Gail and Mark's Cruiser is our GMC which we have named as such. Most of you would not have heard of this type of motorhome. It is a seventies model American motorhome which is purpose built by General Motors. It runs a 455ci Oldsmobile engine and is front wheel drive with dual trailing wheels at the rear. There-in lays its uniqueness. The front wheel drive allows for no drive train under the length of the body and therefore allowing the motorhome to sit low to the ground without having to climb up a number of steps. This coupled with the air-bagged independent rear suspension allows for a very smooth low ride with very little sway in the cabin.

We bought it as a motorhome, although the previous owner had taken out the fridge and the stove and planned to use an Engel chest fridge and a camp stove. Mark likes to fiddle and as he started pulling things apart it kept on going till eventually we ended up with a completely bare shell. This was not the original intention but it gave us a clean canvas to start again which can be a good thing (I hope).

As we sold our previous motorhome only 6 weeks before the rally it gave us this deadline to have it finished by then. As with any building project it always takes a lot longer than you think (and a lot more money). It is amazing what you can achieve in a short time though. It basically needed an almost complete rewire and since we were planning for an electric fridge and completely independent on solar power we had lots of wiring to do for that. As time got closer to our deadline we realised we would have a camp-in-van and not a campervan, that is - mattress on the floor with no bathroom or kitchen and sheets on the windows for curtains.

We did originally plan to meet up with the Canberra Chapter safari a week before the rally on their way north. As the deadline got closer we concentrated firstly on doing only those things that were necessary for getting the motorhome registered. This meant getting the wiring finished and the dash and front seats back in. We finally got it registered on the Monday that the rally started and then had a few days to get a few essentials in before we could leave.

The girls' bed, which is the lounge that converts to bunk beds, went in as it came out so at least they had somewhere to sleep. Our bed was up on a few blocks of wood and secured in with a tie down strap for the trip. The fridge was hastily bolted in with a few screws and also finished off with a tie down strap for the trip. We put the old kitchen cupboard in (that we do not plan to use in the final layout) so at least we had a sink and hooked it up to the water tank and waste tank so we were self contained. A few bits of wood screwed together and I fashioned a bin area under the bed, so we could easily fit in our outdoor table and chairs without cluttering up the inside.

We had put the departure date back a few days again and planned to leave Thursday morning. It is only a four hour drive. Late on Wednesday we put the house batteries in to find two did not fit in the space we had built and found that even with the two that did fit we still had no power. Thursday was spent undoing panels and removing the invertor so we could get to the power cut-out switch. A very small piece of plastic inside the switch had broken. A bit of superglue and heat, four hours later we had power. A few hours later after cutting and re-welding the battery boxes and fitting the batteries, it was 10pm and we were ready to go.

We have been building motorhomes for the past twenty years and this is not the first time we have been working until late the night before, or the day we go away. No doubt it will not be the last. Travelling in an unfinished motorhome is not necessarily a bad thing as you can shake down any problems as you go. Everything worked extremely well and we were very impressed with the ride and the new fridge. The girls did not complain about their new beds so they must have been fine. The dog of course loved it. As long as he gets to go with us he is in his element.

Its all about the challenge of achieving what you want to and then going out and enjoying it - that we did. Catching up with old friends and meeting new ones was great. Hearing of their travels, where thy have been and where they are heading makes me want to get our there and do it again myself. Also a good pert of the rally was going to the trade displays to see what is new out there in the world of motorhoming and the travelling lifestyle.

If you are thinking about doing it (motorhoming that is) I definitely recommend it.