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In an age where life seems to be full of cold, cardboard cutouts, it was revitalizing and inspirational to meet a man with heart and an RV with soul.

Words and photography by Simone Costi

The moment Wayne Smith opened the door of his motorhome, dubbed Silverado, I knew something was different. As I stepped inside, a sense of awe washed over me. I was transported back in time to a federation house. And it felt like a home too.

What made it all the more interesting was that Wayne actually built it. It took him five years – three and a half longer than he had envisioned. He’s now been living in it for close to a year.

Wayne has had a handful of careers over time, including carpentry where he mainly restored old homes. A little over five years ago he had had enough of working on houses and felt the tug of travel at his sleeve again. I say again because Wayne is a constant traveller. In his not-so-long life he has lived in 40 cities.

This time he wanted to traverse all of Australia, but he needed a way of doing it. He first looked at caravans, with the idea of getting one and fixing up the inside. That notion was quickly discarded when he checked them out. At 190-odd cm, Wayne was too tall to live comfortably in them. Next he considered fitting out an old ambulance, but that was very cramped.

With those ideas binned, he decided to see what else was out there. Eventually he saw the 1974 Dodge trayback and knew it would be perfect.

The Dodge was in brilliant mechanical condition, but needed a little improvement. He also found a second ’74 model that he bought to replace the doors, tyres and suspension on the original one. Then he bought the chassis off another one so he could extend the length of the tray. The trucks cost $1000 each and the chassis a mere $50.

Then came the important part – designing the body. “I’d drafted about 20 different blueprints,” Wayne relates. “I had to be able to live in it, so that’s how I planned it.”

Wayne was used to being restricted by a time and budget when restoring people’s homes. But since he was building something for himself, he had greater flexibility. “I wanted it perfect. I didn’t care how much it cost.” It never was about money. It was about creating a home. You might look at it and only see dollar signs, but when you learn about what went into creating it, it is priceless.

While Wayne was building the Silverado he lived in an 8m² shed with no facilities. No shower, no loo, no heating and no kitchen. Remember that it took him five years to build the RV… “It was tough,” states Wayne.

He made every piece in it, from the kitchen fitout, wardrobe, bathroom, writing desk, table and antique lounge.

All of the furniture and interior is made from timber and Wayne remembers where he got each piece and its history. The RV is dominated by Queensland red cedar and huon pine.

He obtained the pine from a local woodyard. There was a refuse pile of the timber and Wayne asked the yard manager how much he could buy it for. The manager said he could have it for free if he took it all. Wayne filled an 8ft x 4ft trailer with it twice. Then he felt so bad about getting such beautiful timber for free, that he paid the manager $100 for it.

From this he created an incredible writing desk, complete with secret compartments like the original ones used to have.

The immaculate parquetry floor is also made from the huon, as is the decorative ceiling. The roof reminded me of a church and Wayne said that’s exactly where he got the idea. “I was in a church in Hobart and I looked at the ceiling and thought, ‘that’s a nice looking ceiling. I reckon I could make a similar one.’”

Many of the fittings, such as the light switches, door knobs, handles on the desk and tiles around the heater are from a renovation supply company in Tassie called Paraphernalia, and they really add to the federation feel.

The woodheater is imported from the USA and the coffee grinder is from the Netherlands. These tiny touches make the Silverado feel homey. He handcrafted the light switch panels and the actual light fittings are from a boat because the brass edging matches the rest of the brass in the motorhome.

There are loads more tiny touches that really make the Silverado feel like a home. The pearl shell inserts in the flooring and kitchen cupboard door handles are just one of the many accents that help complete the RV. The stained glass kitchen cupboard door and the decorative paneling are further examples of the attention to detail that Wayne has observed.

Wayne made the motorhome with hand tools and it took around 4000 hours to complete it. “Creating this home was an odyssey,” he affirms. “Life is one big journey,” he adds. “I could hang onto this forever and be content, but I know that there is something else in me.” In fact, he is open to expressions of interest for the purchase of the Silverado, so if you’re keen visit www.wildtiger.biz/silverado. “It would be sad parting with it,” he says, “but I’d enjoy making another one.”

The Silverado really is a special piece of work. I have never seen anything like it and to be perfectly honest, it is the most amazing and the best RV I have ever encountered.

Oh – and one last thing – Wayne never did take that big trip around Australia he was itching to do six years ago. “The journey was building it,” he confirms. “I don’t need to go anywhere now.”