Steven and Deb with their self-contained rig
Suddenly finding yourselves without employment is a nightmare scenario for many but – in Deb and Steven Pleysier’s case – it was just the push they needed to start living the dream.
“Our backgrounds are in security and mining and when both of our employers sold out, we took the opportunity to travel,” said Steven. “We sold up and stored all our worldly belongings in a large shed on a five-acre property we had previously bought in the Great Southern Region of Western Australia.”
And the couple, who are in their mid 50s, haven’t looked back since. Originally from Perth, the self-funded retirees have been on the road fulltime since 2015, and they are loving the lifestyle.
“We like to call it zig-zag touring as we never go one way and have doubled back a few times,” said Steven. “Our rig is a 30’ 5th Wheeler which we imported from the USA and it’s towed by a Dodge Ram 3500 and, as we are fully self contained, we like to free or low cost camp.”
However, travelling in such a huge rig does present certain challenges. “Due to our size a lot of caravan parks still can’t accommodate big rigs, but we’ve still found some very good places to stop,” said Steven.
“As we don’t require any amenities we are always grateful that towns supply somewhere to stay, so we like to pay them back by buying either groceries, fuel or having a meal out.”
The Pleysiers say they hope that towns and councils will continue to welcome travellers as they think it brings real benefits to rural communities. With no plans to stop travelling, the couple likes to housesit or farmsit in order to get off the road during holiday periods. They have also done a bit of camp hosting, including stints at Julia Creek in Queensland.
While they have still got plenty of Australia to see, Steven and Deb have no hesitation in listing Tasmania as one of their favourite places so far. They spent nine months traversing the Apple Isle last year and would recommend the adventure to anyone.
“There was no shortage of places to camp and, in the whole time we were there, we only stayed in two caravan parks,” said Steven. “The cost is always mentioned in the discussions to go to Tassie or not but, if you can afford the time, go … and don’t rush it!”
The couple says they paid $998 one way on a day sailing in October, and $1123 for a night sailing with a cabin in July on the way back.
“When you weigh up the savings by free or low cost camping it’s worth going,” said Steven. “There is sooooo much to see and do!”
Their highlights included the west coast, Wineglass Bay, the Bay of Fires, Bruny Island, Maria Island and the Wall sculpture at Derwent Bridge.
“We love being on the road meeting lots of people and visiting places of interest,” said Steven. “I think we can see this being our way of life for many, many years to come.”
