There's show on ABC local radio on Saturday nights called The Idlers. The general plot is to spend two hours a week talking about "the big lap" as they call it. Needless to say, they managed to catch our attention.
There are an awful lot of people travelling around this great big land, and we've met a few of them. Everyone has to do it in their own way, and no particular way is "the right way". The way we travel suits us right now and was the right choice for us, but if we ever do this again we'll probably do it differently. The only folk who really annoy us are the ones who think it's some sort of competition. The ones who think that they've done it better than anyone else, and been to more and better places.
In a recent show, they spoke of vehicle customisations. Our cruiser has its fair share of customisations, but there are some amazing machines on the road. Rob's 6WD is one of the most unusual, but there are plenty of others that are just as unique. We met a couple who had a caravan with a flip down back into which they wheeled their microlight. There is "The Cowpervan" that is just a standard van done up inside and out like a Gateway computer box, which is simply the most obvious of the backpacker cars that change hands every 6-12 months.
In another show, they spoke of a chap who had done 200,000 km over 20 years.
We've managed 140,000 in just four, but like we said, it's not a competition.
Interestingly, in that time we've used up 14 tyres.
That might seem like a lot, but we have to discard them long before a city driver would.
They seem rather focused on the people who do the lap commercially. For example, the newspaper guy that got paid to do the big lap in 80 days, filing a story each day. Then there were the couple who were commissioned to write a book, and enjoyed endless subsidies. They also occasionally manage to find people who walk or cycle.
What about all the people who do it on their own? We met a chap who hopped between jobs as a dozer driver, and a family with one parent that took 1-2 year jobs as a swimming instructor. Of course there are endless retirees (the grey nomads), represented on the show by representatives of the various caravan and camper clubs. And the fruit pickers following the harvest. There are a small but diverse group who live in a van or bus, staying months at a time during the off season in free campgrounds. We even managed to meet a couple who'd given up their jobs, rented their house, bought a 4WD and a caravan, gone on the dole, and taken the kids on the big lap. (I bet they couldn't get them to admit that on the radio!)
Something we haven't noticed them mentioning (we only catch a small percentage of their shows) is the number of foreigners doing the big lap. Most visitors seem to come from Europe. The English seem to like drinking beer along the east coast, while the Germans, Swiss, and Dutch seem to be captivated by our deserts. Some of them rent four wheel drives, but many more buy old, cheap Falcons.
We don't regard ourselves as idlers, we're mobile workers. We just happen to have one of the nicest offices available.
Anyone can do it, but most never will. Some simply couldn't give up the luxuries of a static lifestyle (like indoor plumbing). Others couldn't ever afford to travel long term in the minimum style they'd accept. Some wait too long, and are no longer able to enjoy it as they'd like. The saddest are those who try, but fail. We met a couple who'd worked all their lives saving up and setting up, and just before departing one of the couple was struck down by disease. Instead of enjoying a well earned holiday, one had to nurse the other.
Now is definitely the time to do it. (Actually, ten years ago would probably have been better.) It is already getting too crowded in the campgrounds and national parks. There is no wilderness left. All we can say is, get out and see it before it's ruined! (Make sure you catch Tassie while there are still some trees left).
One challenge for the radio show (and any would be traveller) is to bridge the gap between fantasy and reality. A roast dinner from a camp oven is fine if you're away for a week or two, but after you've been on the road a few years a quick one pot meal over gas is a lot easier and simpler. Romantic notions of an idyllic lifestyle fall by the wayside when confronted with the reality of a practical mobile lifestyle. (Fire bans, wood collection, wind, and rain are just a few considerations, if the weight and volume of the camp oven itself aren't sufficient.)
We do have a few questions that a show like the idlers ought to try and answer:
There are a series of facts that travellers need to know, but which are never included in any travel books, such as:
One thing that The Idlers are thankfully not guilty of is destroying holiday destinations. There are a plethora of TV travel shows that feature lots of really nice locations. Unfortunately, once mentioned on such shows, the crowds descend and the prices skyrocket. The masses being spoonfed by rich media moguls might do well to switch channels.