Grey Nomads: Brown Trails

Look, we know what you’re thinking. Every grey nomad out there thinks their rig is the absolute pinnacle of caravan engineering—much like parents convincing themselves their kid is the smartest in the class. But we are officially calling it: our Kokoda Defender Caravan Xcore is the best home on wheels in Australia.

We chose to go down an innovative, experimental route with this build. Sure, it meant waiting a bit longer and occasionally acting as factory guinea pigs (Peter says Jo’s the guinea and he’s the pig), but the payoff has been incredible.

Here is exactly why we believe our van takes the crown.

The 19-Foot “Sweet Spot” & Our Three-Room Sanctuary

When we were trawling through hundreds of brands at caravan shows, we noticed a trend. Big rigs are an unmaneuverable, heavy nightmare to tow, while anything under 19 feet forces you to slide and shimmy past each other just to brush your teeth.

At 19 feet, our van is the ultimate sweet spot. Kokoda built a unique three-room configuration with proper dividing doors, which is virtually unheard of at this size. We did not see anyone other than Kokoda who offered this option. This layout is an absolute sanity saver because it allows us to maintain independent lives under the same roof.

• Jo’s Mobile Office: The custom padded headboard in the bedroom means Jo can comfortably sit up and run her private therapy right from the bed. It gives her the perfect quiet space to work with clients and promote the democratic ideas on her website, 4D Evolution, all while Peter relaxes in the lounge area watching NRL and WWE without us tripping over one another.

Off-Grid Superpowers: No Dump Points, No Worries

We modeled our rig to be a “mini Vincere” (the award-winning Kpkpda flagship van that originally inspired us), loading it with first-in-Australia technology that makes us entirely self-sufficient.

• The Cinderella Diesel Travel Toilet: Supplied by Eco Solutions, this incinerating marvel is a total game-changer. There is no smell inside or outside the van, and it completely frees us from having to visit those notoriously disgusting public dump points. We had a few early tech tantrums—including a memorable evening where it refused to start and squirted diesel on the floor—but now that it’s upgraded and operational, we wouldn’t trade it for the world. We can happily skip the queue of people pretending that “coir-mixed poop” counts as compost!
• The Carawater Water Filtration System: Supplied by Wildplanet, this setup uses a serious reverse osmosis system to filter and recycle our grey water back into the system. It means we aren’t constantly hunting for water top-ups. We do have to be diligent about wiping our plates with paper towels so we don’t gunk up the grey tank (a habit Jo is still adapting to, much to Peter’s amusement), but it makes our environmental footprint incredibly light.

Real Marriage Savers, Massive Storage & Bathroom Qigong

If you have ever witnessed a couple yelling at each other in the drizzling rain while trying to reverse onto plastic leveling chocks, you will understand why our Auto-Leveling Airbag Suspension is a certified marriage saver. We just pull up, let the Tuff Ride independent arm suspension do its thing, and the van levels itself.

But the real marriage harmony comes down to our incredible layout and storage capacity. Having dual-access tunnel boots at both the front and the back means all our heavy outdoor gear is tucked away cleanly. Inside, the clever lightweight cabinetry (something else we believe we were the first commercially to trial with Kokoda) and abundant storage space mean we have plenty of room for dedicated office cupboards and even a special spot for “Joanne’s fun cupboard”. In fact, we have such a lot of space in the tunnel boots that we discovered we don’t even need the big toolbox box on the front of the van!

Once we’re settled inside, the interior comfort is unmatched:

• The Qigong-Approved Bathroom: The shower and ensuite space in the middle of the van is so massive that Jo can comfortably practice her morning Qigong routines inside it. Plus, when you close the doors, the entire area transforms into a private dressing room.
• Unbeatable Insulation: Our solid XCORE composite panel walls and double-glazed windows keep the harsh winter chill completely at bay. We’ve woken up to 3°C mornings where the inside of the van was a cozy 10°C to 12°C before we even kicked on the diesel heater.

Rainy Days and Cinematic Nights

Victoria in winter has given us a run for our money with the rain, but the van makes it easy to embrace the slow days. When it’s too muddy or “squelchy” to sit outside, we can sit at our versatile club lounge with a table that moves in every direction and look out at the world through massive panoramic windows. Just recently, we parked right by the river at Tumut, staying warm inside while watching the water flow past right out our back window.

And when the sun goes down, we skip the small-screen experience. We have an internal data projector that projects a screen larger than our old TV back in Mudgee, alongside an outdoor cinematic screen setup for clear summer nights.

Ready for the Next Adventure

We are completely in love with the freedom this setup gives us. Whether we are stopping to follow the brown signs to learn about local gold rush history, heading off on our bikes with our front toolbox-mounted rack, or parking up at an isolated Hipcamp, we know we have the toughest, smartest, and most comfortable home on the road.

We are learning to laugh our way through every off-grid learning curve. The road is calling, and we are entirely self-sufficient and ready for it!

What do you think? Do you know of a van that has a better set-up than this?

Would you like us to give you a video tour of this masterpiece?

Jo and Peter