End of an era and start of a new chapter
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2018 3:11 pm
About 10 years ago, I converted a greyhound bus into a motorhome about 10 years ago in Tassie and eventually ended up here in Darwin as a caretaker at Gray school. It’s the longest I've lived anywhere
It took me just over a year full time to renovate which included cutting the roof off and lifting it to give more room inside. I built beautiful solid Tassie oak timber cupboards, even the personj who did the final inspection said that it was better than his kitchen at home. It had the lot, 4 rooms, a/c throughout, vacuum toilet system, 1000l fresh water, grey water holding tanks, solar and massive power generator system. I was able to park up in the bush for a month at a time.
I did all the work myself except for the spray-painting and electrical.
I decided a few months ago to leave Darwin and get back on the road so I made arrangements to get the bus ready to travel again and had it booked in at various establishments around Darwin to do the repairs/upgrades.
Anyway, the day following the cyclone, it was destroyed by fire.
Just to rub salt into my wounds, the lovely people in my area decided to break in and help themselves to anything that might be of use to them!
I have been broken into several times over the years and decided to keep some of my stuff in a shipping container. Thank Christ I did. Everything inside and below the motorhome was destroyed.
So now my pride and joy is no more.
It was insured but only for market value which is about 100K less than what it will cost me to rebuild, I simply cant do the work that I was once able to do
So I got a loan and bought a caravan about ½ the length of the bus. It’s a dramatic change in my life
I leave Darwin on 3rd May and I'll be heading to the east coast to continue my nomadic life, just wont have my beloved bus with me.
I know how insurance companies like to draw things out so I just have to wait until they cross their t's and dot their i's and look at every opportunity to get out of paying up. (my ex wife worked in various insurance companies for over 20 years and used to come home shaking her head about how their mantra was 'deny every possible claim')
Heres a pic of the bus being lifted out by crane onto a low loader and to its new home at the salvage yard.
It took me just over a year full time to renovate which included cutting the roof off and lifting it to give more room inside. I built beautiful solid Tassie oak timber cupboards, even the personj who did the final inspection said that it was better than his kitchen at home. It had the lot, 4 rooms, a/c throughout, vacuum toilet system, 1000l fresh water, grey water holding tanks, solar and massive power generator system. I was able to park up in the bush for a month at a time.
I did all the work myself except for the spray-painting and electrical.
I decided a few months ago to leave Darwin and get back on the road so I made arrangements to get the bus ready to travel again and had it booked in at various establishments around Darwin to do the repairs/upgrades.
Anyway, the day following the cyclone, it was destroyed by fire.
Just to rub salt into my wounds, the lovely people in my area decided to break in and help themselves to anything that might be of use to them!
I have been broken into several times over the years and decided to keep some of my stuff in a shipping container. Thank Christ I did. Everything inside and below the motorhome was destroyed.
So now my pride and joy is no more.
It was insured but only for market value which is about 100K less than what it will cost me to rebuild, I simply cant do the work that I was once able to do
So I got a loan and bought a caravan about ½ the length of the bus. It’s a dramatic change in my life
I leave Darwin on 3rd May and I'll be heading to the east coast to continue my nomadic life, just wont have my beloved bus with me.
I know how insurance companies like to draw things out so I just have to wait until they cross their t's and dot their i's and look at every opportunity to get out of paying up. (my ex wife worked in various insurance companies for over 20 years and used to come home shaking her head about how their mantra was 'deny every possible claim')
Heres a pic of the bus being lifted out by crane onto a low loader and to its new home at the salvage yard.