) www.cmca.net.au has a forum that may have a lot of answers.

One thing we don't have here is a Walmart equivalent, at least in terms of camping in the car park. Personally I try to never camp anywhere near a town so that doesn't affect me. Once you get away from the cities and towns it's safe to camp anywhere. If we have to camp in a town we head for the industrial area where our truck fits right in and the rangers don't prowl

At present petrol is about $1.40 per litre (I'll let you convert to gallons) in the cities but can be up to $1.60 in the country and well over $2.00 if you get into really remote areas. For some inexplicable reason diesel is a bit more than petrol these days, it used to be cheaper as it should be. I suspect this has more to do with what the user will pay than the cost of refining.

You may find the living expenses higher over here I don't really know. The double pension is about $24,000 and while many people complain about that we live quite well on about half that amount. It all depends on what your interests are. In my case it's computing, photography and walking. All of which are essentially free once you own the hardware.

I recently estimated that we could both live on a total of $7-8000 a year. That's with no traveling and related expenses like fuel and motorhome insurance but does include land rates. Take off $700 for land rates and add your estimate for traveling expenses.