Grey nomads Peter Pile and long-term partner Mila know exactly what they want for Christmas … more of the same, please!
The couple, both in their late 60s, have been full-time on the road for four years and there hasn’t been a single day in which they have regretted their decision to take the Big Lap plunge.
“We found ourselves in a unique position where we had no responsibilities, we did not owe anything, both our parents had passed away, and Mila’s daughter and granddaughters had moved away,” said Peter. “And we had a large five-bedroom house in Sydney that needed lots of outside weekend tidying and endless cleaning inside.”
The pair had lengthy discussions about their life direction and, in November 2020, made the decision to sell up.
High, wide and handsome! Peter and Mila’s fifth wheeler offers plenty of space ... and easy towing
They quickly bought themselves a second-hand 29’ Travelhome fifth wheeler and the rest, as they say, is history.
The main reason the couple plumped for a fifth wheeler was safety. Peter says Travelhomes have a goose neck coupling system on the front of the unit that fits onto a tow ball that has been fabricated onto the tow vehicle Ute tray back. This tow ball is positioned as close as possible over the tow vehicle’s rear axle.
“Having this connection point eliminates any possibility to create the death wobbles and greatly removes the wind effect when passing large trucks,” he said.
Despite the size of their rig, Peter says it is surprisingly easy to reverse and they rarely have problems fitting into van parks.
The couple recently sold their 2020 V8 Toyota 79 Dual cab LandCruiser to buy a new 4-cylinder Auto Toyota 79 dual cab LandCruiser, which they say is much easier, smoother and quieter to drive. They currently use about 15.5 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres when towing.
“We completed one lap in our first three years of travelling,” said Peter. “We try not to travel more than 200 kilometres per day and stay between two days and up to seven weeks in one spot.”
The pair also break up their fifth wheeler travels with occasional housesits, and will be spending Christmas at a five-week housesit in Portarlington, Victoria. They will then probably head west to SA, WA and NT, aiming to arrive in Darwin for June or July next year.
“That is our current plan,” said Peter. “But, as we have no commitments apart from our next housesit, we could end up anywhere in this fantastic big country we call Australia!”
WIN A MAP MY LAP CUSTOMISABLE COTTON MAP
Grey Nomad members are being given the opportunity to win one of four Map My Lap cotton maps (each valued at $70) that enable adventurers to stitch, draw or bead their Big Lap route to create a permanent and personalised artwork reminder of their trip.
The 1m x 1m map of Australia is made from thick organic cotton and has a 2cm seam running across the top for easy hanging. And Map My Lap can be used time and time again! With each trip, users can simply stitch the roads they’ve travelled using different coloured threads. It is available in two colour options: one with light-coloured roads; and the other with dark grey roads.
Click here to find out more about GN membership, the prize, and how to enter.
Members: If you wish to enter, please click here.
