Introducing Rob and Gen
I’m Rob, and I totally love Australia. I’ve been a pro writer of all kinds around the planet since long ago with a will to make words fly in all directions. Gen’s a pro photographer with her passion resulting in a large Aussie collection of mouthwatering images that gets Australia the love and attention it deserves. And there’s no better way to see this stunning country than in our Bus 4×4 Converted Toyota Coaster.
What We Do and How We Roll
We are spritely seniors, adventure before dementia is the mission, with many glorious years as nomads in Oz under our belts, and have a massive passion for Australia, wildlife and travels, roaming full time exploring on and offroad in Australia in Hughie, our Bus 4×4 Converted Toyota Coaster motorhome.
We share a good sense of humour, relish the unexpected, and enjoy meeting people and all bipeds or animals large and small to find out what makes us all special. We document life in the remote and very remote regions of Australia, ranging all over Australia on projects that take our fancy.
Our Bus 4×4 Converted Vehicle
On the front of Hughie, our Coaster converted to 4wd by Bus4x4, is the motto “Home is Where We Park It”, and that has been the way we roll since 2019.
We were avowedly ‘green as’ when we started, a bit more savvy now with passage of time, so we like to pay it forwards to those who are thinking of taking the plunge for a 4wd conversion.
What an amazing life! Come join the party!
Back in 2018, we started in earnest to look for our Toyota Coaster bus and plan the fitout and 4wd conversion. Fast forward to March 2019, when we found a suitable 2011 bus on the Gold Coast. Next, we needed our truck driving licences, so back in Cairns Gen flew through her Medium Rigid Licence (Trucks up to 12 tons) test for the first time, whilst Rob failed for poor reversing, cutting someone off at a roundabout and speeding – oh dear! Rob went into rehab, signed up again (with a different instructor and examiner) on the Gold Coast, and passed his Light Rigid licence (Light trucks up to 8 tons) for the first time.
With our bus paid for, we sent it off to Brisbane to Bus 4×4 to get 4wd installed, upgraded shocks and suspension, recovery points, plus higher clearance, and Super single tyres.
Three weeks later, our trusty conversion specialist took out all the seats and set to gutting the innards, fitting cabling, floor, roof, insulation, cabinetry, and more. Halfway through, the installer for the power spent 10 days fitting solar panels, battery monitor, solar controller, dc to dc power, lithium batteries, inverter, Anderson plug for additional external solar, and a snazzy dashboard to display the functioning of the system.
Once the power install was done, the bus went back to the conversion shop to fit:
- a 255 litre inverter fridge
- split domestic inverter aircon
- Kitchen
- Microwave
- Curtains
- Seats
- CB radio
- front and rear dashcams
- shower and toilet room
- and interior lights
Then a final visit to Bus 4×4 to get a second fuel tank (total 135 litres) fitted plus recovery mats. Since then we have made more mods, upgrades, and added creature comforts to enjoy full-time travel to go deeper offroad and offgrid.
Why We Picked Bus 4×4: The Choice That Proved Itself
Back in 2016, I contacted the team at Bus 4×4 and then kept plugging them with relentless questions until purchase in 2019.
I am not mechanically gifted, but prepared to listen and learn. We have always been on the same wavelength with all the lovely Bus4x4 staff, even when I mistakenly threw away the 4wd unit that fell out of the dashboard because it looked like a redundant uhf part!
Toyota is seriously tough, we’ve tested it, our bus has done 120,000kms in 5 years on punishing terrain, and lived to tell the tale with a few lovebites from the bulldust and corrugations. Most importantly, Bus4x4 picks up the phone, and has sage advice and spares when you need them, even when you are in woopwoop.
Freedom to Go Just About Anywhere.
We did a fun Big Lap in 2015 with a 2wd Ford Transit Camper which sometimes left us pining for the ability to go further on tracks into the wild.
This whetted our appetite for more. Enter Bus4x4 and Hughie. Having the 4wd Coaster in 2019, with its lifted clearance, Supersingles, and 4wd grunt, has taken us to a very different level, to very different remote and very remote places as you will see in our stories.
Hughie has changed our view on life: everyday there’s something new, and expect the unexpected.
So Many Favourite Places
I think we would be mean to choose only one favourite: Australia is dazzlingly huge in space, and sheer variety of astounding destinations and experiences. This amazing island has it all from Bush to desert to mighty mountains, from red dust to coral coast. Take a drive to the Top End, to the Kimberley, to the Pilbara, to Arnhemland, to Far North Queensland, and way way beyond, each to their own, you will never run out of temptation to see what’s past the next billabong and will surely be rewarded.
Join Us for Stories and Adventures Over the Coming Months in Monthly Posts
This month, if the weather holds, we are heading to Lakefield (Rinyirru) National Park in Cape York – stay tuned. Meanwhile our powder magazine has the following cracker stories locked and loaded to keep you entertained! Talk to us on the road at happy hour or have a yarn around the cyber campfire. Get out there: go for it!
- Kalgan Pool Road, Pilbara
- Strzelecki Track to Innamincka
- To the End of the Nullarbor
- Fright Sight on the Bight
- Cooking in Cook
- Koonalda Homestead: A Warm Embrace
- Caves, Cars and Shifting Sands
- Trans Access Road and Rawlinna Station
- Mt Gibson
- On the Ashburton Downs Road to Mount Augustus
- Hamersley Gorge, Karijini National Park
- Wanderings in East Pilbara and the Skull Springs Road
- Telegraph Pool on Fitzroy River
- A Nibble at the Canning Stock Route
- Rolling on the Duncan Road (WA/NT border)
If you are looking for the adventure of a lifetime around this great country of ours, give us a call at Bus4x4 to chat about your requirements and how we can provide a tailored solution to your needs.
