Gaz & Mez Top End Travels in a 4MOTION Multivan Highline

Meet Gaz & Mez, currently travelling through Berry Springs and onto Dundee Beach from Darwin in the Northern Territory. The outback roads meandering crystal clear and bubbling waterways, local crocodiles, pandanas trees, and tropical palms.

Originally from Double Bay, Sydney, Gaz & Mez hit the road back in May of this year with a dream to see the Kimberley in Western Australia, a place they’ve yet to see in all the years they’ve travelled Australia. 

Travellers since 1963, Gaz and Mez, you could say have tried all the camping vehicles you can think of to travel Australia. Starting in an original Kombi to jumping into a car and caravan in 1975 and from there upscaling to a AEC 1947 double decker bus, with 3 bedrooms upstairs, a bathroom, and a living room down below. Once they sold the double decker bus it's been vans ever since for Gaz, equipping and setting up his vans became a loved hobby, including the beloved Kombi Beach purchased 13 years ago, which he still owns having clocked almost 260,000 aussie kilometres.

Today, Gaz & Mez travel with a little more creature comfort packed in their latest purchase, a Multivan 4MOTION Highline, with a unique exterior to make their travels memorable in all the places they visit.

I ask, is the blue on the bottom half of your Mutlivan a wrap or a spray job?

“We often say to people asking the same question, ‘well you’ll have to find out for yourself.’ When they get their keys out and intend to scratch the van to see for themseleves, we say, ‘hang on, I think I’ll tell ya’. We like our things personalised.”

This 4Motion Highline is like no other, sporting a…

“fully automatic king bed on the roof, swing tail spare tire at its rear (allowing the tailgate to still open), room to fit our electric bike in the vans width (sliding door to sliding door), as well as all the VanEssa Mobilcamping gear that Mark Kofahl introduced to us when I purchased our van. Mark’s team are terrific, all our camping equipment has a special place, making camping easy. The rear tailgate tent takes 45 seconds to put up, we have a wind-out awning on the side and some water tanks. We have everything we need”. Gaz says

“We’re freelance travellers, after we reach Dundee Beach, we are going back to Darwin, up to Kakadu and from there Arnhem Land. When we reach a special place we hire a helicopter for the skyview of the place.”

Our interview was interrupted by crocodiles crossing the road and reception dropping out, a common occurrence travelling the outback roads of Australia, Gaz tells me.

For leisure, Gaz and Mez like to fish, but it’s Mez that catches the most but only keeps enough for dinner. A ride on their electric bike on the beach or in the bush is their other love, with battery life for up to 85 kilometers they see much on two wheels. Along with much laughter Gaz tells of the time he hopped on the bike and found a bush track near camp, rode for about 9 kilometers, came out at a caravan park at Mataranka, with no helmet, no shirt, no money and no shoes and ended up on the main highway heading to Darwin. Gaz had rode a 27km loop back to camp. Gaz and Mez often ride from camp to pick up supplies, wander the bush or explore kilometers of shoreline.

What were your favourite places you visited?

“Bitter Springs, Mataranka in NT, had beautiful fresh water, hot water coming out of the ground, the tide taking you down stream 250m. On appearance it looks dirty because of the dense native plants on the springs edge but the water is crystal clear with many varieties of fish.

Most memorable was Corella Creek Country Farm Stay in QLD. Artesian water pressured to the surface to baths in the middle of a paddock which we soaked in under the stars. We camped among the farm animals, and drank cocktails around a campfire.

Once you get used to the vanlife everywhere becomes your home - Gaz

Our 4MOTION gives us the freedom to roam beaches and hidden natural parks. Once you get used to the vanlife everywhere becomes your home, the crabs, fish, and redclaw, it’s all there.”

We hope to chat with Gaz and Mez when they make it to the Kimberley and find out about their western adventures. More to come...