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Steve and Marie Hiscox are living the life many of us dream about, touring in an awesome motorhome called ‘Awesome’. Words by Gil Schott Just prior to Christmas 2003 Richard Robertson bumped into Steve and Marie Hiscox at Coffs Harbour. They were touring in their converted Volvo bus named ‘Awesome’ and Richard detailed their travels in the March ’04 issue of Caravan & Motorhome. Recently I turned into my street heading home from the daily grind and there, parked in all its glory not 200m from my front door, was Awesome. As it happens, Steve and Marie’s rellies lived there and they were camping in the Big Smoke for a while before resuming their travels. I figured I could be both neighbourly and nosey, so I knocked on the door to see how their travels had been since they’d last been in the mag. Y’know, Steve and Marie are living the lifestyle many of us only dream about – a life on the road with no schedule and no commitment to a clock. Their objective is simply to experience life, visit towns, enjoy people’s company and basically see stuff they haven’t seen before. They travel with their two dogs, Maltese terriers Sam (a 15 year-old) and Buster (an enthusiastic 6 year-old). They have had no trouble with them on the road, though they are selective about the van parks they use. Since last they chatted to C&M in Coffs they’ve cruised to Caloundra, Gympie, then south to Yamba, out to Broken Hill and then on down for a big cruise of Tassie. “The interesting thing about the trip across on the Spirit of Tasmania was the close fit,” said Steve. “We had 4in of clearance on the vehicle deck.” They reckon that Tassie was just about the friendliest and nicest place they’d ever been. ‘Awesome’ is a big rig – with their trailer attached the whole rig is 58ft (17.7m) in length and is 4m high. As you’d expect, Awesome takes a bit of handling, particularly in close confines. They’ve had their little problems. “At Tweed Heads we had to split the rig, then park the trailer with the car. Another time, on the bendy Yarrawonga Bridge, we had to manouevre around a stopped car and clipped the awning on the bridge rail. Marie had to lean out and hold the awning until we got across.” “And we only got bogged once – in a park next door to my brother’s place in Broken Hill,” said Steve. They’d had a bit of rain out there, and Marie reckoned it was too ‘iffy’ but Steve, as blokes do, said, “She’ll be right.” She, meaning Marie, was indeed right! They bogged Awesome to the axles! Parking Awesome and the trailer has its moments, but Steve reckons it’s not insurmountable. “It’s legal to park the rig in industrial areas, but not in the suburban areas. Roadside parking is not usually a problem. The key is to do the right thing.” Oddly enough, they owned a block of dirt up Gympie way and parked their bus alongside their shed. The local council moved ‘em on because the bus was not connected to the shed. “You can park legally on the roadside, but not on your own block. Weird, hey?” The Rig Awesome by name, and awesome by nature! This rig is very tidy indeed, both inside and out. Externally, the paintwork is great; enormous flowing curls and curves in blue and turquoise grace the flanks of both the bus and the trailer. It’s a lovely job. And even the tinny carries the ‘Awesome’ name. Awesome is built on a Volvo bus that in an earlier life was a school bus in Tassie. The conversion was completed by MV Conversions in Strathmerton, Vic, in 2001. It’s powered by a Volvo B58 turbo diesel, with an Allison four-speed auto transmission. The rig will cruise at 100-110km/h. On board is 530L of fresh water, 150L of grey water, two 9kg gas bottles and a 200L diesel tank. The power systems are equally awesome. It’s 12, 24 and 240 volt capable and features eight Odyssey 12 volt deep cycle batteries, a Honda Advance 5kva generator, 40 amp battery charger, 1800 watt Xantrex inverter, eight 80 watt solar panels, two 25 watt solar panels and 2 Plasmatronic 30 amp regulators. There are two Electrolux reverse cycle air conditioners to cool the bedroom and the main cabin, and a Winegard TV aerial up top. Inside the cabinetry is all Victorian ash, beautifully put together and finished. Awesome is fitted with all the comforts and accessories you can imagine for a long range touring home away from home. Aside from the usual stove, oven, grill and rangehood, there’s a 220L Waeco fridge and LG microwave. The bathroom has a full fibreglass shower with hot water supplied by an automatic gas system. Other accessories include a washing machine and dryer, super stereo/video system with surround sound, two tellies, magnetic flyscreen; the list goes on. Basically, Awesome is an awesome home on the road. The Trailer Where next? Like many RV travellers, they are wintering up north, then just cruisin’ around. While they love Awesome they are eventually going to acquire a smaller rig, maybe a smaller motorhome or a fifth-wheeler. But they’ll keep on travelling a while yet. As for the lifestyle, I’ll let Steve’s comments cover that. “If you’ve ever wanted to travel the country, do it now. You’ve gotta live somewhere, so why not on the road? The costs involved are little different to living at home, so just do it!” Awesome is for sale, so if you’d like to have a yarn to Steve, try his mobile – 0408 151 961. |
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