Stuart Harrison was relaxing out the front of his Swagman motorhome when I caught up with him and wife Lyn at the Pontville Rally back in March. The pair were volunteering at the rally and Stuart was on call 24/7, with his radio occasionally crackling to life throughout our chat.
I’d heard Stuart was on a quest to have a beer at every pub in Australia so, naturally, my first question is to ask whether this is true. Stuart laughed, but says he loves beer and particularly enjoys country pubs, so as the couple tour they make a point of stopping in at pubs along the way, and when they find somewhere they like, they stay awhile.
Stuart and Lyn have been living full-time on the road for about 16 years and when I ask where he’s from, Stuart points behind him at his rig. “Wherever that is, that’s where we’re from!”
All jokes aside, it was the sudden and unexpected death of a close mate that spurred Stuart, a police prosecutor, and Lyn, a nurse, to retire and sell up their house in the Melbourne suburb of Moonee Ponds. “It was sort of a spur-of-the-moment decision,” says Stuart.
Quite a lifestyle change, you could say.
Their motorhome’s number plate is ‘STKIN’, which stands for ‘spending the kids’ inheritance now’. And, like many of their contemporaries, the Harrisons have decided to get out there and do it while they’re fit and healthy.
The Swagman Signature Series was the first 4WD model made;
The Swagman Signature Series 4WD motorhome behind Stuart, which they had built in 2000, is the only motorhome the couple have owned. Before that, camping wasn’t really on their radar. “It was quite a sea change,” Stuart admits.
They initially had a tough time trying to find someone who would build them a 4WD motorhome, until Stuart came across an ad for Swagman and decided to give them a call.
Although it wasn’t something the company had done before, they agreed they could, and Stuart and Lyn’s motorhome was the first 4WD the company made.
The Harrisons carry a 240CC motorbike for exploring once parked up
Snail Trails
They named the Swagman Seilide, meaning ‘snail’ in Gaelic and a nod to Stuart’s Irish heritage. “And because we like to take our time and we carry our home around with us,” he says.
The couple mostly freedom camp so the rig is set up to be self-sufficient, with two 175W solar panels on the roof and a lithium-ion battery they installed three years ago. Stuart says it’s been really effective and, while it might have been more expensive initially, the lithium battery takes up less space and is designed to last far longer than traditional batteries, which he hopes will balance the cost in the long-term.
They also added a rack on the back to carry their Honda Spacy 240CC motorbike, which they use to get around once they park up. This saves the hassle of towing a car, which would limit their ability to go off-road.
Inside, the two-berth Swagman makes a cosy home, with solid timber fittings and plenty of knickknacks, including a couple of snail ornaments in homage to their moniker. One section of the wall is dedicated to photos of family and friends, including their two sons, daughter and multiple grandkids.
Back outside, Stuart gives me a demo of one of the motorhome’s best features, made for him by his mate Graeme while they were working on a station. The ‘Can Crusher’ is a welded contraption attached to the back of the motorhome, where you can literally line up empty beer cans and crush them, leaving them to fall into a plastic bag that hangs off the bottom. “It makes a hell of a noise, though, you can’t use it at night!” he says.
When asked if there’s anything they’d change about the rig, Stuart shakes his head. “Wouldn’t change it. It was the best quality motorhome built in those days.”
Roads less travelled
Stuart and Lyn went on their first big trip around Australia in 2002. “It was a brilliant trip,” says Stuart. “We did the Gulf Track across the top from Burketown to Borroloola. They call it Highway 1 but at some stages there were just two wheel marks in the grass.
Hema paper maps got them through, with the help of Lyn’s keen navigational skills. She is the chief navigator and, although she can drive the motorhome, Stuart does most of the driving.
The couple’s many travels are marked on a large laminated map of Australia. They aren’t afraid of getting off the bitumen and putting the Swagman’s 4WD capabilities to good use, either.
One of their hairiest moments was in the East MacDonnell Ranges, NT. They’d done the right thing and checked with locals about the track conditions before they left. “Trouble is”, says Stuart, “they were talking about a track 35km further west than the one I was talking about. I reckon the only other vehicle that had ever been through there was the bulldozer that cut the track. We were in low range, hopping from rock to rock.” Luckily, they made it out in one piece.
When I spoke to them they’d just finished a tag-along tour with some musicians from Tamworth. A man of many talents, it turns out Stuart’s also a bit of a performer, telling jokes and limericks at various festivals and having recently performed at the Hats Off Festival in Tamworth.
Liquid gold
While we were chatting, Stuart showed me his Hema Road Atlas, on which he’s marked all the pubs he’s had a drink at. You can flick to any page and see he’s put a fair dint in it – it seems the rumour I’d heard hadn’t been too far from the truth after all!
The couple enjoy staying at pubs and stations and are happy to stop for a while and work if it’s going.
The Swagman weighs 6.5 tonne, which means you must have a blood alcohol level of 0.00 when driving in some states – one reason the Harrisons often choose to stay at the pubs they visit.
So does he have a favourite pub?
“There’s a lot. It depends more on the publican really. For example, the Marree Hotel, we stopped in there once and left three weeks later.”
Stuart says, for him, it’s all about the personality of the publican and others that are there at the time.
And what is this self-confessed beer lover’s favourite tipple? “Carlton Draught is the best tap beer brewed in Australia,” he says. “But if I’m drinking cans, it would be VB”. He’s clearly still a Victorian at heart.
Since hitting the road full-time, Stuart hasn’t looked back.
Camaraderie counts
Stuart and Lyn joined CMCA in 1998. They attended their first rally in Canberra in 2001 and started volunteering in 2003 at the Paskeville Rally, where their friends were rally managers.
As volunteers at the Pontville Rally, the pair spent the week prior to the rally helping with the set up. Stuart also organised a historical pub tour on St Patrick’s Day as part of the rally events, which visited some of Tassie’s oldest pubs, including New Norfolk’s Bush Inn – the oldest and continuously licensed hotel in Australia – which has been keeping punters’ thirsts quenched since 1825.
For Stuart and Lyn, the social side of the Club is what appeals the most and when asked what his favourite thing about being a CMCA member is, Stuart doesn’t hesitate: “Camaraderie. The members make the Club.”
They’ve been members of the Road Runners chapter since 2001 and meet up with other chapter members on the road, as well as attending the two chapter rallies held each year.
After leaving Pontville, the Harrisons planned to visit some of Lyn’s family on the north coast of Tassie before going back to Victoria and up to Albury for their youngest son’s 40th Birthday.
The plan is then to escape the southern winter up in south-east Queensland, visiting friends and checking out some of the race events, including the Birdsville and Bedourie Races, before finding their way to Bundaberg for the National Rally in October.
Stuart and Lyn say the best thing about their life on the road is the freedom and flexibility. And it certainly seems they have a pretty great lifestyle. “It’s not been boring!” says Stuart.
Their advice to others looking to live this lifestyle? “Be tolerant and flexible.”
For the love of bush pubs
Stuart carries a well-loved copy of Australian Bush Pubs, given to him by some friends. It’s bursting with unique, character-filled Aussie pubs, scattered across the country in far-flung corners of the bush. He’d already been to most of the pubs when he was given the book, but then came the idea of paying a visit and getting the pages signed by the publicans, so he’s had to go back to many of them since.
As he flicks through the book, Stuart points out people he knows and buildings of interest. He has a real love for these iconic places, filled with interesting characters and a long sense of history.
So is this book his definitive Aussie Pub Bible? “Just about,” he says. “Well, actually no, there’s not enough of them in there!”
