Feature: Hello Mr. Pemberton

Do people still use IYKYK? The acronym for If You Know, You Know, feels like it was created to explain why our fans are so popular within the Aussie caravanning community. Truthfully, no other community is shares knowledge as widely and accessibly as those that have chosen the Aussie road life. Which is how the Sirocco II became so popular, whoopie for us! And many thanks!

Herb & Samantha (Hello_Mr_Pemberton) readily admits they took full advantage of the community’s openness to make planning decisions easier. Which isn’t to say they haven’t put a lot of hard work into setting out on their journey. On top of making the (easy) decision to install our fans in their (super awesome) rig, they’ve graciously laid out how they’ve entered Bus Life in Australia via good research and planning.

Since sending in their answers to our questions, Herb and Samantha have put a big dent in their planned journey. For their latest and to stay updated, be sure to follow along on Instagram @Hello_Mr_Pemberton!

Where are you right now? How did you get here?

We have just started our one year lap of Australia.  It’s currently week one and we are making our way down to Victoria from Queensland to spend time with our son in his new home.  Our plan is to complete a clockwise loop with most of our time spent in SA, WA and NT.

How we got here was partly by luck, partly by good planning and definitely through a whole lot of sacrifice and hard work.  Traveling Australia in a bus was never on our radar.  We purchased quite possibly Australia’s worst looking vintage caravan in 2020 and transformed it into a luxury hotel on wheels.  We traveled through the major Australian lockdowns along the East Coast of Australia for eight months in 2021 and sold the caravan in November of the same year.

Tell us about yourself. Why’d you choose your lifestyle? How long have you been at it?

Herb was a retail manager for his entire working life and I held many positions, with my most memorable being a flight attendant and then most recently an interior designer.  You can probably see how traveling Australia in a luxury converted bus was always on the cards, I just didn’t know it.

Herb and I always wanted to retire early and travel the world, but that all changed with the events of 2020 and 2021.  We had no desire to keep working but couldn’t travel overseas as planned, so turned to a nomadic lifestyle here in Australia.  We were restless, we didn’t know what we wanted, but we knew we wanted a change.  To be completely honest, I actually hated the first few days in our caravan, but as the stresses from a busy corporate life slowly faded and we settled into our ever changing surroundings we fell in love with a simpler, slower life. 

Tell us about your rig. How long have you had it, how much distance have you put on it, where have you taken it? 

Our rig is a 2002 Toyota Coaster bus who formerly spent his life as a school bus and a courtesy vehicle for a retirement village.  He’s only ever lived in NSW, so after we purchased him and did a complete remodel to a luxury motorhome, it only seemed right to name him Mr Pemberton and let him spread his wings.  We have actually owned him since October 2021, but due to lockdowns, a stint overseas and then a 4 month rebuild, he’s only recently hit the road.  He’s travelled a mere 3,500 with us, with a planned 20,000 for 2023. 

We knew when we sold our caravan that we wanted our next vehicle to be completely off grid. The learning curve was steep, but we researched and included everything from a 12v fridge to solar panels, water tanks, inverter chargers and batteries.

How did you learn about SEEKR? What product(s) of ours do you have onboard? How’s it working out for you? 

Research, research, research.  We spent months during lockdowns planning our bus build.  We watched hundreds and hundreds of hours of YouTube and read countless reviews from other caravan and motorhome owners to source only the very best products. 

We chose the Caframo Sirocco II fans for their features including the fact that they could be used off grid.  We love them so much that we actually purchased two, a his and hers pair to cool us while sleeping.  No more complaining how the other one uses the fan, we have our own personal ones that we set to our own liking.

What’s next on your adventure checklist? Any plans for the near future? Distant future? 

The lap of Australia will consume all of 2023.  Beyond that, all we know is that this nomadic lifestyle will be a part of what we do for the near and distant future.  We don’t discount another build and would love to potentially do a swap with a family in New Zealand and explore their beautiful country in the same way we have seen Australia.  However, I know one thing for sure, we will never be able to go back to living in one place!  Travel changes you in the most unbelievable ways and makes you appreciate that life is all about experiences and not possessions.

Visit our alphabetical list of Sirocco II stockists to find your favourite shop near you!